Morning Medicine

[bluidkiti]

Who Am I?

Years ago, when our daughters were very young, we'd
drop them off at our church's children's chapel on
Sundays before the eleven o'clock service.

One Sunday, just as I was about to open the door to
the small chapel, the minister came rushing up in
full vestments. He said he had an emergency and asked
if I'd speak to the children at their story time. He
said the subject was the Twenty-third Psalm.

But just as I was about to get up from the back row
and talk about the good shepherd, the minister burst
into the room and signaled to me that he would be able
to do the story time after all.

He told the children about sheep, that they weren't
smart and needed lots of guidance, and that a shepherd's
job was to stay close to the sheep, protect them from
wild animals and keep them from wandering off and
dumb things that would get them hurt or killed.

He pointed to the little children in the room and said
that they were the sheep and needed lots of guidance.
Then the minister put his hands out to the side, palms
up in a dramatic gesture, and with raised eyebrows said
to the children, "If you are the sheep then who is the
shepherd?"

He was pretty obviously indicating himself.

A silence of a few seconds followed. Then a young visitor
said, "Jesus, Jesus is the shepherd."

The young minister, obviously caught by surprise, said to
the boy, "Well, then, who am I?"

The little boy frowned thoughtfully and then said with a
shrug, "I guess you must be a sheep dog."

- from Pastor Tim