Jeremiah 23:1 “Oh no! The shepherds are destroying and scattering the sheep in my pasture!” says Adonai. 2 Therefore this is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el, says against the shepherds who shepherd my people: “You have scattered my flock, driven them away and not taken care of them. So I will ‘take care of’ you because of your evil deeds,” says Adonai. 3 “I myself will gather what remains of my flock from all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their homes, and they will be fruitful and increase their numbers. 4 I will appoint shepherds over them who will shepherd them; then they will no longer be afraid or disgraced; and none will be missing,” says Adonai.
5 “The days are coming,” says Adonai
when I will raise a righteous Branch for David.
He will reign as king and succeed,
he will do what is just and right in the land.
6 In his days Y’hudah will be saved,
Isra’el will live in safety,
and the name given to him will be
Adonai Tzidkenu [Adonai our righteousness].[Complete Jewish Bible]A church sign I saw recently announced itself as the "E-Free Church." It made me wonder what exactly it was about those words that drew people to such a place. We have scattered the sheep; we the people of faith, we have divided and re-divided and fractured until it would appear to those outside of our fellowships that none of the words on the signs outside of our sanctuaries (or "Worship Centers" as they are sometimes called) have any intrinsic meaning.
What does it mean to be a Lutheran—or for that matter, a member of any particular denomination? More importantly, how do we let people know what it means to belong to a particular confessional tradition?
Jeremiah speaks of shattering apart and drawing together and a quick look outside our church buildings will show us examples of the shattering apart of the body of Christ. Churches abound, they rise and fall like fast food franchises and then they are gone, taking with them whatever meaning they carried.
At the core of our confession must be Christ. At the core of our question should be, "How does Christ appear in our assembly? How is his Body made flesh in us?"
God of grace and God of glory, shepherd your church, which is your body on earth, toward a future where the freedom of confession and forgiveness speak the truth of the promise; where the sacraments enact your grace; where your voice is heard ringing out in truth and in freedom. Amen.
R. Tim Carnahan
Santa Rosa, Cali.
Master of Divinity , 2005
Jeremiah 23:1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord.
2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord.
3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord
5 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness."[New Revised Standard Version]
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