Mutton Busting

There are many small, country towns around where I grew up. Utah is considered to be “out west”, so there are a lot of ranchers, cowboys, and farmers. Many of these little towns will host county fairs and rodeos in the summer. My favorite rodeo event is mutton busting. For those of you city folk, mutton busting is where sweet little cowpokes ride and wrangle sheep. A child will climb on top of a sheep, the door to the corral swings open and the sheep totters off. Lest you think this is some kind of animal or child abuse: it involves food, fun, snuggles, and dirt. (My kids’ four favorite things in life.) The end result is always a mess of curls, a dirty sheep, and a muddy child.

1 Peter 5:1-5
"Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

What noises resound in your sanctuary? Is it filled with joyful worship, loving encouragement, and useful, theological preaching? Or does the bleating of sheep echo from its walls? If God's sheep could truly clothe themselves in humility toward one another, our pastors would no longer endure the "baa baa baa" of boredom, unforgiveness, ungratefulness, complaint, and selfishness. The church is not a rodeo; the elders should not leave on Sunday afternoons swatting a dirty hat against their chaps, heading home to ice the bruises of mutton busting.

With Peter's exhortation in your head, Christians, help your pastors out! Make every effort to live as Christ has urged us: in unity, love, and humility, so that your elders do not have to spend precious ministry time wrangling rambunctious sheep. Our elders are busy men trying to lead local communities of believers in the will of God the Almighty. They should not have to mutton bust our immature bickerings or complaints. Let us be humble, well-mannered lambs, not dirty, fussy, muddy sheep.