While I was on vacation, I had some time with the Lord reflecting on this ministry and my role in it. One of the images the Holy Spirit led me to reflect on was that of a shepherd—that image that God claims for Himself in the Old Testament, that the Lord Jesus picks up in the New as the Good Shepherd (John 10), and which He has called particular servants of the church to take up as ordained pastors and priests.
The word “pastor” literally means “shepherd” (see, for example, Eph. 4:11). A pastor is one who is meant to shepherd the people of God to the green pastures of the Gospel, where they can feed on the Word of God and be nourished by the sacraments. The shepherd also cares for souls by protecting them from wolves, which are false teachers, teachings, and ideologies. All of this is done under the ministry of the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4), as a representative and extension of the ministry of Christ. This is a title and a charge that I take up with humility, because I don’t often think of myself as worthy of it. But faithfulness requires me to take it up, and trust that the Good Shepherd will work through me, even despite me.
Over the last few weeks, the Lord has convicted me that one of the ways in which I can be a more faithful shepherd to you all is by writing to you more. There are some matters of discipleship, teaching, and spiritual guidance that cannot be relegated to Sunday morning sermons, or occasional Wednesday evening teachings. To that end, I am starting this “Rector’s Reflections” email series/newsletter/blog(?) in order to communicate regularly about the things the Lord puts on my heart to share with you as we seek to grow together in Christ, as a community of disciples on mission. There will be biblical insights, devotional reflections, and engagement with cultural issues and warnings about false teachings. If there are issues you’d like to have me address, please let me know! I hope to share weekly, or close to weekly, with the hope and prayer that it will bless you and draw you nearer to Jesus.
To be clear, these will be for you, and not for the wide world. I want to be very careful with the persistent temptation to build a platform for myself, to go viral, or to minister to people who are not under my charge to care for. I think there can be a place for that in the Christian world, but it is not my calling. I don’t intend to try to grow an online ministry, but my intention is to better serve you, the beloved people of St. Andrew’s.
So, in a world today when you can get top-tier Christian content anywhere on the internet in a few clicks, I hope that this can be a unique blessing for you. Because I am not producing content, I am seeking to shepherd you. Because I love you, and I care for the welfare of your soul, and I want to take seriously the responsibility the Lord has given to me to be your shepherd and pastor, to lead you deeper into the life of Jesus. I’m not the best writer. I won’t have the most brilliant insights or the best commentary or whatnot… But I do know you, and I do care for you, and I hope that makes a difference.
I’d like to ask for your prayers for me in this, as a new dimension of ministry, and the discipline that will be required to maintain it regularly. Pray for me as I pray for you, because I am a sinner just like you are, dependent on the extravagant grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who transforms sinners into saints. May His Holy Spirit lead us together to glorify Jesus Christ as a community of disciples on mission.