Devotion - Wednesday, March 28, 2007
East Heights Daily Devotional
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
John 10:3-5
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers."
I always wondered if sheep really know their shepherd’s voice. I have heard sermon after sermon about the stupid sheep. I heard sermons that paralleled how God sees us as just sort of stupid, in need of a shepherd. So, curious as I am I did some research on sheep and found that they are really very intelligent animals. For instance, sheep learn how to cross cattle guards by rolling over the cattle guards on their back. Sheep can be trained to remember their pasture and the limits of their pasture. It is not surprising that sheep remember their shepherd’s voice.
Sheep are one of the oldest domesticated animals and references to shepherds and sheep abound in stories from Babylonia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece. Rulers and generals have been referred to as shepherds of the sheep. Wealth was designated by how many sheep one had. Job had thousands of sheep, as did Abraham. God is referred to as the shepherd of Israel in the book of Ezekiel. Jesus is referred to as the Great Shepherd and the Good Shepherd.
Yet as I read this story, I don’t think it means that we follow God blindly as some would say of Christians. God calls us to “come let us reason together,” in the book of Isaiah. Yet, I think that the book of John is talking about a relationship. We as sheep are called into a relationship with God. One who is in a relationship with another is familiar with their voice. When we are in relationship with another, we know their customs, their habits and their moods. What gives me comfort is that Jesus calls us by name.
God knows who we are and what we are like.God knows our most intimate thoughts and still he offers Grace, the unconditional love of God.
The Shepherd goes before his sheep. What a wonderful metaphor to God’s Grace. I remember being laid off in 1984 when the bottom fell out of the Oil Market. Geologists and Engineers were a dime a dozen and layoffs were done by seniority. Even some who had been with Dow Chemical for ten or more years were laid off. It was a time of uncertainty. We didn’t know when or where we were going to end up, but God was going ahead of us. God prepared a pasture for us called Wichita, Kansas. The Great Shepherd of the sheep. What a comfort!
Prayer: Great Shepherd, we trust in your abundance. We trust in your leading because we know your voice. We pray today for those who are facing changes in their lives. Let them know that you are going before them and so bring them comfort.
Amen.
Devotions this week are written by:
Efraim Lujan
East Heights United Methodist Church
Pastoref1@msn.com / 682-6518
www.ehumc.org
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