Out Our Way: But can he ride? - 1 John 3:16-18

    Out our way, we have all known folks who are “all hat and no cattle.” I remember being at a restaurant and an artist came up and asked to take my picture as he wanted an “authentic cowboy” in his painting. Well, those of you who know me and have seen me work cows know that while I have ridden roundups and pushed herds now and then, I am not exactly an “authentic cowboy.” Someone once said, “Don’t assume anyone is a cowboy until you have seen him/her ride.” I might have looked like an “authentic cowhand” to that guy in the restaurant, but had he observed my cowboy skills riding herd with Charlie, he might have had second thoughts.

Imagine a local rancher is looking to hire a crew of 15 folk for the big roundup. He assigns them the tasks of gathering the herd that is scattered over many acres, branding and tagging the newborns, moving them all down to the loading pens, and shipping them out. A big job! But now imagine he discovers that of the 15 hands who all claimed to be cowboys, only three can actually do the work.

A constant theme in the Gospels and the Epistles is summed up in the phrase “By their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:16-20). The Apostle John makes this point as he warns the early church to “love, not just with words and tongue, but with action and truth.” Talk is cheap, and although we may applaud the speaker’s statements, if there is no action, what good is it? 

In our “celebrity”-driven world today, image is often more important than reality. This is nothing new, as the Apostle James reminded the church in the first century: “What good is it to say: ‘I wish you well, go and be fed and warm,’ but you do nothing toward meeting those physical needs?” (James 2:14-17) We honor and celebrate. This is a constant theme.

So what are we to do? Let’s go back to our parable of the 15 “cowhands” in which only three actually are real cowboys. You will find me in the “12” who only look authentic but are “all hat and no cattle.” If I am content to just “play” cowboy, nothing will change. But if I choose to follow those three real-deal cowpokes and learn from their example how to develop those skills; eventually there will be four authentic cowhands. Jesus regularly went to the Temple and the Synagogue. He spent time in prayer and study of the Scriptures. But that was just to prepare Himself for the work of the Kingdom. He came to worship the Lord and fellowship with the faithful, but always the message ended with, “Rise and follow Me!” 

Be blessed and be a blessing.

Brother John 

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The Rev. John Bruington is the retired pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Havre. He now lives in Colorado, but continues to write “Out Our Way.” He can be reached for comment or dialogue at [email protected].