Come Good Shepherd, Come

Micah 7:8-20New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy;
    when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.
9 I must bear the indignation of the Lord,
    because I have sinned against him,
until he takes my side
    and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall see his vindication.
10 Then my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her downfall;
    now she will be trodden down
    like the mire of the streets.

11 A day for the building of your walls!
    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they will come to you
    from Assyria to Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
    from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the earth will be desolate
    because of its inhabitants,
    for the fruit of their doings.

14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
    the flock that belongs to you,
which lives alone in a forest
    in the midst of a garden land;
let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
    as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
    show us marvelous things.
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed
    of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
    their ears shall be deaf;
17 they shall lick dust like a snake,
    like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their fortresses;
    they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
    and they shall stand in fear of you.

18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
    and passing over the transgression
    of the remnant of your possession?
He does not retain his anger forever,
    because he delights in showing clemency.
19 He will again have compassion upon us;
    he will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all our sins
    into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
    and unswerving loyalty to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our ancestors
    from the days of old.

I admit that as I read this verse, all I can really think about is images of Baltimore and of Nepal and wonder - in this week of Good Shepherd texts - where is a shepherd when we need one? 

I imagine that our Shepherd is crying for justice and mercy and hope right along side of us.

Like many, I get some of my news from social media.  Most of that has been about Baltimore. I have friends who have bemoaned the violence, and friends who have pointed out (rightly) that it isn't just blacks who riot. There have been many violent riots in this country started by things more unbelievable than what happened to Freddie Gray.  Riots started by sports wins or losses for example.

Human beings, regardless of race or color, are capable of great violence.

Human beings, regardless or race or color, are capable of great Sin.

Yet that is no comfort for the city of Baltimore now.

It is no comfort for the family of Freddie Gray.

Micah warns the enemy not to rejoice, because the Good Shepherd will again have compassion and will again cast our sins into the depths of the sea.

The Good Shepherd looks with love on Baltimore and on Nepal.

The Good Shepherd sets us free to look with love on them as well.

How can we look with love on those who need it most right now? How can we let them know the Shepherd is still tending the flock?

If you have not yet made your support known for the victims of the Nepal and would like to do so, there is not surer or more dependable way to do so than through Lutheran Disaster Response.  Here is a link:  ELCA Nepal Earthquake Relief.

Good Shepherd, come.  Come and help your flock caught up in devastation and in violence.  Amen.