"Part of the Flock" | The Rev. Heidi Thorsen | April 21, 2024

Part of the Flock

Sermon Preached: April 21, 2024 at Trinity on the Green

Easter 4, Year B: Acts 4:5-12 | 1 John 3:16-24 | John 10:11-18

May I speak in the name of the Lord our Shepherd, who calls us each by name. Amen.

A group of birds is called a flock. A group of cows is called a herd. 

But from there, things get a little more interesting.

A group of crows is called a murder (a somewhat well known, niche fact). But did you know that a group of owls is called a parliament? In a similar vein, a group of ferrets is called a business– very distinguished, those owls and ferrets. There’s a number of animal group names that are particularly descriptive. For example, a group of giraffes is called a tower; a group of porcupines is called a prickle, and a group of rhinos is called a crash. Then there’s another category of animal names that seem almost ironic. For example, a group of gerbils is called a horde– a term that strikes me as somewhat alarmist, for a group of small fuzzy animals. And a group of raccoons can be called a nursery– a term that leads me to reflect on how raccoons are perhaps the last groups of animals that I would choose to look after my toddler daughter.

After all of those exciting names, it seems rather anticlimactic to make the simple observation that a group of sheep is called a flock. We might take a moment to consider the missed opportunities here. What if we took the professional route and called a group of sheep a “convention.” Or we could take the descriptive route, and call a group of sheep a “fluff.” Lastly, I think there are several missed opportunities in the ironic category, my personal favorite being a “nightmare” of sheep.

There is, of course, another option. What if we called a group of sheep a “church”? Because that is part of the implication in our scripture readings for today. If the Lord is our shepherd then we are sheep– and furthermore we are a part of a flock. We are a part of a group that is bigger than ourselves, whether we understand that flock as the church, or the Body of Christ, or all people in the human family, or even all of creation. I want to spend a bit more time this morning thinking about what it means to be a part of a flock. 

My own reflections this week led me to begin by asking why we call a group of sheep a flock, in the first place. In my amateur research I learned that the word flock originates from the Old English word “flocc,” which initially meant a group of people and, later on, animals. For a long time the word “flock” was used to designate a group of sheep, whereas the word “herd” was used to designate a group of cattle. Today both of these words can be used to describe sheep– though their usage is somewhat different. A flock of sheep is usually controlled by a shepherd, whereas a herd may be a wild or roaming group of sheep, left to their own devices. This leads to some differences in the connotations of these words, in a popular sense. When we encounter the word “flock” as a metaphor, there is usually a shepherd in the picture– such as in our Psalm and Gospel reading today. By contrast, when the word “herd” is used as a metaphor, it often connotes a group of people who are directionless, or perhaps being controlled and manipulated. In either case, these group-identifying words say something about the nature of sheep– that sheep are social animals. They respond to one another. Sheep are liable to follow one another to greener pastures. But they are also liable to follow one another off a cliff, if the unfortunate opportunity presents itself. A flock is not simply a word describing a group of sheep. Flocking is a kind of behavior that people have observed in sheep over centuries. Flocking is a way of being– for sheep and, perhaps, for humans too.

I am not an expert on sheep. But each one of us, in our own way, is an expert on what it means to be human. Perhaps you’ve noticed the flocking instinct in your own life– when you’ve felt drawn to your family, or drawn to a group of friends, or drawn to collective events like farmers markets or parades or eclipse viewings; or drawn to church, a place where flock every Sunday in search of meaning and purpose. Now I admit there are places where the sheep / human metaphor breaks down. But overall it is a meaningful and helpful way of thinking about what it means to be human– and what it means to be led by Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, who understands us not only as individuals but also as a collective. As a flock.

Our Christian faith constantly reminds us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. Last week we read about the disciples gathered together in the days following Jesus’ death, perhaps because they recognized the need to be together with one another in uncertain and trying times. This week we are invited to think of Jesus as our shepherd, reminding us that we are part of a flock bigger than ourselves. “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold,” Jesus says. “I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” And here’s a sneak preview for next week’s Gospel passage: next week we will read about how Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. We are all connected to one another, through Jesus. We are a part of something bigger than ourselves.

All too often, I see the ways that Christianity has leaned so deeply into a culture of individuality that we emphasize our own faith, without recognizing and honoring the ways that we believe as part of a bigger community. I grew up in an evangelical Christian tradition that spoke passionately about the importance of having a personal relationship with God. It was all about individual piety; individual sin. While I do believe that Jesus knows and loves us each individually, holding us in his arms like those images of a shepherd holding a lost sheep, I also believe that we are called to be a part of a flock. We are called to care for one another– to love our neighbors, and to recognize that whatever happens to the least one of us impacts us all. We are called to believe together, professing our faith not only as individuals, but in unison every Sunday as we say the creed together. For better and for worse we are all in this together: one family of disciples, one vine, one flock.

How would you move through your day differently if you treated every person you met as a part of one flock, one community? I tried this as a thought exercise as I was driving home from work this week. The Yale students who were crossing the street even after the light had turned green: part of the flock. The FedEx driver who was blocking the lane: part of the flock. The woman running along the top of the reservoir: part of the flock. The woman waiting by a flipped over shopping cart next to the bus stop: part of the flock. I invite you to try on this practice, this week, and see what difference it makes for you.

If we think of ourselves as a part of one flock, we are not only accountable to Jesus our Shepherd. We are also accountable to one another. We have a responsibility to flock with one another when times are hard. And we have a responsibility to make sure that we aren’t leading each other off the edge of a cliff but instead are searching, always, for greener pastures. Our church can be a faithful flock by behaving kindly towards one another. By encouraging each other to open our hearts to the world around us, instead of curling in on ourselves. We can practice good flocking when we don’t let one sheep run the show, but instead look for the gifts that each one of us has to offer. We can approach every other member of our community with the belief that we have just as much to give as we have to receive, in each and every relationship, because we are one in the Body of Christ. One flock, with one shepherd.

I’ve talked a lot about the old English word “flocc”– but what about that word, in the original Greek, the language the Bible was written in? The word that is used is ποίμνη (poimnē), a word that is derived from the word for shepherd, ποίμνη (poimēn). These word are so similar, I almost confused them with each other when looking at the dictionary. It’s as if the very idea of a flock is impossible without the idea of a shepherd. These concepts are so close, so intrinsic to each other in the original language. And so it should be for us, as Christians. We can’t be Christians, without Christ. It is Christ who shows us how to be a flock; how to care for one another. It is Christ who makes us one. 

What does it mean to be a part of a flock? It means that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. It means that we come together, in times of joy and in times of struggle. It means that we have the power to mislead one another, if we are not careful. But we also have the ability to support and protect one another, to move as one. And it means, above all, that we are led by a shepherd. A shepherd who is the source of our well-being and our identity. A shepherd who brings us together, across so many lines of difference. We don’t get to decide who is in and out of the flock. Instead it is our job to look out for one another, and follow the guidance of the one who loves us perfectly; the one who protects us; the one who broadens our horizons, and leads us to green and open spaces. Amen.

Works Referenced

Clinton, Mike. “Why a Flock of Sheep and Not a Herd: Exploring the Terminology.” The Dogman. Web. April 2023. Accessed 19 April 2024. https://thedogman.net/why-a-flock-of-sheep-and-not-a-herd-exploring-the-terminology/

Marlowe, Tom. “So, What is a Group of Sheep Called?” New Life on a Homestead. Web. 12 August 2023. Accessed 19 April 2024. https://www.newlifeonahomestead.com/group-of-sheep/