In John 10, Jesus warns against the power of false teachers, describing them as thieves who break into the sheep pen. We are called into a reflective life of discernment to hear the voice of our Shepherd and to avoid the lies of the thieves. But how do we go about doing that?
One response has been to limit the voices we hear. And so we only watch Christian movies, only read Christian books, only listen to Christian music, only talk to other Christians and, in terms of the sheep analogy, never leave the pen. We stay where it is safe. And because the Church is becoming increasingly diverse, we further sub-divide based on circles of favorite authors. In other words, we stick to our corner of the pen.
What would happen if you had a flock of sheep that never left the pen? I can tell you from experience, not from sheep, but from my guinea pig. Kosher, the aforementioned guinea pig, rarely leaves his cage (maybe an hour at a time). And I have to clean his cage out every week because, frankly, it stinks. The same thing would happen on a grand scale in a sheep pen. Eventually the environment would become toxic and unliveable for the sheep. Plus, it would really stink.
Sheep are not meant for the pen- they are meant for the pasture. Christians are not meant for the artificial pens we create, but we are meant to be engaging our world. It is what we were created for. When we think of Church as a weekly gathering to hear stuff we already believe and sing songs we already know, we are favoring the pen. When we think of Church as a body of people planted in a particular place for the mission of God, with weekly gatherings to encourage and empower us for that mission, we are sheep freed from the pen and doing what we are supposed to do.
Listening for the voice of the Shepherd is hardly about cloistering ourselves off from the world. Listening for the voice of the Shepherd is very much about listening for ways that God is already at work in us and in the world, and ultimately an invitation to join in.
I like the way you brought this around to say that we should look for Christ in all of the people, experiences and things we see around us. This is not on the same par as pantheism, but truly seeing that God has created us in His image, and everyone else too. Staying in the pen is truly not an option for those on mission to bring His love to the world.
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