Pastors and Prophets.
Here’s what shepherds do: They stay out on the hillside in the dark and cold whilst everyone else is snuggled up, cosy and safe at home. They place themselves in harms way so that predators have to first deal with the shepherd before they can get to the sheep. They identify with the sheep; they wear sheep-skin to look and smell like the sheep, they get to know the sheep individually – and in so doing, become ostracised by the rest of humanity. They plot the route to the next pasture and go ahead to test the ground and create as smooth a path as possible. They remain alert to dangers and fight off predators, risking their own safety for the well-being of the flock. They come alongside the reluctant sheep, they prod and urge-on the slow sheep and they go looking for the lost sheep, carrying them back when they find them. It’s a broadly thankless task; when everything goes well, the sheep barely acknowledge the shepherd. When things go wrong, they are the first to complain. It i