The Shepherd's Dog

In one paragraph

This was a guest message from Ken and Lori McCune, missionaries serving Hispanic communities in Wyoming and Idaho under In Faith (formerly American Missionary Fellowship). Ken spoke from Matthew 9 and John 10, using the image of a shepherd and his dog to talk about what motivates a Christian to reach people with the gospel. The service also included an Advent candle reading, the Lord's Supper, and...

Read together

1. Isaiah 9:2 advent candle reading: 'the people walking in darkness have seen a great light'
2. Isaiah 9:6-7 advent candle reading: 'for to us a child is born' through 'the zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this'
3. Matthew 9:35-38 Ken's main text: the harvest is plentiful, workers are few, Jesus had compassion on crowds like sheep without a shepherd
4. Jeremiah 23:1-3 referenced as prophecy about woe to shepherds destroying and scattering sheep, leading into messianic prophecy
5. Luke 14 parable of the banquet where invited guests were too busy, host told to go invite people from the streets
6. John 10:3-4 the sheep listen to the shepherd's voice, he calls them by name and leads them out
7. John 10:9-11 'I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved' and 'the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep'

Talk about it

1. Ken read from Matthew 9 and said that Jesus had compassion on the crowds because they were 'harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.' What does it look like in your own life when you are moved by compassion for people around you, and what tends to get in the way of that?
2. Ken described his role not as a shepherd but as 'the shepherd's dog,' whose job is to round up sheep and point them to Jesus. How do you think about your own role in pointing people toward Christ, and does that image change anything about how you see it?
3. Ken mentioned a statistic that 80 percent of Christians have never invited someone to church or tried to reach out to someone in the name of Jesus. What do you think holds most people back, and what has helped you when you have stepped out in that way?
4. Ken asked whether the list of things we personally dislike lines up with the list of things God dislikes, and whether things God values are things we are sometimes comfortable walking away from. How would you honestly answer that question for yourself?
5. At communion, Pastor Ray prayed that compassion flows out of our innermost being when Christ resides there. Ken and Lori gave up their home and moved into a fifth wheel to reach Hispanic communities with little or no gospel witness. What does their example stir in you about what it costs to let that compassion actually shape your decisions?