RISKY BUSINESS

1 Samuel 22:1-23:29; John 10:1-21; Psalm 115:1-18; Proverbs 15:18-19

“Saul ordered his bodyguards, ‘Kill these priests of the Lord, for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn’t tell me!’ But Saul’s men refused to kill the Lord’s priests. Then the king said to Doeg, ‘You do it.’ So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day, eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments.”

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”

“A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them.”

Standing up for the Lord has nearly always been fraught with peril. We are an unruly flock that does not typically take well to shepherding. We dislike being told where to go. We are fond of wandering and usually heedless of the dangers which lurk just outside the fold. Then, of course, there are the wolves among us, wolves our shepherds must confront and fend off on our behalf at great personal risk. Sheep that we are, we either miss the danger altogether or quail and quake behind their protection in spiritual impotence, instinctively fearful but still not quite sure of what death actually stalks us. Then after all of that, when the danger passes or is overcome, we just go back to grazing.

No wonder the pastorate is suffering from attrition and burnout. We need to be more considerate of our spiritual leaders and more obviously appreciative of their efforts to protect us, especially from ourselves. Ministry is risky business across the board. Those who attempt it better know in advance they cannot afford fear or timidity, and we need to be more intentional about covering them in prayer and gratitude for the work they do.

It’s a sad truth that Doegs exist even today. There are those in the church all too ready to take it on themselves to turn on church leaders at the least provocation with a violence out of all proportion to the perceived or alleged wrong. I don’t know why this is. I do know it is our duty as Christians to put a stop to it. It threatens the safety of the flock from within, even when the flock as a whole may not appreciate the danger.

But the bottom line is that being a good shepherd means being willing to lay down one’s life for the sake of the flock, whatever the reaction of the flock may be to the dangers that exist or to efforts to protect the Body. Self-preservation has never been particularly consistent with the idea of effective ministry, no matter how much we may wish it to be otherwise. Too many in love with the trappings of formal ministry and the image of being a well-respected spiritual leader fail when confronted by the realities of what love can cost.

So today is a shout out to the dedicated few in the Church, as well as in less formal or well-recognized ministry for Jesus Christ, who love us enough to risk themselves for us! You are the unsung heroes of the faith. You are the ones without whom the Church would not exist. Rest assured that, even on days when your efforts and love seem to fall on cold hearts and empty souls, God knows your work. Don’t be dismayed by the indifference or even outright hostility of the ones you shepherd. There are still a few attentive and appreciative sheep out there for whom your sacrifices make all the difference!