When Jesus had seen the great crowds around him, He gave orders for departure to the other side of the lake.  But before they started, one of the scribes came up to Jesus and said to Him, “Master, I will follow you wherever you go.”  “Foxes have dens, birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere that He can call His own,” replied Jesus.  Another of His disciples said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”  But Jesus said to Him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Most lay persons have no idea how badly clergy feel when one of their sheep leaves the fold.  The Lord, our Great Shepherd, has called us and the church has set us apart for a ministry of leadership on the Lord’s “Sheep Farm.”  Working under the care and guidance of the Great Shepherd, we serve as under shepherds of the flock.  We preach and teach the riches of God’s Holy Word.  We pray for and give council to the sheep.  And we visit when we can.  But some sheep wander away!  That hurts!

In our culture, people pick churches like they pick their groceries at Walmart.  Decision about church are made based on consumerism.  People look for the church with the best music or the best children’s program or youth program.  And if their current flock disappoints them, they are quick to look for greener pastures.  And not to be outdone, clergy do this too.  Clergy look for the church with the best music or the best staff or the best resources.  And if their current flock resists them or disappoints them, they quickly leave the church or the bigger and better, discouraging the church and causing great harm.

By the later days of the First Century, this tendency to wander had begun.  The writer of the book of Hebrews encouraged his people, “Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves.”  DON’T GIVE UP GOING TO CHURCH!  And yet, Paul predicted it would happen, “There will be a great falling away.”  I’m sure all the disciples experienced it, because Jesus did!  He invited some to follow Him, but they refused because they had better things to do.  Some who were following Him left because they had other priorities.  And guess what?  It troubled Him.  He turned to His disciples one day after many walked away and asked: “Will you leave me too?”

It matters not that Jesus experienced it … or Paul … or the writer of Hebrews … or the other disciples for that matter!  when the relationship between Pastor and Parishioner or Shepherd and Sheep is broken it hurts.  And wow!  I get tired of hurting.  I long to see people really love God.  I long to see people really commit to God’s people.  I long to see healthy, growing, vibrant churches!

O God, there are times when your under shepherd has been less than you’ve called him to be.  And there are times when your sheep have been less than you’ve called them to be.  Some have wandered away from the fold of your churches!  Some have even wandered away from you.  Forgive me for my part in this ugliness.  Heal the pain that I’ve caused others and the pain that they’ve caused me.  And make your under shepherd and your faithful sheep to more perfectly reflect your nature to our world.  Amen!