[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Easter $C: “To Whom Are You Listening?” or “Do You Qualify?”

Sat May 11 23:00:22 EDT 2019

Forwarded: Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
-------- Original message --------From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org> Date: 11/05/2019  8:25 pm  (GMT-04:00) To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org> Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Easter $C: “To Whom Are You Listening?” or “Do You Qualify?” 

Dear
Friends,

This
Sunday’s sermon is entitled “To Whom Are You Listening?” or “Do You Qualify?” and
is based on the gospel (John 10: 22-30). 
Here it is:  

Does anyone remember to old hymn- “Jesus Calls Us,” by
Cecil Alexander?  It goes like this:

“Jesus
calls us over the tumult of our life’s wild, restless, sea;

Day by
day His sweet voice soundeth, saying, ‘Christian, follow Me!’”

Today’s gospel says the same thing- just not in song.   Jesus says, “My sheep know my voice, and I
know them. They follow me, and I give them eternal life, so that they will
never be lost. No one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).

Did you notice the wonderful promises for God’s
sheep?  They’re proclaimed in today’s
Bible readings.  I’m just going to list
them here:

 Eternal life
 Never lost
 No one can snatch them out of God’s hand.

Then we have all the comforting promises in the 23rd
Psalm.  We recite it at every funeral.  Let’s say the King James Version of that
beloved Psalm together: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters. 
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name’s sake.  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. 
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou
anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

There’s only one problem- true enough- these are wonderful promises,
but- do you qualify?  Let me tell you a
story that hopefully will clarify this question.  Until the terrible war and violence erupted
all over the Middle East, I used to want to go
to Israel
and walk on the very ground that Jesus trod. 
Our wonderful friend- now in heaven with her Lord, Deacon Joan Kemp
actually made it, and this story is about a traveler who also made it.  He truly had a chance to see sheep following
their own particular shepherd.  “This
tourist was traveling in the Middle East. He
saw three shepherds whose flocks had intermingled while drinking water from a
brook. One of the shepherds turned toward the sheep and called out, ‘Manah.
Manah. Manah.’ (Manah means, ‘follow me’ in Arabic.) Immediately his sheep
separated themselves from the rest and followed him.  Then one of the two remaining shepherds
called out, ‘Manah. Manah.’ and his sheep left the common flock to follow him.
The traveler then said to the third shepherd, ‘I would like to try that. Let me
put on your cloak and turban and see if I can get the rest of the sheep to
follow me.’  The shepherd smiled
knowingly as the traveler wrapped himself in the cloak, put the turban on his
head and called out, ‘Manah. Manah.’ The sheep did not respond to the
stranger's voice. Not one of them moved toward him. ‘Will the sheep ever follow
someone other than you?’ The traveler asked. 
‘Oh yes,’ the shepherd replied, ‘sometimes a sheep gets sick, and then
it will follow anyone.’” (John M. Braaten, The
Greatest Wonder of All)  

The answer to the question: “Do you qualify?” depends on you.  You know, we live in a sick, polluted culture
of violence, anger, greed, selfishness, and misuse of God’s precious gift of
sex.  American culture’s chief value can
be summed up in four words: “It’s all about me!”  Have you been brainwashed by American
culture’s values, or are you true to Jesus values?  Which shepherd do you follow?  Look at your actions- don’t bother to listen
to your words, as you decide.  I’m about
to meddle.  Do you courageously speak
God’s truth to help a victim, or do you remain silent- afraid to be called a
snitch.  Are you completely honest, or do
you take what is not yours if you can get away with it?  Do you keep your promises- even if you don’t
feel like it, or do you make excuses?  Do
you help only yourself or those in your family, or do you lend a hand to anyone
who needs it?  Are you loyal to your
boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other, fiancé, wife; or do you have affairs
behind their back?  Do you come to church
every Sunday, or only when it’s not too inconvenient?  Do you cheat to win and/or get good grades,
or are you a person of honor?  Do you act
like a devil behind the wheel, but then like a Christian in church, or do you
respect others- even when no one knows who you are?  Do you follow your peers, or do you think for
yourself?  How do you act when you’re
really angry or frustrated?

I can hear you now- “Oh, Rev. Judy!  You don’t understand!”  If you’re thinking this, you need to know- I
DO understand!  I understand following
Jesus as your shepherd requires love for God, dedication, and
self-sacrifice.  The devil’s way starts
out as the easy way.  Do you remember
last week’s thought for the week: “How do you want to spend eternity- smoking
or non-smoking?”  I intend to follow
Jesus and not our sick culture; and I intend to attain God’s promises.  What about you?  Amen.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated
African-American wisdom statements are posted on our parish’s web site under
“Sermons & Stuff”. The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.org
.

Blessed
preaching,

Judy
Boli

St.
Paul's Episcopal Church

Saginaw,
Michigan

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