[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 23A

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:


-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Fri, Oct 7, 2011 11:50 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 23A


Dear Friends,
Tomorrow’s sermon is entitled “The Lord Is My Shepherd”  and deals
ith the Psalm (Psalm 23). Here it is:
We have one of my very favorite Psalms- the 23rd Psalm, in our Bible
eadings today, and I’d like to look at it.  This one passage of
cripture has brought comfort and strength to countless Christians
hrough-out the centuries.  It’s a good one to memorize, so you can
epeat it to yourself in stressful times.  My mother had a picture of
esus, the
ood Shepherd in a frame in our kitchen.  Over the years, it got
tained with grease from cooking and dust from the Detroit factories,
ut I can still remember that picture.  Since we’re city folk, it’s
asy to miss subtleties of Jesus, the Good Shepherd image, but that
hepherd carrying the lost lamb over his shoulders made an impressive
tatement about God’s love and care for us.  Let’s examine the Psalm,
erse by verse.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”  We can count on God to
upply all our needs (not wants or desires- needs).  This does not
ean that God will take away the consequences of our sins.  In other
ords, if we gamble away our food money, we can’t expect God to
rovide us with more money.
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”  Sheep usually graze
rom early morning (around sunrise) until late morning.  After that,
hey need to lie down and rest while they digest their food.  Our Good
hepherd also provides rest time for us by commanding us to remember
he Sabbath day and keep it holy.
“He leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul”.  Sheep
ill not drink from fast-moving streams.  Perhaps the water going up
heir nostrils frightens them, since sheep frighten very easily.  Fast-
lowing streams also pose a threat to sheep because if they lose their
ooting and fall in, their heavy coats usually become saturated with
ater and they drown.  Often the shepherd will make a cup with his
ands so the sheep can drink from it.  Our Good Shepherd provides holy
ood and drink (his Body and Blood) to give us the strength to
ontinue.
“He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.”  Sheep
now the voice of their shepherd and they follow when he or she
alls.  One of my Internet friends visited the Holy Land and told of
er experience while in Israel regarding sheep and shepherds.  Passing
y a field with many sheep while touring, she noticed that many of the
heep had different colored paint marks on their sides.  She asked the
our guide what the colors meant.  “Oh, those sheep don't belong to
he shepherd.  He's just a hired hand,” responded the guide.  “How can
ou tell?” asked the tourist.  “What do the colors painted on have to
o with that?” “A real shepherd (one who owns the sheep) knows his
heep and they know him,” said the guide.  “These sheep have paint
arkings because a hired hand is watching several different flocks for
he shepherds and the hired hand never gets to know any of them.  He
as to have the paint to tell them apart.  A real shepherd just knows
nd calls.”  In John (10:27-28), Jesus says: “My sheep know my voice,
nd I know them. They follow me, and I give them eternal life, so that
hey will never be lost.”  Sheep don’t get in trouble or danger
ecause they know the voice of their shepherd and follow him.  What
bout us?  Do we know the voice of the Good Shepherd because we pray
nd listen daily or do we just go with whoever speaks the loudest or
ost convincingly?
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
ear no evil; for thou art with me.  Thy rod and thy staff, they
omfort me.”  There is an actual valley of the shadow of death in the
oly Land.  It has an extremely narrow path for the sheep to use.  In
act, in one spot the shepherd makes the sheep jump across a gully
hat is about 18 inches wide.  Wild dogs and other wild predators
ften wait for a sheep or lamb to fall into the gully.  When this
appens, the shepherd uses his rod to beat back the attack while he
ses his staff to hook the sheep or lamb and bring it up to safety.
od does the same for us.  In those difficult times in our lives, in
he time of our death- we can count on God to protect us and reach out
o bring us safely to him.
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”
ach morning before the shepherd lets the sheep out to graze, he
nspects the pasture.  He clears it of poisonous weeds and snakes.  He
lso fills in all the holes that might catch a sheep’s leg and cause
njury.  In the same way, our heavenly Shepherd looks over our coming
ay to be sure there is nothing that we can’t handle in his Name.
“Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”  When the
heep come into the pen for the night, the shepherd inspects each one
arefully for cuts and insects.  He applies healing oil to cleanse and
egin the healing process for wounds.  In the same way- when we say
ur bedtime prayers, our Heavenly Shepherd cleanses our souls and
eals the wounds of the day.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
nd I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  This promise is a
ift from the Lamb of God who redeemed us on Calvary.  I’m going to
epeat a story I’ve told numerous times of how the blood of one lamb
aves another, and how the Blood of our Passover Lamb saves us.  This
rue story offers the best example I’ve ever heard of how Jesus, the
amb of God, saves us from our sins.  Remember how- just before we
eceive Holy Communion- I bread the Holy Bread and say, “Christ, our
assover, is sacrificed for us.”  Jesus has become the “Lamb of God
ho takes away the sins of the world.”  Have you ever heard of Jeff
mith, also known as the Frugal Gourmet?  (He used to be on TV years
go.)  Anyway, in his book called The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast,
e tells about a conversation he had with a shepherd from the Middle
ast.  He learned that very often during lambing season, the shepherd
ould awaken to find a dead mother sheep with a live baby lamb and
nother live mother sheep with a dead baby lamb.  The mother sheep
hose lamb has died has milk ready to feed a hungry lamb, but no
abies.  The lamb whose mother sheep has died is starving for lack of
ilk.  Easily solved, you think.  Just let the orphan lamb suckle from
he childless mother sheep.  Great idea, but it won’t work; because
he mother sheep knows the orphan lamb doesn’t smell like her baby.
o you know how the shepherd solves the problem?  He drains the blood
rom the body of the dead lamb and washes the live orphan lamb with
hat blood.  Now the orphan lamb smells like one of her own, and the
other sheep will adopt the orphan and feed it.  That’s what God did
ith us- washed us in the Blood of his Lamb- Jesus, the Christ, so we
ould be adopted as sons and daughters of God and freed from our sins.
So, where are you in all of this?  Have you accepted Jesus as your
ood Shepherd?  If not, just invite him into your life right now and
hen seal it at the altar as you come up for Communion?  Do you follow
im daily, or do you just expect him to rescue you every time you get
ourself in trouble?  Do you spend enough quiet time with our Lord so
ou recognize his voice, or do you keep busy, busy, busy with the
adio blaring, the TV on, or the stereo blasting away?  Finally, is
esus not only your Good Shepherd, but your MODEL Shepherd?  Do you
ust happily accept God’s blessings, keeping them to yourself; or do
ou reach out and touch?  May God bless us as we follow our Good
hepherd.
For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
isdom statements are posted on our parish web site. The address is:
ttp://www.stpaulsepisag.com .
Blessed preaching.
udy Boli
t. Paul's Episcopal Church
aginaw, Michigan

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