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What do you picture when you think about Shepherds?? Grassy hillsides, peaceful, idyllic...
That's all part of it, but it's not the whole story. Those of you who follow me here may have already read several weeks back about The Good Shepherd Sermon. This week, we are revisiting that theme from kinda the opposite direction. Today's "fun" share story took place on a trip my Pastor took to Kenya. They were out on the hills visiting friends in a region where there were Maasai Shepherds. (see images below) Anyway, the house they were staying in was partly built into a hill. Pastor Matt had stepped outside to grab something from the car, and when he turned back toward the house, a neighbor's cow had come to visit!! Being from Michigan, he had not had a ton of experience around these large, lovely ladies. (and he's not "tiny" either) lol So he edged slowly toward the door, but then so did the cow. Now the front door happened to face a ridge in the hill, so the space became increasingly cramped. He was trying to call his friend outside for some help, but finally managed to gain entrance and (perceived) safety. Once inside, he observed 2 things; 1. His friend was standing there calmly brushing his teeth and laughing at him. 2. A six year old with a narrow stick was prodding the cow homeward!! Upstaged by a six year old!! LOL
So now to the actual message. I mentioned approaching the Shepherd's story from a different direction. While the previous sermon focused on Jesus as our Shepherd, today, we are looking at the role of us as Shepherds in the Body of Christ.
As we've seen before in this series, Jesus was the only person to ever carry all 5 ministry gifts. When He had to leave, the 5 Ministry Gifts were God's way of perpetuating Jesus' influence in the World. He just designed it so that each believer only has one so we would have to work together. So much of what God shows us throughout the Bible shows His desire for Community. Not only between us and Him, but with each other, and ultimately the Lost.
A Church with a strong Shepherding voice brings a sense of unity, grace, and love to the world. In a world that so adamantly demands division and "scattering", the role of the Shepherd is one of gathering and protecting. In the images below, you will find both the prodding stick (as presented in the story above, and the thick ended, nub tipped "club" used for protection.
Ezekiel 34 shows him bringing God's message of hope to Israel for a new Shepherd. Chapter 37:24-28 tells them (and us) that David will be that Shepherd for them. We notice here God's equation of Kings and Shepherds when speaking to the people of Israel. This is yet another example of God turning the tables on the traditions of how they viewed the world vs how He desires it to be. In those days, Kings were known to leverage the people's resources to increase his own. God's way shows a coming King who would leverage His own resources to help the people and restore unity.
Psalm 23 is easily overlooked for being so familiar, but it showcases several roles of a good Shepherd --
- caring/providing -- when Jesus is our true Shepherd, we can want for nothing, we lack nothing
- movement -- green pastures, good directions
- peaceful environment -- sheep cannot drink from "busy" water, you know what I mean, right?? No rapids or whitecaps...
- restores the soul - may involve conflict resolution
- no fear/protection through rough/dangerous paths.
- trust - with us always... (this is my thought, Pastor Matt missed an opportunity here although it's mentioned in the next part)
John 10:11-16 The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He is known and trusted. He has more than one flock, proving that His love is all-inclusive.
1 Peter 5:1-4 -- Focuses on Church Leadership. The caution here is two-fold. On the one hand, it can be easy to "professionalize" the role of the Shepherd. "I can't do that, only the Pastor can do it..." This can make it hard for those truly gifted with Shepherding to step up and act in their gifting. The truth is, the man behind the pulpit may not have the Gift of Shepherding, but it's guaranteed that others do, which is why it's so important to "play nice" between all the gifts. The other caution in this passage is that those gifted with Shepherding perform to the standards of the "Chief Shepherd" as it shows in verse 4. Make sure all is done for the good of the people, and not the good of the leadership. Pastors, Board Members, and Elders need to be particularly aware of this.
That being said, we also need to understand that literally anybody may have any one of the Gifts. It doesn't only show up in the "specially elected" crowd. Parents have a position of Shepherding in their own families if not also in the Church.
A couple of other unique features of the Shepherding may include things such as conflict resolution (restoring peace) and an ability to "read" people and reach out to those who may not otherwise be actively invited to "join the group." Weaknesses may include fear of stepping up either due to a perceived lack of ability (that pesky "professionals only" thought) or a distaste for conflict. (as in resolution) Judgement can also rear its ugly head in this role by way of guarding against other giftings. Their love of peace can be resistant to change encouraged by someone like the Apostle. Growth can be hard in any aspect, so pray for guidance and wisdom as you seek and find your role. God Bless!! (and enjoy the pics)
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