Hello friends,
This is Mark Ludman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks.
And welcome to another Lenten Reflection as we continue to contemplate Jesus' I Am statements as found in the Gospel of John,
And another day contemplating Jesus' words,
I Am the Good Shepherd.
As we get ready to meditate on Jesus' care as the Good Shepherd,
I invite you just to settle,
Take a deep breath in,
Exhale slowly,
Rest into this moment of stillness.
And as you do,
Hear these words from Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
With your eyes closed,
Imagine this scene.
You're in a wide open meadow.
Lush green grass stretches before you.
The air is warm,
Filled with the scent of earth and sunlight.
You hear the soft rustling of leaves.
The distant song of a bird.
And then you see him.
The Good Shepherd.
His presence is calm and steady.
He's not hurried.
He's not anxious.
He watches over you with gentle care.
You are safe.
You have all you need.
Now picture yourself lying down in the soft grass.
Feel the tension leave your body.
Let yourself rest in the presence of the shepherd.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Just in a short time of silence,
Allow this moment of peace to settle within you.
Now here's a couple of things to think about.
Where in your life do you long for this kind of rest?
What worries or burdens are you carrying?
And know today that Jesus' invitation is to lay them down.
Now imagine the shepherd leading you beside still water.
The water is clean and calm.
You kneel beside it,
Cupping your hands to take a drink.
It is cool.
It is refreshing.
It is life-giving.
This is what the shepherd offers you,
Friends.
Not just physical rest,
As important as that is,
But this goes much deeper.
It is deep soul rest.
A restoration that reaches into the tired,
Weary places of your heart.
I wonder,
Where do you need the restoration of the shepherd today in your life?
What parts of your soul need refreshing?
In another part of the Gospels,
Jesus says,
Come unto me,
All you who are weary and burdened,
And I will give you rest.
And then he goes on to say,
Take my yoke upon you.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
The burden that we have to bear is the difficulty as humans it is for us to accept that all that God requires of us is to rest safely and securely in his presence.
That there's nothing more we can do except to accept this union of God that we have in Christ and rest in it.
My friends,
Let Jesus lead you.
Let Jesus restore you.
Let Jesus hold you in the presence of his peace.
You don't have to have it all figured out.
You don't have to carry everything on your own.
The shepherd is here.
Take another deep breath and let your soul rest in him as we pray.
Shepherd of my heart,
Lead me into your peace.
Restore me when I am weary.
Help me to trust in your perfect care.
Amen.
Take one more deep breath in and out.
And as you go,
May you know the restoration deep within your soul,
The refreshing that comes from the spirit of God and may grace,
Peace and love go with you every step of the way.
Until tomorrow,
Grace and peace be with you.
Amen.
