A Celebration of Life-A Story That Never Ends

by Pastor Gina Johnson

Now, every celebration of life usually has a eulogy, a message, a time to get reminded that you better get saved or go to hell kind of thing, but we're not doing that today. This celebration of life, we are going to have a story, a celebration of life, a story that never ends. I wonder who this is about.

I'm excited. So today we're going to tell a story about a shepherd and about a flock and about the wonderful experiences that took place on this farm. A couple other people, some ducklings, and a whole bunch of sheep.

You ready for it, Ohmi? All right. Once upon a time, there was a small sheep farm in Maryville, Missouri. It was called DOC’s Sheep Farm.

Now, DOC’s Sheep Farm wasn't the biggest farm in the countryside. It wasn't the wealthiest or the fanciest. In fact, it was another sheep farm up the road that people talked about all the time that seemed to get a lot more attention, but this didn't bother those at DOC’s Sheep Farm.

DOC’s Sheep Farm was a happening place, and many would find their way through its gates. Some would come in to sing and to learn and to serve. Others would come in lost and hurting.

Others would come in curious and searching. Others would come in after trying other farms and deciding to return, while others would be born at DOC’s Sheep Farm and spend their whole life there. So our story begins with the long, exhausting, but well worth it, shepherd's search.

You see, the sheep had decided it was time to find a new shepherd. The previous shepherd wasn't meant to be there for the entire story, just to watch over the flock in the meantime. So they started the great search.

They met wonderful shepherds. They prayed. They held meetings.

They held meetings about those meetings, as sheep often do. But then, one sheep spoke up. Her name was Lambie Sue.

She said, I know a shepherd I would like you to consider. The other sheep asked why. And Lambie Sue, she thought for a moment.

She said, she's energetic, good-hearted. She genuinely loves people. And then she smiled.

She said, she's vegan. The sheep weren't entirely sure what that had to do with shepherding, but it certainly made this new shepherd memorable. So then Lambie Sue added one more thing.

She said, more than anything, she wants to join arms with the flock. And the sheep listened, and they were willing to meet this vegan, enthusiastic shepherd. And before long, the unanimous decision came about, and the shepherd answered the call.

But before we get there, let's hear a little bit about this shepherd. You see, she felt the call to be a shepherd ever since she was a young girl, and she always Kerryd a deep love for the great shepherd. He had always walked alongside of her.

And so for years, after deciding to grab her staff and answer the call, she wandered from farm to farm learning the craft. She celebrated births, buried loved ones, walked with sheep through joy and heartbreak. She taught, she listened, she laughed, and all too often, she had too many ideas.

Like many shepherds, she assumed that she knew what the path would look like, but life had other plans. There were seasons of great joy, seasons of uncertainty. There were family transitions, relationships changed shape.

A pandemic left a lot of farms feeling confused and disconnected. But eventually, a season arrived when the shepherd knew it was time to take a sabbatical. It was time to step away and rest.

She wasn't searching for a new farm. In fact, when DOC Sheep Farm first appeared on the horizon, she barely looked in its direction. She even met Lambie Sue, but politely declined the invitation to consider the farm.

The timing just simply wasn't right. But then when the invitation appeared once more, this time she grabbed her staff and said, yes. The flock was ready for a new shepherd and the shepherd was ready for a new flock.

And so she arrived in the middle of winter. She did not arrive alone. At first, she arrived with one duckling named Ohmer, but four ducklings soon to follow, a Travis and a Roary, and there was a sixth duckling, but this one already had a pond of its own.

Travis was a very special person in the shepherd's life who had walked beside her for many years and helped raise those ducklings. And Roary, a shepherd from another farm, he didn't move to the farm with the shepherd, but the sheep would soon learn that he was her beloved companion and very important in exploring the great mystery of life. So let's meet these ducklings.

There were six altogether and at the farm, there was Scholar, there was Feathers, there was Raina, there was Ohmer, and there was Dottie. And Izzy, the shepherd's first duckling, who visited once in a while. The shepherd would soon learn that the sheep have a funny habit.

When they love a shepherd, they usually end up loving the ducklings too. And so the flock celebrated concerts and graduations and simply watched the ducklings blossom. Eventually, the flock became a part of their story and the ducklings became a part of the flock's story.

The shepherd often reflected on how grateful she was for the way that DOC’s Sheep Farm embraced her family. When she arrived, the shepherd herself was navigating some changes, but the flock gave her and her family something precious, a place to call home. As a matter of fact, when the sheep first arrived at her quarters, she discovered that the flock had filled them with supplies of paper goods and thoughtful gifts.

Before she preached a single message, the flock was already telling her, welcome home. And for a shepherd beginning a new chapter, that meant everything. Now, many of the sheep were excited about the shepherd.

They welcomed her new ideas. They encouraged her, but every flock knows a secret. Where there is excitement, there is uncertainty.

Not long after arriving, the shepherd noticed a picture hanging in the gathering barn. After much thought and some conversations, she decided it belonged somewhere else. The picture was moved.

Some sheep nodded, some sheep shrugged, and some sheep wondered if this new shepherd hadn't completely lost her mind. Looking back now, the shepherd smiles because it was probably the first moment where the flock realized she wasn't simply passing through the farm. She was here to be a shepherd.

She was going to shepherd it, and fortunately she got to spend three and a half years learning an important lesson. Love doesn't require a certain picture hanging in the gathering barn. Not long after arriving, the shepherd met a sheep named Brown.

Now, Brown may not have known it, but he gave that shepherd a gift. You see, when a shepherd first arrives at a new farm, there are moments when she wonders if she's truly connecting with a flock. And Brown, he had a way of asking thoughtful questions, the kind that lingered, the kind that told the shepherd someone was really listening.

And whenever Brown complimented a barn teaching or shared one of his observations, she'd carry those words with her. And in those early months, Brown helped the shepherd feel like a shepherd. Then in the blink of an eye, Brown answered the call of the great shepherd, and he went home.

The flock grieved, the shepherd grieved, the friendship had been brief, but it was meaningful, and the shepherd would carry it with her forever. You see, Brown's story wasn't over. He gave her three very special friendships, his beloved and a couple of others who mean so much to the shepherd.

Now, DOC’s Sheep Farm quickly proved itself to be very unusual. The shepherd discovered there were four words that were capable of creating equal parts excitement and equal parts concern. I have an idea.

Oh, the shepherd never understood why that phrase caused so much reaction. She thought it sounded hopeful. The sheep thought it sounded exhausting.

One day, she announced to them that a hundred bear cats were coming to the farm for lunch. The sheep stared, the shepherd smiled. The sheep stared again, but somehow they pulled it off.

Another time when they walked in the gathering barn, they were met by a yellow brick road. Another time it was Van Gogh's art gallery, countless creative projects, special celebrations, video tributes, and unexpected surprises. And then there was the one time that there was a hoedown, showdown, chowdown.

It was a gathering that nobody would ever forget. Many of the sheep would quietly ask each other, what is she up to this time? But no sheep suffered from these ideas more than Guy. Guy possessed a very special ministry.

Every time the shepherd announced a new idea, Guy threatened to quit. He would sigh, shake his head, and explain why this was clearly the most ridiculous idea the shepherd had yet. And then somehow he would make it happen.

You know, that pattern repeated itself for three and a half years, and the shepherd eventually realized Guy threatening to quit was part of the creative process. And you know, what's a farm without a barnyard council? The barnyard council was a group of sheep who met each month and helped oversee the workings of the farm. They discussed repairs, finances, ministries, opportunities, challenges, and occasionally things got off topic, as sheep tend to do.

But each year, the barnyard council would vote for one particular sheep to be their chair. The shepherd would meet with this sheep once a week to talk about the farm, the sheep, and whatever else was on the shepherd's heart. So first, there was Bob.

He was there in the beginning as one of the first to welcome the new shepherd. There was wisdom in Bob, not the kind that always offered answers, the kind that always listened, the kind that always asked thoughtful questions, the kind that somehow made the journey feel lighter. The shepherd treasured many conversations with Bob and valued his friendship so deeply.

They would spend many moments sitting on the farm together, watching the sunset as they explored divine conversations of consciousness, something some of the other sheep weren't quite ready for. But then there was Kerry. Kerry, who helped carry the farm through seasons filled with difficult questions, questions about the future, questions about our resources, questions that rarely have simple answers.

But Kerry never ran from the challenge. He ran towards those conversations, showed up, pulled up a chair, and helped the shepherd carry the load every step of the way. And then there was Jason.

For many years, Jason was one of the quietest sheep in the pasture, not because he lacked wisdom or heart. He simply never felt the need to stand in the center of the field. But the shepherd saw something in him.

And little by little, Jason stepped forward. By the shepherd's third year, he had become the chair of the barnyard council. He helped guide the farm through one of the most important transitions.

You know, there was another sheep. He never served as the chair of the council, but his presence was very important. Whenever there was something concerning the future of the farm, Banker usually noticed it.

Finances, attendance, planning, sustainability. If there was a question to be asked, Banker was already thinking about it, and he was never afraid to ask the shepherd. Sometimes the shepherd would see him approaching and think, what did I do this time? Yet the questions were real, the conversations were real, and rather quickly, something beautiful happened.

The questions remained, but so did Banker. And what began as fear and concern turned into faith and fathership. You know, somewhere along the way, the shepherd realized that many of the sheep who challenged her decisions weren't standing against her.

They were standing beside her, trying to protect something they loved, the farm, the flock, and even their shepherd. In the shepherd's first year on the farm, with the help of many others, she planted a giving tree. Families left furniture, household goods, anything another family might need.

The shepherd loved the giving tree because it was an open invitation, a reminder that anyone can come to the farm and find kindness, generosity, and love, and leave with a gently used lamp or a couch. Another wonderful part of DOC’s Sheep Farm was the music. There were musical sheep everywhere.

Deena helped lead music through many seasons, and she was instrumental in the life of the flock and the life of the shepherd. Somehow, she always had a talent of finding another pig, goat, cow, sheep, someone who could sing, ring a bell, or play an instrument. And if she couldn't, well, Deena was set to handle it herself.

And then there was Anita. Anita had helped sheep find their voice for so long that the shepherd occasionally suspected she had been there since the invention of music itself, faithfully serving from the piano and the organ. Anita helped generations of sheep sing their songs, and two ducklings in particular, Dottie and Ohmer, formed a special connection with her.

About six months into the shepherd's time on the farm, there was another important chapter. Her name was Virginia. Virginia was one of many sheep who had been born on the farm and spent much of her life there.

Like many sheep who spend their entire lives in a pasture, she had seen seasons come and go. And one thing that you may not know in this story is that when the shepherd arrived, Virginia had quietly begun wondering if it was her own season to leave the farm. The pasture she had once loved no longer felt like a pasture to call home.

She wasn't sure where she belonged anymore. And then something unexpected happened. What started as a simple conversation gradually became trust, laughter, and a deep partnership.

The shepherd watched Virginia blossom, and the sheep who once wondered if she still belonged there stepped into a new season of purpose, confidence, leadership, and joy. And before long, Virginia became the farm activities manager. That pretty much meant she did everything and somehow still kept that farm working.

Most sheep knew Virginia by the smiling face as soon as they walked on the farm, but the shepherd knew another part of the story, and she watched Virginia rediscover her place that she actually already had. Another beautiful tradition on the farm was a gathering that happened every week in the barn. Lambie Sue gathered sheep together to learn, ask questions, share life, and occasionally wander completely off topic.

Sheep from other flocks sometimes would join in. There was wisdom, laughter, friendship, and of course, there was Lambie Sue's laugh, a laugh so recognizable that whenever the shepherd heard it echo across the pastures she knew that things were all right because if Lambie Sue was laughing, sheep were in a field of love. And what would a farm be without the property sheep? Every so often, the shepherd would wander into a property sheep meeting.

Now, these meetings were important. At least that's what the property sheep told the flock. You know, officially, they were supposed to be talking about projects and repairs and maintenance, but that usually came after they talked about weathers, aches and pains, old stories, and maybe every now and then a topic that kept the shepherd confused.

One day she was wandering by the property sheep meeting and she heard a very enthusiastic discussion about colonoscopies. She listened for a moment and realized some mysteries are best left unexplored. Then there was the amazing lady sheep of the farm.

There was a sophisticated group of lady sheep called the Circle of Joy that had amazing monthly gatherings where there was always food. There was always some of these extraordinary, strong, overcoming Solo Sisters in attendance there at the gatherings. And all of these amazing lady sheep helped serve throughout the farm in countless ways.

The shepherd was convinced that if the great shepherd came down right now and needed to feed another 5,000 plus, the lady sheep of DOC Sheep Farm would have it handled. And maybe a husband sheep or two would help out. Some ministry just happens in the gathering barn while other ministry happened around tables, over coffee, in the shepherd's loft, and somehow everything always fell into place.

Everything ended in a different place that was much better than where it began. There were many sheep who became dear friends, too many for the shepherd to name. The shepherd wishes she could tell every story and good thing that it's not football season, but she still won't tell every story today.

There wouldn't be enough time to express all the love and stories the shepherd had. Now you may remember that the shepherd did not arrive alone. One of those companions was Travis.

He arrived with the rest of the ducklings about six months after the shepherd. He quickly became part of the flock, playing guitar, singing, serving in ministry, joining the property sheep, helping raise the ducklings. He also locked arms with a professor that had crazy hair, and faithfully, continuing the friendship he and the shepherd had shared for countless years.

And then there's one that you may not know too much about, but that was Roary. He wasn't always at the farm, but he was a part of the shepherd's journey of the farm. He walked beside the shepherd through many meaningful chapters of her ministry there.

And whenever Roary visited the farm, he had a habit of treating sheep that he never met as if he was already their friend. Now this might have scared some of the sheep, but that's just the way that Roary was. He attended Lambie Sue’s class.

And one event that the shepherd will never forget is baptizing Roary on Easter Sunday in the barn gathering. That's when she knew this flock really did welcome her and all of her family. When the shepherd first arrived at DOC's Sheep Farm, there was one more story that we need to tell, because this story is especially intertwined with the life of the farm, Ohmer.

Ohmer was navigating one of the most important and challenging seasons of his young life. The world had spent many years telling him there were parts of him that he should hide, yet the sheep kept loving him. At first, they weren't always sure what to make of everything.

There was the ever-changing hair, the new piercings, the surprises that seemed to appear every few months or maybe every few days, but usually followed by a sheep saying, well, that's new. The shepherds watched as the flock slowly got to know Ohmer, not just as a duckling, but they embraced Ohmer as one of their ducklings. The sheep cheered him on in show choir, watched him run the magical picture machine.

He served as a little deacon, he led worship, and he became woven in the life of the farm. The shepherd often wondered if the flock fully realized what they gave Ohmer. The shepherd wondered if the flock fully realized what Ohmer gave them.

The sheep discovered that love is often much easier in theory than in practice. In theory, it's easy to say everyone is welcome. In practice, we are invited to love real people, people who feel different than us, people whose experiences we may not fully understand, people who challenge us to see what's beyond familiar and comfortable.

And the sheep of DOC Sheep Farm, they rose to that invitation, maybe not perfectly, but faithfully, and that's what made it perfect. Through loving Ohmer, many sheep discovered new depths of compassion within themselves. Although the shepherd didn't always like to admit it, she noticed that the farm was in a different place.

Although they had all grown spiritually and as a family, the flock was smaller than when she arrived. The sheep carried concerns about the future, and the shepherd realized it may be time for a change. She sat many early mornings and late nights talking to the great shepherd and realizing she was different too.

When she looked across the pasture, she didn't find herself counting sheep. She found herself remembering faces, conversations, moments of laughter, moments of challenge, moments when quiet solitude in the gathering barn was exactly what she needed. And through these moments, she realized something.

The true measure of the farm is not found in how many sheep are in the field. It's found in how deeply they have come to love one another. As the great shepherd once said, love one another as I have loved you.

And that kind of love is not always easy because before we can truly love one another, we must learn to see one another. And before we can see one another, we must learn to see ourselves. That's what the shepherd tried so hard to teach, to see ourselves and to see others through the eyes of the great shepherd, to recognize that every sheep carries a sacred worth that can never be earned or lost.

As she sat one evening reflecting on Jesus, she felt something familiar in her path. Jesus spent his days helping people see. He sat beside those who were overlooked.

He welcomed those who were excluded. He challenged assumptions. He asked questions.

He told stories. But again and again, he pointed people toward the kingdom, the kingdom that's within. The shepherd realized that that was the lesson she loved teaching the most, turn within.

Because when people begin seeing themselves and all those around them, the way the great shepherd sees us, something changes. And when we can all see that way, then the world changes. So if I've been your shepherd, if I can leave anything behind, let it be this, keep seeing each other, keep welcoming each other, keep loving each other, keep asking questions and keep growing into the divine I am that you have always been.

The story was never really about a shepherd or a flock, not some place in Maryville. It's always been about the great shepherd awakening something within us all. And that's because the truth is this story never ends.

It simply continues on to new pastures. Please pray with me. Our most gracious and loving God, you are the author and perfecter of the divine story of life in which we all get to walk in as many presences of the great I am.

So God, we thank you. We thank you for this time we've had. We thank you for the time that is coming forth.

We thank you for the way that you are going to empower us as instruments of your love, as instruments of your peace, as instruments that go out and sow healing and sow grace and sow mercy. You will continue to pour abundance into our lives because that's what you do, God. You will continue to walk beside each and every person here now, those who are listening, those who are in our hearts and mind.

You will continue to remind us that we are the reflection, the emanation, the embodiment of Christ. And we humbly bow before you and say, thank you, God. Use us, mold us, shape us, that we may be the representation of Christ Jesus' divine love everywhere we go.

It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.