Kevin’s mother might complain to her friend: “I’m afraid since his girlfriend left him, Kevin’s been completely direction-less. A bit of a lost sheep really.” But it’s not just Kevin. The Bible puts that label on a much broader constituency. Often the people of God are called “sheep without a shepherd” (e.g. Numbers 27:17; 1 [...]
A stammer. An irritating workmate. An infirm parent. A complaining parishioner. An unpleasant duty. A chronic illness. We might be tempted to call these things “my cross to bear.” But we shouldn’t. Jesus means something very different by the phrase. But it’s not just the world-weary grumblers who get it wrong. The zealous do-gooders can [...]
