The words of Psalm 100 still echo from last week’s lectio. “Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to God and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations.” That is surely true for the generations gathered under our roof today; God;s blessings abound among us. So let thanksgiving abound from every heart today… with parades and football… and may God be pleased that we stop to remember the Source of all that is good and give thanks and praise! Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day.

I’m glad it’s not my job to sort the sheep from the goats.  Having grown up in suburbia, I have little experience in farm animals (although I can make some pretty impressive animal noises - if I do say so myself).  My great Aunt and Uncle lived on a small farm, and as a child I would visit from time to time.  There were cows and chickens; a couple of pigs; and turkeys - mean turkeys; but no sheep or goats from which to draw any kind of personal insight.

That’s why I am thankful for the internet.

Apparently, it is difficult to tell some sheep and goats apart, unless you know what you are looking for.  Sheep tails go down, goat tails go up… most of the time.  Some goats have horns… and some sheep do too.  Goats have beards, and sheep do not… but sometimes goat beards get trimmed so you can’t always rely on that either.  Some people say that sheep and goats sound different.  (I have listened to more sheep and goat sound samples than I care to admit, and I am no closer to being able to distinguish the distinct sounds of goats and sheep.)  I do know that there are other significant differences, like how many chromosomes they have, and differences in breeding seasons.  I’m sure I could draw some kind of brilliant theological conclusion from all those things, but I have already spent way too much time just listening to sheep and goat noises.  So, here is the important thing I have learned about sheep and goats: their actions are different.  Goats eat anything that is easy to get to; they are curious, and will jump over a fence to get to something that has caught their attention; and they are much more independent.  Sheep?  Not so much.  Sheep will graze over an area until there is absolutely nothing left to eat - and still not move unless the shepherd moves them along to greener pastures.  Sheep are more cautious; less inquisitive.

Still, I’m glad it’s not my job to separate the sheep and the goats.

But the shepherd knows the difference.  The shepherd is intimately familiar with sheep and goats - knowing what to look for and listen to. The shepherd knows their temperaments and feeding habits; his life is all about knowing and caring for the sheep and the goats.  He has watched them, and knows the difference in their actions.

The scripture passage goes on with the familiar text:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
   I was hungry and you fed me,
   I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me a room,
   I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
   I was sick and you stopped to visit,
   I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ’sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me-you did it to me.’”  Matthew 25:24-40 The Message

This coming Sunday is Christ the King Sunday - the last Sunday of the church year.  It is a time in which our lessons encourage us to be ready for the coming of Christ.  Over the past few weeks we have heard the parable of the 10 Bridesmaids with their oil lamps, waiting for the arrival of the Bridegroom; we have heard the parable of the wealthy man entrusting his estate to his servants while he is away, with the understanding that they would continue to care for his property until his return; and this week, we hear about sheep and goats, and what the shepherd sees.

The shepherd knows the difference, because he sees their actions.  But here is the thing, sheep and goats act the way they do because they are sheep and goats.  It’s their natural state of being - their nature.

We talk a lot in church about the old nature; but we also believe that Christ gives us a new nature, and that spending time in reading scripture, praying, study, worship, and fellowship helps to transform us so that our natural state of being is less like our old nature and more like Christ’s nature. 

Less goat-like.

May we be good sheep.

Blessings! ~ Julie

Being like Christ in the world will change the world. Having the mind of kindness, goodness, forgiveness rather than the cultural mind set of fear and suspicion will bring great change everywhere we live it. The way of the world without change is not working in many ways. The earth under our feet is being assaulted as if there are not billions of us who share this home together. The air above our heads is being poluted with unclean toxins that we breathe daily. The animals with whom we share the planet are being crowded out of habitats. Our neighbors are losing homes and jobs, and afraid they will get sick and need medical help for which they cannot pay. Something needs to change.

One of my spiritual giants is Robert Mulholland who uses a few simple questions to measure the change of one’s life that marks transformation. Here are his questions to ask yourself:

• Am I more loving than I was a year ago?
• Am I more forgiving than I was a year ago?
• Am I more patient?
• Am I more kind?
• Do I have more joy?

You get the drift. Change in one’s life is measurable. When we are truly being transformed there is an outward component to the transformation, for as Dr. Mulholland says, ” we are being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.” The outward fruit of the inward change will be justice, love, and all the fruit of the Spirit of God. Our change will matter to the world and to God. From politics to the most personal points of our faith, may we invite and live the change that looks like hope for the world. Amen.