Out Our Way: Check your tag - Colossians 3:23-24

Out our way, we tag cattle with ear tags, which are much easier to read than brands, I find. Except for a short time each fall, there are no open range roundups where cattle from different herd are mixed together and need to be separated - but even so, the cattle are tagged so there is no question who they belong to, The tag is a brightly colored bit of plastic with a large number on it that identifies both the individual cow and the herd to which it belongs.

I have shared that time a stray somehow got into the Tiger Ridge herd when Charlie and I were riding fence that one time. As Big Mike's herd was mostly red Angus and Charolais, that lone black angus yearling sort of stuck out. But even if he had been the same breed as the rest of the herd, we would have known he was a stray by his ear tag.

You have probably heard the joke about the police officer who pulled a car over and had the driver get out of the car, handcuffed him, and put him in the back of the patrol car. After checking the license and registration, the officer released the irate driver who demanded to know why he had been pulled over and then detained.

"Well, sir," the officer explained, "I saw the car in front of you stopped at the intersection as the light turned yellow instead of running the light, and how agitated you became as you started honking your horn, making obscene gestures, and started loudly cursing the other driver. Then I noticed the bumper stickers on your car saying 'Jesus Saves!,' 'John 3:16,' and displaying the Christian "fish" symbol decal on your back window, so, naturally, I assumed the car had been stolen."

We all "wear ear tags" in this world as we show what herd we belong to by our daily actions and attitudes. Recall how in the early years of persecution and martyrdom, even the greatest enemies of the Church would say things like "See how these Christians love one another!" Clearly, despite all the attempts to stamp out the faith, it continued to spread and is still growing to this day. Here in the U.S. and western Europe, the Church seems weak and on its last legs. The German philosopher Frederich Nietzsche, who famously declared " God is dead!" was embraced by many "enlightened" intellectuals (such as Hitler and Stalin) Many still embrace his philosophy today and declare the "new age" has nearly eliminated the "superstition of faith." They will joyfully point to the scammers and cons and fake disciples who are "all hat and no cattle" when it comes to the Gospel. And they have a point.

But then there are the real deal disciples - the ones even pagans could not help noticing who lived the Gospel daily. Dr. David Livingstone, a medical doctor and Christian missionary in Africa became a shining light in the 19th century. You may recall the story of how he seemingly disappeared and an agnostic New York newspaper man was sent to search for him. Eventually Henry Stanley found him and uttered the famous phrase: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Books and movies have been made about this famous meeting. But what is even more impressive was how Stanley would later write: "Had I remained with Livingstone any longer, I would have been compelled to become a Christian, although he never spoke a word."

Lots of "all hat and no cattle" Christians to give plenty of ammunition to those who want to proclaim God is dead and replace faith with their particular political or cultural affiliation. But then there are the Livingstones who preach with their lives and never say a word. How we live and interact with each other is our "ear tag" that identifies to which herd we belong.

"You are writing a Gospel, a chapter each day

"in the things that you do and the things that you say.

"People read what you write, whether faithless or true,

"Say, what is the gospel according to you?"

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].