Why did you choose The Flock as a name?
Many people think that sheep are fairly dumb animals. As you look at them, they are not stealthy hunters, they do not having cunning evasion techniques. You will never see sheep doing animal ricks at a circus. They will not run a maze, nor will they ever take initiative on their own to accomplish anything. By themselves, they are completely defenseless. Yet, Christ used sheep many times in his parables and analogies.
The best thing about sheep is that they live in community. They were built for community. It is for this reason we have chosen the name The Flock. There is a lot Christians can learn about community from Sheep.
A flock knows the shepherd’s voice – If you have ever seen sheep in a field, you know that they flock together. At times when 2 or more flocks are mingled together, it is impossible to tell which sheep belongs to which flock. The thing about sheep though is that they have a bond and relationship with the shepherd. They know his voice. When a shepherd calls, his sheep follow his voice and come to him. The other sheep stay where they are. Jesus tells us, in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
A flock trusts the shepherd – Sheep are a very defenseless animal. Their only defense is to flee. They have been designed to have great peripheral vision. Their eye is almost square looking. Because they have such a wide field of vision, the frontward vision is fairly poor. They trust the shepherd completely and they follow him wherever he goes. They depend on him to lead them to greener pastures, to protect them from predators, and to manage every aspect of their life.
Sheep choose to flock together – Sheep chose to be in a flock. They know it is the safest thing. The tighter they are the more time they have to detect predators and flee from evil. They are also extremely social animals and they depend on the flock. Did you know that sheep will not graze if it cannot see 4 or 5 other sheep while it is grazing?
Sheep value the flock over themselves – Because of their wide eyesight, they are constantly looking out for the entire herd instead of focusing on what they are eating. There is, of course, a requirement for the sheep to sacrifice a large portion of their individuality in return for the advantages of being part of the flock, but individuality is not a highly valued trait in sheep.
John 10:1-16
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
It is because of our desire to live in community as sheep following our great shepherd Jesus Christ who loves us and died for us that we have chosen the name the Flock.