County Fair 2025
Notes
Transcript
When I was a kid, I really enjoyed watching animal judging, especially showmanship. I was fascinated by the intentional movements and actions of the kids, the way they were supposed to dress, the movements they made, the way they intentionally handled the animals and held the lead ropes.
I never showed an animal. I did models, photography, archery, such like. My sisters showed animals, and that was an adventure. Our dog and cat were not show-type animals. I could share stories about how our dog barked at all the other dogs and our cat bit the judge, but those are stories for my sisters to share. You can ask them, if you ever come to know them.
If you want to have some fun, there are a large amount of showmanship tutorials on YouTube from many different state 4-H organizations and extension offices. It’s interesting to see how standards are the same across the nation, but with different idiosyncrasies.
Life is a big showmanship competition. Really. So many of us live like it is. We try to show ourselves to the best extent possible, hoping to gain some sort of reward. However, too often we look to the wrong judge. We look to everyone around us, want them to give us the Champion ribbon, based upon our actions, our movements, our intentionality.
But, humanity is not the judge.
As Jesus said:
“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
Life is a big showmanship competition, but God himself is the judge. The key to passing this competition is found in our text: John 15 1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Before we dive into discussing showmanship and this passage further, will you pray with me?
1. Admit the flaws
1. Admit the flaws
A huge part of showmanship judging is the contestant talking about their animal and showing that they know the good and the bad about their animal. This is done as the contestant shows the animal in different positions and ways, but it is also done as the contestant talks about the animal. Sometimes at the end of the presentation the judge will ask the contestant a question about their animal or about their animal class.
There are some contestants who want to bring their best animal for the showmanship competition, thinking that this will boost their chances of winning.
However, there is another strategy that some use.
Some bring their animal with the most flaws. This way, as they are talking about the animal, they can point out those flaws to the judge and talk about what they would do differently in breeding to remove these flaws in future generations, and other such examples. This shows much more knowledge than a perfect animal can provide.
In showmanship, many times you have to embrace the imperfect in order to get better marks. As long as you acknowledge the imperfection.
We live in a society of perfectionists. We think that we have to be the best that we can be in order to make our way in this world. And this has affected man-made religious. So many religious systems are based on the idea that the faithful one must seek perfection, must keep all of the rules, must do all of the good deeds, must check off all of the boxes on the ritual checklist.
And so, we enter eternity, that grand judging ring, and we try our best to talk about all of our good points, to put ourselves in the best light. Unfortunately, we cannot be what we are not.
Jesus said:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Left to ourselves, we will not do good. Left to ourselves, we have flaws.
Paul wrote it this way:
As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
Every single person who has taken a breath in this world is the same as everyone else. We all have missed the mark of perfection in the face of a holy God. He has his standard book that he is judging us by and no amount of good works or religious rituals can cover the blemishes in our character.
We can try to ignore those blemishes, hoping that the judge won’t see them, and try to parade all of our supposed good points before him. But, he has been judging the world for Millenia. Nothing gets by him.
The only thing we can do is present ourselves and say, “yeah, I’m a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to change this. This who I am.”
2. Submit to directions
2. Submit to directions
Another part of showmanship is following the directions of the judge. If you are showing a larger animal, there is a route that you are to take to show that animal to the judge. As you progress in class, the route becomes more and more challenging, to show that you can follow directions, but also to show the relationship you have with your animal, that your animal is willing to follow you.
If you do not follow those directions of the judge, you will be docked points and you might be ultimately disqualified, as happened to our dog. But, as I said, that is a story for another time.
There are directions how to enter the arena, directions how to move around the arena, directions how to approach the judge, directions how to leave the arena.
Directions how to hold your body, making sure to never stand between the judge and the animal. And don’t forget to smile. Always smile. No matter what your animal is doing. Keep smiling.
Though when my sister’s cat bit the judge, she wasn’t smiling that much. But, that is a story for her to tell.
The contestant is to follow the directions. Bad things happen if you don’t.
So many people think that they can go through life and make up their own rules. They think that they can walz up to the pearly gates and explain all the reasons why they should be allowed into paradise, but none of the reasons align with the directions that the Great Judge has given.
Jesus said:
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
Again he said
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
We are to be Jesus’ disciples. If we are not, we are the branch that is picked up and thrown onto the fire.
Jesus said earlier:
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
There is a direction in which to approach eternity. That is through the person of Jesus Christ. Without him we cannot get there.
Why is that the case?
Because we are sinners, and as sinners, we cannot approach a holy God. And as sinners, we deserve judgment for what we have done.
And so on that last day, we can try to show off all of our good points, but it doesn’t take care of the flaws.
We can try to prove how we have created this elaborate network of paths to bring ourselves to the show floor before the judge and how our path should be good enough.
But on that last day, he will look at us, if we haven’t followed his directions, and he will say:
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
At that day, many might say: But, look at all we did! Look at what we tried to do! Look at our intentions!
Jesus said of them:
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
He has given us directions to follow. And those directions are simple. But, so many people refuse to follow them, for so many reasons. Maybe pride. Maybe family. Maybe sin. Maybe disillusionment. Maybe because of a spiritual battle.
Whatever the reason, those who do not follow the directions of the judge, will stand before the judge and be disqualified. Will be sent out of the arena, never to come back in again.
3. Pursue relationship
3. Pursue relationship
The Showmanship contest shows that you know things about your animal and that your animal likes you. You have a relationship with the animal.
The best contestants in the showmanship category have spent time with the animal, building trust, creating mutual knowledge and respect. Through that relationship, they are able to together follow the directions of the judge and present a good showing.
This doesn’t happen overnight.
You remember my sister’s cat who bit the judge. Well, I asked her if my memory was correct.
She texted me back: the next year I vowed to take him back so that he could redeem himself. and he did!”
This was because she spent time with the cat, working with him, building relationship and trust.
This is where my illustration breaks down.
So many places in our culture will talk about following our heart, doing what is best for ourself. Giving ourselves a gift, knowing our self, Doing what is right for me.
However, that’s not what works.
We do not need to have a better relationship with ourselves in order to get good points in the cosmic judging ring.
We need to have a better relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus said
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
There are two directions to look at this from.
First, the path to get to eternity is only through Jesus Christ.
Because of our sin, our imperfections, we are destined to spend eternity apart from God our creator bearing the punishment for our sins for all eternity.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because of all the paths that we took to get to God apart from him, even though he has given us clear directions, we are under his wrath.
Paul spoke to the people of Athens:
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
We cannot do anything to change our status as under the wrath of God, destined to be apart from him forever.
But, God loved us and wanted to reconcile us to himself. So he sent his son, Jesus, to come to earth, to live among us, to experience our lives, but not sin, and to die for our sins, so that whoever believes on him will be saved forever. Our sins forgiven and our relationship with God restored for all time.
We know that he has the ability to give us this gift because Jesus rose from the dead three days later, just as he said that he would.
All we have to do is admit our flaws, that we are sinners and there is nothing we can do to change it, and state our intent to follow the directions of the judge, to approach him through Jesus, believing on him alone to save us, and he will and he will invite us to pursue a relationship with him.
John writes
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Have you made this decision? I encourage you to do it today.
If you have, pursue that relationship. We don’t need to spend more time with ourselves each day. We need to spend more time with Jesus, so that we can know how to live according to what the Judge wants, so that we can have our lives changed and have the strength to live through the hard things. So spend time with Jesus. pray, read your Bibles, and get connected with a local church that preaches the Bible. As you do this, you will see your relationship grow and you will experience a sweetness like non other, until the judge puts out his hand and says: welcome home, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest. Here is your prize.
