It’s not easy being called sheep. Sheep have become the symbol, in our culture, of mindless compliance with societal norms. Many an Internet commentator has delivered a withering, independent-minded diatribe against the unquestioning masses he derides as “sheeple.” Even if you’re comfortable with compliance, there’s also the bald fact that, as stated by the farmer…

This Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. In all three lectionary years—A, B, and C—we read the Good Shepherd monologue from the tenth chapter of John. It is a complicated passage, in that Jesus identifies himself as being the Good Shepherd, the Gatekeeper, and even the Gate to the sheep-fold. And…

An Episcopal bishop who served for many years in the upper Midwest loves to tell stories he learned from the Native Americans of the area, many of whom are Episcopalians. Here is one of them. A wise man among the Indians—many Native Americans in the Midwest still prefer to be called Indians—was asked by his…

Many types of gates dot the towns and hillsides, cities and industries all around us. These gates can give us a lot of information, if we pay attention to them and really take notice. Some gates are to keep people (or animals) out, and others are to keep them in. And some are so old…

Shepherd of souls, refresh and blessThy chosen pilgrim flockWith manna from the wilderness,With water from the rock.-James Montgomery, Hymnal 1982, #343 People are getting spiritually hungry again. You find the evidence in feature stories about the rising demand for retreats and for books on all sorts of spirituality. Women and men are seeking to be…

It is unlikely that Jesus ever worked for gainful employment as a shepherd. Tradition (not scripture) tells us that he learned his father’s trade and worked as a carpenter. He is called “rabbi” or “teacher” in some of the gospel stories which may or may not indicate a field of employment. Although we may not…