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| SERMON 7th Sunday of Pentecost July 19, 2009 The Rev. Charles W. Messer |
| 667 Mount Road, Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 |
| Small Parish - Big Heart The little church you've been looking for! All are welcome! |
| Our Mission: To worship the Lord To serve the community To grow the church |
| 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Psalm 89:20-37 or Jeremiah 23:1-6 Psalm 23 Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 |
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…
I don’t mind calling the Lord my Shepherd, but it’s not so flattering to be called a
sheep. I would’ve preferred the screaming eagle of the Lord, I would’ve even
settled for the junk yard dog of the Lord. Sheep aren’t particularly smart. They
scare easily, and have a knack for getting lost. Now, most of us don’t look lost. We
haven’t fallen through the cracks; we look like we’re doing ok… However, the 23rd
psalm would say, "Oh no. It is you. You are like a scared, stupid sheep who has lost
it’s way; who struggles each day just to get by.
The meaning of the word ‘Israel’ means, ‘to struggle with God.’ The Bible is one
long story how people struggled with God. The ancient Hebrews understood God
like a shepherd who cares for his sheep. Like sheep looking for grass in the desert,
the basic essentials like food and water was always in question. Fear a constant
companion; fear of not enough food and water, fear of being alone out in the
middle of nowhere, fear of the boggie man who lurked just over the next hill. They
were afraid that the great Shepherd wouldn’t lead them to green pastures, or that
something more menacing was folling them instead of goodness and mercy.
Nothing was certain. They weren’t certain that the bills would be paid or certain that
they wouldn’t be laid off by the end of the month. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, the God who delivered them out of slavery and parted the Red Sea was fine,
but he needed some help. So, on their own, they sought out for more reliable gods.
Gods who were a who lot more manageable. However, these manageable gods
lead them into unmanageable trouble. Once they hit bottom and there was no one
else, they cried out for God to save them. God did just that, he saved them.
Recognizing that they are as helpless as sheep, Israel returned to the Lord where
the story of God’s salvation was told and retold: we once were lost but now we’re
found, we once were blind but now we see.
The books of psalms describe the disruptive experience of being lost and found,
judged and forgiven, sent away and brought back. It’s the story of a people who
got scared and lost their way, and of the high drama of a God who leaves no stone
unturned in order to find his lost sheep.
So the last thing we ought to be doing is rushing to the 23rd Psalm to be reminded
that everything is OK. We like the peaceful images of green pastures, still waters
and an overflowing cup because we strive for peace and certainty in the middle of
panic and scarcity. When the world’s falling down around us, we could care less
about Israel and their struggle with God. So what…
Besides, most of us can make it to the green pastures on our own. Obviously, they
are never quite as green as we thought they would be. Yet that only makes us work
harder to save ourselves. As we work harder, ironically, we become even more
terrified: ‘I’ll never pull this off, there’s just too much, I’m not as strong as I thought.
Just as we begin to rely on our own strength – that ‘yeah, I got this covered,’ fear
over takes us.
We know what it’s like to be scared. I’m not talking about the kind of fear we have
after seeing a scray movie and wanting to sleep with the lights on, but the kind of
fear that shakes you to the core; the kind of fear that gnaws at your gut at 3 o’clock
in the morning. Maybe it was cancer that did it or a notice that your job had been
eliminated. Maybe it was a phone call from the police late at night, or a spouse
saying, "I’m leaving and I’m not coming back." We speak sometimes of being
scared stiff or paralyzed with fear, but in my experience when I’m freaked out I run.
It doesn’t matter where I run to; I just have to keep moving.
That’s how we get into trouble -- by running, running when we’re lost. It is then that
we make the worst mistakes with relationships, family and work. The same could
be said of churches, schools and governments. Not convinced that the shepherd
is leading us to green pastures, we veer off course, try a short cut and run like
terrified sheep.
Some of us have gotten lost in our battles with disease. Others are lost in grief.
There are some of us who are lost in broken and abusive relationships. And how
many of us are just simply lost in guilt and shame and regret over things in our
past? Trying so hard to find ourselves, we lose sight of who we are, who we were
created to be.
The reason both the psalmist and Jesus spent so much time describing us as lost
was not to judge us, but to drive home the notion that we are utterly lost on our
own.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for
thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me
This is salvation: “thou art with me.” The first step to finding our way home is in
knowing that we’re lost. That is how David survived the valley of the shadow of
death when he was on the run from Saul, how Jesus was able to freely offer his life
for ours, and how that hope arose out of the rubble of collapsed towers in New
York on 9/11. Believing God is with us is how thousands made it through and
continue to struggle in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and how persecuted
Christians in places like Sudan and China continue to worship where the church is
outlawed. It’s how financially struggling families keep from despair, and how those
who mourn for loved ones they see no longer get through one more day.
Sheep are never far from the shepherd. When sheep are in sight of the shepherd,
the worst that the big bad wolf could do doesn’t seem that bad. Sheep don’t have
to find their own food and water, the shepherd leads the sheep to the best places
to graze and calm pools to drink from. All is well for sheep if they stay with the
shepherd.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
I don’t mind calling the Lord my Shepherd, but it’s not so flattering to be called a
sheep. I would’ve preferred the screaming eagle of the Lord, I would’ve even
settled for the junk yard dog of the Lord. Sheep aren’t particularly smart. They
scare easily, and have a knack for getting lost. Now, most of us don’t look lost. We
haven’t fallen through the cracks; we look like we’re doing ok… However, the 23rd
psalm would say, "Oh no. It is you. You are like a scared, stupid sheep who has lost
it’s way; who struggles each day just to get by.
The meaning of the word ‘Israel’ means, ‘to struggle with God.’ The Bible is one
long story how people struggled with God. The ancient Hebrews understood God
like a shepherd who cares for his sheep. Like sheep looking for grass in the desert,
the basic essentials like food and water was always in question. Fear a constant
companion; fear of not enough food and water, fear of being alone out in the
middle of nowhere, fear of the boggie man who lurked just over the next hill. They
were afraid that the great Shepherd wouldn’t lead them to green pastures, or that
something more menacing was folling them instead of goodness and mercy.
Nothing was certain. They weren’t certain that the bills would be paid or certain that
they wouldn’t be laid off by the end of the month. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, the God who delivered them out of slavery and parted the Red Sea was fine,
but he needed some help. So, on their own, they sought out for more reliable gods.
Gods who were a who lot more manageable. However, these manageable gods
lead them into unmanageable trouble. Once they hit bottom and there was no one
else, they cried out for God to save them. God did just that, he saved them.
Recognizing that they are as helpless as sheep, Israel returned to the Lord where
the story of God’s salvation was told and retold: we once were lost but now we’re
found, we once were blind but now we see.
The books of psalms describe the disruptive experience of being lost and found,
judged and forgiven, sent away and brought back. It’s the story of a people who
got scared and lost their way, and of the high drama of a God who leaves no stone
unturned in order to find his lost sheep.
So the last thing we ought to be doing is rushing to the 23rd Psalm to be reminded
that everything is OK. We like the peaceful images of green pastures, still waters
and an overflowing cup because we strive for peace and certainty in the middle of
panic and scarcity. When the world’s falling down around us, we could care less
about Israel and their struggle with God. So what…
Besides, most of us can make it to the green pastures on our own. Obviously, they
are never quite as green as we thought they would be. Yet that only makes us work
harder to save ourselves. As we work harder, ironically, we become even more
terrified: ‘I’ll never pull this off, there’s just too much, I’m not as strong as I thought.
Just as we begin to rely on our own strength – that ‘yeah, I got this covered,’ fear
over takes us.
We know what it’s like to be scared. I’m not talking about the kind of fear we have
after seeing a scray movie and wanting to sleep with the lights on, but the kind of
fear that shakes you to the core; the kind of fear that gnaws at your gut at 3 o’clock
in the morning. Maybe it was cancer that did it or a notice that your job had been
eliminated. Maybe it was a phone call from the police late at night, or a spouse
saying, "I’m leaving and I’m not coming back." We speak sometimes of being
scared stiff or paralyzed with fear, but in my experience when I’m freaked out I run.
It doesn’t matter where I run to; I just have to keep moving.
That’s how we get into trouble -- by running, running when we’re lost. It is then that
we make the worst mistakes with relationships, family and work. The same could
be said of churches, schools and governments. Not convinced that the shepherd
is leading us to green pastures, we veer off course, try a short cut and run like
terrified sheep.
Some of us have gotten lost in our battles with disease. Others are lost in grief.
There are some of us who are lost in broken and abusive relationships. And how
many of us are just simply lost in guilt and shame and regret over things in our
past? Trying so hard to find ourselves, we lose sight of who we are, who we were
created to be.
The reason both the psalmist and Jesus spent so much time describing us as lost
was not to judge us, but to drive home the notion that we are utterly lost on our
own.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for
thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me
This is salvation: “thou art with me.” The first step to finding our way home is in
knowing that we’re lost. That is how David survived the valley of the shadow of
death when he was on the run from Saul, how Jesus was able to freely offer his life
for ours, and how that hope arose out of the rubble of collapsed towers in New
York on 9/11. Believing God is with us is how thousands made it through and
continue to struggle in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and how persecuted
Christians in places like Sudan and China continue to worship where the church is
outlawed. It’s how financially struggling families keep from despair, and how those
who mourn for loved ones they see no longer get through one more day.
Sheep are never far from the shepherd. When sheep are in sight of the shepherd,
the worst that the big bad wolf could do doesn’t seem that bad. Sheep don’t have
to find their own food and water, the shepherd leads the sheep to the best places
to graze and calm pools to drink from. All is well for sheep if they stay with the
shepherd.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
To contact us: Calvary Episcopal Church 667 Mount Road Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 OFFICE The Rev. Charles Messer, Rector Fr. Chuck: frmesser@calvaryepiscopalrockdale.org Website: mail@calvaryepiscopalrockdale.org Office: calvaryoffice1@verizon.net |
