Daily Worship

Recognition

Jock Stein May 10, 2017 0 1

John 10:1-10

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

 

16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Voice recognition now is science, it seems:

speech to tame text, analogue to digital,

sampling, filtering, cutting up the signal

into segments, matching them to phonemes.

 

How shall we recognise strange voices –

refugees, outsiders, those who do not fit

our friendship type, that neat identikit

our thought police provides for easy choices?

 

There is one voice unheard by any ADC

converter; wild and gentle, whispering

to every stranger, “I have come to bring

you true community. You can trust me.”

 

 

Pray

Let me get to know some stranger, that I may name them before you.

Let me share my need with someone else, that they might name me before you.

Let there be a better knowing of names and faces where I live and work today.

In the name of Christ, Amen.