Cornerstone Curriculum, Official Certification Edition

292 / CORNERSTONE CURRICULUM STUDENT WORKBOOK

Shepherd,” the one who would, in obedience to his Father’s command, gladly give his life for the sheep, his redeemed company. Throughout every dimension of his life and ministry our Lord stands out as one who offered care to those who were in need, whatever their lot, situation, or position. Whether spending time with one of the rulers in Israel in dialogue (Nicodemus) or befriending a lonely, spurned Samaritan woman, our Lord provided clear evidence of his caring heart, of the nature of true pastoral care. Our Lord was neither biased nor bigoted, and never seemed to berate or belittle the individuals that he encountered and cared for. He met each particular individual in the moment and at the point of their specific need. In all of the representative examples of his rich ministry provided in the NT, our Lord respected the dignity and worth of each one, whether, child, woman, or man. Our Lord did not believe that “one size fits all” in terms of caring for the people he encountered in his ministry. Rather, he was careful to honor the individuality and uniqueness of each person’s situation, and tailored his own particular response to that person’s need, lack, and burden. This kind of specific, particular, and contextualized care is the heart and soul of the pastoral ministry, and is also why the art of pastoring is so little practiced today. At a time when many pastors envision the role of the senior pastor as a religious CEO who does not “dirty his hands” in the details of people’s lives, we desperately need a new (or rather, a truly old) kind of pastoral leadership. A great need exists to rediscover the nature of biblical caring, a kind of ministry which is focused on meeting the needs of individual persons, particular families, and specific neighborhoods and communities. Look again at the remarkable care of our Lord to specific individuals – the widow of Nain, the blind Bartemeus, Zacchaeus the publican, and the demoniac of the Gadarenes. In each case it is the same Lord loving, caring, comforting, but also in each case his grace and care are given in a particular way. Our Lord did not love from afar nor even at arm’s length. He got close enough to touch the ones he ministered to, and as a result of his specific and particular love for each and every sheep in their own life context, he transformed their lives. What kind of motivations and incentives will enable us to find individuals willing to give this kind of taxing, exhausting, and costly care to those who so desperately need spiritual shepherding? Ephesians 4 suggests that it is God alone who provides pastors to his people, gifted, available persons

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