GEESE AND SHEPHERD SENTINELS

SENTINELS AT WORK, INTERNET

I’d consider our first 2020 outdoor service on the front lawn at church a great success.  Social distancing, face masks and disinfectants were used to facilitate live-stream worshiping in person during this worldwide pandemic.  Our volunteer Shepherd’s Team provides hospitality and security outside the campus every Sunday at worship.  The team name derives from the Biblical shepherds that guarded and defended flocks of sheep during the time that our Good Shepherd walked this earth.  At night the shepherd would guide his flock into a stone pen or cave and then sleep at the entrance to ensure that no predator would disrupt the peace.

While I was walking and standing on the perimeter of our campus bordering Main Street, I was struck by a memory of observing migrating waterfowl while growing up in central Kansas.  I accompanied my father and uncles early on in their pursuit of ducks and geese where they congregated on the cattle ponds and grain fields.  But we couldn’t get within range of these flocks in the grain fields due to the sentinels sounding the alert! 

You would always see the early winter-feeding flocks of geese in the cut grain fields with one or more geese, depending on the flock size, standing on the perimeter with their long necks stretched.  They would instinctively act as sentinels to alert the others of any impending danger while they were distracted.  And just as when they were flying in a “V” formation, individual members of the flock would rotate in and take their place to share the responsibility for the good of the flock.

When geese fly in formation behind one another a drafting effect occurs to enable them to fly farther with 70% less energy.  NASCAR team drivers do the same thing.  Whenever a goose falls out of formation it immediately feels the drag of losing the uplift draft and gets back in formation.  When the lead goose tires, they drop back and another one takes the lead into the wind for the good of the flock.  The geese at the back honk to offer encouragement to those up front to keep the pace!  If a goose is in trouble and has to quit flying, a couple of geese drop out to help protect it.

We’re relational beings that need to look out for one another, especially in times of crisis.

BREAD OF LIFE

Lost Everything, Chicago, IL

I took this image of a homeless man sitting on the Magnificent Mile of prosperous retail shopping in downtown Chicago. His cardboard message relayed that he had “lost everything”. There are charities that help people like this if they are sociable enough to contact them. So we added a donation for food to his cup as we passed by with all the people hurrying along the street. Jesus said that the poor would always be with us, so that leaves us plenty of opportunity to do something.

Europe was overwhelmed with hungry, homeless orphaned children after WWII. Large camps were created to house and feed the children, but the caregivers noticed that they were anxious and fearful which resulted in sleepless nights. Finally, a psychologist resolved the issue by instructing the caregivers to give each child a piece of bread after they were put to bed. The bread was not placed in their mouth, but in their hand and the results were astounding!

The children slept all through the night because the bread gave them a sense of security (they were safe), significance (somebody cared), and satisfaction (there was bread for tomorrow). We need these things also and Jesus has proclaimed that he is the “Bread of Life. He satisfies the spiritual hunger of the human heart and the eternal hunger of the human soul. Once we’ve received this bread of life, it’s up to us to help provide bread for the body.