Like sheep without a shepherd When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36 I wonder if you've ever felt harassed and helpless? Wishing that someone would just point you in the right direction. My guess is that there are people in our community who feel this way. Some of them, knowing that they are lost, are desperate for direction. Others have simply wandered off the trail and don't even know that they're wandering in circles. Jesus describes folks who are lost as “sheep without a shepherd.” And his reaction is one of compassion followed by action. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus calls his disciples and commissions them. And then he sends them out to proclaim the good news of the God’s Kingdom. The harvest in this case are “lost sheep.” Our mission at St. John's is: “Bringing Jesus Christ to the heart of our community.” You could also say that that means bringing our community to the heart of Jesus. I wonder what might happen if we had the same compassion for our neighbors in our community. The ones who are like sheep without a shepherd. To hold them with compassion in our hearts and look for opportunities to proclaim the good news of God's Kingdom. The good news of a shepherd who has come not only to find the lost sheep but to bring them safely back into the fold. “The harvest is plentiful…” Blessings,
Matthew+ Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP p. 229) | 
