Shepherds aren't just for Christmas -there are still plenty of sheep, and sheep need a lot of looking after by shepherds.We discussed how we resemble sheep - need food and water - and spiritual sustenance, easily go astray - and it's easy to wander away from God, get caught in brambles and chainlink fences - do we get tangled up in sin? Sheep also follow each other - do we follow uncritically prevailing ideas?
But we also differ from sheep - we believe we are made in the image of God and so are much more than a collection of selfish genes. We are given free choice by God - so we can choose for ourselves, even to reject all that Jesus offers. We have also been given stewardship of the earth and other animals - does this remind us of a duty to care for the environment?
There are many references to sheep throughout the Bible, but always in the OT the prophets complained in time of weak leadership that people were like sheep without a shepherd ( and in Jesus' time Herod was hardly a protective leader). Ezekiel 37 describes false shepherds and then the ideal shepherd - God; Jesus perfectly fulfils this description, and unlike real shepherds who do care for their sheep but also use them as economic units, Jesus loved us so much he died for us.
So, remembering that in the Holy Land, sheep follow their shepherds, do we choose to follow Jesus and do we try to centre our lives on him?
If we think that's worthwhile, what are we doing to encourage others to do the same? Remember BTCS (national Back to Church Sunday) on 27 September.
