That's like a double reverse anachronism. Or perhaps they're just way ahead of us....

A couple months ago we had a HP movie marathon weekend here in Musoma, Tanzania. That's what Wycliffe missionaries do in their spare time. ;)

Btw, Swahili uses "Pasaka" for Easter, and it's a problem because they don't really distinguish between Passover and Easter. Now that we're translating the Bible into local languages, we're finding that when Jesus celebrates the "Pasaka" with his disciples, he's celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus. Hmmm.......... how do you say "anachronism" in Swahili?

I think I didn't write that very clearly. What I meant was, sometimes our churches behave as though the pastor is too important for the sheep, and that the sheep are supposed to look out for the shepherd. Instead, it should be the shepherd looking out for the sheep, laying down his life for the sheep, knowing the sheep by name, feeding the sheep, and going off looking for the sheep when they get lost and carrying them back home.

I always think Jesus is such a great example of a shepherd, because he was so much smarter than the sheep, so much more 'important', and yet he watched out for them, met their needs, and gave up his life for them. He never turned sheep away because he was too busy or because his time was so valuable. The sheep were his life, not just a stepping stone to a larger ministry. And, like your post, he trained the sheep to go out and multiply.

(thought I'd return the visit :))

I've always liked the shepherd/sheep analogy. This is slightly different than your post, but I've seen a lot of times how in our congregations it seems that the sheep protect the shepherd and lay down their lives for the shepherd, who is extremely important and shouldn't be bothered too much by the sheep. Seems like a lot of what we do is backwards....