Exodus 3:15a, 16-17a, 4:17, 20
“God also said to Moses, ‘…Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘…I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.  And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery…But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miracles with it.’…So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt.  And he took the staff of God in his hand.”

Mark 6:6b-9
“Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.  Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.  These were his instructions:  ‘Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.  Wear sandals but not an extra tunic…’”

Psalm 23:4b
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Great Shepherd, you protect, seek, rescue and heal.

You call us to venture into dark valleys to lead your people home.  Miraculous strength does not come from our own resources but only as we grasp humility and lean upon your blessing.

Give us the courage to leave behind the fields of complacency.  Defend us by the mighty staff you wield on behalf of your beloved children.

We ask this in the name of Christ, the Shepherd struck down in the shadows by the rod of death to lead us to our promised land.

Listen to ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’ by Joanne Hogg