John 10:2-5, 16  (ESV) But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

My wife, Lisa, is the lover of all things living in our small suburban neighborhood.  Just from our little yard, she feeds birds, chickens, squirrels, and of course our beloved "kitties".  When it is eating time she can be heard calling our family cats to eat, "kitty, kitty, KIT - T!"  Recently, a new one of God's warm blooded creatures started listening to the voice of my wife calling, "kitty, kitty, KIT - T!"  "Rocky", as she named him, is a wild raccoon.  Though not fitting the common definition of a "kitty", by responding to the voice of my wife, he finds love and food, just like the other kitties. The love and sustenance Rocky was to receive was not determined by whether he fit the category of a "kitty", rather, it was determined by whose voice he listened to.  Rocky was of "another fold" but he listened to the same shepherd's (or "cat-herd's) voice.  Thus, he was to receive the same love and care.

Many of us, before we found Christ, were not of the typical Church fold.  Many of us were homeless and lost to the family of God.  But, in our darkest hours, we heard a divine voice calling, "kitty, kitty, KIT - T!". "Come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest."

When we responded in the affirmative to the call, we finally found God's love and eternal hope in the voice of Jesus.  It did not matter who we were or where we came from.  What mattered was to whose voice we listened and responded.  We were home, now, in the family of God, though of "another fold."

Revelation 3:20 (ESV) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

by Pastor John