The Lost Sheep
IThe shepherd was counting his flock as they grazed
Making sure they had not wandered away
Pasture abundant beside the cool waters
The journey had ended through a rough trail
He concluded - there was one missing
He counted again just to make sure
He called them together and counted a third time
Yes there was a lamb missing -he knew exactly which one
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Grabbing a rope and some needed provisionsHis bag, knife and water tooHe left the sheep grazing by the still watersAnd headed back the way they had come.
The lamb was exploring a track he had foundSome interesting plants and tasty at thatFurther and further not noticing the pathSuddenly realized there was no turning back
As he ventured further and further over rugged terrainHe began to be thirsty to wish for a drinkAway in the distance he heard the rush of waterStarted to head toward the thirst quenching promise
The louder the sound the more difficult the wayBrambles and thorns scratched and snagged on all sidesPushing through holes between scraggly bushesThere was no way to turn he had to go on
The smell of the water greeted his nostrilsThe path slightly easier -a track he had foundOthers before him had been down this wayThe path was quite steep but encouraged went on
Slipping and sliding he couldn't get any gripSuddenly there loomed a precipice aheadPanicking tried to turn back againScrabbling but could not find a place for his feet
He stood on the ledge on which he finally had haltedSloping steeply to a sheer cliffExploring the edges there was no way downThirsty and tired he lay down in despair
Some others [not shepherds] noticed him from down by the riverWaiting for him to make the fatal slipWondering if there was some way to save himConcluding He was as good as dead meat.
The Shepherd meantime watched the sun in the distanceHe knew the time for saving was shortHe hunted the side trails looking for signs of a sheepFoot prints and nibbles from tasty young plants
Finally he found what he thought was the trailFollowed it quickly - the sun was getting lowTufts of wool in the thorns marked the way he should followHe then saw the well worn track heading for the cliff
The sheep heard some movement in the bushes above himSmall pebbles and stones bounced passed his headHe panicked and turned looking for a way out he had missedThen a familiar voice called out his name.
A bleat was heard the Shepherd was gladHe expected the worst - only a body to findAttaching the rope to the largest bush he could findHe lowered himself carefully down to the steep ledge
The lamb found himself lifted to the shepherdWedged between the Shepherd and the ropeThen bound to him tightly no way to fall down.He found himself rising back up the way he had come
Back on a craggy trail the Shepherd gave him waterThen hoisted him up onto his shouldersHe rejoiced that he had found his lost sheepWho fell asleep with the rhythm of his steps.
26 January 2008
Just a little background to this meditation: Our family were out with some friends at a place called cave stream, on account that there is a cave with a stream running through it. Down a little from the cave there are some swimming holes and being a hot day we were cooling ourselves off. Some other people were there, in the pool above ours, and one of them started to point to something on the cliff face. After scanning the cliff for a few moments, there, blending into the cliff face, was a lamb standing on this outcrop of rock. It was too steep for him to climb back again, there was nothing to eat or drink, he had worn a triangle to the extremities of the ledge, and was standing watching us enjoying the water. It was only a matter of time before he would fall to his death. We all sat there watching, determining if there was any way possible to rescue the lamb. But not having a rope, or a least an extremely long one, there was no way to reach him without risking our own lives. Even if we had a rope the sound of us descending would probably have panicked him into making a fatal move. Reluctantly we had to leave him to his fate, something that a good shepherd would never do, a very real Sunday school lesson. Click Here -To see the photo of the cliff
References:Mat 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.Luk 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.Joh 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 ©2007 Stephen Share
The lamb was exploring a track he had foundSome interesting plants and tasty at thatFurther and further not noticing the pathSuddenly realized there was no turning back
As he ventured further and further over rugged terrainHe began to be thirsty to wish for a drinkAway in the distance he heard the rush of waterStarted to head toward the thirst quenching promise
The louder the sound the more difficult the wayBrambles and thorns scratched and snagged on all sidesPushing through holes between scraggly bushesThere was no way to turn he had to go on
The smell of the water greeted his nostrilsThe path slightly easier -a track he had foundOthers before him had been down this wayThe path was quite steep but encouraged went on
Slipping and sliding he couldn't get any gripSuddenly there loomed a precipice aheadPanicking tried to turn back againScrabbling but could not find a place for his feet
He stood on the ledge on which he finally had haltedSloping steeply to a sheer cliffExploring the edges there was no way downThirsty and tired he lay down in despair
Some others [not shepherds] noticed him from down by the riverWaiting for him to make the fatal slipWondering if there was some way to save himConcluding He was as good as dead meat.
The Shepherd meantime watched the sun in the distanceHe knew the time for saving was shortHe hunted the side trails looking for signs of a sheepFoot prints and nibbles from tasty young plants
Finally he found what he thought was the trailFollowed it quickly - the sun was getting lowTufts of wool in the thorns marked the way he should followHe then saw the well worn track heading for the cliff
The sheep heard some movement in the bushes above himSmall pebbles and stones bounced passed his headHe panicked and turned looking for a way out he had missedThen a familiar voice called out his name.
A bleat was heard the Shepherd was gladHe expected the worst - only a body to findAttaching the rope to the largest bush he could findHe lowered himself carefully down to the steep ledge
The lamb found himself lifted to the shepherdWedged between the Shepherd and the ropeThen bound to him tightly no way to fall down.He found himself rising back up the way he had come
Back on a craggy trail the Shepherd gave him waterThen hoisted him up onto his shouldersHe rejoiced that he had found his lost sheepWho fell asleep with the rhythm of his steps.
26 January 2008
Just a little background to this meditation: Our family were out with some friends at a place called cave stream, on account that there is a cave with a stream running through it. Down a little from the cave there are some swimming holes and being a hot day we were cooling ourselves off. Some other people were there, in the pool above ours, and one of them started to point to something on the cliff face. After scanning the cliff for a few moments, there, blending into the cliff face, was a lamb standing on this outcrop of rock. It was too steep for him to climb back again, there was nothing to eat or drink, he had worn a triangle to the extremities of the ledge, and was standing watching us enjoying the water. It was only a matter of time before he would fall to his death. We all sat there watching, determining if there was any way possible to rescue the lamb. But not having a rope, or a least an extremely long one, there was no way to reach him without risking our own lives. Even if we had a rope the sound of us descending would probably have panicked him into making a fatal move. Reluctantly we had to leave him to his fate, something that a good shepherd would never do, a very real Sunday school lesson. Click Here -To see the photo of the cliff
References:Mat 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.Luk 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.Joh 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 ©2007 Stephen Share