UPFRONT April 13, 2009 Issue

THE SHEPHERD AT WORK IN OUR LIVES

KIM SHIPPEY, SENIOR WRITER

It's gently ironic that many of us who talk of shepherds or of the caring role historical played by shepherds, haven't seen one at work—least of all on foot, crook in hand. Yet no doubt many Sentinel readers who regularly use shepherd as a verb, are deeply assured by the promises in the 23rd Psalm (see p. 10), and delight in the exploits of Biblical heroes who started out as shepherds—including Amos, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and David. And it's hard to forget that it was to shepherds that the angels announced the birth of Jesus.

Shepherds have a way of quieting the fear that there might be some harmful form of life outside of God's control. Sentinel founder Mary Baker Eddy often used shepherding as a metaphor for God's tender care for His creation, once explaining that "this Shepherd of Love leaves the beaten path, searches the wood and marsh, pushes aside the brambles, and seeks until the lost is found; then He places it within His bosom and returns to heal and restore" (Irving C. Tomlinson, Twelve Years with Mary Baker Eddy, Amplified Edition, pp. 103-104).

This view of shepherds is clearly appreciated by the writer of our first article, Nate Talbot, whose uncle herded sheep. "I suspect his time alone tending these gentle animals gave him very special moments to think about God," says Nate, "to think about the deeper significance of what it means to be a shepherd, to care for others" (p. 8). And Nate explores, along with other writers this week, examples of what he calls "authentic spiritual shepherding," which we can all practice in our lives today to the benefit of others everywhere.

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