Ducks! You gotta love ‘um! Everything from their waddling gait to their quirky behavior speaks of a very novel critter! Plus there are all those zany duck jokes. Like – What time does a duck wake up in the morning? At the quack of dawn. What do you call a clever duck? A wise quacker. And finally – What do you call a duck that steals? A robber ducky. But aside from all the jokes, our feather-covered duck friends are actually a very cool creature.
Consider this daily scenario for example: you are in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. Suddenly the sound of a marching band booms across the hotel’s speakers and all eyes turn to the main elevator. The gleaming brass doors open and out steps the Peabody Duckmaster – a man dressed in a splendid red & gold uniform followed by five waddling ducks. The ducks fall in line as they strut toward the lobby’s central fountain where they hop in for their daily swim.
This delightful tradition began in the 1930’s when Frank Schutt, Peabody’s manager, and his friend returned from a hunting trip. Apparently they had had a bit too much Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey that day and brought their live duck decoys into the Peabody’s fountain for a quick swim. The ducks loved it and the people loved seeing the enthusiastic birds paddle around – ever since, the Peabody Hotel has entertained ducks in their hotel lobby fountain.
Of course, dealing with live ducks over the years has had its share of mishaps.
Sometimes a newbie duck will wander off to the gift shop, the kitchen area, or even the bar. And occasionally…they decide it’s time to make babies. It is what it is. But the bottom line here is this – ducks are great followers.
And when you stop to think about it, we all follow something. People follow careers, the lure of riches, even people groups. Others follow drugs, celebrities, or sports figures. Sometimes they get on the wrong bandwagon without really giving it serious thought and often, people find themselves following the wrong kind of leader.
Back in the 1960’s Candid Camera aired an episode titled “Face the Rear.” In this experiment, unknowing individuals entered an elevator where everyone else was facing backwards. Despite this being a completely odd thing to do, most individuals went with the crowd and rode the elevator with their back to the doors. Lesson – we need to think before we follow!
Have you ever thought of a Christ-follower as one who was following THE leader? Jesus told His disciples, “Follow Me.” But following Jesus requires we put Him first and walk in His footsteps. In John 14:23 Jesus clearly says, “If a man loves Me, he will keep My words; and MY Father will love him and we will come unto Him, and make our abode with him.”
Truth is- followship produces fellowship with God the Father. As Pastor Steven Furtick has remarked, “The voice you believe (and follow) will determine the future you experience.” The outcome? Religion says, earn your life. Secular society says create your life, but Jesus says, ‘My life for your life.’ Follow Me.
But following Jesus is not a “get on the bandwagon” type of thing. It’s an individual choice! You don’t take a poll of your friends or co-workers before making this life
changing decision. You have to wonder how far Moses would have gotten if he’d taken a poll in Egypt?! What would Jesus have preached if he had taken a poll in Israel? And what if good ‘ol George Washington had taken a poll – anointing him as a king instead of a time-limited president?!
Here’s an intriguing question to ponder – “If everyone you knew jumped off a bridge, would you follow?” Of course, we all know the answer to this is supposed to be no – that would be crazy! But is this really true? If everyone jumped off a bridge, maybe there’s a good reason. Maybe the bridge is on fire. So – if anything – the guy who didn’t jump would be the crazy one! The guy who didn’t follow the crowd.
So what or whom are you following or not following? As Scot McKnight puts it: “Those who aren’t following Jesus aren’t His followers. It’s that simple. Followers follow and those who don’t follow aren’t followers. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. To follow Jesus means to take up His dream and work for it.”
Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org
