| I first met Dan Bock in 1982. He
was a retired teacher and middle-school principal. Although he
had been retired for over fifteen years he still had a reputation
for being both a loving and a no nonsense kind of leader. He was
short and stocky. He had the build of a wrestler and had at some
time been described as being built like a cement block.
Dan was widowed when I met him. He talked often of his beloved
wife of more than fifty years. He was an avid learner and attended
almost all the classes I taught. He had taken up the game of
golf in retirement and made several holes-in-one at the local
Par 3 course. When diabetes forced the amputation of a foot and
the lower part of his leg, he worked diligently at rehabilitation
so he could get back to the golf course. He not only accomplished
that but went on to make at least two more holes-in-one.
The reason I am telling you about Dan is in his high school
and college days he worked as a shepherd in Montana. This would
have been around 1920. Montana was still a wilderness. Wolves,
coyotes, bears, mountain lions and other large predators lived
there. Dan's job, along with a few others his age, was
to tend to the sheep. The herds sometimes numbered in the thousands.
These men rode on horses and lived in tents or simply on the
ground. They not only had wild animals to contend with but also
rustlers, the elements of weather and cattlemen who had no use
for "good-for-nothing" sheep as Dan described them.
As an Easterner and city boy, I was fascinated with Dan's
stories and could never get enough of them although I was left
to myself to decide what was fact and what was fiction. One thing
I knew to be true was that shepherds had to be both tough and
courageous. I'm sure the qualities that made Dan a worthy
shepherd also helped him to be a wonderful principal. I am certain
his mere gaze helped keep many boys like myself in line.
Today's Gospel lesson in John 10 is about a shepherd.
This particular one is known as the good shepherd. He also calls
Himself, "the gate for the sheep." We seldom see
shepherds in our part of the world anymore. They still exist
in other parts of the world, however. And, their job is still
difficult. The job of a shepherd is essentially to see to the
welfare and best interests of those given into his/her care.
They are to protect them from harm and provide for them the things
that are essential for adequate if not abundant living.
While they are not called shepherds, the role many play in our
society today parallels the work of shepherds. Parents, teachers,
pastors and police are some who fall into this category. Each
of them protect and care for others and see that they do what
is right. These modern day shepherds are called to make sacrifices
in order for those they lead to received the very best possible.
Another category of leader that has this role is that of a coach.
With the number of teams we have at all age levels in hundreds
of different activities the role of coach has truly emerged.
Recently, I have been telling others of a book I just finished
reading called, Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx. I think this
is an important book for every parent, coach and potential athlete.
A former professional football player, Joe Ehrmann, of the Baltimore
Colts, becomes a pastor and then a football coach at a private
boy's school. The standards for his coaching are revealed
on page 3 of this book.
It is the beginning of a new season. His Maryland team is, "the
top ranked in the state." Pre-season is over and the coach
is in the midst of his pre-game talk. "Let's get
after them. Let's make sure we're having fun."
Then he asks the team, "What is our job as coaches?"
"To love us," the boys respond.
"What is your job?" the coach asks.
"To love each other," they yell with one voice.
I knew at that point in my reading I could not put the book
down because this coach knew something special about being a
shepherd. During the recent NCAA basketball tournament the coach
of Duke had a TV commercial in which he states he is a leader
responsible for helping to shape young men in such a way as to
prepare them for the real challenges of life. He is a modern
day shepherd. I am most grateful for coaches and other contemporary
shepherds who accept the vital responsibility for taking care
of and shaping the lives of our future citizens and leaders.
While there are many examples of shepherding both good and bad,
there is only one who can ultimately be called the Good Shepherd.
When Jesus used that title for Himself I do not believe He was
trying to say He was better than all other shepherds. I believe
He was saying He was the proper example of what a good shepherd
should be.
A good shepherd is one who will make personal sacrifices in
order to insure the best possible life for those given into his/her
care. Jesus told this story about what is involved in being a
good shepherd in response to the religious leaders who excommunicated
a blind man Jesus had healed. Jesus had hoped to help them see
what they were missing in their responsibilities as the religious
leaders of the Jewish people.
In his story about shepherding, Jesus refers to Himself as the "Gate."
Whenever possible the sheep were brought to a crude enclosure
for the night. It was normally built of rocks that had been gathered
and piled four or five feet high. Each enclosure had a narrow
opening just wide enough for one animal to go through at a time.
Once the sheep were inside the shepherd would sleep in the opening.
In this manner he could tell if any sheep attempted to stray.
Also, any intruder would have to come through him as the top
of the rock fence was covered with thorny branches much like
we would put barbed wire at the top of an enclosure.
In calling Himself the "Gate," Jesus is saying the
way to truth and life comes through Him. This is an invitation
to discover the real meaning of life as it is revealed by Jesus.
This, to me, is the heart of the story. It's about the
life the shepherd directs us to live.
I wish I could have played football for Coach Joe Ehrmann. I
think he teaches his players about how to be men as a matter
of first priority. He also teaches them about football. Jesus
attempted to tell the religious leaders of the Jews what is really
important about life but in their spiritual blindness they were
not able to see or understand it.
Jesus attempts to help us see the same thing. Our existence
is meant to be about relationships. We are created to live in
community knowing and supporting the value of every person and
each part of God's creation. Each of us is called to be
a shepherd or coach. Unlike the Montana shepherds who herded
thousands of nameless creatures the shepherds in Jesus' day
knew every animal by name and every animal knew the voice of
their shepherd.
Ultimately, what we own or what we have achieved or accomplished
really doesn't matter all that much. It's really
all about how we treat each other. It's about how well
we have done our loving.
Coach Ehrmann is right. His job is to love his players and to
do what is best for them. I think this is our calling as well.
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