Feed My Sheep (A Song for Pastors) | Lillian Dale Avery-Stuttle | Songs of the Adventist Pioneers

What does it mean to be a faithful shepherd of God's flock? 🐑 Are pastors and spiritual leaders fulfilling their God-given responsibility to care for wandering sheep, rescue the spiritually lost, and protect the lambs entrusted to their care? “Feed My Sheep,” a solemn poem by Seventh-day Adventist author Lillian Dale Avery-Stuttle, was published in the December 1929 issue of Ministry magazine. Its message is a stirring call for pastors and spiritual leaders to awaken to their sacred duty before it is too late. 🎵 About This Musical Adaptation “Feed My Sheep” was originally written as a poem, not a song. In this musical adaptation, some of Avery-Stuttle's archaic words and expressions have been replaced with modern English to make her message clearer for today's listeners. The poem's biblical imagery, warning, and call to faithful ministry remain intact. The original 1929 wording is included below for comparison. ✍️ About the Author — Lillian Dale Avery-Stuttle (1855–1933) Lillian Dale Avery-Stuttle was a Seventh-day Adventist poet, hymn writer, editor, and religious author whose work became part of the church's literary heritage. Raised in an Adventist home, she attended Battle Creek College and wrote hundreds of poems expressing Christian faith, duty, and hope in Christ's return. Her writings appeared in Adventist publications, and her hymn “O Let Me Walk With Thee” is included as hymn 554 in the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal. Through her poetry and other religious writing, she encouraged believers to live faithfully and serve others. “Feed My Sheep” shows her concern for the spiritual responsibility of those called to lead God's people. 📖 The Message of “Feed My Sheep” After His resurrection, Jesus asked Peter whether he loved Him and repeatedly instructed him to feed and care for His sheep (John 21:15–17). The poem reminds us that a pastor's work is more than preaching from a pulpit. Shepherds are called to nourish the flock with God's Word, strengthen the weak, seek those who wander, and guard vulnerable souls from spiritual danger. Sheep lost in dark forests, defenseless lambs, and poisonous flowers symbolize the dangers of neglect and the deceptive attractions of sin. The flock needs watchful, caring shepherds. Ezekiel 34 condemns shepherds who care for themselves while neglecting the sick, the broken, and the lost. Luke 12:47 warns that knowing one's duty brings accountability. Avery-Stuttle's appeal is therefore both compassionate and urgent: spiritual leadership is a sacred trust, and neglect can have lasting consequences. Yet the poem closes with hope. The faithful shepherd can look toward the final harvest with joy, knowing that precious souls have been rescued from sin. Its call extends to pastors, ministers, elders, and everyone entrusted with the spiritual care of others. Will today's pastors and spiritual leaders awaken to their sacred responsibility and heed Christ's command: “Feed My sheep”? 🙏 May this song encourage faithful pastors, awaken those who have grown careless, and inspire us all to show Christ's love to wandering souls. 📖 Related Scripture: John 21:15–17 | Ezekiel 34:1–16 | Luke 12:47–48 | 1 Peter 5:2–4 | Matthew 13:24–30 📜 Historical Source: Original poem: “Feed My Sheep” Author credit: “Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle” Ministry magazine, December 1929 https://documents.adventistarchives.o... Author biography — Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists: https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/ar... If this song blessed you, I'd love to hear what spoke to you most. Please subscribe and share it with someone who may need its message. My wife and I are creating new songs inspired by Ellen G. White, reviving Adventist pioneer hymns, and setting sacred SDA poetry to music. While all of the music on this channel is AI-generated, the lyrics are not. #AdventistMusic #Adventist #SeventhDayAdventist #Hymns #ChristianMusic #Jesus 📜 Original Poem — 1929 Wording O SHEPHERD of Israel, feed My sheep, They stray from the fold tonight, They are off in the forests dark and drear, Afar from the paths of right. O shepherd of Israel, rouse from sleep, Go, rescue the perishing; feed My sheep. There are tender lambs on the mountains drear; They die for the shepherd's care. They are plucking poisonous blossoms bright, The flowers of sin so fair. The shepherd of Zion should never sleep — Up, up and arouse thee, and feed My sheep. "Thou hast known thy duty and didst it not; E'en thus shall the Master say; And such shall be beaten with many stripes In the hastening judgment day. Awaken, O shepherd, no longer sleep; Ere dawneth the morning, " go feed My sheep." Then, when by the angel scribes above, Thy record is read at last, When the tares are gathered and bound to burn, And mercy's forever past, Thou hast priceless souls that are saved from sin, — The precious sheaves thou hast garnered in.