I was driving along the highway, half-listening to the radio—just background noise, really—when a familiar phrase popped out of the static: “wild goose chase.” I’m not sure if it was from a news report or a commercial, but it grabbed my attention. My love of quirky expressions kicked in, so I looked it up.

Surprisingly, the phrase didn’t originally involve birds at all. In 16th-century England, a “wild goose chase” referred to a style of horse racing. One horse would lead, and others followed its erratic path—much like geese flying in formation behind a leader. Over time, the horse-racing context faded, and the phrase came to describe any futile or fruitless pursuit. William Shakespeare helped popularize the expression when he used it in Romeo and Juliet.

Speaking of geese, Shakespeare clearly found a golden goose in that play—another idiom meaning something that yields great rewards. Better that than being a silly goose, a playful term for someone acting foolishly. And heaven help you if your goose is cooked—that one has a darker twist. The phrase may trace back to the martyrdom of Jan Hus (his name means “goose” in Czech), a pre-Reformation reformer burned at the stake for speaking truth to power.

Hus, and other reformers after him, stood for justice and fairness—believing that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. In other words, fairness shouldn’t be selective.

This Sunday, June 30, at 9:30 AM, we invite you on a wild goose chase of your own. Not after birds or horses—but after Jesus. In Luke 9:51–62, he begins his journey to Jerusalem and invites others to follow. But the path he offers is anything but straightforward. He speaks of foxes, birds, burial customs, and the cost of discipleship.
Following Jesus might feel unpredictable—but it leads to the greatest “goose egg” of all: the gift of eternal life.
Don’t be a silly goose—join us for worship this Sunday.

Blessings,
Pastor Marc