Call to Worship
(Tomorrow) we worship God our shepherd. Sheep are known for going astray, often because they do not look ahead or think ahead. They graze with their heads down and follow the direction of their mouths. Sometimes their senses are aware of danger, but usually their intelligence falls short, so they need a shepherd. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray-each of us in our own way. So, we need a shepherd. The LORD, our shepherd, not only leads us to green pastures and cool waters, but He protects us. His protection covers us even from the fiercest enemies; the evil one and our sin nature. While we were astray in our own way, He protected us through His Son by the Spirit. He sent His Son to live and die for a people the Father gave to the Son before the foundation of the world. Jesus was crushed for our iniquities. He bore our shame and stood in our place condemned. He sealed our pardon with His blood and imputed His righteousness to the sheep of His fold. Nothing more is necessary to protect the sheep and now He leads us in His righteousness, by the Spirit. He points us to the Father and we are surrounded with His favor as a shield. Hallelujah what a Savior, Lord and Shepherd!
Pastor Brandon F Smith