ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 28, 2025
Most people, regardless of their religious beliefs, have heard the words, “The Lord is my shepherd.” They may not know from where the phrase comes or even what it means, but whether they heard it at a funeral service or received it as a cross-stitch from Grandma, it sounds familiar. For people of faith, those words are not only familiar but encouraging, providing peace and comfort. Yet for most of us, shepherding is not a metaphor we know. Oh sure, we’ve seen a shepherd on tv or held a shepherd’s crook during a Christmas pageant, but it’s not something most of us know firsthand. I think its evocative power comes, in part, because of where we’ve heard it spoken. Maybe we were taught those words at a very young age by a beloved Sunday School teacher. Or maybe those were words you heard spoken to a family member at the end of life. Or maybe, during a time of crisis, you repeated them as a sort of prayer. The language associated with faith has found meaning because of the memories we connect to those words. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
Good and Gracious God, thank you for providing images that have been a source of meaning for centuries. And even if I can’t fully grasp the meaning of the metaphor, there is still meaning to be found. Thank you! Amen.
