Sheep & Shepherd Stories

Feed My Lambs

The light had only just slipped into the day.
It lay across the Galilee lake
flat and yellow
disturbed only where a fisher’s boat
disturbed the edge
between water and light;

there the colours rippled and flashed
as nets were hauled in,

but there were no silver darlings;
no catch today

and turning towards the land once more
light on their backs
and faces heavy with shadow
reflecting the world
dull now Jesus was gone,

the growing sunrise
lit a man on the beach
with a familiar gait
and a fire
broken bread
and charcoaled fish;

and there was a chink in their minds:

was this just a trick?

Of the light,
or of heaven?

Lost Prayer

When we cannot find the words
to say thanks
and when we cannot find the time
to meet you
when we cannot find the space
to forgive
find us O God
and be the word
be the time
be the space
between us

When we cannot find peace
in the world
When we cannot find justice
between us
When we cannot find equality
for everyone
find us O God
and be peace
be justice
be equality
between us

When we cannot find what we are looking for
may you join us in the search
that we might first find each other
and then all things are possible

John 21:15-30 (and others)

Contemporary Reading

Ann Weems wrote a poem Feed my Sheep. This is an expansion of it:

Feed my sheep
and there are no conditions
Feed my sheep
and there is no question about deserving

Feed my sheep
But I don’t have time
I’m too busy
I don’t know how

Feed my sheep
But I don’t feel like it
I’m not in the mood
I don’t know any of them

Feed my sheep
but it isn’t efficient
I could do other things
it’s not part of the programme

Feed my sheep
but we are in a downturn
we’ve got to balance budgets
wait till the economy goes up

Feed my sheep
But we don’t have any leftovers
the food bank is sparse
There’s nothing on the reduced shelf yet

Feed my sheep
without condition
we who have agreed to keep covenant
are called
to feed the sheep