Taking care of sheep is a muddy, messy, smelly ministry. It takes someone like Christ to do it well.Perhaps that’s the point: that in re-presenting Christ and taking care of the sheep who are entrusted to us, we are really fulfilling the role of pastor. In our community you have shepherds providing feed and nourishment to young people, to preschoolers, to adults in different settings. And to these leaders you are a shepherd.
Maybe you spend some time sharing the story of your own vocation and the struggles you face in allowing God to nurture your own soul as you spend your days nurturing others.
It might even be a day for you to do some confession of your own shepherding shortcomings.
There are a lot of ways you could go with this, but at the very least you can invite others to look into your world for a while and do some honest reflection about who God is calling you to be together.
The truth is that counterfeit people eventually get caught, and the higher our ambition takes us, the longer the fall can be. Take this opportunity to let your flock know that their shepherd is seeking to do their very best to live up to the call of Christ. Talk about how you can work together to make your particular sheepfold a place where everyone can find authentic faith in the midst of a counterfeit culture!
