SHEPHERD!

That’s Peter and his wife, Eleanor. Pete is the minister at the church I attend here in Aberdeen. A remarkable couple, they have been at our church for a little over a decade, and God has been doing some wonderful things in this local body of Christ through the hand of this one, His shepherd. A vitality of faith, a vigor for evangelism, a vision for the world, a vibrant orthodoxy, and an enviable volunteerism marks this assembly of believers. In no small part, Pete’s leadership has played a significant role in the building up of the church.

We have been blessed by our shepherd, our minister. His heart is huge, his smile warm, his loyalty staunch, his encouragement heartening, his humility genuine, his passion for the Word contagious, his perseverance dogged, his home and table open. The God he serves must be a God of love, the Shepherd he emulates must be a God of tenderness, the Lord he is devoted to must be a God of grace, the Master he obeys must be a God of mercy … for Pete’s God is visible in his life.

This is the God of whom Isaiah writes …

Like a shepherd
He will tend His flock,
In His arm
He will gather the lambs
And carry them
in His bosom;
He will gently lead
the nursing ewes.
Isaiah 40:11

That’s what all of those the pastors, ministers, and elders are to be exerting themselves to do—shepherd. This is the task of our leaders—shepherding. This is why they have been gifted by Christ to the church—to shepherd.

To shepherd enthusiastically …

Shepherd the flock of God
among you,
exercising oversight
not under compulsion,
but voluntarily,
according to the will of God …
1 Peter 5:2a

To shepherd eagerly …

… and not for sordid gain,
but with eagerness.
1 Peter 5:2b

To shepherd exemplarily …

… nor yet as lording it
over those allotted
to your charge,
but proving to be
examples to the flock.
1 Peter 5:3

That’s Pete, right there! Great will be his reward!

And when
the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive
the unfading crown of glory.
1 Peter 5:4

(No, Eleanor hasn’t promised me cheesecake for writing this—she does create a great concoction—but, should she feel like making one for me after reading this, I will not be so ungracious and discourteous as to decline her magnanimous offer!)

And the rest of us—the sheep—are called to honor these leaders of ours.

The elders who rule well
are to be considered
worthy of double honor,
especially those
who work hard
at preaching and teaching.
1 Timothy 5:17

This matter of honoring goes beyond an attitude of respect and an affectation of reverence towards them. We are called to do no less than imitate them—in the Christlikeness they manifest.

Remember those who led you,
who spoke the word of God to you;
and considering
the result of their conduct,
imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:7

And the writer of Hebrews exhorts us in that same chapter with verbs some might call “politically incorrect” …

Obey your leaders
and submit to them,
for they keep watch
over your souls
as those who will give an account.
Let them do this with joy
and not with grief,
for this would be
unprofitable for you.
Hebrews 13:17

May God help us to do that—honor, imitate, obey, and submit. And let's not forget to pray for these our shepherds, as well, often and regularly. May we be blessed and profited through their self-sacrificing lives, as they model Christ for us, for the glory of God!