How much do you know about sheep? I never really hear about them except in nursery rhymes. They’re often cute fluffy sidekicks to the main character. They usually symbolize docility and sweetness. I have never really had any motivation to learn more.
Then a couple weeks ago I walked into my husband’s boss’s office. He had a lot of animal heads on his wall, but one stood out with its curled horns. I didn’t recognize it. He proceeded to tell me it was a Mouflon sheep. How often do you hear about hunters hunting sheep? I never had.
Mouflin sheep are a wild subspecies of the typical domestic sheep we’re more familiar with. They often have a brown or red coat and were originally native to a few islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Ancestors of this species lived above the tree line in the mountains where there was very little cover, so they developed fantastic eyesight. This makes them an extra challenge for hunters because mouflon can see a human up to 1000 meters away.
Even as a challenge, the rams are very appealing to hunters because of those big horns. These rams became so sought after that they have now been imported to the U.S. for hunting. Even though they are native to the mountains of Europe, Nick’s boss only had to drive a couple hours to the other side of Texas to hunt this grand prize. Thanks to the popularity of hunting, there are now more mouflon in the state of Texas than are left on their native islands.
When I heard that last fact, I felt badly for the sheep. They should be living on some island, but some greedy guys dragged them across the ocean and forced them to live in this totally new place. I love Texas, but it isn’t their home.
With this Sunday being the feast of Christ the King, I relate to those poor sheep. This is not my home. No I don’t just say that because I just moved to a new state. I say it because our home is in heaven. That is where we are meant to be, with Christ our King!
As I’ve pointed out in my last few blogs, the readings recently have been very dark. They’ve talked about death and the end times in a potentially depressing way, but this Sunday the psalm shines some light for a change. We are not meant for this earth, so we shall go to the house of the Lord. Not only are we going to the house of the Lord, but the psalm tells us to REJOICE!
If you watch the news, everything seems very bleak. There is war and sickness. There is poverty and corruption. There is violence and murder. It definitely does not paint a very bright picture of our current home. For now, we must endure this hardship. We ask that God helps us while we do, but we do this knowing that this is not where we belong. I encourage you to thank God that He has a better place in mind for us. Let us celebrate Christ the King this weekend, rejoicing that we get to go to the house of the Lord!
