kiddnappings and killings
mudslides and makeshift cities
conflicts and controversies
war and wildfires
violence and victims

in the midst of all this
a Good Shepherd who promises
life abundantly
to all who enter by the Gate

I keep looking at that Gate
thinking I’m in safe pasture
wanting the Shepherd guide me
yet I am reluctant to let go
long enough to see my cup overflowing

now, though, I am tired enough to realize
it’s a good time to enter in
to be still and stop worrying
about saving others from treachery
or themselves or the brutality the world offers
sometimes to innocent ones

I will walk into the fold
claim a small space and allow
some shepherding in my own life

yes, today, I will stop pondering the Gate,
the Shepherd, the pasture and the world
and just be still and know

there’s plenty of room
maybe you, too, need to rest
beside quiet waters
and be restored

RCL – Year A – Fourth Sunday of Easter – May 11, 2014
Acts 2:42-47
Psalm 23
1 Peter 2:19-25
John 10:1-10