"So... 1968 was the peak of a season of great unrest in our country.
There was a lot going on: the Vietnam war was raging, there had been protests happening for years, the civil rights movement had protests going on for years.
And it came to a head on April 4th, 1968, when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated... in the wake of King's death, there were more turbulent demonstrations, particularly black activists who were protesting police violence. There was a shootout in Oakland... this kind of thing was happening throughout the country.
And it was an election year. There were campaigns going on. So, it probably feels very resonant for us..."
....This week we start a series called "Listen," asking how we can hear God amid everything else in our lives. Starting with the present day, we go back to 1968 and then back to the time of the Roman Empire, when Jesus gives us the story of a good shepherd whose sheep hear his voice.
Early Roman image of Jesus as a good shepherd.
But what can we learn from sheep about hearing from God in the midst of chaos? Listen in (or read the notes!) to find out, below: