Out Our Way: Different cattle, same brand

Out our way, many herds are made up of different breeds of cattle. Up on the Tiger Ridge riding for Big Mike, Charlie and I worked with red Angus, Charolais, occasional blank Angus and quite a few mixed breeds. Each had their own advantages and disadvantages, and while some owners only ran one breed on their place, some, like Big Mike, ran a mixture. And that's fine with Charlie and me as well. We didn't care about the breed - just the brand. 

I was going through one of my old Bibles and found some sermon notes on Psalm 24 about who makes up the Lord's herd. Surprisingly, considering the time and place the psalm was written, being a Jew and of the Chosen people does not enter into the equation. While the priests and the pharisees emphasized pure racial blood lines, the Psalmist does not. Instead the emphasis is on attitude. The ones who seek to serve the Lord and neighbor, who are honest and seek to live with a pure heart are welcomed.  

In the parable of the "Good Samaritan" - Luke 10:25-37 - Jesus makes this point. The Samaritans were not Jews, although they claimed to worship the same God. After Solomon's death, Israel divided into two separate countries. The nation to the north continued to call itself Israel while what remained in the south called itself Judah - from which we get the word "Jew." In time, the 10 tribes of Israel were conquered and blended in with other nations, while other conquered peoples were sent into the land to take over the land. These would be called the Samaritans.

As you can imagine, the Samaritans were despised and hated by the Jewish religious establishment and by most Jews as well. Yet in the parable, a Jewish priest and a Jewish Levite ignored the wounded man lying in the road,while the Samaritan stopped and cared for him. Who wore the Lord's brand that day? 

I take pride in my faith - and being a Presbyterian pastor. I have forty-plus years of service and three degrees from top universities and seminaries. But do I wear the Lord's brand? If not, then everything else is meaningless. Clean hands and a pure heart, the rejection of all forms of idolatry - putting anything before God - and the desire to be true and trustworthy to all, these are the brand of the Lord. I strive to make sure that brand is showing on me.

Blessings,

Brother John Bruington