Not that I had never seen it before, but listening to the final batch of the 2026 Ordination sermons, I was struck again by how naturally Scripture lends itself to imagery that shapes the heart. Earlier in the week, Rev. Dr. Nii Noi Odonkor had preached with the language of soil and seeds—images that remind us of God’s patient work in the hidden places of our lives.
But at Kyebi, Rev. Dr. Ernestina Afriyie stepped into the pulpit with a different biblical landscape. Her sermon was not a field; it was a pasture. And in that pasture, she made the calling of ministry unmistakably clear: shepherd the flock.
Her voice was solemn, yet weighty with the long biblical tradition of God revealing Himself as the Shepherd of His people. She reminded the ordinands that we are all sheep—vulnerable, dependent, and easily scattered. Sheep cannot survive without a shepherd, she said. They need guidance, protection, and a voice they recognise.
What touched me most was her insistence that ministers are both sheep and shepherds. Before they lead, they must be led. Before they protect, they must be protected. Before they speak, they must listen. No matter how gifted or trained a minister is, we remain sheep in the care of the Good Shepherd. And yet, God entrusts us with the responsibility of caring for others—feeding, guiding, correcting, and guarding the flock.
Her warning that “ministry is warfare, not fanfare” added a sobering depth to the imagery. Shepherding is not gentle poetry; it is courageous labour. The enemy strikes the shepherd first, knowing the sheep will scatter. The shepherd’s staff is not only for guidance—it is also for defence. Ministry, she said, is not simply attending services or performing duties; it is standing between danger and the flock, between the world’s noise and God’s voice.
She stressed how easily the flock becomes malnourished when shepherds pursue comfort instead of calling. Her lament about corruption and moral decline in a nation full of professing Christians reminded me that sheep without strong shepherding wander into places they should never be.
Rev. Dr. Afriyie ended with a call that felt urgent: “Go and shepherd the flock.” In that moment, the imagery of sheep and shepherds became more than metaphor. I realised that following the Shepherd closely is what enables us to hear His voice—and that voice becomes the one we trust to lead, guide, and steady us all.
By Jerome Otchere
