“We are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture.” Psalm 100
Dear Redeemer Family:
As I write this, it is really towards the end of May. But I noticed the other day and mentioned it to Ruth as we drove down the highway, “It’s amazing how the rain has brought out all of the shades of green.” It has. In Spring, we look for flowers. But really the landscape is filled with green, and not just one shade of the color. The pasture of the Lord is all of creation. And it is filled with all kinds of subtlety and variety.
Just a few months ago, amid Winter, things looked very drab and bleak. The trees were just big sticks, no greenery. They were surrounded by equally drab backgrounds of earth and mud. But with the advent of Spring, everything changed very quickly. What happened? Well, to put it theologically, God reminded us of who the giver of life is! And it is amazing how quickly it occurred. God’s pasture is marvelous. And I mean that also in the sense that it is a marvel!
Now here is the really fun part. “We are God’s people,” and so we are part of this wonderful creation. We are the “sheep of God’s pasture.” When God beholds this wonderful creation which He has made, He also beholds us in it. Indeed, God has placed us in it to delight in it as well. There is nothing like this time of year to remind us of what a blessing this is.
We all know people who grouse about their lives, and how bad the world is to them. Well, after forty years as a minister (my official 40th anniversary of ordination is next month, so it is almost official), I’ve noticed that this mindset has missed the world which God has created for us to delight in, and instead, can’t see beyond the world that they have created for themselves!
So, if you know anyone suffering from the doldrums of their own life, point out or take them out into the world which God has created, and shares with us. It is truly a thing of beauty and will surely lift their spirits, and ours, through the gifts of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Now is a time to rejoice!
In Christ,
Pastor Rose