Global Sheep

Yesterday, we reflected on Jesus as the Good Shepherd (John 10), and his challenging statement, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

Who are the other sheep?

On one level, Jesus words are a deep challenge to all denominationalism. On another level, I think about Christians around the globe.

When I was in Sarasota, every year we sent mission teams to Nicaragua. One year we helped rebuild houses destroyed by a hurricane. Other times, we worked with a local community group with farming, or whatever they needed.

The coolest part about this was that we would stay in people’s homes. We’d live with them for the entire week. These homes were pretty basic – dirt floors, often, no glass windows, no a/c, no indoor plumbing. Cooking was often done over a wood-burning stove outside. The people were very poor. And yet they were extremely hard-working, and very generous. There was a tremendous sense of hospitality and welcome.

But I think what surprised us the most, was that these folks were all people of deep faith. They trusted God’s providence from one day to the next… They had to…

I think what surprised us, was that initially, we thought we were somehow bringing the gospel to them… But actually, through our time together, it was our own faith that grew…

And then I think about a missionary our church supports in Indonesia, Farsiana, and another one, Bob Gamble in Ukraine. I wonder also about churches in China and in Afghanistan and churches in Kenya and Korea. I can only imagine their respective churches and styles of worship. I have to believe they would be very different. It is truly amazing to think that we all share that same compelling faith that touches hearts and lives.

Let us pray: We remember today, O God, that we have deep ties and even a spiritual kinship with people across the globe… With all the forces that would seek to divide, we ask for your healing grace. Begin with us; through Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Amen.