[Propertalk] Fwd: Proper 11 b [Part 2 of 2]

[Joe Parrish]

[Part 2 of 2]


Forwarded with permission of Bob Morrison, 
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY, Oregon:




 Oh yes, we can have our cantankerous, self-powered moments, when we feel as if we’re not getting the attention we think we need. But WE ARE shepherds to the world. We who’ve been nurtured by Jesus, we who’ve been baptised into new life, and nourished at God’s altar; we have a responsibility for everyone around us.
They may look – sometimes, at any rate – like a somewhat scraggly, strong-minded, independent bunch of sheep, of course. We looked that way ourselves once. But we’re MUCH better now! 2 We’ve made the commitment to follow Jesus. We recite the Cree, we’ve asked forgiveness for things done and left undone – including leading people up to and possibly over the edge of cliffs before skipping out the back door. But between these two acts in the liturgy each week, how seriously have we acknowledged the petitions in the Prayers of the People – OUR Prayers?       When we pray for the leaders of the Church and the State; when we pray for all those who have any sort of authority and responsibility; when we pray for those who seek desperately for someone to lead them through financial difficulties, and medical decisions, and the day-to-day routines which can bog us down so readily; we someone guides us in making our petitions, do we say, aloud or in our hearts and minds, “Sure. Whatever, God.” And move on to the next vacuous thought that’s trying to suck our faith dry? Do we see these petitions as an opportunity to draw closer to God with all that troubles us? Do we see these petitions as a way to draw closer to God with the thought that, yes, we CANdo something for others. We CAN lead others. We CAN respond to others’ needs. In God’s power and with God’s grace we have the ability to make a difference in many people’s lives, from the person standing outside the doors just now to people anywhere and everywhere around the world.         
            Do we REALLY mean those cries for help? God knows how desperate we and everyone else is. God knows how much we and others have been abused, and how much we and others have felt that we’ve been made to feel totally alone, how we and they’ve been left without any sign of encouragement. THAT’S why Jesus said, There are sheep out there who need My help, and you and I together are going to provide that help.
            Before Jesus had even reached the other side, twice it happened. People seemed to sense where they might find Him. They raced, they exhausted themselves, perhaps in desperation to hear another kind word, to feel the touch of His hand, the sheep – the people of God’s pasture – came to the places where they felt sure that Jesus would be, because He, of all people, would respond to their needs. Unlike others, who may have had titles that implied social welfare, or pastoral assistance; unlike others, Jesus meant it when He saw and responded to the needs of those who were bruised in body, mind or spirit.
            Where are these places in which people congregate today? The bus or train stations? The underpasses? The coffee shops? The doorways and steps of Churches? FISH? Helping hands? CASA? Where do people look to find nourishment for their grief-laden anxieties? Where do those struggling with their identities find a calm ear and a soothing voice? Where will they discover people who will not disparage them, and shush them, and hurt them?
            The people of the world, including ourselves, have this enormous hunger. We all have our needs. Everyone seeks beauty. THIS is what people found in Jesus. He may not have been any great shakes to look at, physically. Fortunately, no one was there to sketch Him. But when people looked into His eyes, when people felt the touch of His hands, when people heard the compassion in His voice, they responded instantly. They found themselves in the Presence of God.
            The boundless love, and energy, and humour-filled compassion of Jesus is really so exciting that it should have us jumping up in the pews, maybe even standing on the pews, and shouting, “Yes, Jesus! Feed me! Then I’ll get out so that I can feed the first person I see when I step out of these doors!” But then, we’re Episcopalians! We don’t do that sort of thing. We’re genteel. We smile now and again, but we’re not really into wild displays of trust and affection! But we DO respond, thank God! We DOrespond for ourselves and we DO ask Jesus for His company and leadership. And weDO, in our own ways, respond to those whom we see on either side of the doors of this building. It’s just that we need help to see HOW to respond, when to speak and when to listen, and so on.
            So what about the dangers of the world? What about the things that can sicken us and others? I haven’t read how – or if – animals, REAL sheep, if you will – react to Giant Hogweed, but I DO know that tansy ragwort can devastate herds of cattle. I know that there’s a bounty on tansy. I know that beef and dairy cattle owners can get really agitated if tansy is allowed to spread. The State Department of Agriculture has been working for a long time to eradicate it. Anything which threatens humans or beasts is taken seriously. So it should be so, apparently, with Giant Hogweed.
            There need to be people who show responsibility, who ACCEPT responsibility. That’s what shepherds do. That’s what leaders do. They make sure that the world is a safer place, that there’s proper education about what dangers can cripple is in body, and mind, and soul. There need to be people who walk with us, who sit with us, who listen and who talk with us, about what’s out there, and about how we can live healthy lives without danger of anyone or anything threatening or crippling us.
            Jesus has accepted this responsibility for us, and invites us into His company. Jesus will never, no matter how tired He is, how often He hears the same story or request, how many times people come to Him for the same help over and over again; Jesus never brushes people off. Sometimes He takes us apart from the stress so that we can refocus, and start to breathe normally, and hear the message again. But JesusNEVER turns us away. THAT’S why we’re much better now!
            You don’t need me to spell out that our world is filled with Giant Hogweed – with things that can be dangerous, and debilitating, and alluring; things that can harm us and others incredibly. But we have a Field Guide par excellence who walks with us, who points out what may harm us and our ministries, and who invites us to listen.
            What remains, then, is that we each ask ourselves, “What sort of a leader am I for others?”
 
NOTES:


[1]           Huge new noxious weed is invading Oregon | Oregon State ... extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/566
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CC0QFjAFahUKEwjVwJ7StDGAhVIf5IKHRueCo8&url=http%3A%2F%2Fextension.oregonstate.edu%2Fgardening%2Fnode%2F566&ei=mQyoVZWQOMj-yQSbvKr4CA&usg=AFQjCNEOzDqzyEeL1PO6YQcSMBSKZvvxDA&bvm=bv.97949915,d.aWw
 
2           But I'm feeling much better now - YouTube  ▶ 0:31    www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8KdtJOCzOU https://youtu.be/M8KdtJOCzOU 



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-------- Original message -------- 
From: robertpmorrison at charter.net  
Date: 07/16/2015 6:50 PM (GMT-05:00)  
To: "'JoeParrish at compuserve.com'" <JoeParrish at compuserve.com>  
Subject: Proper 11 b  
  
 
Joe, through the beginning part of the week I wrote a draft copy of this, without the last several paragraphs plus a few edits, on scratch paper and have just typed it out and added some bits. No doubt there are typos of mind as well as finger! 
 
Bob Morrison
 
  
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY                                8th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
  
2 SAMUEL 7:1-14a                                                                                                               PROPER 11 B
  
EPHESIANS 2:11-22                                                                                                          PSALM 89:20-37

  
MARK 6:30-34, 53-56                                                                                                           19th JULY, 2015
  
 
  


 

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