Have you ever had that experience? I have met two people who have claimed to have seen a U.F.O. - an Unidentified Flying Object. Science fiction aside, they have experienced something. What has it all been about?
There is a sign that says, "Once I was indecisive, but now I'm not so sure!" And with UFOs, is officialdom "not so sure" or just plain sceptical - assuming people have an over-active imagination, or worse?
Certainly it has become good fodder for science-fiction books and television series and these have enhanced the expectation of such experiences. And then, there have been other books suggesting, not extra-terrestrial causes, but highly secret experiments with new technologies being conducted by American or Russian agencies!
"Take me to your master!" It's rather curious, don't you think? If the alien lands in Australia, of course, he should know that, in our language, we don't talk about "master" but "boss"!
And who would we want to take him to? Who's he really wanting to see? The head of our organisation? The leader of our community? Of course, Bob King, our newly elected Mayor - Bob would know what to do with him. The Council would have quite an interest in him. He hasn't landed in a regular parking area. There might be Council charges if he wants to leave his craft for any length of time. And what if he… Now we haven't thought about that yet. We have been assuming that we have a "he". Equally it could be "she". Will he/she need to use our public facilities? How is the rest of the public going to react?
But perhaps it should really be referred on to Wayne Goss. There could be some very serious public health considerations here and that's really a State matter. Not to mention law and order. And transport comes into this too - questions of registration and licensing.
That's not so straightforward either. Perhaps we should give Paul Keating a ring. This thing is presumably an "air" craft. Aviation is a federal matter. Who knows? He/she may have come through controlled air space without a clearance. Does he/she have a flight plan? And, more seriously, immigration and customs authorities have to be consulted. Foreign affairs will have an interest in this, and perhaps the armed services should be notified too!
"Take me to your master!" What's our immediate reaction? We're Australians, mate! We don't have a master around here!
It sometimes looks like that, you know! Our society looks a bit out of control! Having a Boss like Mr Keating is handy from time to time - when we want someone to blame for what's going wrong! But most of the time we prefer to be our own Boss, priding ourselves in our independence!
But are we really as free and independent as we like to think we are? Who are we trying to kid?
"Follow the leader" isn't just a kid's game. Like so many children's activities, it reflects adult life.
The fashion houses dictate the sort of clothes we feel comfortable wearing. Public opinion shapes how we think and feel and act in many situations. We may believe we don't want to be the same as the rest of the world, but when the crunch comes we don't want to be found different either!
I am not suggesting that following a leader is always necessarily a bad thing. There have been times on a long journey at night when I have been thankful for another driver travelling about the same speed I want to go. I have driven far enough behind not to trouble him with my lights. I have allowed him to be my leader. His lights give me a longer view of the road. I am alerted to a turn in the road. His stop lights stir my sense of caution.
I recall hearing about a driver following another car like this in a heavy fog. That meant driving quite a bit closer, of course. After a left-hand turn, he saw the stop-lights come on suddenly. He was too late! He ran into the back of the leading car! The problem? The other car had arrived home and turned into his driveway!
We need to be careful who we are following. We should never blindly follow others.
We need to be especially careful of those who are shaping the ideas and values of our time. We need to read the newspaper, listen to music and watch television programmes with discretion and discernment. I think the televisual input we receive has a dangerous potential. Its images are powerful but fleeting. When we read something in a book or a magazine, we can stop and think about it, chew it over. But the television moves on and we are left with an impression which we have absorbed unthinkingly.
We pride ourselves in a strong streak of independence, but end up pretty much followers after all. "Take me to your master!" Oh yes, we have plenty of Bosses all right. Too many of them! What we lack is a soul! What we lack is a central conviction and commitment that will enable us to filter all these competing claims, that will lead us into true meaning and fulfilment!
If you are going to have a Boss in this sense, be sure to pick the right one!
A number of years ago, we were travelling from Brisbane to Melbourne along the Newell highway. New South Wales was in the grip of a serious drought and a locust plague was the final straw. Paddocks looked completely bare of grass, but a few lean animals were searching for the last pickings. In places, the roadside, for all its dangers, provided fodder for the needy beasts.
Then, up ahead, we saw a cloud of red dust. Not a "willy willy" this time. We slowed to a standstill. Sheep were being driven across the road. There was nothing for it but to wait - and to give a wave to the watchful farmer who, with the help of his men and the dogs, was moving his sheep to better pasture. Hundreds, perhaps a thousand or more!
It's a bit hard for us to get the picture of the Oriental shepherd walking out ahead of his small flock of a hundred or so. There was something very close and personal about his care. His sheep were followers - and he really cared about what happened to each one of them. We may find it odd, but they thought of their political leaders as "shepherds". At their best, these leaders were expected to show care for each individual. Their counterparts in our society seem so much more like drovers than shepherds!
I am not saying that their leaders always lived up to the name! Some of them were in it for what they could get out of it. They loved being the centre of attention - and receiving the financial benefits! And some of them were really bad eggs! By example and persuasion they led the people the wrong way altogether. Not everyone followed, but they could make it rather hard for those who wanted to stand up for the right.
Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd" - not the drover but the shepherd! Some of the other leaders before him, he said, were just thieves and robbers. But Jesus was different. He really cared for each person and - was prepared to die for them!
Those other leaders were a bit upset, as you can imagine. The dying part was their plan, their plot to get him out of the way. And they did it! Their plot was successful! They killed the Good Shepherd! Yahoo! We've done it! We've won!
Don't you believe it! They killed him all right, but they hadn't won! Three days later the Good Shepherd was alive again! The Good Shepherd had given a good description of them and of himself - "The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness."
You really want a life that is full, that makes sense? Then remember that Jesus is the Good Boss! He wants to forgive you for all your stupid blues - and what more stupid than when they nailed him to the cross! He wants you to have life in all its fullness! He's the one to follow!
"Take me to your master!" Come along, stranger! I'll introduce you to the Boss!
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