This Sunday I sat down with a Table group to discuss the questions around message shared by Rochelle Lamborn ‘Be Refreshed by our Shepherd’ and one thing repeated over and over again in our conversation, community is one of the most important factors in my faith.
Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.”
While usually when hearing the story of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14 and Luke 15:3-7) I tend to focus on the sheep that is being found by the shepherd, the one that is being rescued, this time I considered the ninety-nine left behind to allow the shepherd to find that one lost sheep.
What struck me was that while leaving the sheep could be dangerous there were a few benefits that the ninety-nine sheep had that the one sheep did not.
- Safety in numbers. A large group is less susceptible to attack, and more able to defend itself if an attack happens.
- Sheep are easier to find and more identifiable in a large group.
- In a large group any nearby shepherds will be able to see if the sheep are in trouble and either alert their shepherd, or step in to help until the shepherd returns.
- With so many ears listening and knowing the voice of the shepherd, the sheep are more able to hear the voice of the shepherd if they call. So even if one sheep is to miss the call, when the sheep who have heard the shepherd move towards the voice even the ones that have not heard will likely follow when the entire group moves on.
If God is our shepherd, then the Christian community around us is our flock, they are the ones that help us stay connected to the shepherd even when we are struggling to hear his voice for ourselves. For me, this means one very significant thing, like the one lost sheep, Christians aren’t as safe, and aren’t as connected to our God, the shepherd, when we do life and faith in isolation. From what I can tell, we weren’t made for that.
If God is our shepherd, then the Christian community around us is our flock
It seems to me that we were made to be part of a much larger whole, and while there may be other sheep we butt heads with, there are also sheep who remind us of who we are. There are sheep who have travelled the paths with the shepherd longer than us, sheep who hear his voice more clearly than we do, sheep who can teach us what they know of the shepherd so we too can recognise his voice and not get lost.
If you are not already part of Christian community, I encourage you to find your flock. Keep an eye out for men and women of God who have their noses in their Bibles, and their ears open to God’s call, and then join them under the protection of the good shepherd.