Before we begin this morning, I believe we need a little background on sheep and goats. Sheep are the most profitable animals man has ever domesticated. Catgut comes from sheep, not cats. I'm sure all you cat lovers will find that a blessing. Sheep are good for meat, fur and milk. They outnumber humans in most countries.

Then there are goats. More people world-wide drink goat's milk than cow's milk. Moroccan leather, Angola and cashmere sweaters come from goats. And ladies, do you remember those old mohair couches that would never wear out? Remember, you could never get your husbands to get a new couch because they wouldn't wear out? Well, that came from goats.

With that deep, theological background, we come to our text for the day. Our text is about surprised sheep and graceless goats. …