This photograph was taken by Joan, a recent visitor to Sannox Christian Centre, whilst I was out on the hills at North Sannox with a group, praying for the Island. We were remembering the long story of devastation of these lands through forced migration of peoples and praying for a homecoming. Many of the folks who’d have left our shores had been highly impacted by the early Christian revivals in Arran around the time and we’re so glad they’d have taken that vibrant faith to Canada with them, but at home, it left behind decades of spiritual struggle. That’s the long and short of the story.
This photo strikes me to be a small snapshot of the heart of what on earth I’m doing on Arran. Some of my own family were some of those who left for Canada and still have distant relatives there who originate from Arran. I’m a returner to the very land my family were removed from.
And yes, that is a shepherd’s crook I have there. It does practically help my daft feet to walk when I’m out on the hills, but it is a personal symbol of the call of God in this season which, incidentally, provokes some curious responses in people. In Psalm 23, we’re told that God has a rod and staff – one to comfort and gather, one to correct and defend. Symbols of spiritual tools that God engages, but as undershepherds we also engage.
Some years ago I had a strong refreshment in my spirit of the nature of pastoral ministry which has amplified in me here in Arran. Previously, in my head and heart, I’d often struggled with the ‘pastoral role’ because it felt so detached from the frontline work of ministry that I so often experienced and still experience. ’Pastoring’ has been reduced to stereotype and little short of keeping the punters happy, and often comes with some non-biblical functions alongside unrealistic expectations. In addition, I’m convinced that the pastoral role is but one of the five functions of ministry, and indications were that there were other aspects of the fivefold ministry of Ephesians 4 that I was more strongly aligned with.
That was precisely why I needed a fresh vision.
I’ve recounted the vision that led to my coming to Arran elsewhere, possibly on this blog somewhere. There are many parts of that vision and God’s subsequent dealings with me that I haven’t shared, but have nevertheless been instrumental in beginning this Arran assignment.
I very quickly felt a shift in my spirit when I set foot on the island to begin the work. I was immediately overcome with a sense of guardianship – a feeling that my head was well above the parapet, watching over ‘the flock’. The biblical sense of ‘overseer’ comes from that type of image…a leader as one looking over the heads of the flock to the medium distance on watch out for danger.
People speak to me and talk about Arran and say things like ‘oh it’s such a beautiful place, you’re so blessed’, and also slightly implying I’m living in an idyll. It’s beautiful, yes. But do you want to know the truth? We’re at war. The enemy prowls looking for many ‘someones’ to devour. And, within the body of Christ, there are number of challenges across the board that are already signs of infection in the flock (speaking generally across the church in Arran and Scotland). The shepherding task is multifaceted, costly and largely misunderstood by some.
In addition, the enemy still runs with the theory of ‘strike the shepherd and sheep will scatter’ (Zech 13:7). He tried it with Jesus and it didn’t work. But he continually tries. Jesus Christ is the great shepherd but the scripture tells us that he calls some men to be under-shepherds to continue the task of the Great Shepherd (1 Peter 5). Elsewhere in scripture, this picture is fleshed out, not into a ‘more tea vicar’ thing, but to the serious business of unifying, leading, protecting, strengthening, comforting and gathering God’s people and preparing them for the journey ahead as we await for Christ’s return.
This is no pastoral idyll – it’s frontline street fighting against the schemes of the enemy. We do not battle against flesh and blood, but agains spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, Paul tells us (Eph 6). All is not as it seems – the spiritual reality is altogether different. That’s the context of our life and our ministry. Shepherd’s don’t go to work in suits and shirts – they’re prepared for the terrain of battle.
Andrew S M Clark 