Well hello friends,
This is Mark Lardman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighborhood monk in docks.
Welcome to another day of Lent as we continue to reflect on the I Am statements of Jesus in John's Gospel and specifically this week,
I Am the Good Shepherd.
As always,
Take a moment just to still and settle yourself.
Let go of distractions and allow yourself to become present to this very moment.
Let go of anything pulling your heart away from this moment with God.
Take a deep breath in and out and let yourself settle into this moment of stillness and hear these words of Jesus from Luke chapter 15.
Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.
Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
And when he finds it,
He joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.
Now imagine yourself as one of the shepherd's flock.
You've wandered.
Maybe you weren't even aware of how far you'd gone.
Maybe you went in search of something.
Safety,
Meaning,
Rest,
Some sort of food or something you craved.
But now you realise that you are alone.
The path and the surroundings are unfamiliar.
The air feels heavy.
Fear begins to rise in your chest.
But before it can take hold,
You hear something in the distance.
Footsteps,
Steady and strong,
Moving towards you.
Then you hear a voice.
It's a voice full of love.
And the voice calls your name.
The Good Shepherd has left everything and everyone else to find you.
Not with anger,
Not with frustration,
But with relentless love.
And that word there,
Relentless,
Is so important,
My friend.
Because it was that very love that motivated the shepherd to go all out to find you.
You see him now.
His face is kind.
His eyes are filled with love and with joy.
And he lifts you into his arms,
Holds you close and carries you home.
Take a deep breath in and out.
And let this image and this truth settle in your heart in this moment of silence.
You are never forgotten,
My friend.
You are always sought after.
You are deeply loved.
Let those words rest in your soul.
You are deeply loved.
I wonder,
What does it mean for you to be found by Jesus today?
Is there any part of your heart that still feels lost?
But know this,
Even in your wandering,
You were never abandoned.
Even in your searching,
The shepherd was already on his way to find you.
Take another deep breath.
And as we rest a moment,
Let yourself be carried by the shepherd's great love for you.
Jesus,
Good Shepherd,
Thank you for never giving up on us.
Thank you for seeking us,
For finding us and carrying us home.
Teach us to rest in that love today and always.
Amen.
And as you go into the day,
My friend,
Remember this.
You don't have to strive.
You don't have to earn it.
You are already his.
You are already home.
And may the warmth and the truth of that being in home be with you today and every day.
Through the remainder of our walk through Lent and beyond Easter.
Amen.
Grace and peace be with you,
Friends.
Until tomorrow.
Bye for now.
