November 24, 2013
Stetson Memorial United Methodist
Church
Sermon
6 of Fall Series
“Shepherd
Us O God”
Jeremiah
29:11 Common English Bible
2
Timothy 4:7-8 Common English Bible
John
14:1-3 Common English Bible
Psalm
23:6 King James Version
“Shepherd
Me O God” by Marty Haugen
“From
Here To Eternity”
A reading from
the Psalms, Psalm 23, verse 6. . . listen for the voice of the Shepherd to you
and me, the sheep of His flock. (Read from the King James Bible)
Psalm 23:6 King James Version (KJV)
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
“Shepherd me O
God beyond my wants,
beyond my
needs, from death into life.
Surely your
kindness and mercy follow me all the days of my life;
I will dwell
in the house of my God forevermore. (Sing)
I don’t know about you but there are
times. . . I hate waiting. It is usually those times when I am in a hurry and I
have to wait. . . being in a hurry probably makes the time seem to go by slow.
I may be in a line at the grocery store and it just seems to take forever. How
bout at the doctor’s office? That seems to take so long. You get there before
time so that you can be sure to be on time and you get to hurry up and wait.
Why do so many things take so much time? We may use sayings like “it seems like
an eternity” when we have to wait. But what is eternity really like? Actually,
how long is an eternity?
Over the past few weeks, we have been
journeying with the Shepherd found in the 23rd Psalm, the Good
Shepherd. We have learned that we have no wants because of our Shepherd, our
Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. . . how we are never without Him. . . this same Shepherd.
. . wants to bring us to peaceful pastures where we can rest beside the calm
streams of living water He gives so freely to all of His sheep. We know that He
is the only one who can truly restore us and when we are restored we are guided
on the path of righteousness for His name. . . not our own. And when we can
become “cast sheep” stuck on our backs unable to get up . . . Jesus is the only
one who can set us right again. We know that we can feel comfort from our
Shepherd in times of chaos. . . because we have His presence. Last week. . . we
will heard how we have victory in and with our Shepherd but we also need to
have that daily anointing with the oil of God’s Word that pours down from
heaven. . . for you and for me. . . so that we can draw close to our Shepherd.
This week we are at the end of the Psalm. . . when we recite that God’s
goodness and mercy follows us as we live out our faith walk and after our
journey is complete, we get to be with God forever. . . for an eternity. . . in
heaven.
So. . . what is an eternity? Well, Webster’s Dictionary defines it as:
: time without an end
: a state that comes after death and
never ends
: time that seems to be without an end
Wow. . . that seems really long. . . a
time without end. We, as Christians, live
here on earth and everything has a time table. To be somewhere without time is
almost mind boggling.
Vocabulary.com states:
“Eternity
means "forever," like living for all eternity. Or it can mean
something that seems like it will go on for forever, like waiting an eternity
for your sister to get out of the bathroom.
Eternity
means "time without end, or infinity," like people who promise to
love one another for eternity — they aren't planning to ever split up. When you
put the word an before eternity, you can use it to describe a very long — too
long — period of time, so that you can use it to complain. For example, you
might use the phrase "it felt like an eternity," after waiting twenty
minutes to get an ice cream cone.”
Now I don’t know about you but being
with God for “an eternity” is not something I would complain about, it will be
awesome to be in His presence for “an eternity”. . . a time that never will end.
. .
So. . . we have been talking about sheep
during our journey with the God Shepherd and how we are very much like our four
legged friends son let’s see what the shepherd has to say. . . Now throughout this journey we have talked
about how the flock’s welfare depends completely on the shepherd who cares for
them. If the shepherd is good and cares for the sheep they are safe and secure.
But. . . if the shepherd cares not for the sheep their life has a much
different outcome. . . one of danger and despair. Now we come to the part where
the Psalmist puts it all out there with a simple statement “Surely goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life.” The
sheep knows, without a doubt, that their good shepherd will treat them with
goodness and mercy. They have been cared for with tenderness and love and they
can believe that it will continue.
We. . . as with the sheep of the pasture.
. . can rest assured in our Good Shepherd who wants nothing but good in and for
our lives. But how many Christians really feel this way about Christ? How many
really feel that no matter what happens they are being followed by goodness and
mercy? I mean I would love to say “hey that’s me. . . I never feel any
different. . . I always know that goodness and mercy follow me.” It is easy to
say but how about those times when things aren’t going so well. How about those
times when our health fails or our finances are in a rut? How about those times
when the enemy seems to be winning in our lives or the world around us? What is
our reaction when we lose a job and there is no income coming in?
These are the times that our confidence
in Christ is put to the test. In these times our natural reaction may be fear
and doubt. We, as humankind, don’t always comprehend what God is really doing.
We may even think that He doesn’t know what He is doing or even worse, we may
think He no longer cares for us. But even as we may doubt God’s good intention,
He never gives up on us. He continues to follow us with His goodness and mercy.
God is love and that’s all there is to His motives, love. There is no
difficulty, dilemma or disaster that can come into our lives that the Good
Shepherd can’t eventually turn good out of the chaos we are in. This is what
build our faith and trust in the Shepherd.
Look at sheep. Now when they are managed
right, they can be such a benefit to the world around them and for others who
come after. When they are taken care of and moved along as they should, their
manure provides for the land they leave behind. Not too much and not too little
time spent there will be a benefit to those who come after with creating lush,
we fertilized, good soil. They eat the weed and other things that can invade a
field make them kind of a weed killer. And you know what. . . we too can help
others. . . even in our moments of chaos. You see the Shepherds goodness and
mercy follows us all the days of our lives and this same goodness and mercy can
be left by us. . . pour out onto the world from our cup that runneth over. . . leaving
a legacy for others as we go through our lives. Do we leave a trail of gladness or sadness behind us? Do people think
of goodness and mercy when they remember us or would they rather forget us? Do
we leave blessings or curses behind? Is our life a pleasure or a pain to those
around us?
And now my favorite part of the Psalm “I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.” Here the Psalmist. . . and hopefully we Christians, is so utterly
satisfied with their life and fully content under the Shepherds care that there
is no other place they would rather be than with his Shepherd. There has been
an affection that has grown with time with the Shepherd that is unshakable. You
see, a good shepherd, builds a great affection and devotion to his sheep. He
would never part from the sheep of his herd.
Healthy, happy, productive sheep are his
delight. His good and kindly acts towards the sheep are always part of his mercy
for and to them. We, as humanity are
often harsh and vindictive with one another. You can always see his
compassion and tenderness towards the sheep. Even the most flagrant of sinner
find forgiveness with the Good Shepherd whereas there is only condemnation and
cruel criticism found at the hands of other humans. Do we, as Christians sit up on our “high horse” and look down at
others or do we identify with the sinner and extend to goodness and mercy we
are given by our Shepherd? Do we see them with the compassion and love of
Christ? Are we willing to overlook the faults of others and give them the
forgiveness and mercy we are given from God for our own mistakes? We live in a fallen. . . hurting world. . . how
do we welcome others when they come to find affection, love and forgiveness? The
person who knows firsthand about the goodness and mercy of God in their own
life will be warm and loving with goodness and mercy towards others. We can be
that blessing of and to God. We are blessed to be a blessing.
As our Shepherd looks upon us as we
share that love for others tenderly and with pride. He loves His sheep dearly.
He see the years that His goodness and mercy have followed us without slacking.
. . and longs to see the same goodness and mercy in His sheep. . . in you and
in me. And not only shared with others but shared back with Him as we sing for
joy to Him our Savior. He longs for our love and we love Him because He loved
us first.
Let us continue to be that sheep of the
sheepfold of the One who came to give us life, our Risen Lord Jesus Christ who
is the King of kings and Lord of lords. You see our Good Shepherd is not just a
shepherd; He is also the King of our hearts and lives. May we truly sing along
with the Psalmist as well as with the sheep of the Good Shepherds sheep fold
through the ages of time for we are loved “From
Here To Eternity”:
Shepherd
me, O God beyond my wants,
beyond
my fears, from death into life.
(Refrain)
God
is my shepherd, so nothing shall I want,
I
rest in the meadows of faithfulness and love,
I
walk by the quiet waters of peace.
(Refrain)
Gently
you raise me and heal my weary soul,
You
lead me by pathways of righteousness and truth,
my
spirit shall sing the music of your Name.
(Refrain)
Though
I should wander the valley of death,
I
fear no evil, for you are at my side,
your
rod and your staff, my comfort and my hope.
(Refrain)
You
have set me a banquet of love in the face of hatred,
crowning
me with love beyond my pow’r to hold.
(Refrain)
Surely
your kindness and mercy follow me all the days of my life;
I
will dwell in the house of my God forevermore.
(Refrain)
Amen!
November
24, 2013
Christ
the King Sunday
6th
and final service of Fall Sermon Series:
“Shepherd Us O God”
Psalm
23:6 King James Version
Jeremiah
29:11 Common English Bible
2
Timothy 4:7-8 Common English Bible
John
14:1-3 Common English Bible
“Shepherd
Me O God” by Marty Haugen
Psalm
23
Prayer
of Thanksgiving
“For
this prayer”
by
Raymond Foss
children’s
sermon
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
sermon “From Here To Eternity”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
November 24, 2013
&
November
23, 2013
Sermon
5 of Fall Series
“Shepherd Us O God”
Psalm
23:5 King James Version
Psalm
144:15 The Message Bible
Psalm
68:3-4 The Message Bible
1
Chronicles 16:30-33 The Message Bible
“Shepherd
Me O God” by Marty Haugen
5th
service of Fall Sermon Series:
Psalm
23
Prayer
of Thanksgiving
“We
come to worship You”
by
Raymond Foss
children’s
sermon
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
sermon “Oh Happy Day”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
November 17, 2013
&
Sermon
4 of Fall Series
“Shepherd Us O God”
Deuteronomy
7:9 MSG
Numbers
23:19
Psalm
23:4 King James Version
Psalm
139:23-24 King James Version
“Shepherd Me O God” by Marty Haugen
4th
service of Fall Sermon Series:
Psalm
23
children’s
sermon
When you are afraid and
need something to hold onto,
hold onto Jesus, hold
onto God.
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
sermon “Just A Prayer Away”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
November 10, 2013
&
Sermon
3 of Fall Series
“Shepherd Us O God”
Psalm
23:3 (King James Version)
James
3:18 (Common English Bible)
Psalm
31:24 (Amplified Bible)
Isaiah
40:29 (Amplified Bible)
Psalm
32:8 (Amplified Bible)
“Shepherd
Me O God” by Marty Haugen
3rd
service of Fall Sermon Series:
Psalm
23
Lord’s
Prayer
All Saints Sunday
Communion
children’s
sermon
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
sermon “Strength For The Day”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
November 3, 2013
&
Sermon
2 of Fall Series
“Shepherd Us O God”
Psalm
23:1-2 (King James Version)
James
3:18 (Common English Bible)
2
Samuel 22:3 (New Living Translation)
Proverbs
14:30 (New International Version)
Psalm
121:8 (King James Version)
“Shepherd
Me O God” by Marty Haugen
2st
service of Fall Sermon Series:
Psalm
23
Lord’s
Prayer
Offertory
– “I Stand In Awe”
children’s
message
“listen
to the right voices, listen to God’s Word”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
sermon “Safe and Sound”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
October 27, 2013
&
1st
service of Fall Sermon Series:
“Shepherd Us O God”
John
10:11-18 (The Message)
John
10:1-10 (The Message)
John
10:1-18 (The Message)
Psalm
23
Lord’s
Prayer
children’s
message
follow
the bible
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
sermon “The Good Shepherd”
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
October 20, 2013
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