Voice Lessons

23 September 2015

Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Voice Lessons

Today was but a short 16km walk. Most of the walk was a gradual incline until we reached a brutal incline much like trying to climb a ski slope.  It was about a 20 degree slope for over 5km.  Many stops and breathers were needed.  My crabby right knee is managing, but my blisters are crying out on the same toes.  God be merciful.

Upon reaching the top of the climb I was rewarded with a rare sight. There on a rolling plateau was a large green pasture. Surprisingly there was a shepherd herding his sheep. He calmly and deliberately plodded along with his sheep following. I spent some time just observing the whole process of shepherding.  There were several hundred sheep up on the short rise grazing. Their heads were fixed on the grass below while chomping ravenously and oblivious to the entire world around them.  The shepherd started walking toward the other end of the field toward the road and whole scene unfolded.

There were some sheep who were attentive to the shepherd’s movement, looked up intently and sheep galloped to keep up with him.  They stared up at the shepherd’s face as if to seek for any new clue of the shepherd’s direction.  As he walked, they followed in step with his.  There were some who missed the first clue and were looking around, and if I was to guess by their behavior, they were saying, “Hey, where did he go?”  Seeing that he shepherd and others had moved on, they scampered to get rejoined. What was particularly interesting is that the late arrivals maneuvered their way deep into the flock nearer and nearer to the shepherd.  Then there were those sheep who missed all the clues. They were far back and were lost in a self-indulgent gorging of themselves on one luscious green patch after another.  Their heads and eyes were fixated down at filling themselves with their own pleasure of filling themselves. 

I saw myself in the behaviors of all of these sheep at some time in my life. How about you?

The behavior of the shepherd was fascinating as well.  I recall that he moved in a deliberate and confident manner.  His every step matched the speed of the sheep, or was is the other way around? Nonetheless, they walked… together. He was at the head of the flock, but the sheep were not far behind. When he stopped, they immediately went back to grazing.   A quick glance around and the shepherd noticed some starting to trail behind. 

As he started to plod ahead he made a simple sound that alerted all the sheep. It was not a word as so much a sound he made, “Che Che!” a short, staccato sound like the word “cheek” but without the “k” sound.  For however weird that might mean to humans, it had a remarkable effect on the sheep. They all reacted like we would to the sound of a fire alarm.  Heads popped up, eyes searching for the shepherd, and an instantaneous obedience to follow.  A few more steps and a “Che Che Che!” and the entire flock moved along with their shepherd guiding them.  Every so often a few sheep would start to stray from alongside of him. He used his staff with a gentle tap and they returned to walk in obedient progression with him once again. There was an undeniable and loving relationship between the sheep and the shepherd.

I watched before my very eyes Jesus’ message in John’s gospel, “I know my sheep and my sheep know my voice.” Yes, it was an observation of Jesus’ “Voice Lesson.” It may never be a “Che Che!” sound He makes, but his voice will call us back to walk with him. And like those sheep today, his voice is distinct, it is confident, it is protective of us. My/Our challenge is to take a “Voice Lesson.”  That is, be attentive to his gentle voice calling out to us. 

Our challenge is to discriminate his voice from the voice of the world’s screaming for attention to worthless things. The world screams for frantic activity; his voice calls us to peace. The world screams for frenzied attention to what popular culture thinks: his voice calls us to scriptural truth. The world offers temporary stress relief in many forms, his voice calls us to hope in his promises.  The world allures us to temporary infatuations; his voice call us to a love beyond understanding.

“I know my sheep and my sheep know my voice.”  It was endearing message of the beauty of His voice, for me, for you.

Listen. Just listen, for His voice. It is near, I promise.

Fondly,

Deacon Willie, DW