Location: Colonial Williamsburg, Va.

Listen to Bach Here: Sheep May Safely Graze

Isaiah 5:16–17 (NKJV)

¹⁶ But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness. ¹⁷Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture, And in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat.

I don't normally "blog" on Sunday but I have been graciously relieved on teaching Sunday School for the Summer by one of my elders and so today I have a few spare moments. I will just share my own thoughts as I "prepare for worship."

Isn't the picture of sheep "safely grazing" a near perfect analogy for corporate worship? When we gather together, with our brothers and sisters, in the "safe haven" of a true church, doesn't it embody the whole peaceful, contented message of such an image?

Sheep are notoriously vulnerable creatures. Alone or in the wild, they are prey to virtually every predator and danger. Such an animal, to be content, must be safe and the grass must be abundant. So it is with us. God has designed us to find pasture, not as lone sheep, bleating in loneliness in our isolated lives and dwellings, but in the midst of our own flock. God has designed us to rest... in community... in safety that He provides... near the streams of living water. "The lambs shall feed in THEIR pasture" Isaiah says... it is their rightful place... it is their true home... to be together with their brothers and sisters with their loving Shepherd as He tends to their needs and furnishes them with their sustenance.

Even in desolate places God provides us with all we need. There is no life so devoid of hope that comfort cannot be found in the arms of Christ's body... His Church. There we "shall eat."

As I gaze out on the sky brightening in the early morning light... the leaves of the trees only gently swaying under the gentle breath of a Summer day... I know that this is what waits for me. The blessing of worship... of being nourished... of being filled... by the ministry of God's Holy Spirit registered in the means of grace: prayer, fellowship, Scripture and worship.

How can any human being deny his or her need for this thing (for all four are one ministry). How can any living soul be content when being starved of spiritul nourishment in a safe environment? Where else on earth can we be truly free?

What a fellowship... what a joy divine... leaning on the everlasting arms.