I would like to apologize to all the goat-herders out there. I did not realize that the Bible was so “anti-goat.”  Let’s be honest, Jesus as the good Shepherd is certainly biased toward the sheep.  He makes that abundantly clear, sheep on the right, and the goats on the left.  I should be very clear that this is NOT a political statement.  Metaphorically speaking:  sheep—good, goats—bad.   This begs the question—Am I one of the sheep or am I a goat? We might be able to figure that out by answering Jesus’ questions…

When I was hungry—did you give me something to eat? When I was thirsty—did you give me something to drink? 

When I was a stranger—did you invite me in? When I needed clothes—did you clothe me?

When I was sick—did you look after me? When I was in prison—did you come to visit me?

Are you going to be a cute, cuddly lamb or a mean nasty goat? This is your decision!  This is YOUR time! 

We have people in our church who have made the decision to see the face of Jesus in the hungry, thirsty, needy, sick and marginalized in our community.  Every day we have to make that decision.   Every moment we have to decide.  We don’t know if it is Jesus that we are serving or dismissing.  This is our time to minister!  This is our time to make a decision to serve Christ and minister in His name!    

That is the grand mission for Jesus’ church.  It sounds like the ultimate goal of any church—mobilizing ministry throughout the community and into the world. 

The past has been written.  This church has been sustained over the years by many people willing to give.  The church has been sustained by gentle, loving sheep who were willing to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the needy, pray for and comfort the sick and visit and stand up for those who have found themselves on the margins. 

Our church has been filled with wonderful caring servants.  Our church is filled with wonderfully caring servants.

Are the glory years ahead, behind, or right here, right now? This is the moment in time for our church to go forward.  This is the moment in time for all of us to put aside any petty differences, and personality conflicts, or any other conflict.

We can and should highlight the past contributions and the rich history of our congregation.  We can celebrate our place and importance in this community.  The world is dynamic—the world is constantly changing.  It is time for the church to be dynamic too.  

This is our time!  This is the time to make a huge difference in our future!  This is our time and given the right decisions that we make today and in the days ahead, we can know that future generations will hear about what we have done, and they will say,

“Thank God—the church has made a huge difference in my life!” 

This can be the greatest moment in the history of our church—right now!

In that moment that we are confronted with the hungry or thirsty… will we help?

In that moment that we are confronted with the sick or needy…will we help?

In that moment that we are confronted with the stranger or marginalized—will we be caring?

The greatest moments in our lives are moments!  They are moments that can live forever.

They can be moments that make us feel like a goat, or a part of the fold.

Every moment in your life has the potential to be a great moment in your life. 

Make a decision today that will be long-remembered as a great moment in your life, and in our life together.