Super Shepherd!

^{I'm working on a sermon about Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 (I think).  All I can think of are two things:}  

^{1.  That song from Footloose that sings in the refrain, "I need a hero!"}

^{2.  A flying, high-speed Super Shepherd!}  

^{These ideas are kind of helpful to me, but they aren't exactly right on.  The second image, particularly, is kind of weird.}

^{The Shepherd described in Ezekiel 34 is an unveiling of the Lord's intentions to bring back together all of the people of Israel.  The image I have is of a Super Shepherd, whose crook is long enough to reach out to the outer edges of the universe and bring back all of the strayed sheep.  This Super Shepherd has high-powered, bionic vision that knows where all of his or her sheep are.  This Shepherd is about to make all things right, culling from all the flocks the skinny sheep from the fat ones, the trampled from the tramplers, and those who have been taken advantage of by their earthly shepherds.  And this Shepherd is going to do right by these skinny, worn out, injured ones.  This Shepherd will lead them to a place of re-creation, a resting place where there is plenty of good food and water.}  

^{It sounds awfully better than the alternative, but couldn't I have a magazine or something?  Verse 15 says  "I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God."  It almost sounds like a forced naptime to me, which I was never good at. I am too restless to want to lie down on command.  What is the meaning of this verse, "I will make them lie down?"  Do I have to?}

^{Perhaps being made to lie down is part of the challenge.  Perhaps I being too literal here, but it reminds me of what we are always trying to do with hyper dogs.  "Lie down!" we say.  It means, "Please stop panting on the guests and stop worrying about everyone and everything going on around you!"  In other words, "Just relax!"}  

^{We might do with listening to God's command to "Lie Down!"  Perhaps depending on how we feel when we are commanded to do something, we may take it as pushy, or we might accept it with obedience.  We may be tempted to rebel or we may feel free to just say, "Okay!  I would be glad to lie down for a change."  Accepting God's commands, accepting the Lordship of Jesus Christ, means trying to follow such commands.    Easier said than done, I know.  And whenever someone tells me that it's okay to lie down, and let go of all the busybody stuff, it's not easy.}  

^{This chance to lie down, finally, and to receive the care and nurture that I need, is an act of trusting the Super Shepherd.  The Super Shepherd, after all, is the one who can take everything, when we can no longer take any more.  This passage from Ezekiel is a description of God's salvation and utter authority over all Creation, and having placed Jesus into a role as King over all God's people, the Church.}  

^{The festival of Christ the King is this Sunday.  As a culture that generally doesn't think much about kings anymore, the image of Christ as a King can be difficult to wrap our minds around. Some people even bristle at the hierarchical image of Jesus as someone who is somehow "above" us when he is "with" us. That bugs some of us.  Anyone who has experienced the terrifying domination of a powerful person may be afraid to associate that experience with what they believe Jesus should be to them.  I agree.  This is not the sort of king Jesus SHOULD BE!  Perhaps that is precisely why he occupies the title "King" - to teach us something about what it means to be a ruler.}

^{Ancient concepts of a "good king" included such a king who had a preference for caring for the most vulnerable in his realm.  A king was also called a steward, who made sure that the needs of the whole realm were cared for.  I believe it was in my Oxford Bible Commentary which says that the concept of a shepherd-king has its roots in the Ancient Egyptians.  (I'll have to verify that, now that I've said it)  What it means to be a king is in direct contrast to the sorts of rules Ezekiel speaks out against in chapter 34. The earlier half of the chapter is devoted to anger at the earthly human shepherds, who have taken full advantage of the flock, causing injury, not protecting them, favoring some more than others, growing fat on their power over the weakest.  This Super Shepherd has come along and collected them, taking the weakest, the injured, the skinniest and the most impoverished and placed them in this healing and wonderful place.}