We have no lack of earthly images for the heavenly God Almighty, the One who is wholly (Holy) different from the Creation and the creatures!

It should be no other way unless you want a philosophical, logical, Transcendent only God. Most of can’t think that hard nor should we! Our God meets us where we are with words and descriptions we are familiar with. Thus, we get Good Shepherds, Sacrificial Lambs, Lions of Judah, a Mother Hen wanting to gather her chicks, and finally a duel between The Beast and a Rider on a White Horse! So much better and vital than an Unmoved Mover or Wholly Other!

Which gets us to being able to also sing! Praising God with voice and instrument. We need words that we, on earth, can relate to, not words of the philosophers and thinkers only. As we Wesleyans know, we have “a sung faith!”

This Sunday we will work with images not seen very often in our America today. Shepherds and their flocks. Would an image of the cowboy with the herd help us? That too is almost gone as is the late, great TV Western. So….we work with what we are given somewhere between the ancient text and what you see and hear in the 21st century.

It should make worship one of the best parts of your week! Pray that it be so!

Pastor Barry