An interesting fact is that the only other time I have preached at Burks UMC was in 2011 on Christ the King Sunday. My pastor/mentored ministry mentor/boss at the time, Nathan Malone, gave me the opportunity to preach during my mentored ministry class. That was at the beginning of my M.Div. studies. I had just started back to Asbury that summer on the M.Div. after having completing the Certificate in Christian Studies in the Fall of 2009 (and receiving it in Spring 2010).
It was a special opportunity for me to preach again at my home church on Christ the King Sunday now at the end of my seminary career and for the purpose of the requirements for Provisional Elder.
I chose the Old Testament passage from the Lectionary readings for the sermon, Ezekiel 34:11-16. The title of the sermon: "The Shepherd King".
I planned to use the first service, the traditional service, as the one for the requirements. That meant the second service was all about worship. As I entered into the process, however, I recognized that the first priority was worship and not requirements, so that was my focus. That was a blessing. Especially when I later learned that there was a tiny technological glitch in the recording of the first service. It was all good. ☺
Though I was somewhat nervous and humbled to preach in my home congregation because a) it is the largest congregation in which I preach and b) it is my home congregation, they were extremely gracious and supportive.
After years of teaching, I have learned to keep water nearby when I speak. I tend to dry up if I speak for more than a few minutes at a time. Finding a place to put a water bottle can be interesting. With a pulpit, it isn't too bad. For the second service, the lectern is clear and there isn't really a place to store anything, so I placed the water bottle on the pew behind me. I didn't take the time to get to it during the 2nd service. Thankfully, my voice didn't crack. At least I don't remember it doing so.
As part of my paperwork requirements, I needed to turn in a verbatim manuscript of my sermon. That is an eye-opening experience. I am pleased that I said "um" only about four times in the first sermon. However, I said "so" more times as a transition than I would like to have said. But I have noticed that I use it in my writing. Therefore, it has made its way into my speech. Something to watch. I haven't listened to the second service yet. But, I got some constructive criticism immediately after the service on a sheet of paper from my teenager. I know I repeated "visual representation" too many times. Such is life. Así es la vida.
I used a different version of the 23rd Psalm in the 2nd service than I did in the 1st service because of the congregation and style. I also changed some references to songs that I had used in the first service. Normal things.
It was a great experience for me to be able to preach at Burks UMC and to preach both services. I am grateful to my lead pastor, Rowland Buck, for allowing me that opportunity. The Associate Pastor, Amy Nutt, and the music director, Wil Martin, were also instrumental in making that day work smoothly for me. The choir and special music were superb in the first service and the worship team did a great job of leading us in the 2nd service. The folks that took care of the technological end of things and made it possible for me to record the service were super too! What a blessing to have such a great team of folks there!
When I post my sermons, I typically post what I wrote prior to delivering the sermon. I will do that again today. It is not exactly what you will hear.
I will also include the videos from the 9am and 11am services of the sermon, in case you want to hear either one.
It was a blessing to be in worship that morning and to preach.
Thanks for sharing with me on my journey.
May you be blessed on yours,
Debra
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TEXT: Ezekiel 34:11-16
(NRSV)
11 For
thus says the Lord God: I myself will search
for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12 As shepherds seek out
their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my
sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered
on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 I will bring them out
from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into
their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the
watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 14 I
will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be
their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall
feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself
will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God.
16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and
I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the
strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
Christ the King Sunday
November 23, 2014
Burks UMC
"The Shepherd King"
Ezekiel
34:11-16
1st
service
This may seem like a strange combination, talking
about Jesus as shepherd and King. Yet,
both images are biblical. Jesus didn't
always meet the expectations of those around him, but he did meet the people
where they were. He loved them, he
listened to them, he healed them, he spoke truth to them. He fed them.
He challenged them. What the
people heard and experienced wasn't always what they wanted nor did they always
accept it or Jesus, but that didn't change who Jesus was. Jesus was and is the Shepherd King.
[MENTION VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF JESUS FOR CHRIST
THE KING SUNDAY.... 2 year Academy]
[What is Christ the King Sunday?]
Today is Christ the King Sunday. It is also known as "Reign of Christ
Sunday". What that means on the
church calendar is that today is the last day of the church year. Today, we celebrate that Jesus Christ is Lord
and reigns in our lives. We can look
back over the entire year and reflect on Jesus-- his birth, his life and
teaching/ministry, his death and resurrection.
Next Sunday begins the Advent season in which we
begin all over again, first by preparing for the coming of the child King.
Today is the bridge between the end of the church calendar
year and the beginning of a new church calendar year.
This morning we asked the Lord to guide us in our
opening hymn. We recognized our need and
our weakness, asking the great Jehovah to not only guide, but to feed us. We were reminded by the choir that the King
is coming.
In the passage from Ezekiel, God spoke about how He
planned to shepherd his people. Yes, I
know this is "Christ the King Sunday", but the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit are a 3-in-1 package for us all, so let's look again at God's
promises as shepherd to the people.
[MENTION back of bulletin for notes if/as desired]
What do we learn about God as shepherd
in this Ezekiel passage?
As a shepherd, God
promises to
--search for his sheep,
to seek them out (v. 11 and 12)
--rescue them (v. 12)
--gather them in and
feed them (v. 13)
--feed them and give
them rest (v. 13 and 14) [the fact that God repeats the feeding part shows how
important this is to nurturing.]
--seek the lost, bring
back the strayed, bind up the injured, strengthen the weak (v. 16) [KEY SUMMARY]
[READ VERSE 16 HERE!]
"I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind
up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I
will destroy. I will feed them with
justice."
God shows care and
concern for the people (the "sheep") here. There is also a lesson for those who
interfere with the flock, but that's a different sermon.
Where are you in this
passage? Are you lost? Strayed?
Injured? Weak? What do you need from the shepherd today? [pause]
There are other
passages in the Scripture that refer to God as shepherd. You might immediately have thought of Psalm
23 as you heard some of these verses. In
fact, many of you likely memorized it growing up. Or,
you've heard it at someone's funeral or life celebration service. The truth is, God IS our shepherd and is there
to comfort us. I learned Psalm 23 in the
KJV as a child when going through confirmation.
That's the version I know best.
However, you may know it in another version or another language. In whatever language and version you feel
most comfortable whether from memory or from your Bible or the pew Bible, or
the screen, would you join me in saying Psalm 23?
Psalm 23:
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in
the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 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.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 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.
--------------------------------------
Thank you.
There are other Psalms
that share the imagery of God as shepherd and refer to us as sheep:
Psalm 95:7
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Psalm 100:3
Know
that the Lord
is God.
It is he that made us, and we are
his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
What do we know about Jesus as shepherd?
Let's look at what the Bible tells us about Jesus as
shepherd:
In John 10, we find it recorded that Jesus shares a
parable about sheep with the disciples.
They have a difficult time understanding. But twice during his sharing, he says "I
am the good shepherd". Verses 11
and 14.
John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep." (NRSV)
John 10:14 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own
know me,"
Then Jesus goes on (verses 15-18)
to explain what his role as good shepherd is:
15 just as the Father knows me
and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I
have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and
they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For
this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it
up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it
down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it
up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Jesus, the good shepherd, has followed in the
footsteps of God, the good shepherd.
Yet, with all this imagery, what is the role of a shepherd? Briefly, I will mention two things.
You may have heard that one of the roles of a
shepherd is to lay down their bodies across the gateway to protect the sheep
from prey. Also, the shepherd calls out
to his sheep. The sheep learn to listen
for the voice of their shepherd among the voices of the other shepherds. They know their shepherd's voice and respond.
You can see how the people hearing God and Jesus
speak about themselves as shepherd would relate because they knew these aspects
(and others) of a shepherd well in their society and time.
TAKE AWAY
Where do you find yourself hearing the call of the
Shepherd King today? (pause) Where do I?
As sheep, are we weak? Injured?
Needing nourishment? Are we
willing to surrender and rest and allow the shepherd king to take care of
us? Will we follow?
Take a moment of silence to reflect on how the
shepherd is speaking to you this morning.
Listen for the shepherd's voice. [ALLOW SILENCE!]
I encourage you to write down anything you may have
thought about during the time of silence.
Pray about it. Share it with a trusted
friend, your Sunday School class or other small group.
I came across a quote from Henri Nouwen on the topic
of the good shepherd. Nouwen's writings
often encourage, inspire, and challenge me.
The quote came from the reflective readings in A Guide for All Who
Seek God. Nouwen reminds us whose we
are: "I do not belong to the powers and principalities that rule the world
but to the Good Shepherd who knows his own and is known by his own. In the presence of my Lord and Shepherd there
truly is nothing I shall want."
Know that the shepherd loves you enough to seek you,
heal you, feed you, and give you rest.
Because of his love for you, for me, for all... let
us rejoice, the Lord IS King! Amen!
(closing song)
BENEDICTION:
Go forth to serve in the strength, love, and
presence of the Jesus the Shepherd King.
Amen. (adapted) (Upper Room blue
book-- A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants, 341 )
9am service
11 am service
