Silly Goose
Stories
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit
Series VI, Cycle C
Object:
Great words -- as succinct a description as can be found anywhere of what we are called to be and do as God's people in the church ... compassionate, kind, humble, meek (or teachable), patient, forgiving, loving, harmonious, and peaceful. We will be learners and teachers, full of heartfelt song. And whatever we do will be done in the name of Jesus. Wow!
That is the way it is in churches, isn't it? Oh, David, you silly goose. Right.
Speaking of geese and church, the Danish philosopher and theologian, Soren Kierkegaard, grew up in the countryside surrounded by farms that reared geese (among other animals), and he occasionally used geese to illustrate some point. Among his papers is a story he wrote titled "Tame Geese" in which he asks us to imagine that these geese could talk and think and do the kinds of things that we do. The geese went to church every week and were inspired by a powerful, motivating sermon by the high goose. The sermon always went the same. The high goose would tell the assembled geese of their high destiny and about what a high goal the creator had appointed geese for he had given them wings. As he said all this, the geese would honk and squawk their approval. The geese curtsied and the ganders bowed their heads in honor of the great words. With their wings, the high goose told them, they could fly anywhere they wanted around the world. They were most pleased to hear this. And each week after church, as they dispersed, the geese would ... waddle ... home. Hmm ... silly goose.
Do you have any idea where that phrase "silly goose" comes from? I don't. But I do know that geese, despite Kierkegaard, are not all that silly. In fact, the next time you notice a flock of them flying south for the winter, study them a bit. There are some things we might learn.
For example, that "V" formation in which they fly.1 Science has discovered why. It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings, the whole flock adds at least a 17% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. A good lesson for us. Christians who share a common direction and a sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because we are traveling on the thrust and uplift of one another.
Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. Another good lesson. Stay in formation or pay the price.
Have you ever dropped out of church for a time? Perhaps someone said an unkind word or failed to say a kind word. Maybe work or travel schedules prevented regular attendance. It could be that something or someone made you angry ... perhaps even God. Did dropping out make you a better person? Of course not. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are going.
Kierkegaard, again, tells of a wild goose, who with splendid motivation, went to live with some tame geese. He was resolved to liberate them from their domesticated life of mediocrity, where the food was rich and life was easy, even if somewhat dull and limited by the farmer's grim ultimate purpose. Sadly, he lived there until he himself was tame. Every year, when the wild geese would honk in flight overhead, he would flutter his wings, rise a bit, and resolve to join them, but he never did. Silly goose -- you were made to be airborne.
Researchers have noted that when the lead goose gets tired, that one rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. There is value in that. Too often in the church, the same faithful few do most of the work -- the statistics are generally 20% of the people do 80% of the work. That is not fair, but that is generally the way it is. Folks get burned out that way. The message of the geese is take turns doing the hard jobs. It is better for everyone.
Have you ever listened to a flock of geese as they fly overhead? They can be noisy critters, can't they? The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. What do we say in the church when we honk from behind? Are we picking or praising? Which do you think will do the most good?
From Mongolian folklore comes this helpful little fable. Two geese were about to start southward on their annual autumn migration when they were entreated by a frog to take him with them. The geese expressed their willingness to help if some means of conveyance could be devised, so the frog produced a long stalk of grass, got the two geese to take it, one by each end, while he clung to it by his mouth in the middle. Great idea. As the journey proceeded, the travelers were noticed from below by some men who loudly expressed their admiration for the device and wondered who had been clever enough to discover it. The frog opened his mouth to boast, "It was I," but in the process he lost his hold, fell to the earth, and was dashed to pieces. The moral: When you have a good thing going, keep your mouth shut! Just like the geese.
Another lesson. Whenever you see a flock of geese on the ground feeding, they will never put all of their heads down at once. There are always four of five "on guard" watching for predators while the others feed. The "guards" will not put their heads down until other geese look up and "go on duty." We in the church should be guarding and protecting each other.
This one is important. When a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshot and falls out, two geese fall out of formation and follow the hurt one down to help and protect. They stay until the hurt one is able to fly, or finally dies, and then they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their original group.
A farmer was out plowing his field one morning. A spring thaw had just occurred and there were many muddy valleys. Through one particularly wet place his tractor became stuck in the mud. The harder he tried, the deeper he became stuck. Finally, he walked over to his neighbor's to ask for help. The neighbor came over and looked at the situation. He shook his head, and then said, "It doesn't look good, but I tell you what. I'll give it a try pulling you out and if we don't get it out, I'll come sit in the mud with you!"
We all experience getting "stuck in the mud" from time to time -- sometimes even literally. Chances are we probably know someone who is stuck right now. Have you tried "mud-sitting" with a friend? Like those geese? It may be the best thing you can do!
The point of all this, of course, is that the goose may not be silly after all. In fact, we might be the silly ones. When we use the sense that God gives a goose as it comes to our life together, people outside see that and they want to be a part of the flock. That is when churches grow. And remember, silly goose, "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).
____________
1. Adapted from Browne Barr, High Flying Geese: unexpected reflections on the church & its ministry (New York: Seabury Press, 1983).
That is the way it is in churches, isn't it? Oh, David, you silly goose. Right.
Speaking of geese and church, the Danish philosopher and theologian, Soren Kierkegaard, grew up in the countryside surrounded by farms that reared geese (among other animals), and he occasionally used geese to illustrate some point. Among his papers is a story he wrote titled "Tame Geese" in which he asks us to imagine that these geese could talk and think and do the kinds of things that we do. The geese went to church every week and were inspired by a powerful, motivating sermon by the high goose. The sermon always went the same. The high goose would tell the assembled geese of their high destiny and about what a high goal the creator had appointed geese for he had given them wings. As he said all this, the geese would honk and squawk their approval. The geese curtsied and the ganders bowed their heads in honor of the great words. With their wings, the high goose told them, they could fly anywhere they wanted around the world. They were most pleased to hear this. And each week after church, as they dispersed, the geese would ... waddle ... home. Hmm ... silly goose.
Do you have any idea where that phrase "silly goose" comes from? I don't. But I do know that geese, despite Kierkegaard, are not all that silly. In fact, the next time you notice a flock of them flying south for the winter, study them a bit. There are some things we might learn.
For example, that "V" formation in which they fly.1 Science has discovered why. It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings, the whole flock adds at least a 17% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. A good lesson for us. Christians who share a common direction and a sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because we are traveling on the thrust and uplift of one another.
Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. Another good lesson. Stay in formation or pay the price.
Have you ever dropped out of church for a time? Perhaps someone said an unkind word or failed to say a kind word. Maybe work or travel schedules prevented regular attendance. It could be that something or someone made you angry ... perhaps even God. Did dropping out make you a better person? Of course not. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are going.
Kierkegaard, again, tells of a wild goose, who with splendid motivation, went to live with some tame geese. He was resolved to liberate them from their domesticated life of mediocrity, where the food was rich and life was easy, even if somewhat dull and limited by the farmer's grim ultimate purpose. Sadly, he lived there until he himself was tame. Every year, when the wild geese would honk in flight overhead, he would flutter his wings, rise a bit, and resolve to join them, but he never did. Silly goose -- you were made to be airborne.
Researchers have noted that when the lead goose gets tired, that one rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. There is value in that. Too often in the church, the same faithful few do most of the work -- the statistics are generally 20% of the people do 80% of the work. That is not fair, but that is generally the way it is. Folks get burned out that way. The message of the geese is take turns doing the hard jobs. It is better for everyone.
Have you ever listened to a flock of geese as they fly overhead? They can be noisy critters, can't they? The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. What do we say in the church when we honk from behind? Are we picking or praising? Which do you think will do the most good?
From Mongolian folklore comes this helpful little fable. Two geese were about to start southward on their annual autumn migration when they were entreated by a frog to take him with them. The geese expressed their willingness to help if some means of conveyance could be devised, so the frog produced a long stalk of grass, got the two geese to take it, one by each end, while he clung to it by his mouth in the middle. Great idea. As the journey proceeded, the travelers were noticed from below by some men who loudly expressed their admiration for the device and wondered who had been clever enough to discover it. The frog opened his mouth to boast, "It was I," but in the process he lost his hold, fell to the earth, and was dashed to pieces. The moral: When you have a good thing going, keep your mouth shut! Just like the geese.
Another lesson. Whenever you see a flock of geese on the ground feeding, they will never put all of their heads down at once. There are always four of five "on guard" watching for predators while the others feed. The "guards" will not put their heads down until other geese look up and "go on duty." We in the church should be guarding and protecting each other.
This one is important. When a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshot and falls out, two geese fall out of formation and follow the hurt one down to help and protect. They stay until the hurt one is able to fly, or finally dies, and then they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their original group.
A farmer was out plowing his field one morning. A spring thaw had just occurred and there were many muddy valleys. Through one particularly wet place his tractor became stuck in the mud. The harder he tried, the deeper he became stuck. Finally, he walked over to his neighbor's to ask for help. The neighbor came over and looked at the situation. He shook his head, and then said, "It doesn't look good, but I tell you what. I'll give it a try pulling you out and if we don't get it out, I'll come sit in the mud with you!"
We all experience getting "stuck in the mud" from time to time -- sometimes even literally. Chances are we probably know someone who is stuck right now. Have you tried "mud-sitting" with a friend? Like those geese? It may be the best thing you can do!
The point of all this, of course, is that the goose may not be silly after all. In fact, we might be the silly ones. When we use the sense that God gives a goose as it comes to our life together, people outside see that and they want to be a part of the flock. That is when churches grow. And remember, silly goose, "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).
____________
1. Adapted from Browne Barr, High Flying Geese: unexpected reflections on the church & its ministry (New York: Seabury Press, 1983).
