Bellwhether Sheep

Spot was almost exactly like the rest of the sheep in her flock.  She liked the same food and the same places to rest.  She liked being fairly close to the other sheep.  She was different in one way:  she was a bit more curious, and a bit braver than the other sheep.

When there was something new in the pasture, Spot would be the first to check it out, though she might wait for a while before doing that.  If it was a new plant, Spot would carefully examine it, smell it, and taste a little bit of it.  If it tasted good, Spot would eat more of it.  When the other sheep saw Spot eating it, then they would come over and try it too.

In this way, Spot would check out new things, new food, and new places to go, and the other sheep would share the good things Spot found.

Sheep that are just a bit more curious and brave than other sheep in the flock are called bellwhether sheep.  They are the ones that help the flock get a better life.  They are called bellwhether sheep because they used to wear a bell so the shepherd could hear where the flock was, and because they learned whether or not something was good.

In our communities, there are some people who are more curious and braver about trying new things.  When they find out some things are not very good, other people learn not to  try them.  When they learn how to do new things that make life better, others learn from them. 

Loving God, thank you for companions whose courage and curiosity open new opportunities for us.  Amen.

Shepherds and Sheep

In our reading, Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd.  Good shepherds guide their flocksaway from hazards like poisonous plants and bad water; locations with dangerous predators, and routes where drinkable water holes are dangerously far apart.  They guide their sheep towards good pasture, safe water, and reliable shelter.  Finally, according to Jesus, they are prepared to lay down their lives to protect their sheep.  To do this, they need to be knowledgeable about the land they are using, or at least knowledgeable about the kinds of places that are safe and unsafe.  They need to be skilled in the use of the sling and the staff.  Finally, they need to deeply care about the sheep.

The sheep need to trust the guidance of the shepherd, choosing to accept that guidance.  Whether they choose to accept or not accept, they experience the consequences.

So who are the good shepherds?  This passage is a hard one for paid clergy because we are the hired shepherds, the ones he said will run away in danger and do not know their sheep.  At the same time, it is traditional for clergy to identify as shepherds of the congregation.  As followers of Jesus, clergy are challenged to be real, courageous and caring and to come to know and be known by members of a church. And who are the sheep?

   In reality, we all serve at times as shepherds, and we all take on the role of sheep.

   As shepherds, that is as parents, organizational leaders, older brothers and sisters, doctors and nurses, teachers, social workers, business owners, civil servants, and politicians, we have a responsibility to be knowledgeable and committed to doing the best we can for those under our care.

   At the same time, in other ways we are sheep with two difficult tasks. 

  The first is recognizing the good shepherds we need in our lives, and the second is allowing them to influence our decisions.

  Often the good shepherds we need and find only provide guidance, support, or protection for one or a few aspects of our lives for defined periods of time.  So we often need several shepherds in our lives: wise friends, financial advisors, spiritual mentors, computer support, cooking advisors, medical professionals, and so on.  For each of these, we need evidence we can trust them, and evidence they actually really care about us.  We also need to consider and follow through on our responsibilities in terms of following their guidance, to the extent that we trust them.  It can be fun to play the maverick role, the sheep who gets lost in a canyon, gets stuck on a cliff face where going up was easier than getting back down, and following our impulses rather than knowledgeable guidance.  When we experience painful consequences for choosing to ignore a shepherd in our life, accept our responsibility and consider how different choices can help us move forward in our lives.

  As sheep, we may also need to accept that the Good Shepherd we have accepted may also care about other sheep, and other flocks.

  I have long personally chosen to believe that the reference by Jesus to other flocks can point to other religions as also being under his care or influence, if we think of him in terms of the Christ or the Word or Logos.

  Finally, let’s consider our relationship with Jesus as our Good Shepherd.  He says the sheep recognize his voice, that he knows his sheep and they know him.  How do we enter and maintain this kind of relationship?

  He is the good friend who comforts and reassures us in our dark nights of the soul. 

He is the homeless woman at the Inn from the Cold inviting us to see his humanity in her and her struggles and joys in life.  He is the physicist opening our eyes and minds to the wonders of the universe.  He is the biochemist unraveling the secrets of life, opening our eyes and minds to the many wonders and apparent miracles of life.  He is the kindly, elderly gentleman down the street offering fresh flowers from his garden to brighten our homes.  He is the stillness and awe of a glorious sunset.  He is present in all those women who guided us through our lives like those female shepherds identified in Genesis.  He is the child pleading with us to leave the soul-numbing things we are doing to appreciate the joy and wonder of simply living and seeing the world through the eyes of someone seeing them for the first time.  He is the still, small voice inviting us to a place of peace and quiet when our minds and our lives are in turmoil.  The more we allow him to do for us and reveal to us, the richer and fuller our lives can be.  And all we need to do is to offer our thoughts, joys and concerns to him as we open our minds and hearts to hearing him.

Take a moment now to offer him a thought, concern, worry or joy that is a distraction.

Loving God, the Israelites thought of you as their Good Shepherd.  In Jesus, we have a Good Shepherd leading us to you.  We pray that you will show us the way to be sheep for whom life is good and full through our relationship with him.  In his name we pray.  Amen.

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