Notes From: Kevin

On the Second Sunday of Advent, we heard the following words in our reading from the Hebrew scriptures: “He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep” (Isaiah 40 v 11)

When I heard these words, I thought of the time when my late, and beloved, partner, Patrick and I were on holiday, visiting one of my cousins in Disley, England. From their home one can hear the sheep in the field at the end of the road. Patrick delighted in recounting that fact whenever we spoke of my family. We spent some time walking with my cousin and her husband in the fields surrounding their neighbourhood; I remember my cousin telling us to wear our boots because the fields would be muddy. She was right, the fields were very muddy.

Probably one of the most well-known passages in holy scripture is 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.” (Psalm 23 v 1 – 3) Leading sheep beside still waters allows them to keep their footing whilst drinking, something not possible with fast flowing water. We are called to a life of service in the muddy fields of the world. And just like sheep, we can’t keep our footing if we only walk beside fast flowing water. As we await the birth of Jesus, the good shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep, where are the places of still waters to which you need the good shepherd to lead you, so that your soul is restored?