Shine as the Light of Christ in the World

 Epiphany II

Jan 17, 2021

Fr. Phil Eberhart

1 Sam 3:1-20 

Ps 63:1-12

1 Cor 6:9-20 

John 1:43-51

Shine, Jesus, Shine!!

Welcome to those who are with us this morning in person, on Zoom and on FB live.  My prayer this morning is for you as the People of God, as we stand together in fasting and prayer for our nation, for our churches and for ourselves.  Everyone is tired of the word, UNPRECEDENTED, these days.  We've never experienced most of what 2020 and now 2021 seem to be bringing our way.  I heard one preacher last weekend say, "2021 looked at 2020 and said, 'Here... hold my beer!"  The other word that seems to be floating about these days alot is UNCERTAIN.  None of us knows for sure what lies ahead.  We're uncertain of our leadership, uncertain of our economy, uncertain of our health ... much of what we actually have taken for granted over the past 100 years in America is being 'shaken' up.  Do you have that sense?

This morning our scriptures and our prayers are focused, by God's providence once again, on the answers that we need to hear, so I pray... God give us ears to hear today, as you speak to us, corporately and individually.  Give us attentive, hearing hearts - hearts of wisdom that hear, listen and obey.  IN Jesus NAME,  AMEN.

I'll begin and end today with our prayer from the collect of the Day:

Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth 

I will break that prayer into 4 parts and give you a framework for our actions in the midst of our times, and I pray that God will make us like the "men of Isacaar" who understood the times that they lived in and acted accordingly.

First, Part 1:  We have seen the enemy and he is US!

Whenever God speaks of the need for judgement, He is speaking to the "household of God."  Our prayer begins "GRANT THAT YOUR PEOPLE..."

The familiar verse from 1 Chron 7 that if so oft quoted (for the last 40 years) is addressed to MY PEOPLE:

IF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES AND PRAY, WILL SEEK MY FACE AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND I WILL HEAL THEIR LAND.

My People, called by My Name

Their wicked ways!

At the famous PROMISEKEEPERS gathering at Mile Hi back a couple decades ago, Henry Blackaby was heard to say that the problem isn't with the darkness in our land, the problem is with the LIGHT!  The darkness is just doing what it does, being dark!  The problem is that the light is out or so dim as to be of no effect.

Del Tackett, of The TRUTH PROJECT, once commented about the LIGHT, that IT ALWAYS OVERCOMES DARKNESS. Every time I open a closet, the light rushes in, the darkness never falls out of the closet!!  Never!!

Our problem is us.  God's People, The Household of Faith, The Big C Church.

Part 2:  illumined by your Word and Sacraments

What are our sources of LIGHT?  We are not capable of generating "the Light" from within ourselves.  We are the reflective material, the moon to the Sun or The Son!  

Jesus and Paul are pretty clear:  Jesus said, I AM the Light of the World.  He's our source of light, not we ourselves. It's only as we "fix our eyes on Jesus", as we turn to him FACE TO FACE, that we are able to be and do the things that God purposes for us to be and do!  Paul said it this way: 

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

We are illumined by the "glory of the Lord", not by the activities we engage in, or the politics we espouse, not by our level of education nor our list of things we hate.  What does "the glory of the LORD" even mean? 

Well, HIS GLORY is first of all, HIS PRESENCE.  The people of Israel as they wandered in the desert, were accompanied by HIS PRESENCE, in fire by night and cloud by day - they were always aware of that presence and their place in relationship to it.  When it moved, they moved; when IT camped, they camped.  

Second, His Glory is HIS VOICE.  Jesus was always saying, Let him who has ears, hear!  The Psalmist tells us, "Thy Word is a LAMP unto my feet and a light unto my path" (Ps. 119:105)  We must pray to have "hearing ears ; hearing hearts" like Solomon did at the beginning of his reign.  When he prayed for Wisdom, he actually said give me a hearing heart!

Jesus commanded us to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven."

Light always overcomes darkness.  In Jesus command, LIGHT = GOOD WORKS.  

PART 3: may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory

I want to challenge us today to shine!  But we become reflective of God's Glory in the Face of Jesus Christ as we begin to look more and more like HIM.  That is why Paul talks so much about our "transformation" our "metamorphosis" - our being changed into HIS LIKENESS.  2 Cor 3, we heard a moment ago.  Romans 12:1-2 are familiar to us as is Romans 8:28-29.  Transformed by the renewing of our mind...  conformed to the likeness of His Son.  This is our destiny, friends.  This is God's purpose for our lives here on this planet.

It makes no difference what the politics of the season are.  It makes no difference what the climate is, rain or shine.

It even makes no difference whether we are liked or whether we are hated.  Our response is to be like Jesus.  And if you don't know what that looks like, then I suggest you avail yourself to the "MEANS OF GRACE" :  HIS WORD AND THE SACRAMENTS.  

We are transformed by connecting our heart with our mind!  And those two must be connected to the source of Light, "setting apart Christ as LORD" and placing ourselves at every opportunity in the proximity of HIS GRACE, HIS PRESENCE, HIS WORD, PRAYER, HIS HEART AND HIS CHARACTER.  Jesus Christ must fill our field of vision completely.  Only then will we truly become like Him.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face...

and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!"

Finally, Part 4:  that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth 

The big WHY?  What difference will it make?  What difference can I make?

YOUR TARGET IS THIS:  that HE may be KNOWN, WORSHIPED & OBEYED

Paul the Apostle said it this way:  

Now, it’s because of God’s mercy that we have been entrusted with the privilege of this new covenant ministry. And we will not quit or faint with weariness. 
2 We reject every shameful cover-up and refuse to resort to cunning trickery or distorting the Word of God. Instead, we open up our souls to you by presenting the truth to everyone’s conscience in the sight and presence of God. 
5 We don’t preach ourselves, but rather the lordship of Jesus Christ, for we are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 
6 For God, who said, “Let brilliant light shine out of darkness,”[f] is the one who has cascaded his light into us—the brilliant dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ.

7 We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that the extraordinary overflow of power will be seen as God’s, not ours. 

So friends, we have a job to do and our work is cut out for us.  We were made for "such a time as this."  Our success does not depend on the political administration, or the economic environment, not even on the sinfulness of men around us.  When the darkness if being dark, as it is today, we are called to BE LIGHT.  To be LIKE JESUS.

LOOKING TO HIM, THE AUTHOR AND THE PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH.  

If we see HIM fully, a full-face view, close up, we will become like Him - transformed into His image, into His character, and THAT - AND THAT ALONE, holds out the promise that we need for the days ahead.

LET US PRAY:

ALL: Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  

John, the Baptizer - Forerunner and Friend of the Bridegroom (Fr Phil)

Advent III

Dec 13, 2020

Fr. Phil Eberhart

John, the Baptizer:  Friend of and Forerunner to the Bridegroom

Welcome to the third Sunday of ADVENT, a season that is "bi-polar!"  For us that's not a bad thing, but it's something we have to be aware of - we are in a season of anticipation, the time of the Forerunner, John the Baptist, who came before and spoke of Jesus, the One who was coming, whose sandals "I am unworthy to untie."  AND...

We are looking forward to His Second Coming in the Isaiah passage and the future (not so far away now, 2000 years later)... 

the future coming of the Kingdom that cannot be shaken, the Peaceable Kingdom, the 1000 year reign of Christ and a new heaven and new earth.

There is a lot to hold in our thinking during this time.

This morning I want to talk about John, the Forerunner and Friend of the Bridegroom.

Our gospel passage is an intimate look at the feelings and the human side of John's ministry, after Jesus has been baptized and gone through his temptations.  Jesus himself comes back to the Jordan river and begins baptizing, in apparent competition with his cousin John.  John's disciples are concerned that everyone will go to Him!  There is a "spirit" of competition that is forming among them for converts.  This morning I want to examine John's responses to them in this regard.

First, John acknowledges that our life is not ruled by the circumstances that we see around us, but by "what has been given from heaven."   So often we spend our time looking around us at the forces of our culture, the other churches that seem to be getting bigger and bigger, the pastors who are making a "name" for themselves, -- all the things that we in our competitive culture see as a threat to our wellbeing or progress.

But John's perspective here is 180 degrees different.  Rather than facing the world around him, John is facing the Father of Lights, from whom every good and perfect gift comes to us.  His perspective is one that first of all, looks for the hand of God in the circumstances around him and acknowledges it when he sees it!  Our friend of many years, Oak McEachren, used to say simply, "IT'S THE LORD ... Let Him do as He wills."  Those words comforted me many times when things were not going how I wanted them to go!  Have you ever experienced that?  Things not going how you want them to go?      Mhmmmm.   Thought so.

When things go awry we often spend our energy bent over our circumstances rather than looking up to the ONE who can actually make a difference in them!

Someone said that "worry is spinning your wheels making no difference - prayer is appealing to the Only One who can make a difference!"   John's perspective was the later one.

The second point I want to make from this conversation is that John knew WHO HE WAS and WHAT HE WAS TO DO.  He was clear in his own mind and teaching that he was NOT the Messiah. He was the Forerunner - the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!"  The one foretold by the other, older prophets.

That kind of clarity of both Person and Purpose is rare, in my experience.  John was raised by Zechariah and Elizabeth, both of whom had striking encounters before John was even born, so much so that they undoubtedly shared these stories with John as he was growing to manhood - John grew up with this sense of personhood and the purpose of a clear calling.  He undoubtedly knew Jesus, before his public ministry, because they were cousins.  Yet, even if they were cousins, John knew his own place and he knew Jesus' place.  That kind of clarity is a gift ... a gift from God, as John points out.  He received it as "given from heaven."

Lastly, I want to point out John's perspective of those who were to follow after Jesus.  He was probably the first to use the analogy of the bride and bridegroom in relation to Jesus and His followers.  Jesus hadn't actually started teaching yet, just barely having begun gathering his own disciples.  But John, here shares his understanding of the relationship that the Messiah is to have with His People!

We, the followers of Jesus, are His Bride!  Now I want you to know that you can spend the rest of your life, just thinking about that reality.  What is it like for us to have a "bridal" love for our Lord Jesus?   I think that is probably another sermon, perhaps a whole series!!

John, here I think for the first time, acknowledges that Jesus is like a bridegroom coming for His Bride, and John is the "friend of the bridegroom."  The friend of the bridegroom is the one who stands and listens for His coming, like a watchman on the wall or on the roof of the house.  

Many times, I've read this passage, as a pastor, and said, "that's me."  Even though I'm part of The Bride of Christ, I am also, as a leader and pastor, a "friend of the Bridegroom!"  Just like John, the Baptizer, I am sent to go ahead - to be a FORERUNNER and to bring the Bride into her readiness for the coming of the Bridegroom.

In many ways, the ministry I've had now for 40 years is one of a Forerunner.  God seems to do things among us - Yes, Little REZ - in the months and years ahead of Him doing things in the wider church.  It's only seen in retrospect, looking back, but God uses us to be like a "spear point" - often the first to enter into what God wants to do.

Let me end by making an application.  John's view of the call and the work he was doing was deeply informed by his knowledge of his place in relation to Jesus.  So often we (especially pastors) have a tendency to get what I call a "messiah complex."  It all depends on me!  But John skirted that issue here and placed the emphasis on the right syllable!  The final statement of John is the most telling of all in this regard:  "He must increase, but I must decrease."  

All of us who would labor "for" Jesus, must adopt this mindset.  John knew WHO he was and he knew WHOSE he was.  Those twin pillars kept him sure and steady as he did his forerunner job and as the Messiah emerged and his ministry ended.

It is a good few words for us to hold in the forefront of our minds as we work in the Kingdom of God today:  HE MUST INCREASE, BUT I MUST DECREASE.

Please pray with me...

  O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  

Advent 1, 2020: The Challenge of "Wokeness"

 Advent 1, 2020

November 29, 2020

Fr. Philip Eberhart

THE CHALLENGE OF WOKENESS

 

Welcome to the New Year, Church!   I am sooooo looking forward to being OUT of 2020 that maybe I'm rushing it a bit.

From the title this morning, "The Challenge of Wokeness" you may think that this is going to be a political sermon... again.  But let me allay your fears today and let you know that this "WOKENESS" is about an actual awakening that both needs to happen, and at some level, is happening in the Church, BIG C!

For many, many years I've preached this first sermon of Advent, on the same need and the same opportunity.  The last words of our Gospel reading from Mark this morning say it all, "KEEP AWAKE!!"

Friends, the times that we live in today, what with all the stuff, the pandemic, the societal unrest, the riots, the wokeness, the political games ... all require of us that we live with our eyes wide open.  It was said of one group in the Old Testament that they "knew the times in which they lived."  Today that is perhaps the greatest gift we can ask for from the Holy Spirit, that like those Men of Issachar, we might know the times that we are part of and how to respond to them.

The command of Jesus to KEEP AWAKE is not just a random wish that the Church would be more aware of its sleepy state.  The fact is that we've been lulled to sleep over decades, especially here in America, by the culture and by the very prosperity that we believe we deserve to enjoy!  "In the lap of luxury" is a phrase that conjures up a certain picture of us being coddled and spoiled, like a new baby with three sets of grandparents who live within 20 minutes!!  

We have spared ourselves no luxury!  There are certainly pockets of poverty, and we help those who are struggling along the way, but the overall picture of America and wealth is that we are at the top of the heap, even those who are at the bottom of the American wealth pyramid, are in the top 1 or 2% of the world.  Why do you think that the "huddled masses yearning to be free" are "teeming on our shores?"  America is still the Land of Opportunity, of Freedom ... and of Sleepiness!

WOKENESS, in this sense, is a heightened awareness of the forces that are at work in our systems, yes it does mean awareness of racism and injustice, but it means a great deal more in this context.  We are in a WAR.  We, THE CHURCH, are engaged in hand-to-hand combat, just like the picture painted for us by Paul in Ephesians 6.  We need to be awake, in full battle fatigues, and ready to engage as a team in the warfare of the spiritual world that is raging for our culture today.

WOKENESS here, is having our eyes wide open to the UNSEEN that Paul speaks about as he recounted his own battle fatigue to the Corinthians.

 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. 

16 So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, 18 because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

Our WOKENESS is our understanding of what is real.  Of the nature of the world we live in, of it's brokenness and need;  awareness of our position and role as THE CHURCH; engagement with the purposes of God in the midst of the times that we find ourselves living in; AND an awakened WISDOM that comes from THE FEAR OF THE LORD.  We must understand WHOM it is that we approach and deal with through Prayer, the power of our weapons of warfare, the need for the armor of His Righteousness.

WOKENESS means additionally that we are aware of our own weakness and lack of strength in this fight.  THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S!  It has always been His and will always be HIS ALONE.  We use the word JUST sometimes mistakenly in regard to prayer!  "Well, all we can do is just pray." Never do that again!!!

Friends, in this challenging time, PRAYER is the primary Weapon of our Warfare!  It is not something that is secondary - its our BIG GUN!  Inside the Kremlin in Moscow sets a cannon that was fired once - its so big that the firing once, broke it.  It stands nearly 15 feet above my head.  That is the size of prayer, though not its effect!!  Our big gun WORKS.

I carry a quote with me from Peter Kreeft:

"I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers to God make, and all the people those little prayers were destined to affect, and all the consequences of those effects down through the centuries, we would be so paralyzed with awe at the power of prayer that we would be unable to get up off our knees for the rest of our lives!'

So friends, this morning on the Church's New Year's Day, I challenge you to be WOKE!  TO STAY WOKE.  TO ACT AS ONE WHO IS WOKE!  AND FULLY SO.

LET US PRAY:

#109. For Watchfulness                                                               Lancelot Andrewes 

Thou, who with thine own mouth hast told us that at midnight the bridegroom shall come: Grant that the cry, “The bridegroom cometh!” may sound evermore in our ears, that so we be never unprepared to meet him, or forgetful of the souls for whom he died, for whom we watch and pray. And save us, O Lord. Amen.

#97. Preparation for Personal Prayer 

Holy Spirit, breath of God and fire of love, I cannot pray without your aid: Kindle in me the fire of your love, and illumine me with your light; that with a steadfast will and holy thoughts I may approach the Father in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who reigns with you and the Father in eternal union. Amen.

Nov 1: I Am Your God; You are My People

Nov 1, 2020

All Saints Sunday

Fr. Phil Eberhart 

I am your God,  you are my people! 

I have to start by saying that life throws us some curve balls once in a while!   I wasn't planning on preaching from Zoom this morning but exposure to an active covid case requires us to quarantine,  for everyone's safety.   No symptoms after 9 days, so we think that we're ok. 

This morning we're also welcoming Fr Edward back in the saddle again here at Rez.   He has come off his sabbatical and will be preaching again in a couple of weeks. 

My shoulder surgery also got postponed as a result to Dec 31.

So... Happy New Year!

This morning is our All Saints celebration and our Covenant Renewal Sunday.   At the back table and on the back of the bulletin is our

2020 Giving estimate sheet.  

(Click above in the RezPadre blog) (cut and paste the form into your email window,  fill in the blanks and email to ... pamebake@comcast.net)

During the breakout time today we will take that 10 minutes to fill the sheet out.  We've got a table at the front for the dedication prayers... you may place the sheet along with phones, wallets, purses e.t.c.   anything you want prayed over and dedicated to the Lord.  If you're on Zoom have those items handy and we're going to hold them in our hands for that prayer. 

We are living in a time right now of high anxiety as our nation surges toward what is an unprecedented election and the final two months of 2020, ... Thank you,  Jesus! 

Someone said that the worst thing about the fall time change this year is that we got another hour of 2020!

_____________

Renewing Covenant is something that the people of Israel did and do every year and that is the point of the yearly schedule of feasts that the Hebrew nation celebrates to this day.   The remembrance of their history and heritage as God's Chosen people is brought to mind and celebrated as it is recited again by young and old. 

Rez by contrast is a blip on the screen,  in our mere 20th year,  born officially in May of 2001 and on a journey of life together since that time.   But the best part of this day is remembering all that God has done,  the many,  many faces of His people, called Rez, and of His extraordinary faithfulness to us on this journey. 

The emphasis today must be on God, who is the maker and keeper of his promises concerning us.  The original promise to Abraham and his people was "I shall be your God and you shall be My People! "

Today we respond to that promise again in an unbroken line of those God calls "My People"... what a story we have to tell of His unfailing love and faithfulness to us all. 

It's not about our faithfulness but His!   I was struck as I listened again to our gospel reading from the beatitudes.   These are the parameters of blessing in the Kingdom of God...

Being 'poor' in spirit,  not spirituality arrogant or self- sufficient. 

Being one who mourns,  I think not for the dead but for the lost,  including ourselves and our own state of constant need. 

Being the meek, the gentle,  the kind. 

Being hungry and thirsty for His righteousness. 

Being the merciful. 

Being the pure in heart. 

Being the peacemakers. 

Being the persecuted. Reviled for His Name's sake. 

"Rejoice," Jesus said! 

If we live out these BE - Attitudes we will experience the blessed-ness of being God's People!   We're going to stand out in a crowd.  Not because of outward differences, but inner ones.   

People wonder why?   What's going on with you.  There's hope, when despair is all around.  There's love, when hate is everywhere.  There's peace when violent discord is the order of the day! 

Believe me,  we will stand out if we're truly God's People! 

Peter told his listeners to "Set apart Christ as Lord,  and to be prepared to give an answer for the hope that us in you! "   

"Let your light so shine,"  Jesus said,  "that all may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven!"   This is our part of the equation.   This is the "be my people" part of the equation.  And when we're living that out day by day we're going to see the "I will be your God" part manifested before our eyes as well.

Let's pray a prayer to begin the renewal process now and we'll move through the process in our prayers and offering time this morning. 

Heavenly Father,  in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit,  that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you,  but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.    Amen.

MY CUP RUNNETH OVER...

 21st Sunday of Pentecost

Sunday, Oct 25

Fr. Philip Eberhart

My Cup Runneth Over...

Welcome this morning to our consideration of Psalm 23 as we move toward our renewal of covenant next weekend on All Saints Day, Nov 1.  Next week is a big week!  Our covenant commitment ingathering will be during the service on Sunday, and we will bless the articles we present to the Lord on our extended Altar table down front here.  

Since we are still both live and virtual, we will have a letter sent this week, outlining our last couple of years financially, that our leadership team for finances and the building have put together.  It will also include a page you can bring with you or send by email to Pam Bradbury.  We will have blank sheets here at the church, in the bulletin, next week for you to fill out during the Break Out time next week and bring to the Altar.

What I want to talk about this morning is our attitude of gratitude, even in the midst of all the trials and tribulations we find ourselves in, we must say, with David, "My Cup Runneth Over!"

How do they say it?  GOD IS GOOD...  ALL THE TIME!   AND ALL THE TIME...  GOD IS GOOD!

Even in the "valley of the shadow of death"  -  even in the time of Pandemic and societal confusion ... I WILL FEAR NO EVIL.

Paul tells his young protege, Timothy, that God has not given us a spirit of Fear...  at every turn when Jesus greets his disciples in surprising circumstances he greets them with the words...  FEAR NOT!   DO NOT BE AFRAID!

This morning I want to ask again, on what basis does Jesus make such a request?  Or is it a command?   FEAR NOT!!  Sounds like an imperative to me - a command from the one who holds all things together (Col 1)

On what basis are we to FEAR NOT?

I AM WITH YOU... My Rod and My Staff will comfort you.

Three things are the basis of our fear-less-ness:

1>  God's abiding PRESENCE...   the angels when speaking of the Messiah, named Him IMMANUEL, which means GOD WITH US.

     Jesus said, I will never leave you or forsake you.  It is the Presence of the God of the Universe in His Son, Jesus Christ, inside of us that gives us the overflowing joy of knowing HIM, WITH US, in every circumstance.  Bad or Good.

2>  The Rod of the Shepherd as an instrument of gentle discipline and protection.  Sheep are sometimes stubborn in going their own way!  The Rod of the Shepherd is that which God uses to gently move us according to His Will and to guard us against the enemies of our soul, even when "they are us!"  Hebrews 12 speaks of the loving discipline of the Father for the son he loves.  There can be no love without discipline!  The Rod of the Shepherd is the primary proof of God's unfailing love in our lives - when he uses his Rod (often our circumstances) to "get our attention" and direct our steps back onto the path of righteousness "for His Name's Sake."

3>   The STAFF of the Shepherd is also used by him, but in different ways.  It is the long rod with the crook on the end.  Jesus, the Gospels tell us, was moved with Compassion because the people of Israel were like Sheep without a Shepherd!  The staff of the Shepherd is the instrument of his compassion in our lives -- not unlike the ROD above, God uses the staff to gently direct our steps into His Ways.  Into the ways of Shalom that are mentioned at the head of the Psalm.  It is always His intention that we experience His unfailing love, his HESED, in real ways, and the STAFF is the primary tool for God to show his compassion in our lives.

FEAR NOT!  

I AM WITH YOU!

MY DISCIPLINE AND COMFORT ARE CONSTANT!

YOUR CUP RUNS OVER!

So as a result of these things, our attitude is one of gratitude.  WHEN the Lord is our Shepherd...  these things are all true, and we are safe, we are With HIM and He is WITH US -  Nothing can separate us from His Love (ROM 8).

Psalm 23 is a set of facts about our life in God's love.

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3     He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

So what is our response to all this?

Out of gratitude we acknowledge Him as our Great Shepherd - our GOOD SHEPHERD who has laid down his life for the sheep.

Out of gratitude we give our lives over to Him,  "We are His People and the Sheep of His Pasture"

Out of gratitude we lay down our lives for Him and for others.

Out of gratitude we live in ways that reflect and mediate His Presence to others around us, day by day.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd.  All that is written above is true of Him and it is true of US.

Let us pray...

God, give us a heart of gratitude for all that You have done.  Let us live lives of thanksgiving for bringing us to this day.

to borrow the words from the Great Thanksgiving:   "we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days."  Let us so live in love, Lord Christ that, all may know You are the Living God who loves us and who has given Himself for us.  In Your Great Name, we pray, Lord Jesus Christ,

Amen

I AM...YOUR...GOOD SHEPHERD

Oct 11, 2020

19th Sunday of Pentecost 

Good Shepherd Sunday

Fr.  Phil Eberhart 

I AM ... Your... Good Shepherd 

Today we're doing several things here at Rez...

We're baptizing Caitlin... and we welcome the Early Clan to Rez for this service and celebration,  as well as those joining us through Zoom. 

This is also the first Sunday of our fall covenant or stewardship series,  aptly named WHEN THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD.  Our study guide for the journey,  by the same name is available through our Amazon Smile account.   I encourage you to get the book and read it this month as we're preparing for our  All Saints Sunday Covenant renewal. 

Today,  I've titled my message

I AM... YOUR... GOOD SHEPHERD. 

Jesus claimed the title,  in fact both titles in that title!   He is both The Great I AM and He is Your Good Shepherd!   Repeatedly throughout the Gospels we hear Him talk about his I Am statements

I Am the light of the world...

I am the living bread from heaven...

     The bread of life! 

I am The Door...

I am the Way,  the Truth and the Life..

I am the RESURRECTION and the life

And,  I am the Good Shepherd!

And today I want to personalize it a bit more...

I AM  YOUR  Good Shepherd! 

We often need reminding that that relationship is ours for the asking.   The image of the Good Shepherd isn't an image of a far off 'presence'...

What I call the Bette Midler god ... watching from somewhere out there! 

While there's comfort at times knowing that we are never outside God's watch care,  more often we need The Good Shepherd,  who is with us,  day and night,  the leader and guide,  the doorway, the protector from the beasts that ravage the flock.   The One whose voice we hear and recognize and follow. 

Jesus took all this on himself in the description in John 10.  He does a deep dive into the role of the shepherd that he plays in our life..

He is our protector,  the gate or doorway through which we enter the sheepfold... an image for the Kingdom of God.  There is no other legitimate way in! 

Once in,  we come to recognize the voice of our shepherd and it's that recognition that enables the rest.   We're enabled to follow,  by that recognition.  We're secure in that recognition and can go where he (the Good Shepherd) leads us on the outside,  in safety and security.   It's about always hearing and heeding His Voice!.

He is our provider.  The Good shepherd provides safe pasture for his flock. 

Jesus takes cues from his ancestor King David the shepherd psalmist. 

The Lord is my shepherd... it's personal.  It's individual and it's corporate... it's both I and it's US.

But I want to dip in for a minute to the psalm and a particular phrase of promise... I Shall Not WANT.   It's a Hebrew word that is used interestingly in the OT, about 26 times. 

Of the receding waters after the floods of Noah's day...  Gen 8

Of the diminishing numbers in Abraham's intercession for Sodom and Gommorah... for the lack of 5?

Gen 18

In Ex 16, of the equity of God's provision in the harvest. 

In Deut 2, of the Lord's miraculous provision during the 40 years in the wilderness.

In 1 Kings 17, of the unending supply of flower and oil in the widow's vessels,  foretold by Elijah.

And many times in the Wisdom literature of psalms, ecclesiastes and song of songs as well as the major prophets of Isaiah,  Jeremiah and Ezekiel. 

Over and over 26 times this same word is used to describe God's faithful provision for his people and his land.  I SHALL NOT WANT.  There is no Recession in the Kingdom of Heaven! 

And my friends,  it's personal.  It's personal provision - not always prosperity or riches,  but equity as we share life and resources together in the Body of Christ,  the Kingdom of God!  

Let's pray this morning for this reality to set in.  To become part of our lives individually and part of our life together.  THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD... I SHALL NOT WANT. 

Oh God of Creation,  You are the one who both watches over us and dwells among us.  You are OUR Good Shepherd, and you are the Great I AM.  Open our eyes to see and hear you from day to day,  leading and speaking so we can follow.  Open our hands to receive all that you want to so generously give us,  both spiritually and physically,  for our life and godliness in your Kingdom.   Apart from you we can

Do nothing, but in you we can say truly... THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD;  I SHALL NOT WANT.

in Jesus name.    Amen.