{"id":38142,"date":"2024-09-04T17:40:28","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T00:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=38142"},"modified":"2024-09-04T17:40:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T00:40:28","slug":"sheepdogs-and-pigs-embracing-a-vocation-of-love-in-a-world-of-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/sheepdogs-and-pigs-embracing-a-vocation-of-love-in-a-world-of-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheepdogs and Pigs: Embracing a Vocation of Love in a World of Power"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rex is in charge of all the animals on Farmer Hoggett\u2019s farm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He knows the rules of the farm and makes sure all the animals follow those rules. That’s the best way for everything to go smoothly and to keep the Boss (Hoggett) happy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rex is a sheepdog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When he is not lording it over the ducks, the cows, and the mice, Rex is working with Fly, the other sheepdog, to herd the sheep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Together, they hear the farmer\u2019s whistle or call and they browbeat the sheep into submission. Rex and Fly are talented sheepdogs; the sheep cower as they are herded in and out of the gates.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, life at the farm is upended with the arrival of a young pig named Babe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Babe the pig<\/p><\/div>\n

Fly misses her litter of puppies who have all just been given to new homes, so she accepts Babe as part of her family. Rex doesn\u2019t like it. Not at all. There\u2019s no room for a pig at the farm, especially a pig that acts like a dog.<\/span><\/p>\n

Babe wants to join the dogs and sheep in the field, but Rex will have none of it. Unfortunately, Rex is so attached to the rules, that he lets his need for control get the best of him. In a fit of pique, he ends up injuring Fly so he\u2019s put in \u201cdoggie time out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But that means there are no dogs available to herd the sheep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Babe saves the day by stepping into the void! He discovers that he can invite the sheep to do what he wants simply by being pleasant and respectful\u2026 and by asking nicely.<\/span><\/p>\n

We watched \u201cBabe\u201d with our four-year-old granddaughter this past weekend, so it\u2019s fresh in my mind. Without getting too carried away by this analogy, I thought of this movie as I read NT Wright’s and Michael Bird’s book, <\/span>Jesus and the Powers.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Wright and Bird describe the \u201cpowers\u201d that work against the goodness of God and pull humans away from our longing to serve and please God. Some of those powers include autocratic governments, idolatry of all kinds, abuse of power, and evil itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Poor Rex the sheepdog, is the appointed farm animal authority. He stands in for all those powers when all he wants to do is make sure everyone does the \u201cright\u201d thing! But that kind of self-righteousness, followed by vindictiveness, is also power working against Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wright and Bird write, \u201cSaying that the authorities are appointed and authorised by God does not mean that God endorses whatever they then do\u2026 The biblical view is that God holds his appointed authorities to account for their actions\u201d (1).<\/span><\/p>\n

I also thought of the book when I considered how the sheepdogs know exactly what their call to work sounds like. They do their jobs efficiently, effectively\u2026 and aggressively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In contrast, when Babe learns Hoggett\u2019s call, not only does he respond with quick obedience, but also with gentle persuasion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019s not too unlike the idea of our own \u201ccall\u201d or, as Tom Wright explains, our \u201cvocation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, we completely leave behind the \u201cBabe\u201d analogies. Our call, or vocation, while joyful, is very serious. There are too many people who ignore it, which not only imperils them, it also imperils our earth, for which we are supposed to be stewards.<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>The Day the Revolution Began<\/span><\/i>, Wright explains very clearly what he means by our vocation:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What the Bible offers is not a \u2018works contract,\u2019 but a covenant of <\/span>vocation<\/span><\/i>. The vocation in question is that of being a genuine human being, with genuinely human tasks to perform as part of the creator’s purpose for his world. The main task of this vocation is \u2018image-bearing,\u2019 reflecting the Creator’s wise stewardship into the world and reflecting the praises of all creation back to its maker. Those who do so are the \u2018royal priesthood,\u2019 the \u2018kingdom of priests,\u2019 the people who are called to stand at the dangerous but exhilarating point where heaven and earth meet<\/span>.<\/span><\/i> (2)<\/span><\/p>\n

That point of meeting is how the kingdom of God is brought down to earth. God created this world to <\/span>need<\/span><\/i> cooperating, obedient human beings to lead others and steward creation. But to lead and steward out of joy, humility, and love, not coercion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wright and Bird provide several examples of where that \u201cexhilarating point\u201d of meeting seems elusive. They describe,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026the long story of humankind\u2019s failure, of Israel\u2019s failure. These multiple disasters have led to the point where the \u2018principalities\u2019 and \u2018powers\u2019, though created in, through and for the one we now know as Jesus, had accrued terrible power to themselves through human idolatry and were now on the rampage through creation, wreaking havoc with people\u2019s lives and with God\u2019s world. They needed to be brought into line; to be \u2018reconciled\u2019. But how? (3)<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank the good Lord that Jesus provided a way to redeem the powers by defeating them. \u201cBy taking the people\u2019s sins, Jesus has robbed the \u2018powers\u2019 of the regular means of usurping human authority, freeing up humans of all sorts to become at last what they were made to be: worshippers of the one God, exercising royal priesthood in his world.\u201d (4). The powers were created for good, then defeated in their twisted goals, then reconciled by love.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are invited to participate with Jesus in this Kingdom work: \u201camong individuals in need, challenging self-assured religious types, offering mercy to the downtrodden and forgotten, warning of judgment, exhorting faith in God’s generous forgiveness, and speaking words of truth in the halls of political power.\u201d (5)<\/span><\/p>\n

But these Kingdom-building activities often face tremendous obstacles by people in power. And I see no greater threat to building the Kingdom right now than so-called \u201cChristian Nationalism.\u201d Wright and Bird detail the definitions and myriad problems with this political agenda, including the lack of tolerance for diversity, which is critically necessary for liberal democracy to be successful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In his article, \u201cWhat is Christian Nationalism?\u201d Paul D. Miller warns,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When nationalists go about constructing their nation, they have to define who is, and who is not, part of the nation. But there are always dissidents and minorities who do not or cannot conform to the nationalists\u2019 preferred template. In the absence of moral authority, nationalists can only establish themselves by force. Scholars are almost unanimous that nationalist governments tend to become authoritarian and oppressive in practice. (6)<\/span><\/p>\n

Miller goes on to say, \u201cChristian nationalists want to define America as a Christian nation and they want the government to promote a specific cultural template as the official culture of the country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the antidote to this existential threat?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That is the stuff of shelves of books, but let\u2019s conclude with a key takeaway: First and foremost, love.<\/span><\/p>\n

Returning briefly to \u201cBabe\u201d: Rex illustrates intolerance and moral authority run amok.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Babe, however, is gentle but convicted about his vocation (herding sheep). He is respectful but cooperative. He also exudes love for every creature in his world. Eventually, as Babe reflects his creator and uses perseverance and creativity, Rex is redeemed!<\/span><\/p>\n

True, Babe is a pig that acts like a dog\u2026 and we are called to be as genuinely human as we were created to be, reflecting our Creator in the world, acting as a kingdom of worshiping priests.<\/span><\/p>\n

But as we reflect our Creator, we begin to act as Paul describes: Love is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, and not proud. Love is not self-seeking nor easily angered. It keeps no record of wrong. It does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres, and never fails (paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13).<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019s love showed up in his human life in many ways, especially on the cross. May we live cruciform lives that give the \u201cpowers\u201d no room in our hearts or minds.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

(1) <\/span>N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, <\/span>Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies<\/span><\/i> (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Reflective, 2024), <\/span>43.<\/span><\/p>\n

(2) <\/span>N. T. Wright<\/span>, <\/span>The Day the Revolution Began; Reconsidering the Menaing of Jesus\u2019s Crucifixion<\/span><\/i> (New York, NY: Harper One, 1989), 76.<\/span><\/p>\n

(3) Wright and Bird, 57<\/span><\/p>\n

(4) Wright and Bird, 59<\/span><\/p>\n

(5) Wright and Bird, 83<\/span><\/p>\n

(6) Paul D. Miller, \u201cWhat is Christian Nationalism?\u201d, <\/span>Christianity Today<\/span><\/i>, Feb. 3, 2021, accessed Sept. 4, 2024.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/2021\/02\/what-is-christian-nationalism\/<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rex is in charge of all the animals on Farmer Hoggett\u2019s farm.\u00a0 He knows the rules of the farm and makes sure all the animals follow those rules. That’s the best way for everything to go smoothly and to keep the Boss (Hoggett) happy.\u00a0 Rex is a sheepdog.\u00a0 When he is not lording it over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3210,2967],"class_list":["post-38142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-wright","tag-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38142"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38144,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38142\/revisions\/38144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}