One of my favorite expressions is “It’s like herding cats.”  I usually thought of it in the context of an administrator moderating a meeting of unorganized, opinionated teachers (I was one of the cats).  As you would expect I was delighted to see the “Herding Cats” commercial for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) at the 2000 Super Bowl.  It is one of my favorite commercials of all time, and it has won many awards.  Though I have to admit that it may not have been as effective as I thought, since I had to look up who it was for and didn’t completely understand its meaning; it was meant to symbolize the solving of seemingly impossible problems.

In 2005 the historian Doris Kearns Godwin published the book Team of Rivals:  The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.  It describes how Lincoln picked a cabinet not of “yes-men” but rather one of strong men with diverse opinions; it included three of his rivals in the 1960 elections.  Godwin shows that Lincoln was an excellent “cat herder” and used the skills of these men during the crises he faced.  Jesus did the same in choosing his disciples:  James and John who were so quick to anger Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder;” Simon Peter who was a rock of strength; Simon the Zealot who was a revolutionary opposed to Roman rule; Matthew a tax collector collaborating with the Romans; Thomas a doubter who was not afraid to speak out; Nathanael who was sarcastic saying, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Somehow Jesus inspired them to work together for their common cause.

Today Jesus is still calling us and others to discipleship.   Like those he called in the beginning, those He calls today have vastly different personalities, demeanors, gifts and talents, faults, ethnicities, and physical makeups.  We can have faith that He can herd us all into making up His church, and that faith will enable us to love all our fellow cats as ourselves.

To learn about Jesus calling His disciples read John 1:35-51, and remember:  God loves YOU unconditionally.

Jim

Today’s Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A35-51&version=NRSV