We're All in This Thing Together

 

Scripture

Ezekiel 34:11-16

¹¹For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. ¹²As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. ¹³I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. ¹⁴I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD.¹⁶I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.  (NRSV)

Devotion

 The picture above comes from Thanksgiving of 2010...which we all knew would be our last Thanksgiving with my paternal grandmother.  It a poignant holiday. Each one of us knew that while life had just dealt us a tough hand, the best thing we could do was ask God to help us come together make the most of what we had.   And though my father's side family has never been able to spend the Thankgiving holiday all in one place since 2010, we make a point on calling each other at some point during the day.  After all, we may be spread out across from North Carolina to Hawaii, but we are all in this life together.

Thanksgiving will look different for many of us this year.  It will be quieter.  More scattered.  And for many of us, more lonelier.  But we are not the first people who knew what it felt like to be scattered to the winds. For instance, Ezekiel and the people he prophesied to were reeling from the fact that they had just been been carted off to Babylon as slaves.  Every report they received from the region involved more bad news...even the complete destruction of the Temple.  Between being scattered across the vast Babylonian Empire and knowing that the center or their religious, cultural, and national identity was gone , the Israelites feared that they could not survive captivity as a people.  They felt like a flock of sheep that had been scattered across the land for wolves to prey upon.

Ezekiel, though, provided them with hope by reminding them that though they may be scattered, the Israelites were still one people--one flock.  And God was such a good shepherd that he would take care of each and every one of his scared and confused sheep.  The distance between folks may make it hard to see at times, but God's people were still in this thing together.  God would still feed them.  God would still protect them from danger.  God would still give them strength when they needed it.  When the time was right, God would gather the scattered flock back together and bring them home.  Six decades later, Ezekiel would be proven right as God helped the people return home to rebuild Jerusalem.

 Friends, like the people during the Babylonian Captivity, we can trust that though we may feel physically scattered, we are all in this together.  And God is still finding ways to feed, protect, strengthen, and comfort us.  God is even gathering us together in new and different ways.  Through the goodness of God and the help of apps like Zoom and Face-time, families can still cook favorite recipes together.  Children can still share their smiles and their talents with adult relatives.  Some families plan to sync up their favorite holiday movies and sports events so that they can watch them "together."  If nothing else, we can call someone and say we love them...and we can remind them that God loves them too.

If you feel tired and worn this holiday season--if you are angry or afraid--I encourage you to reach out and let someone know that though we may be proverbial sheep stuck on different sides of a mountain, we are still one flock of God's people.  We are still all in this together.  It may be hard to see at times, but a better day is coming.  And because God is the one seeking us out and spiritually gathering us together, we can trust in his promise that we will make it through to the other side.

Prayer 

Good Shepherd, thank you for protecting your scattered children, wherever they may be.  Give us what we need to keep going and gather us together as only you can.  We have faith that because you are our guardian, guide, and stay, we will all get through this time of difficulty and eventually see the light of a better day.  Amen.