Cooks and Concerts Reflecting the Shepherd and the Flock

Made for an accompanied life

This morning my heart was caught by the scripture that “there will be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10:16

Don’t we long to be part of a harmonious group? A group, working or playing together? Under one benevolent authority, united by common plan and purpose. Even among God’s people, we may not experience a lot of genuine unity.

But we do get glimpses of harmony. Recently, in restaurants with open kitchen areas, we’ve watched cooks working together on breakfast orders. At Sunrise Restaurant on Tybee Island south of Savannah, the tickets are displayed on screens. The first cook sets up the plate and manages the toast. The second one cooks hash browns and eggs. A third cook cooks bacon and sausage. Omelet ingredients are prepared and measured by a hidden cook, ready to drop on the griddle from a small plastic container. And someone designed this work flow for cooperative production.

At the Waffle House, without visible tickets, they work a similar system. There, the second cook knows the orders by the way the first cook sets up the plates, lined up to be filled by the cooks doing eggs and then bacon and toast. Both sets of cooks worked smoothly together with a camaraderie born of a common goal.

Photo by Stephen Mease on Unsplash

The Eras tour with Taylor Swift resembles a one flock, one shepherd image. She motivates immense crowds, who identify as Swifties, to trade friendship bracelets and to sing together. But it goes much further, into coded language and concepts shared by those on the inside of the Swift fandom. And, unique among rock stars, Taylor makes personal contact with individual fans. The appeal is obvious to creatures made to be part of one flock under one Shepherd who knows each person.

If we identify with Jesus, the true Shepherd, we are part of what will finally be a joyful, satisfied company. We are Jesus people, born of his Spirit, each with an individual contact with the true Shepherd and belonging to the great throng around the throne.

Sometimes we get to see what one flock under one shepherd looks like. God can use any part of this existence, including cooks and concerts, to give us an image and an experience of being part of a harmonious group working towards one goal.

We’re made for this kind of life. An accompanied life. Following our one Shepherd, who knows every heart.