Faith Works 10-6-23

Faith Works 10-6-23
Jeff Gill

Tending the flock, herding cats
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In John's Gospel, Jesus talks in chapter ten a great deal about sheep and shepherds.

A good shepherd knows the sheep and the sheep know their shepherd. In fact, there are four variations in this short passage about Jesus observing that his sheep "know my voice."

The idea that sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd is probably not too unfamiliar to anyone with pets, where their alertness to our voices versus those of others is pretty obvious.

For the ancient Near Eastern hills of Galilee, you have the added complication of multiple shepherds and many different flocks. Lands held in common or used for grazing by many means you have sheep with ties to one household or another, but all munching together on a hillside.

It works out because the sheep know their shepherd's voice, and when their call comes, even poor ignorant sheep know which sound to follow. Their shepherd has led them to water, away from hazards, been with them through storms and many long nights, and when they hear their shepherd, together they gather.

I started this out last week talking about using shepherding as a model for ministry. If this model for God's people is good enough for Jesus, then shepherding is worth our looking into a little more closely today, even if we don't most of us deal with sheep and flocks as much as once could be assumed.

Chapter ten of John's Gospel gives us the words of Christ himself talking about the many ways we are like sheep, needing to come together, needing protection, and finding our trust in the shepherd. Jesus notes that the good shepherd is willing to give their life for the sheep, and the flock knows that, having been protected and guided thus far by their shepherd.

A big challenge ministers of congregations face these days is that the flock is listening to so many voices, I would argue they, we, you . . . all of us get confused sometimes. In the practical sense of Jesus's teaching, I'm sure while the listening crowd was familiar with the reaction of a flock coming out of a larger herd to the sound of their shepherd's call, they also knew a group of shepherds were smart enough to not all shout for their flock to come their way all at once.

This is where the metaphor of calling our flock together breaks down in the solvents of modern life. The flock is hearing many voices, all at once, and frankly I think people get themselves confused about whom to follow.

Earlier in my ministry service, I dealt with Robert Schuller. There were folks in churches I served who would tell me they wouldn't stay for programs after the service because they wanted to get home in time after our worship and my sermon "to hear Dr. Schuller." Okay. Fine. Honestly, I never heard anyone say he was right and I was wrong, it just seemed odd (and I think the choirs and celebrities he had on his well produced "Hour of Power" were the draw).

Then I got accustomed in home visits to seeing the knick-knacks on the TV of Jim and Tammy Faye, from Jimmy Swaggart, from other ministries whose messages I was quite certain were not quite in line with the leading I was trying to give.

Today, the TV ministries are now also online and have apps, and they've multiplied. Other voices are calling out, giving direction, leading in different directions. Many of them suggest they shouldn't trust their preacher, and point in a different direction. But who are they, and why are . . . sheep, so to speak, following them?


Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and preacher in central Ohio; he suspects we're overdrawn on our trust accounts. Tell him what you find trustworthy at knapsack77@gmail.com, or follow @Knapsack77 on Threads.