Sunday, May 06, 2018

sermon, "In The Name of Jesus...", by Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, Patten, ME, April 22, 2018



 April 22, 2018

Stetson Memorial UMC
1John 3:16-18 The Voice
John 10:14-18 MSG
Psalm 23 MSG


“In The Name Of Jesus…”

The Lord be with you…
And also with you…
Let us pray…
Pray that the words spoken are not my own but God’s Words…

A reading from the gospel of according to John chapter 10, verses 14-18. Listen to and for a Word from God to His resurrected people…

Good Morning…
Jesus used metaphors, parables, when He spoke. It would change each time He was talking to a different group of people. Jesus really wanted the people to understand about the Kingdom of God an all that it holds or humanity.

On this particular day, He spoke of Himself as being a shepherd, the Good Shepherd to be exact. Now the scripture doesn’t tell us if He was talking to a bunch of shepherds in the field, or maybe the owners of herds of sheep wo had others look after them. But one thing was or sure, He wanted them to know about how God, the Father, wants all to be included in the sheepfold.  He was giving them an example of how they should live their lives on the line as they tended the sheep and also bring the others in… (I wonder if they ever understood about the love that was shown for the sheep)

He even spoke of His death and resurrection in this scripture…in metaphor of course.  Even though He was talking their language, I don’t think they really understood.
Funny thing about those shepherds. In the evening they would bring the sheep into a pen area that had only one gate. After they had gathered them all they would lay down in the opening so that nothing would get through to attack the sheep. They would be the first thing that the predator had to deal with before getting to their prey. The really did lay their lives down for the sheep. 

But those sheep that were watched over by someone hired to watch them would not stand a chance. These hired hands would not risk their lives or these animals that didn’t even belong to them. The shepherds loved their sheep. As a matter of fact, they were like family to them. They were going to fight tooth and nail to save their four-legged family.

The interesting thing in this scripture is that Jesus talked about other sheep. Now shepherds may rest their flocks at night together, but they were interested in their own sheep, the ones that they oversaw. Jesus was talking about a radical love of others. Jesus was talking about not only being concerned with the shepherd’s own sheep but of others that were out there without a shepherd to watch over them.

Jesus was not only talking to the audience before Him but also to the audience that were after them…the audience that would over 2,000 years later would hear the metaphor. Jesus was talking to the church…you and I who are the church. We are to be more like a shepherd than the hired hand. We should be concerned with those who are not part of the flock.

So, my question to you is this. Do you think that the church is more like the hired hand or the shepherd? Give time to answer. Why? Give time to answer. Don’t get me wrong, I know all churches are not the same and I know there are many churches out there that are being concerned with and loving the other sheep. Probably more than not actually.

1 John 3:16-18 tells us gives us instructions, a guideline so to speak, that tells us how to live as shepherds instead of being more like the hired hand…

1 John 3:16-18 The Voice (VOICE)
16 We know what true love looks like because of Jesus. He gave His life for us, and He calls us to give our lives for our brothers and sisters.
17 If a person owns the kinds of things we need to make it in the world but refuses to share with those in need, is it even possible that God’s love lives in him? 18 My little children, don’t just talk about love as an idea or a theory. Make it your true way of life, and live in the pattern of gracious love.

When we reach out to others and give of our time…our life…we are being the image of the Good Shepherd. When we decide that others don’t belong with us and treat them as outsiders…even to the point of metaphorically running away from them we are like to hired hand. When we decide that this or that group of people are not worth us sharing our …fill in the blank…with we are no longer shepherds but have become hired hands. When we decide that our bank accounts are more important than reaching out to our community, we are not being a shepherd but a hired hand.  

Some of you may have heard me say that I am not only appointed to this church but also to this community. In being such, I am concerned for all of you here, but I am even more concerned with those out there who are not a part of the sheepfold, Now I am not talking about just our sheepfold. I am talking about the sheepfold of the Good Shepherd. You all are part of a sheepfold and are safe behind the gate area. You have a shepherd that would fight off any bad…fill in the blank…for you. But they are out there all alone with no one to sit in the gate area and keep them safe.

Church, we, as Christ followers, cannot give this whole “loving others thing” just lip service. We need to give it life service. Jesus gave us the example of how to love others with a radical kind of love. We are called to be the image of Jesus in the world and that also includes showing His love and compassion. We are the small “s” Shepherd for the BIG “S” Shepherd. The One who loved humanity to the point of His own death to save it. People…Love is not just a word…it’s a noun and a verb and we need to not be hiding it because that would be absurd… my word. 

Amen…








==============
May 6, 2018


April 29, 2018
no longer shepherds
April 29, 2018
more like a shepherd
April 29, 2018
without a shepherd
April 29, 2018
a radical love of others
April 29, 2018
his own sheep
April 29, 2018
in the gap, the doorway, the gate
April 29, 2018
the shepherd loves the sheep
April 27, 2018
when their eyes are opened
edited/merged April 27, 2018
they would understand later – v2
April 27, 2018
their eyes had not yet been opened
April 27, 2018
they really didn’t understand
April 27, 2018
they would understand later
April 27, 2018
Speaking right to them
&
April 27, 2018
I give you control - 2
Pastor Ruth’s prayer before the sermon
&
edited April 24, 2018
they all have been born after Columbine – v2
edited April 23, 2018
they all have been born after Columbine
April 22, 2018
born after Columbine
written during prayer time
about 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting
April 20, 2018
&
April 22, 2018
I’m all good, at peace
April 22, 2018
Fourth Sunday of Easter
1 John 3:16-24 (The Voice)
John 10:14-18 (The Message)
Psalm 23 (The Message)
and sermon: “In the Name of Jesus”
video
text

by Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
8AM Live
meditation blog
“God’s Whisper” blog                             
Children’s Message
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
April 22, 2018

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 46,880 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Christ, Faith, God, Spirit, love, grace, prayer, faith, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, poem, healing, Psalm 23, shepherd, Good Shepherd, sheep, John 10, 1 John 3,

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