The Sheeple Myth
The Sheeple Myth
This audio is from Communion Sunday, January 19th, 2025. Sermons from CLC are a bit unique. We encourage people to dialogue during the message. I quite frequently remind people that all I bring on Sunday mornings, is a sermon. God, on the the other hand, has a message and that is what each of us needs to hear. If the pastor’s voice is the only one that is heard on Sunday morning, that is grim. God is capable of speaking through anyone who is a part of our meetings on Sunday morning. Thus we encourage particiaption. This makes the audio harder to capture because not everyone is mic’ed. We have tried to run a mic around to the speaker but this seems to stifle the conversation, so we let it happen as it does. And we let the audio be what it is.
We are all sheeple. That’s a term thrown around by those who cannot grasp the fact that there is corruption in every system that utilizes forms of power and control. They feel that they are the only ones strong enough to chart a patch of their own and others are weak. To judge internally is no better than to pronounce judgment, verbally. When we categorize others unfavourably we reveal our true nature.
Isaiah suggests that we are all the same, … like sheep who have gone astray. That’s fair and accurate, in my opinion. We were all originally created in God’s image … this is a from or original righteousness. All we hear about is original sin and our wretchedness as though we are separated from God’s love, whose righteousness makes us detestable. I don’t see it that way any longer. That doesn’t mean that we need God any less. Our common problem is our waywardness, our tendency to wander rather than to follow.
That’s what I think of in the sheep metaphor. Sheep seems to stray as much as they follow. In reading about the nature of sheep, I find that most people see them as followers. The problem is that they follow whatever comes along and distracts them. They follow the next person or thing that grabs their attention, thus straying from this to that. It’s sort of a spiritual ADHD thing, a failure to select what is worth following and eliminate the rabbit trails.
We follow the latest trends.
We follow the trendiest teachers.
We follow bad news like flies swarm over rancid meat.
Take a minute to review this familiar scripture …
“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. (John 10:1–6, NIV84)
Sheep know the shepherd’s voice … do you know that voice.
Again …
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. (John 10:11–13, NIV84)
How many people follow “hired hands” who care for what they can fleece from the flock rather than what they can give to the flock. The church is divided along political lines more than it has ever been in my lifetime, following “hired hands,” sheep without a Good Shepherd.
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. (John 10:14–16, NIV84)
It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that knowing the shepherd’s voice is essential for this sheeple. There will be and there has always been competing voices. But navigating in today’s quagmire, requires a careful choice, riveted attention and trust in a Good Shepherd, not hired hands.
This morning at CLC, the flock gathers to celebrate Communion. Everyone is welcome at the Table of Grace.
Thanks for joining us today.
Advent 2024 – Love
Advent 2024 - Love
Do you know what the longest word in the English language is? I bet I know the first one you thought about, at least if you are anywhere near my age.
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”
It was a song, I think from the Mary Poppins movie starring Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews. I remember learning the song in grade school. But it’s not actually the longest. It has since earned an actual meaning.
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious – adjective, informal. extremely good (made popular in the 1964 children’s film, “Mary Poppins”)
The longest word in any of the major English language dictionaries is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (45 letters), a word that refers to a lung disease contracted from the inhalation of very fine silica particles, specifically from a volcano; medically, it is the same as silicosis.
It’s not always the longest words that carry the greatest meaning either. You’ve likely seen this before. My first exposure to it came on a plaque in the office of the VP of Institutional Development, in United Wesleyan College, Allentown, PA. Elmer Drury was a wonderful, optimistic man, who played a very significant role in our lives. He has since passed away. We still have contact with his wife, JoAn Cutler. Elmer passed, several years ago. JoAn worked for the cancer Society when we lived in Allentown. She drug me around town, dressed in a green dragon suit that often got caught in the car door. I would accompany her to school assemblies, guitar slung over my shoulder and sing “Puff, the Magic Dragon”. It was a bit embarrassing at the time, now a cherished memory.
Elmer had a plaque titled, “The 10 smallest words that make the biggest difference”. They were: “If it is to be, it is up to me.” There is a lot of truth in that adage but there are some things that are beyond us because of our capacity, unanticipated circumstances, health issues and changing priorities. I’ve experienced some tremendous blessings in life that I never anticipated, some that I was not mature enough to want, things that I would never trade for the lesser dreams that once consumed me
There is an old Gaither song with some poignant lyrics. You might not know the verse.
If there ever were dreams that were lofty and noble, they were mine from the start
And the hopes for life’s best were the hope that I harboured, down deep in my heart
But my dreams turned to ashes. My castles all crumbled. My fortune turned to loss
So I wrapped them all in the rags of my life, and nailed them to the Cross
And He made, something beautiful something good
All my confusion, He understood
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife
But He made something beautiful of my life
There is one word though that is gargantuan. Well … there is one word that is gargantuan that is not gargantuan It’s not the longest or the shortest but it’s the biggest word in human history. This word, practiced without preference, or prejudice would solve most every problem mankind faces. It’s not simplistic. It’s not soft. It is the most powerful force in the universe. The scripture says something about it that it says about no other force.
“Love never fails.” Never means NEVER. Anything else in the world can turn sour, with unforeseen consequences and go belly-up in an instant. But love N E V E R fails.
“Love was when God became a man, locked in time and space, without rank or place.” You should listen to the entire song. (Words by John E. Walvoord Music by Don Wyrtzen)
You know what else the scripture declares without qualification?
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7–8, NIV84)
The scripture does not say, God is justice, or God is wrath or God is holiness. Any other attribute must be in essence, love, for God is love. Read 1 Corinthians 13 again and remind yourself that nothing means anything if it is not first, love.
This is the fourth Sunday of Advent and the theme is LOVE. Love makes all the difference, without love there is no difference. Christmas season is one in which we celebrate God’s incredible difference-making LOVE.
Thanks for joining is today at Community Life Church.
Ambassadors or Adversaries
Ambassadors or Adversaries
We have a choice to make … will we choose to be ambassadors or adversaries in our relationship to the world around us. We cannot do both. If we are to impact society, we must learn to develop relationships with the people that we live and work among. To discharge our disapproval accomplishes nothing. To care sincerely gives us a framework to invest in the lives of others. Jesus never alienated the irreligious, he endeared himself to them. He was invited to their parties and celebrations. The religious excluded those that Jesus loved and they criticized Him mercilessly for this. What will you choose to do?
Unity and Diversity
Unity and Diversity
One of the many things that I enjoy about being home is that time, space and friends are directly tied to memories. And shared memories are the best. Living abroad, memories were more short-term. The longest period of time that we spent in a single location was 16 years, in Fredericton. With certain individuals, I could look back that far and ask the the question, “Do you remember the time … ?” And that was nice, but outside the period of time we lived in that location, there were no shared memories.
There is one guy though. He’ll read this very newsletter. His name is Layton Ford, a.k.a., “Tigger”, his running nickname. We can reminisce all the way back to circa 1987. We have so many great stories. It seems like I must have known him all my life but that is where our stories intersect. WE still have contact, … not as much as I would like but geography is a minor thing to come between friends. Absence make the stories even better. Love you, Tig.
A high school friend now deceased, used to make me laugh quite regularly. Now we are going back 53 years or more. Glenn G and Anzonette U, “Do you remember the times we used to walk into class and someone would ask this mutual friend, ‘What are you doing?'”
His straight-faced reply always made me laugh. I’m not sure why. It was a stock response. “Just growing a beard.” He’s the only person that I ever heard, who used a response like that.
To me it was funny because of the way that it was said. It was funny because I don’t know of anyone who ever sits down intentionally to try to grow a beard. It was funny because, try or not, some sparse or dense stubble would appear, unless you happened to be a lady. It was funny because beard-growing is a slow process for most.
What he really was saying was, “I’m doing absolutely nothing.”
We all get asked that question here and there. Occasionally, I have wanted to respond to the what-are-you-doing question with a similar response, “Trying to build a church.”
In these years of my life I am realizing that:
- I cannot build a church. I might be able to build attendance but attendance is not Church.
- God is building His Church globally even as he builds locally.
- Building a church means building people … building them up, helping them to grow stronger in their relationship with Christ, walking with them through celebration and sorrow and the ordinariness of everyday life.
- Building buildings is not building Church
- Implementing programs is not building Church.
- I’ll just wear myself out trying and burn others out in the process.
It’s really just looking for ways to participate in God’s ongoing agenda. I remind myself of this quite often when I am tempted to fall back into old familiar ways. I surrender to God’s plan and purpose for our lives at CLC. ‘We have this ministry … ” (2 For. 4:1). And we do have this ministry. It’s ours, one that offers hope to those who have to look hard to find it. As we point people Jesus-ward, He builds His Church.
One day we’ll look back at this time in the life of our Church and ask each other, “Do you remember that time when … ?” These are good days my brothers and sisters, as strange as they may be and as uncertain as they may be … they are good.
It’s not that it’s wrong
It’s just that it’s sad
To not see the good
For all that is bad. (KI)
What we cannot do, God can. What we cannot see, God sees. He is at work and our part in what He is doing is many times, like trying to grow a beard. (Excepting the ladies) Thanks for being a part of what He is building at 1235 RT. 776. And thanks for being with us today.
From The Heart
From The Heart
Storm Chips …
It really is a thing and it is ours.
The phenomenon can be traced back to a casual on-air conversation in 2014. Stephanie Domet, who hosted the Mainstreet Halifax program on CBC Radio One, made an offhand remark about her plans to pick up some chips and dip in preparation for an upcoming blizzard. An enthusiastic discussion followed with a colleague who shared similar snack preparation rituals in his household.
This seemingly inconsequential chat resonated with listeners. Suddenly, the idea that storm preparations included a trip to the snack aisle gained traction. Media outlets noticed the pattern, and reports of noticeable spikes in chip sales emerged whenever a major storm was on the horizon. Read more …
Do you have YOUR storm chips?
What do you do on a storm day? It’s Wednesday and I, like many of you, are at home today, trying not to feel guilty about having some unproductive time … maybe.
Maybe you are catching up on the list. All those things that have been piling up because you have been busy with everything else. and what waits at home, comes last.
Maybe you are charging your devices in case the power goes out.
Maybe you have decided that you are not going to do anything at all. Every once in a while, or every so often, or more frequently than we do, … we ought to stop the productivity penchant. Busyness is not necessarily a badge of honour. Some times doing less of what doesn’t matter and more of what does is the best approach.
It’s the tension between what is urgent and what is important.
What is urgent screams for our immediate attention. Want is important waits quietly, patiently for us to assign it as a priority.
In a Chuck Swindoll book, I read the following illustration, some years ago.
Benno Schmidt Jr. had just assumed the presidency of Yale University. As you might imagine, this prestigious assignment was a relentlessly demanding assignment. He was being interviewed about the new position and he said this:
”If I can’t put my feet on the desk and look out the window and think without an agenda, I may be managing Yale, but I won’t be leading it.”
For many of us, our busyness mens that we are managing, but in truth, life is running us ragged. Life is making something out of us that we do not want to be or taking something from us that we dare not surrender.
We should be making something out of the life we have been given rather than being shaped by a life that we can barely manage.
There are many aspects to prioritizing the life that disappears so quickly. One of the most important is the value system that we choose to adopt.
An old Bob Dylan song gave us the lyrics, “It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” It was off one of his four gospel albums. This album was entitled, “Slow Train Coming”, an especially appropriate title. In the flavour of this newsletter, take time to listen to this song. Just click that link that you passed over. It might be an important reminder, whether or not you like Bob’s music. It’s a simple truth and a great reminder.
So this morning, we are going to talk about this critical difference. Are managing or living/leading?
Thanks for joining us this morning … at CLC, we’re in for life.
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