Guest Speaker: Jeremy Giles

Father God, we come to you this morning as we always should, in humility.

Father, we come to your word as we should, in humility.

Father, you have good things to tell us and good things to say, as you always do.

Father, would you speak to us this morning?

Amen.

So, take a look at this.

There we go.

This happened about a month ago.

What we're seeing here is somewhere around 2,000 sheep.

I think that's probably just a small number of them, but somewhere around 2,000 sheep

walking through the streets of Madrid in Spain.

It's a crazy picture.

We're not used to seeing sheep walking through the middle of a city,

certainly not a modern city like Madrid.

I don't think I can even imagine the sort of mess that 2,000 sheep would make in the middle of a city.

I don't know sheep that well, but I can't help but think that a nervous sheep, a sheep walking through a city,

a nervous sheep is going to be a little bit more messy than a calm one.

I mean, it's bad enough you go to a country fair and they have two horses to do hayrides or something,

let alone 2,000 sheep.

It must have been wild afterwards.

But what you didn't see, at least I didn't see when trolling through the many pictures that come up

when you search for this event on the internet, was chaos.

Weirdly enough, what you would expect if you saw 2,000 sheep coming through your city is chaos.

You'd expect to see sheep everywhere.

You'd expect to see them going down this side street or that.

You'd expect to see a few, at the end of the day, still walking around.

You know, the shepherds leave the city with 1,500 sheep instead of 2,000.

Everybody the next day has a sheep on their lawn cutting the grass.

You know, somebody would hit one and there'd be traffic through the city for the next few hours.

Sometimes some hapless farmhand would be collecting sheep for weeks afterwards.

But there are no reports of anything like that.

At least not that I could find.

I tried to find some and couldn't.

And I figured that if there was problems with this event, there would have been news of it.

I mean, what's better than a news story about a bunch of sheep going through Madrid?

A bunch of sheep making a mess in Madrid, making chaos erupt, right?

That's a better news story.

But I couldn't find any.

Apparently, the sheep were paraded in and paraded out with a minimum of hassle,

whatever minimum of hassle means for 2,000 sheep walking through a city.

But it wasn't like that.

It wasn't an aimless flock of sheep.

These sheep were guided by a shepherd.

By shepherds.

And we're not surprised to hear that.

Shepherds like these guys in the next picture.

They guided the sheep into the proper areas of the city and into the holding areas where the sheep could rest.

And we're not surprised to hear that there were shepherds involved because leaders are needed in so many areas of our life,

whether or not there are sheep involved.

When sheep are in a tricky situation, like in Madrid here,

great sheep leaders are needed to keep things going, to get everybody through.

Now, sheep are notoriously dull creatures, or so I've been told.

I've never known any sheep personally, so you could probably have a debate with me on whether that's a myth or not.

Perhaps they're quite smart.

But regardless, when sheep are in a flock, the vast majority can't see beyond the sheep next to them.

The ones who aren't stuck in the middle are just as likely to be grazing as they are to be looking out for the rest.

They're going to be looking after their own needs, the grass under their feet,

and not necessarily looking out for threats in the distance,

or for the well-being of the sheep around them.

This is why when the Bible speaks about people being sheep, we shouldn't necessarily be insulted.

It's actually quite an apt description of our society.

The vast majority of people have their heads down, looking to feed themselves, to make their own ends meet.

The vast majority of people can't see beyond the person next to them, even if they do want to help.

The very smart, the very brave, maybe the very foolish, might get away from the flock.

But really, they're just as likely to get lost and confused as they are to make some great discovery.

It really isn't that surprising a comparison, even if it isn't the most flattering to our race.

Now, in Psalm 23, David wrote about being a sheep.

He compares God himself to a shepherd.

David is not just part of a flock, but a part of a flock of sheep with a shepherd.

And that makes all the difference for him.

He says in the Psalm that God leads him to times of plenty.

He leads him to times of peace, and he leads him through times of hardship.

He says in the Psalm that God leads him all the way to plenty.

He guides him through so many things.

That's the God that David followed.

That's God is David's shepherd.

I'm sure that for the sheep going through Madrid, it must have seemed like the valley of the shadow of death.

But their shepherds guided them through, presumably, the green pastures beyond.

A shepherd mitigates a lot of the problems that sheep have in a flock.

A shepherd is tall and watchful.

A shepherd doesn't have to have his head down all the time.

A shepherd can see threats coming.

If a lion is coming, a shepherd is able to see him in the distance, long before he's actually a threat.

A flock of sheep with a shepherd is defended.

Even when there's no immediate threat of danger, even if the pasture that the sheep are in right now is green,

maybe the next pasture is greener and safer and better.

The sheep may not know how to get there, but the shepherd does.

God led the Israelites out across the desert when they left Egypt,

out to find green lands, promised lands.

Israel had a hard time throughout their entire journey through the desert,

looking past the circumstances right ahead of them.

They had a hard time seeing past their need for food, their need for water,

and frequently were like that, too.

Yet like a good shepherd, he led them all the way across,

by a cloud during the day, by a pillar of fire at night.

God was a shepherd when they needed one.

God was a shepherd, just like David describes much later.

Now David had a son, and his son had a son,

and generations rolled until one day, without giving up any of his authority,

God sent Jesus.

God became flesh and dwelt among us.

Jesus takes up this same image of shepherd.

When we see a large crowd that Jesus is looking out on,

he sees the need of them.

He sees the aimlessness of them.

And he says these people are like sheep without a shepherd.

In one of his parables, he tells people that he is the good shepherd.

A hired shepherd, he says, will run at the first sign of danger.

When something threatens the people they're leading,

they'll run.

But not Jesus, not the good shepherd.

He cares for his people so much that he will die for them.

When danger comes to them, when someone threatens them,

he is willing to lay down his life to protect and save them.

It's an inspiring image of our Lord.

We, like sheep, tend to have our heads down,

not noticing threats to us,

not bothering with people on the other side of the flock.

The bravest of us walk away from the flock,

thinking that maybe we know better.

And we end up on various and dangerous paths, undoubtedly.

Like Isaiah prophesies, we, like sheep, have gone astray.

Each of us has turned to our own way.

Think of any good Canadian saying,

well, if that path works for him, let him go.

Let him turn to his own way.

Who are you to judge?

You're just another sheep, wandering just as aimlessly.

Jesus, however, in another of his parable,

describes another shepherd,

leaving the entire flock of sheep

to follow just such a wandering sheep,

turned to his own way.

If each of us has turned to our own way,

then just as Isaiah continues,

God has laid our iniquities,

our wrongdoings, our wanderings,

as an aimless sheep on him,

on the good shepherd.

The good shepherd died so that his sheep

could be saved from their fruitless wanderings.

Now when Jesus had indeed laid down his life for us

and had been raised again,

he continued using this image of sheep and shepherd.

John records this conversation

between Jesus and Peter,

recorded in the Gospel of John.

We'll go there quickly.

I have it bookmarked, so you don't need to go there.

John 21, 20, if you need to find this again sometime.

I hope my bookmark's still there.

Oh, there we go.

So this is John 21, verse 16.

John 21:16

When they had finished breakfast,

Jesus said to Simon Peter,

Simon, son of John,

do you love me more than these?

He said to him,

Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.

He said to him,

Feed my lambs.

He said to him a second time,

Simon, son of John,

do you love me?

He said,

Yes, Lord,

you know that I love you.

He said to him,

Shepherd my sheep.

He said to him a third time,

Simon, son of John,

do you love me?

Peter was grieved

because he had said to him a third time,

Do you love me?

And he said to him,

Lord, you know everything.

You know that I love you.

Jesus said to him,

Feed my sheep.

The good shepherd himself,

without giving up any of his authority,

has commissioned Peter to be a shepherd as well.

The chief shepherd,

as Peter calls him,

to the readers of 1 Peter,

has called him to be a shepherd as well.

Now, if you have a large flock of sheep,

like the ones that march through Madrid,

you need more than one shepherd.

The chief shepherd might be the owner of the sheep.

He might be a family member of the owner.

He's the one who makes sure

that the sheep are taken care of,

that there's enough people

to make sure that the sheep don't wander.

He is the one who's making sure

there's enough people

to make sure that the sheep

don't wander down every side street.

When he tells Peter to shepherd his sheep,

the risen Jesus is about to leave.

He's about to go to the right hand of the Father.

But first, he's making sure

that his flock is taken care of.

He's going to make sure that they are fed,

and he's going to make sure that they are led.

Jesus was about to send the Holy Spirit

to the church, a momentous occasion.

But he's also going to make sure

that there are human leaders

who would lead by Jesus' example,

just like Peter.

And that leads us finally

to the book of 1 Peter.

Peter is an apostle, yes.

Peter is one of the original disciples, yes.

On top of that,

he has been called personally by Jesus

to be a shepherd.

Now, that's some serious prestige.

That's some serious authority

coming directly from the lips of Jesus.

The authority of a shepherd

given by the chief shepherd.

But Peter isn't wielding his authority here

in an overhanded sort of way.

It seems to have been common

from the beginning of the church

that wise men should guide the church.

People who were older in the faith,

people who were elders in the faith,

you might say.

Probably in many cases,

they were older in years,

but not necessarily.

Peter doesn't come to them

as an overhanded leader.

Peter addresses his readers

as fellow elders,

not as a master, as a fellow.

In effect, Peter is saying,

one elder to another,

let me tell you what this should look like.

One leader of the church

to another leader of the church,

let me tell you.

And then he pulls out this image,

again, of shepherd and sheep.

Without any fanfare at all,

he tells the elders of this church

that they are to be shepherds as well.

Elders of the church, like George,

are to be shepherds.

And you can see why this might be

a very serious thing.

God, the shepherd of his people,

sent his only son to be the shepherd of his people

and to save not only his people,

but the entire world.

The chief shepherd then commissions Peter

to also be a shepherd,

to do the same thing.

And it turns out that all elders of the church

across the world

are to be the same,

shepherds.

The job that Peter got

from the very mouth of Jesus

is the same one

that elders like George have.

The job that Jesus took

and came to earth with

is the same that he gave to Peter.

It may sound like I'm trying

to describe something like

the divine right of kings for church leaders,

but that's not really the entire story.

It might sound like I'm trying to tell you

that you need to listen

to the elders of the church

because they have the authority of Jesus,

but that's not the entire story.

Think again of the image of shepherd.

When the chief shepherd arrives,

whose well-being is he there to check on?

Is it the shepherd's well-being

or the sheep's well-being?

Well, it's the sheep, of course.

It's not for the sake

of the shepherds that they're hired.

It's for the sake of the sheep

that the shepherds are there at all.

If the chief shepherd, Jesus,

died to save his sheep,

you and I,

and then called elders

to shepherd the sheep as well,

what do you think he's expecting

of his shepherds?

If the owner of the sheep

is willing to die for them,

you can be pretty certain

he's looking for something similar

from his shepherds.

Again, you can see why

who becomes an elder

might be a very serious thing

for both the person themselves

and for the people

that are being led.

An elder has, as an example,

Jesus himself.

It shouldn't be surprising, then,

that both Peter and Paul

spend a lot of time

talking about what elders

should look like in the church.

Peter here gives us

three characteristics, then,

that our elders

should be striving for.

I'm going to lose

all my papers here,

so excuse me.

Let's try again.

So the first characteristic

that he's looking for

from his elders

is that they should be

an example.

Our leaders should,

as one of the translations

puts it,

not be lording over us.

The essence here

is power.

Our elders' motivation

for leading us

can't be power.

It can't be the want of power.

It can't be the chasing of power.

If the leaders

who are leading us

are thirsty for power,

we're in deep trouble.

A power-hungry leader

is perfectly happy to lead,

but will be much less likely

to take into account

the well-being

of the people he's leading

than he will be

satisfying his own needs.

One of their goals

might be to lead effectively,

but probably one of the other goals

will be power in itself.

Perhaps by intimidation,

threats,

many sorts of manipulation.

This kind of leader

is a classic sort of hypocrite,

a person who insists

on their followers

giving up power,

but resists any attempt

at oversight themselves.

I've seen a boss

or two like this

in jobs that I've worked.

I'm pretty certain

that most of you have too.

It's very common.

In a workplace,

I'm sure you know

that it's destructive

to have a power-hungry leader.

In the church,

where we deliberately

make ourselves vulnerable

before God

and frequently before other people,

it can be absolutely devastating.

And I hope you haven't come out

of churches like that.

I've seen some,

and it is truly devastating.

The second characteristic

that elders should be displaying

is an eagerness to serve

as opposed to

an eagerness for gain.

Now, this is far

from a prohibition

for paying our pastors,

our leaders.

It's a warning

against leaders

who are motivated

by gaining money.

A leader who is out for money

will be one

who weighs their decisions

not on their love

for Jesus and his church.

They're weighing their decisions

on the return of investment.

These are the sorts of leaders

who are counting their hours

so that they're not underpaid

versus counting their hours

so that the parts of their life

are well served.

The last characteristic

that Peter brings up here

is one that catches

a lot of different motivations.

A leader must serve willingly,

not under compulsion.

Not because life's circumstance

pushed the leader into it.

An elder shouldn't be leading

because seminary

was the only school

that let him in

and he didn't want to go

to trade school.

They should be leading

because they genuinely want to.

Peter seems to be making sure

that the elders

that he's talking to

are motivated properly

for the job

that they've been given.

Just like the hireling shepherd

that Jesus mentions

in his parable,

at first sign of Deja,

motivations like money

and power fall away.

Peter's writing

to a persecuted church.

Leaders of a persecuted church

are going to be targeted.

Their motivations

are going to be tested

sooner or later.

Again, think to the occasion

that Peter was called

that we read in the Gospel of John

to shepherd Jesus' flock.

What was the question

that Jesus asked?

Peter, do you love me?

Yes?

Okay then.

Shepherd my flock.

Jesus,

what does he want to know?

What does he want to know

about Peter?

He wants to know

where his allegiance is,

what his motivation is.

Is Peter going to be

shepherding because he likes power?

Is he going to be shepherding

because he loves money?

Is he going to be shepherding

because he has nothing else to do

now that Jesus has left?

Is he going to be shepherding

because he has no other choice?

What Jesus seems to want to hear

is that Peter will be serving

because he loves Jesus so much.

In his letter,

Peter ends his exhortation

to elders

with this encouragement.

This, again,

is from 1 Peter 5,

1 Peter 5:4

verse 4.

And when the chief shepherd

appears,

you will receive

the unfading crown of glory.

Once again,

he's pointing out

who truly cares for the sheep.

Who is it that's rewarding

good leaders?

It's Jesus.

It's Jesus

who cares for the sheep.

For you and I,

enough to hold a leader

to account

for the good things

that he does

for his flock

and not.

And on the other flip side,

the person that the leader

is trying to please

is not you and I.

It's not the flock.

Now,

before you ask

after the service,

talking about George

and what an elder

should look like

in the church

while he's gone

was actually his idea.

So,

it's not talking

behind his back

if he knows you're doing it,

right?

Actually,

if you take a look

at the blog

in your bulletin,

George himself

has written about

his views

of what an elder

in the church

looks like.

Now,

I'll leave it to you

to have a think

about what kind

of leader we have

in this congregation,

the Church of the Messiah.

But first,

I would suggest to you

that what George

needs a lot more

than a proper critique,

what George needs

a lot more

than our opinions

or criticisms

of him

is our prayers.

As our leader,

George has taken

a responsibility

for our feeding

and for our leading

and that

makes him eligible

for a never-ending

or an everlasting crown

like Peter mentions,

but it's also

a very heavy burden.

What he needs

more than

our opinions

is our prayers.

what we really want

is a leader

who we don't really

question very often

as far as

how he compares

to what we see here

in 1 Peter

and in Paul's letters

as well,

whether or not

he matches

what we see here.

He needs our prayers

that he would

lead

ever more like

Jesus led

and ever more like

we are a church

being led by Jesus.

So,

that said,

let's pray for

George and the leaders

of the church.

Father God,

we thank you

for people

who are willing

to lead,

people who love you

enough to lead.

Father,

we thank you

that we have

a pastor,

a shepherd

of this flock,

an elder.

Father,

we thank you

that he is

by many accounts

a good leader.

Father,

we ask that

you would

in turn

lead him

well.

Father,

would you

lead him

to be

ever less

motivated

by money,

ever less

motivated

by power.

Would you

lead him

to be

ever more

motivated

by love

of you?

Father,

we ask

this for

George,

we ask

this for

David,

we ask

this for

leaders,

elders,

in churches

across the city

and across the world.

Father,

we accept

that you

have given

us leaders

and Father,

we ask

that you

would make

them ever

better leaders.

Father,

we ask

this in

the name

of Jesus.

Father,

you make

this possible

through Jesus.

Father,

we thank you

and pray

these things.

Amen.