There are so many searching people in the world today, people hungering for instruction, good people looking for direction. They are people who are looking for answers and for meaning. They are like sheep without a shepherd, and Jesus looks to us to shepherd them. In the midst of this confusion, there are reliable shepherds who walk with us in the dark valleys. They are willing to share the dangers through which we pass, even at the risk of their own safety. They do not pit one segment of the community or one theological perspective against another, scattering the sheep and driving them away. Instead, they work to dismantle the walls that divide us. They speak the word that gathers us together. They reconcile us with God and with each other. They may not give us easy answers, but their primary concern is to lead us to Jesus, the one who is our peace.