shepherd king

Good morning friends,
As a reminder, Jane Van Lare's memorial service will be held at Laurelton this morning at 10:30 with burial to follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Pennfield. Please keep the Van Lare family in your prayers. Today's reading is a rebuke to the leaders of Judah and Israel. God is speaking through Jeremiah and accuses the leaders, the shepherds of leading the people of Israel astray. Then God promises that in their place he will raise up a new king, a faithful shepherd to lead the flock to safety.

God also refers to this future king as a "righteous Branch" of David. That means the future king, the Messiah, will be a descendant of David, fulfilling the promise God made to David to keep one of his descendants on Israel's throne. Christians believe that this promise was fulfilled in Jesus, who we call the Messiah or Christ. Jesus gathers together lost sheep not just from Israel but from the whole world. May you feel Christ's gentle shepherding today.

God bless,
Sam

Jeremiah 23:1-6

1Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. 2Therefore 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. 3Then 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. 4I 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.


5The 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. 6In 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."