Humble Shepherds: Waiting for the Chief Shepherd

``What kind of savior invites failures to jump out towards him? What kind of savior cooks breakfast, lighting that charcoal fire—the same scent, the same scene as Peter's denial—and then asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?" And with each answer, Peter's weak "yes," what does Jesus say? "Feed my sheep." So here Peter, remember, addressing a church under great pressure, falling apart perhaps under the stress, he reminds this church of the care and structure that is there to help them to continue, persevere, and overcome. [00:35:59] (44 seconds)  #FeedMySheep

Christian leadership begins with seeing oneself—borrowing a phrase from an old pastor—seeing oneself as a grace miracle, grace miracles ministering to other grace miracles, right? This is Peter's story. Leaders are not experts dispensing religious products or ideas, but they are recipients of mercy whose task is to dole out mercy. Back at the beach in front of the charcoal fire, Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" Because to feed the sheep, you must love Jesus. To love Jesus, you must first be loved by Jesus. [00:40:04] (43 seconds)  #MercyFirstLeadership

To be a leader is not about any gifts I have; it is about my need, my weakness, my dependence on Jesus. This calling tethers me to him. The calling of all your elders, all your women's council, all your deacons—it is a calling to be tethered to Christ in such a way that they are weak, dependent, needy. They lead with a limp. Dan Allender puts it like this: to the degree you attempt to hide or dissemble your weakness, the more you will need to control those you lead, the more insecure you will become, the more rigidity you will impose, prompting the ultimate departure of your people. [00:41:01] (45 seconds)  #LeadFromWeakness

A few weeks ago I talked with your elders, women's council, challenged them that leaders are lead repenters—human, weak, vulnerable. They practice repentance publicly, not perfection theatrically. Madame Lingle, the writer, reminds us in a very real sense not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do his work, to bear his glory. If we are qualified, we tend to think of ourselves as having done the job ourselves, but God entrusts the flock to those who know they aren't the chief shepherd. [00:41:47] (44 seconds)  #LeadByRepentance

Suffering, far from disqualifying, forms leaders into a people who can carry each other's sorrows without crushing them. And so Karen Jobes notes, she paints Peter's audience as resident aliens—remember, they are a displaced people in a world not arranged for their flourishing. That's hard for us as we sit here today, but for this church, they are displaced and the world's not concerned about their flourishing. In that setting, the elder is not some powerful insider but he's a solidary companion. [00:43:02] (40 seconds)  #LeadersInSolidarity

Assumption number one: we are sheep. God's people are sheep. It's humbling. Sheep aren't impressive—they're vulnerable, easily spooked, easily scattered, deeply dependent. Without a shepherd, sheep wander into ravines, wander towards wolves. There aren't any stories or epics or legends called "Dances with the Lambs." Sheep are stupid by themselves; they are lunch for wolves. When they wander and get lost, they back, which is really just like a dinner bell call for the other animals. [00:45:34] (38 seconds)  #WeAreSheep

When Peter calls us sheep, it isn't an insult, it's a mercy. It's an honest recognition of limitation, a reminder to us, Redeemer: autonomy is a myth. We belong. We need care. We need each other. We need guiding leaders. Second assumption: the flock is concrete, visible, named. Right? Peter presumes shepherds know who is among you, who is in your charge. That implies a concrete congregation, not an inspirational audience. [00:47:31] (42 seconds)  #KnownAndGathered

If you stray, they come after you—not to shame you, but to restore you. The church practices biblical correction not to punish but to rescue. And they lead you. Ancient shepherds walked ahead of the flock, taking on the danger first. Good leaders do not outsource risk; they absorb it. Each autumn, Rebanks joins neighbors for a thing they call the gather. Hundreds of sheep have roamed the high fell all summer. Now whistling dogs and calling voices echo across the hills as families line the ridges, sweeping downward to bring every sheep safely home. [00:50:12] (40 seconds)  #GatherTheFlock

No one gathers alone. Each elder, each believer plays a part. The church is not an aggregation of strays but a gathered people drawn together by the voice of the chief shepherd. In Advent, we remember that heaven itself is mounting a gatherer. Christ is sweeping the ridges of the world, calling his sheep by name, bringing us home for our long wandering. Our guiding leadership participates in that cosmic rescue. Every act of oversight, every congregate conversation of care is another echo of his call across dark hills. [00:51:58] (41 seconds)  #CalledByTheShepherd

Waiting is not wasting; it's faith with a calendar you don't control. And in Advent we remember God came at midnight to mend the world's broken gate. He did not wait to be asked; he came because if we scatter, heaven, heaven, heaven loses what it loves. So he stooped into the storm, shoulder to shoulder with us, repairing the breach with the wood of the cross. And we participate in that humbly when we cast all of our cares upon him and cry for help. [00:57:21] (41 seconds)  #WaitingIsFaith