Funny how some people claim to want Christ back in Christmas, but forget that Jesus was about putting the unity back in community. Jesus's birth was announced as "good news of great joy" not for just some of the people, but all the people. In his walk on earth, Jesus reached out to those on the margins of Jewish society -- the poor, the hungry, the lepers, the prostitutes, the adulterers, the people rejected by the religious leaders of his day, even the Romans and tax collectors. He loved them all, but saved his strongest rebukes for religious leaders who lacked compassion and empathy, who drove people away from seeking God's love. And at the close of his ministry, what was foremost on Jesus' mind? On the night before his crucifixion, as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, for what did Jesus pray? He prayed for the unity of all believers. (Gospel According to John, 17:20-22).

In preparing for his sacrifice, Jesus compared himself to a "good shepherd" -- one who keeps the flock together because he cares for them all, despite the wolf's attempts to drive the flock apart, to pick them off one by one. The good shepherd sacrifices himself -- "lays down his life for his sheep" -- out of compassion. But the wolf shows no compassion, no empathy for the flock, only a desire to dominate, to drive apart, and an appetite to eat up.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. (Gospel According to John, 10:11-14)

How do you recognize the good shepherd? He's the one beckoning the sheep to stay together, leading them to green pasture and cool water, nurturing and nursing the whole flock. And what, according to Jesus, does a wolf do? The wolf is the one who dons "sheep's clothing," but acts ferocious. The wolf is the one who sews discord and exclusivity, who drives people away from the meeting house door, who "attacks the flock and scatters it."

According to Ortiz, who speaks for the Chalcedon Foundation, a leading voice in the march toward American theocracy, one cannot be both a liberal and a Christian. Ortiz denounces liberals who follow the example of Jesus as "oxymoronic liberal Christians." Praise God that Jesus exemplifies the "good shepherd," who welcomes and cares for "all the people." To me, that is indeed "good news of great joy."

Ortiz may assert that I cannot be both a Christian and a liberal. But he does not get to decide such spiritual matters. I am a Christian. I worship with people from all kinds of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We are not Democratic Christians or Republican Christians or Green Party Christians or Libertarian Christians. We are Christians only, and we believe that we are not the only Christians. I'm not in the business of judging who is or is not a Christian -- but I do inspect fruit before I eat it, and I do know that not everyone sporting a sheepskin jacket is a sheep. And whenever someone claims to be a good shepherd like the example of Jesus, I look to see whether the flock is fearful and scattering, or calm and coming together.

Would you be like Jesus, who welcomes all, or would you be the opposite -- not a loving shepherd, but a shoving leopard, a wolf in sheep's clothing, a predator cloaked in piety who stands at the meeting house door to turn people away?

I am a Christian among other Christians who aspire to be like the good shepherd whom Jesus described and exemplified. We would not be like the "hired hand" who "runs away" because he "cares nothing for the sheep." If we see a wolf at the meeting house door, even if he's wearing religious robes, we will recognize him and take action. What kind of action? We will stand up for the unity of all believers, we will calm the flock, we will keep the flock together, we will seek out those who have been scattered by fear and oppression, we will nurture, we will nurse, we will hope, we will heal, we will lead, we will feed, we will love.

Let others march under the banners of fear and hate. Let others draw their circles of exclusion smaller and smaller until there's no room for anyone else to stand. There's a new humorous book out now, The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil, by George Saunders, about a tiny country called Inner Horner, which is so small that it can accomodate only one citizen at a time. They have to take turns stepping inside. Maybe that's what theocracy would look like, if it were up to people to decide who God loves, and who loves God. Maybe that's what a theocratic witch hunt looks like. But that's not what democracy looks like, and that's not what Jesus's ministry looked like either.

So here's a different vision, a broader vision, a more powerful vision. We will get out our chalk and draw even bigger circles that include all the people, even those who disagree with our freedom to speak, to assemble, and to worship as we choose. And we will respect their ability to speak, gather, and believe as they choose. We will parade under the banners of faith, hope, and love. We will reach out to all the people, even people who disagree, even people who insult us, even people who assault us. And we will process toward a truly compelling vision, toward a field of peace where, in the words of Isaiah, "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them."

In this Season of Advent, let those of us who follow Jesus remember and be thankful for the coming of a little child whose innocent example leads us in love to share news of great joy for all the people. May it be so.

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