A Dark Advent and the Contrary Dairy Cow (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

Cows are smarter than sheep ... but, as a farmer will tell you, not by a whole lot. I wouldn’t want to wager on which would prevail in a competition for most stubborn. Luckily, most cows are contented cows; at least dairy cows seem so. If you feed them and milk them twice each day, all seems well.

There’s always one, though, isn’t there? The dairy operation we were part of had such a cow. Not only was she not content with the fields we had, she was an opinion leader.

Each day, she would lead her little cadre of followers out to the fence line, where they would thrust their heads through to eat what was growing on the other side. But that wasn’t enough for her. As the easy pickings became exhausted, she cast her eye a bit further afield. She was coveting more of those tasty plants ... that were just out of her reach. And if it had ended, there, the tale would already be told.

Let me pause here to explain why any of this matters. In our fields, we had planted the appropriate feed, the grasses that worked in proper unison with the other feed we provided to them, directly, while they were being milked. Together, the two sources provided a balanced diet for healthy dairy cattle. The plants outside our fence line were wild; not the same plants, and not supportive of their health.

First assault: she and her little gang pressed against the wire fence until it came loose from the posts. They then stepped out and nibbled on their ill-gotten gains. They did this three times before we finally caved in and put up barbed wire in place of the standard fencing. That did the trick ... for a while.

Second assault: It didn’t keep her from trying, but those sharp pricks from the barbs sent her crew back to the grasses in our field ... Until, with stubborn determination, she managed, despite many scrapes and cuts, to push the strands of barbed wire loose at her favorite spot. Once she was through, her entourage reassembled for another off-the-range chow down.

We didn’t wait to see if she would do it, again. Our next change was to install an electrified fence. Now, you may be thinking that was a cruel thing to do. But, for any cow that stayed well away from the fence line, it made no difference. We only wanted to curtail the activities of the few intransigents. And it worked. Once those cows brushed up against the electrified fence, there was no repeat. They all returned to eating what was in our fields ... except for our one contrary cow.

Third assault: Well, it wasn’t much of an assault. After a few times, she stopped touching the electric fence. But every day, she fed right next to it. While all the other cows met their dietary needs out in the broader field —where the food was quite good, by the way— our contrary cow fed by the fence line, constantly looking out at the plants growing on the other side. Never satisfied with what was provided for her in our fields.

This week’s Advent passage from the Gospel of Luke tells us to “be alert at all times,” and to “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life.” It is, without a doubt, one of the darkest Advent scriptures ... but it is about watching for, patiently awaiting, desiring, and anticipating the return of Jesus.

The easiest way to do that is to feed on the spiritual meal provided to us; to stay up in the middle of the pasture, so to speak. That way, when we see the Lord coming, we will be ready to “stand up and raise [our] heads.”

Hanging out at the fence line like our contrarian cow, staring longingly at what we are not supposed to have; that’s they wrong way to approach life. It’s bad enough that we could get quite a shock by trying to ram the fence ... worse if we make it through.

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PHOTO: Steve Orr
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
First Sunday of Advent (December 2, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-36
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We’re back! DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast continues to meet Friday mornings at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant. We’re usually in the function room (down the outside, near the back). From 8:00 to 9:00, we have a great hour of Bible, prayer, discussion, laughter, and some tasty food to boot. Join us.