Scott Shephard

NOTE: I am republishing something from a little less than a year ago. Why do I repeat myself? Somehow, it still feels relevant. Also, if you so desire, you can listen if you’d rather not read.

On Monday this week, after recovering from a winter storm that was so serious it had a name (Jacob), we were confronted with temperatures that made the Arctic Circle seem attractive as a winter get-away for South Dakotans.

Also on Monday (Martin Luther King Day), thousands of activists convened in Richmond, Virginia, for a gun rights rally. Most of the activist were 40+ males and many were armed to the teeth. Finally, yesterday the formal impeachment trial of our 45th president began among profound political discord and rancor.

And I am in a funk.

This is normal for me at this time of year. I’m convinced that I suffer from borderline SAD (seasonal affective disorder) which afflicts people who don’t get enough natural light. But there is something about this January that seems to make it worse.

Thinking about “the gun thing” is one of the reasons. I am not a gun owner and without wanting to alienate my gun owning friends, I find one thing especially troubling: it is the paradox of gun ownership. People who own handguns and who celebrate their 1st amendment right to do so, often say they feel safer. And yet in Virginia, where the protesters gathered, 67% of the gun deaths there are suicides. Who are the likely victims? 40+ year old males - the very kind people who marched in Richmond. And god help the gun owning 40+ male who is also a veteran because the suicide realities are even worse.

Impeachment? Well, there’s much that I could say but I will say this. Some think he is a criminal who should be removed from office. And some (even in my own family circle) think he is literally delivered by God to save our nation from godless democrats and other clear and present dangers. Need I say more about things that contribute to my January blues?

So why a photo of a lamb? Well, I’d have to say that I like the oblivious innocence that is present here. I was 18 years old when I took this picture and I was much more oblivious and innocent then, too, I guess. I also like how the strong light streaming into the barn gives the lamb a sort of holy glow. Did I see the light in those terms then? Probably not. But I see it now.

The lamb has long been a symbol of Christ and what He offers to people far and wide. It is John the Baptist who helps form the idea of Christ as “lamb of god” (agnes dei in Latin). In John 1:29 he sees Jesus coming and says,

Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

If ever there was a need for the Agnes Dei . . . .

My January funk? It’s a trifle. This morning I have Jimmy Buffet as my cure. The song is “Boat Drinks” and I will sing along when he says

Oh I know (I know),I should be leaving this climate.
I got a verse but can't rhyme it.
I gotta go where it's warm.

Honeywell Pentax SP500 Digitized with Negative Lab Pro 2.1

Listen to “Agnes Dei”