and shepherd imagery in scripture THE KING OF LOVE AND OUR VOCATIONS The Kingdom of God The kingdom of God is God coming to his people and doing for them what they cannot do for themselves in order that he might establish his loving and holy purposes in all creation Paul ID: 503301
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Slide1
Reflections from Psalm 23 and shepherd imagery in scripture
THE KING OF LOVE AND OUR VOCATIONSSlide2
The Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God is God coming
to
his people and doing for them what they cannot do for themselves in order that he might establish his loving and holy purposes in all creation. – Paul Jensen
Question
How is the kingdom of God displacing the kingdom of evil in me and in my vocational work? Where is God and his reign still waiting to break in? Slide3
Our Vocations
Work
is the gift of self to the service of others that becomes the fabric of civilization. - Lester
DeKoster
Question
How is my self being formed into that of a sheep for & thru my work? The King will separate sheep from goats on the last day – those who serve Him in service to others from those who don’t serve others. (Mt. 25:31-46) Slide4
Our Vocations
Work in the Day of Judgment Mt 25:31-46
The
King chooses to be served through the work that serves the basic needs of civilization - food, water, shelter, clothing, health, communications, community, social justice.
“To work is to pray” – St. Benedict / The Protestant work ethic sees work as a holy calling.
DeKoster
- Protestants have drifted from this ethic and must return to a holistic discipleship that is worked out in our vocational work, not just our gatherings of Christians.Slide5
Inward Vocation Outward Vocation
At the Judgment, the King will say to those who worked effectively in his name but without inward intimacy with himself, “I never knew you” Mt. 7:23.
David reflected on how God used his experience as a boy shepherd to prepare him to shepherd Israel even as Yahweh shepherded him & Israel (Ps 78:11-13).
Inward Vocation
With upright
heart he (David)
Outward Vocation tended them (Israel) and guided them with skillful hands (v 13).Slide6
Relationship between Inward & Outward Vocations
Inward vocation of David’s intimacy
with God
grew
from
his
primary identity as His sheep who was weak but gifted.Inward vocation of being intimacy with the Shepherd allowed God to fill David’s outward work with Divine care, power& protection.Outward vocation did not establish his primary identity but
expressed it through his secondary identity defined by his unique strengths and skills for the particular work
he did.
Psalm 23 integrates
inward
and outward vocations of King
David;
John 10 does that for King Jesus and
us his disciples.Slide7
He leads us . . .
A Pasture (v. 1-3)
A Valley (v. 4)
to three places
A House (v. 5-6)
The King of Love My Shepherd Is - Psalm 23Slide8
The King of Love My Shepherd is, so He leads me to
A PastureSlide9
The King of Love My Shepherd is, so He leads me through
The ValleySlide10
The King of Love
My shepherd is, so He
leads me to
A House