The Good Shepherd

As I have said before in this blog, we very much enjoy attending the First United Methodist Church in Morehead City.  This morning, Pastor Powell Osteen continued his series on the "I Am" statements of Jesus, preaching on "I am the Good Shepherd" from the 10th chapter of John. Associate Pastor Sarah Williams read the Old Testament scripture, the 34th chapter of Ezekiel.  Of course, both scriptures - and all of the hymns as well - were on the same theme.  But these words from Ezekiel seemed especially appropriate as I have been thinking lately - perhaps too much - about the influence of money in politics, and how most Congressmen seem to be more interested in lining their own pockets than in serving their constituents:

Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?  You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.  You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost.

We love the preaching here and we love the warm, caring concerns for its members.  Each Sunday Powell will ask for prayers for literally dozens of people undergoing surgery or facing sickness or grief.  The music is superb, too.  The organist, Rachel Mundine, who is in her 80s, is one of the finest church organists I have ever heard - and I deliver that praise as the son of a church organist, my father, who grew up listening to the King of Instruments.  The choir performs an original and complicated piece of music every week, and this week we had the additional pleasure of hearing an offertory by the Bells of Praise, accompanied by a young woman playing the flute - absolutely beautiful!

Martha and I had made some observations during the service, separately, and we shared them over brunch at Circa 81 in Morehead City.  I had noticed that the Bible in our pew had a red ribbon marking Ezekiel 34, and it looked like those in the pew in front of us did, as well.  I wondered what saint in this church took it upon himself or herself to go to the trouble of marking the scripture in every single pew, even though most worshipers simply listened to it being read.  Martha, who had a better view of the man sitting directly in front of me - an older man (i.e., about my age) with bushy eyebrows - said he had a pen in his hand and was checking off every item in the bulletin as it occurred, each prayer and hymn, the doxology, everything.  When Powell began the sermon, he wrote down the time, and when he finished it, he also wrote down the time - 11:55.  What an unusually meticulous thing for a worshiper to do!  I hope he was simply ensuring that all aspects of his worship experience had been adequately covered rather than marking the time until he could escape.

The service ended with one of my favorite hymns, too - Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us. 

Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care.
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare.