The Lord is my Wrangler

I have the habit of sitting in the movie theatre reading the credits. They go by too fast for me to take in every bit of information but, sometimes I’m surprised that a movie about New York City was filmed in Toronto, or an old song was recorded by a new artist.

If there’s an animal in the movie there’s a funny credit that tells us that Andre the Seal was played by Tory. If there is more than one animal, credit is given to someone called a “Wrangler.” And depending on the animals in question, it might be a horse wrangler, or a chicken wrangler, or a snake wrangler, and so on.

The job of being a Wrangler, I suppose, includes being sure the animals are on set when needed and are ready to do what they’re supposed to do when the director calls, “action!” I imagine that a wrangler is also responsible for feeding and tending the animals and taking care of their general wellbeing. That way the disclaimer that no animals were harmed during the making of the movie will be true.

Perhaps that’s what the church needs, a Wrangler. Someone whose job it is to make sure we are doing what needs doing, that we are acting when we need to be acting. And, I suppose, to push this metaphor as far as I can, someone who will feed and tend us. Perhaps not feed us in the literal sense, but by helping us acquire the things we need to act as Christ would have us act in every situation we encounter.

Perhaps someone will say that we already have Wranglers, and we call them clergy. Well, I’ve worn this plastic collar and been around long enough to know that very few people seek wrangling from their parish priest. And that’s how it should be.

I suggest that our Wrangler is Jesus. The Lord is my Wrangler. It is Jesus who calls us to the set and expects us to act and helps us find the things we need to do his work in the world.