Day 4—Saturday, February 21

Jeremiah 50:6-7

My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains; from mountain to hill they have gone, they have forgotten their fold. All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, “We are not guilty, because they have sinned against the Lord, the true pasture, the Lord, the hope of their ancestors.”

Like many people in our country, I was deeply affected by the image of a young boy standing in the cold in Minneapolis, surrounded by armed men. Liam Conejo Ramos is the same age as my daughter, and as I prayed for him and his family, I was overcome with a sense of loss. I imagined how terrified my child would be in such a situation, whisked away from family and held in a crowded and cold detention center. I felt helpless and sickened.

I am grateful for the many advocates who fought for and obtained Liam’s release. Yet as I read the first lines of this passage, “My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray,” I couldn’t help but think of Liam again, and of all the children in our country who have been ripped from their communities in recent months. 

To watch the news right now is often to feel like a lost sheep surrounded by false shepherds. So many of those shepherds hiding behind claims that their actions are only meant to protect, all while they “devour” the most vulnerable members of the flock. 

Those claiming to be shepherds may attempt to lead us astray, but we hear the message of our creator. He reminds us how we can return to the fold in the very next verse of this chapter, “Flee from Babylon, and go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be like male goats leading the flock.”

In the midst of news alerts that bring a sense of fear and uncertainty, I also see signs of hope for God’s flock. Ordinary women and men are stepping forward as “goats leading the flock,” navigating a fearful and uncertain landscape. Profound acts of love toward their neighbors – escorting scared children to school, bringing groceries to families afraid to leave their homes, standing in the cold in joint prayer and protest – have become the flock’s navigational system. 

It is my hope that in the days ahead, whenever we find ourselves feeling lost and led astray, we may turn to acts of love and mercy that put us back on track. 

Prayer:

Dear God,

Grant us the courage to walk the path you have set before us with love and mercy.

Help us to open our eyes and our hearts to the needs of all members of the flock. 

Remind us that even when we feel lost, you are with us. 

Amen

-Katie Tait