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Dear Friends,
. . . .thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
(Psalm 23:4)
This is one of the
strangest lines is all of scripture. It’s a most uncommon, most extraordinary
sentiment lodged in the most common, most beloved song of Hebrew sacred
literature: the Shepherd’s Psalm. In our non-agrarian society, it seems
improbable for anyone to derive even the slightest degree of comfort from a rod
or a staff. Spare the rod and spoil the child readily comes to mind as well,
and there is surely no comfort whatsoever in this aphorism . . . particularly
for the child.
If I were to own up to
my particular fascination with this sentiment of the rod and staff, I should
have to admit at the outset that of late I have become preoccupied with fancy
walking sticks. Having been born in an era that is three generations too late,
I am still enamored of three-piece suits, mirror-polished shoes topped with grey
spats; smart-looking cravats; burgundy smoking jackets lined with black velvet
lapels; and elegant walking sticks with silver handles in the shape of a lion’s
head. The last item would be the rod and staff that comforts me in my advanced
years and keeps me steady on a course that challenges an aging
equilibrium.
More to the point,
however, the rod was the central symbol of authority in the culture of the
Israelites. Moses carried his rod or staff as a shepherd while herding his
flock of sheep. (Exodus 4:2) Aaron’s rod was endowed with miraculous powers,
which were used by God in visiting various plagues upon an intransigent Pharaoh
prior to the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. (Exodus 6-12) Moses struck
the rock with his rod to bring forth water for a perishing congregation of
wanderers. (Exodus 17) The rod is the principal emblem of leadership in the
Old Testament.
In the near future our
congregation will be placing a symbolic rod and staff in the hands of our new
pastor, who will be endowed with the privilege and responsibility of leading
this congregation—at God’s behest—into a vibrant and resilient future. As the
people of God, we look to that day with hope and anticipation. Beyond the
shadow of a doubt, I believe that rod and that staff will comfort us . . . and
challenge us.
Hats off to the past,
and coats off to the future!
Yours in Christ,
faithfully,
Calvin Coolidge Wilson
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