Keeping Sheep I have a little flock of sheep and they are mine to tend and keep, and I must guard them every day for little lambs, when left alone, will lose their way. So many voices say to me, “A sheep fold is no place to be. your time in there is dull and slow, and lambs leave very little room for you to grow.” Oh, if I ever start to stray, deceived by thoughts of greener pastures, remind me, Lord, that keeping sheep will lead to happier ever afters. Oh, surely there will come a day when all the lambs have left my side and I am free to roam about and go exploring other meadows, green and wide. Yet, something whispers in my heart that when my sheep have left this pen I’ll long to stroke their little heads, to draw them close to me and have them young again. So, if I ever start to stray, deceived by thoughts of greener pastures, remind me, Lord, that keeping sheep will lead to happier ever afters. (1)
At the same time, the Church from ancient times has essentially been counter-cultural, which means that it often pushed back against social conventions and established institutions. Jesus talked a lot about sheep, but he never acted like one. He challenged social norms, associated with people who polite society rejected, and confronted the establishment when it displayed hypocrisy. The apostles, too, fearlessly challenged convention time after time in order to teach gospel truths.