Thy Rod And Staff
Wanting to make sure a reference to a shepherd’s staff in a new song I’m writing was accurate I did a little research and stumbled upon this lovely sermon. I love written sermons. Here’s an excerpt.
The staff, more than any other item of his personal equipment, identifies the shepherd as a shepherd. No one in any other profession carries a shepherd’s staff— a long, slender stick with a crook or hook… The staff is used for the care and management of sheep—and only sheep. It will not do for herding cattle, horses, dogs, cats or church members. It is designed, shaped and adapted especially to the needs of sheep.
One word describes the staff’s function in the shepherd’s hand: comfort. Whereas the rod is a symbol of power, discipline and defense, the word “staff” represents concern and compassion. The shepherd uses the staff to guide sheep gently into a new path or through some gate or along dangerous, difficult routes. He does not use it to hit the sheep or to discipline them. Rather, the tip of the long slender stick is laid gently against the animal’s side and the pressure applied guides the sheep in the way the owner wants it to go.
From Sermon by Robert E. Albritton, Ph.D.
