He Will Save His Flock

Ezekiel 34:20-24 KJV; Christ the King Sunday; He will save His flock from those who prey upon them.

Nothing Can Separate Us From His Love

Romans 8:28-39 KJV; 9th Sunday after Pentecost; Rejoice and give thanks for God's eternal love for us.

Jesus Is The Gate To Eternal Life

John 10:1-10 KJV; 4th Sunday of Easter; Jesus, the Good Shepherd is the door to the kingdom. Follow him rather than anyone who attempts to sneak in another way.

The Good Shepherd Gives His Life For His Sheep

John 10:11-18 KJV; The false shepherds run when wolves approach; but, the Good Shepherd stays and protects the sheep. He even lays down his own life for them.

How Marvelous Is His Works!

Psalm 8;  How Marvelous Is His Works!

He Will Heal Our Land

The One Good Shepherd

Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 

                                                                      (John 10:7-14 KJV)

Are you still wondering when that abundant life is going to be yours?  Have you considered that just maybe you are following the wrong shepherd?

Even in times of trouble those who follow the good shepherd, who is Jesus the Christ, will know peace. They will know peace because they know that Jesus is with them and no matter what dark valleys they travel through he will bring them to lie in green pastures and beside still waters. Jesus will restore our souls.

There is only one good shepherd. Follow him and live life in an abundance of peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Chasing After Jesus

Shepherds Need Rest

And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.

And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.

And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 

                                                                               (Mark 6:30-34 KJV)

The disciples are grieving the beheading of John the Baptist and had just returned from being sent out two by two on a mission journey. The journey and the death would have left them exhausted as it would most of us. Jesus instructed them to go with him to a quiet place so that they could rest. They went by ship; but, people followed them anyway.

It is often this way for shepherds of the flock. Sometimes, there is little time to rest. Sometimes, it is just a matter of completing one thing and jumping immediately into the next.

I will never forget the 4th of July week that I had ten funerals to officiate at. Ten funerals in seven days is a lot. But, during times of epidemics others have had many more. Most of the people I did not know; although, they were all family members of members of the congregation who had moved away and were to be buried from the church they grew up in. I was fried. I did not have time to grieve which was sorely needed as one of the women was also a dear friend. The church ladies were fried as well as they prepared luncheons for all of the families. It took not a little time to be rested and get over the pace of that week. Each morning as I had woke up there was something I needed to get done immediately for the flock.

Jesus' recognized the need for his disciples to have a time of rest. But, when it came to ministering to the flock that took priority.

God give us the wisdom and strength to shepherd your people; to care for them in their times of need.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Feed Them

And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.

And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:

Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.

He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?

He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.

And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.

And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.

And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.

And they did all eat, and were filled.

                                                                                                         (Mark 6:33-42 KJV)

Multitudes followed Jesus out into the desert to hear him speak. So he fed them with the word. They were listening to him for so long that he knew that they not only needed to be fed spiritually with the word but that they also needed to be fed physically. 

The disciples were reluctant to feed them even as so many pastors and congregations are often wary about feeding people who knock on their church doors. They are wary for many reasons. Maybe the visitor will use the financial assistance they are given for alcohol or drugs. Maybe they are just con men or women who make their only living by knocking on church doors. Maybe that person knocking on our church door is here to attack the secretary or maybe even the whole congregation or set fire to the church. But, Jesus, the Good Shepherd,  did not question the multitudes need to eat. He told the disciples to feed them. That ought to remind us that we too are to feed the hungry both spiritually and physically. After all, if someone is starving for sustenance for their bodies they will more than likely be focused on their stomach and not able to hear Good News of eternal life in God's Kingdom; his presence, that we would share with them. 

How good is the Good News if we ignore the fact that those we preach to go without food for physical survival?

God help us to feed your sheep!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Wounded For Our Transgressions

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

                                                                                      (Isa 53:3-6 KJV)

Wounded for our transgressions! He was bruised for everyone of our iniquities! I can't even begin to fathom how many sins he died for. Yet, we continue to sin. Many don't even attempt to refrain from sinning against God and doing harm to others in words or deeds. 

Like sheep we have a tendency to want to do things our own way and do what makes us happy not necessarily what is good and right. Like sheep that have gone astray we end up in thorny bushes or going over the edge into deep ravines that we cannot climb out of without help. 

Who will have the wisdom to turn to the one who died for them; the one who died so that whoever believes in him will receive forgiveness, when they find themselves overwhelmed by the consequences of the wrong that they have done?

Lent and particularly Holy Week is a reminder to us that we are all sinners and without the love of God through Christ Jesus none of us are saved. 

God grant that ears, eyes, and hearts be opened to know and appreciate what God has done for us as he reconciled us to Himself and to one another through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

God Worketh In You

 

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. 

                                                                                     (Phil 2:13-16 KJV)

God has a plan for us; a good plan. He does not leave us alone to do it. He works in and through his children that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. But, often we object to his plan and purpose. We rebel and complain that we should have to assist others in their time of need. We complain because we have to be responsible children of God serving Him and others.

God has a plan for us. His desire was to reconcile us to Himself even though we rebelled against Him. He sent His only begotten Son to suffer and die for our sins that we might receive forgiveness and be reconciled to Him. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Jesus did not complain about the work he did for us on the cross. "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." (Isa 53:7)

Let the world around you complain and argue with one another about what they should or should not be doing instead of doing what they ought to do or refraining from doing what they ought not do. The world tends to be overrun with too many talkers who do not know what it means to actually do. Followers of Jesus have better things to do than to complain about what they already know within themselves is good and right. We are to be the light to the people around us doing what God has called us to do; yet, it is not us who do these things, but, Christ who does all things through us. (see Gal 2:20; John 15:4,5)

Quit complaining and "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt 5:16)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Caring For Others

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.." John 10:14-15 KJV

The secular world has made Advent into a happy time; a time to celebrate. But, for many it is not so. It is a time when many are drawn to thoughts of loved ones who are no longer with them. The empty chair at the table draws them into even deeper sadness. This year many of our elderly have been imprisoned in nursing homes and long term care units. They are not allowed company. They are totally alone. Many families will take out "Christmas" loans, if they can get one, in order to provide their children with gifts simply because this is the tradition of the world. They do not want to disappoint their children and so they will go even deeper into debt so as not to disappoint them on Christmas morning. Did I mention the parties? No? Hmmm.... Well, the trouble that comes from all that "Christmas Cheer" speaks for itself. More trouble... More depression... More loneliness... More divorces... More deaths and empty chairs to grieve over during the next Advent and Christmas seasons.

Advent can be a lonely and depressing time for many. The world thinks we should be happy, happy, happy; so smiles mask the emptiness and sadness because that is what is expected by the world around us.

Advent, is actually supposed to be a time for hope. But, there is little hope if we expect the world to give us answers. The only hope to be found is in the good shepherd. He is humble and he is kind. He is not full of things of this world. His concern is for you. He will care for you. While the world is busy worrying about "things," Jesus is there for you. He is with you; watching over you. He loves you enough to lay down his life for you. What greater gift can there be than having someone love you so much they would give their all for you? Rejoice in that gift! 

May God help us to see as the Good Shepherd sees and to live as he lives caring for others enough to be with those who are hurting; those who are alone; those who are in any need, not just this Advent season; but, all year round.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Seeks The Lost

He Seeks The Lost

For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 

                                                                                    (Ezekiel 34:11-12 KJV)

The Lord God seeks his sheep to bring them into his fold. The truth is that he know where you are and what you are doing. He knows all who have been busy trying to hide from him; trying to run from him. Just maybe it's time to quit hiding and thank the Lord God that he desires to make you his own. Maybe it is time to listen to his voice and follow him to where he would have you go.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Harden Not Your Heart; Rejoice!

Psalm 95

O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.

Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

+++

Harden not your heart; but, rejoice and enter into God's presence with thanksgiving. He has done great things for us. Let us look to those things that He has done instead of dwelling on the evil so often found in this world.

Do not spend so many hours looking back at would have been nor worry about what tomorrow might bring. But, live each moment that God has given you more fully and you will find a whole lot less to worry about. Harden not your heart as humankind is so prone to do; but, look around and rejoice in what God has done for you. Rejoice and live the life that God has given you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Joyful Noise In Thanksgiving

 

O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.                                                                         

(Psalm 95:1-7a KJV)

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

It is way too easy to get stuck focusing on the things that we desire and on those things that we don't have and fail to appreciate the wonderful gifts the Lord of all of creation has given us. Sometimes we get so stuck feeling sorry for ourselves that we fail to see and enjoy the gifts that God has given us.

Make a list today of what you have to be grateful for and be honest with yourself. Be honest. Thank Him for the people around you; for fruitful labor; for a home;  for creation; for life; and for love. Look around and see the glorious works that God has already done for you! Look around and see the gifts that God has given you! Then give thanks making a joyful noise to the Lord our rock and salvation!

Abundant life is experienced when we can appreciate and build upon what God has already given us. Anger and depression are experienced when we only focus on tearing apart the gifts of God. Rejoice and give thanks for the life God has given you!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Caring For All Of Creation

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

When God created all things, he put man in charge of taking care of his creation; the whole creation. That means to take care of one another as well! It does not mean that we get to destroy what God has made. It means to care for it.

Life in this world is rather short. But, life does not end there. All of the material things we have amassed will be gone. What will be left? Ask yourself this: "Will I have eternal life in the presence of the creator of heaven and earth? Will I get to see and be with the one who lived and died and lives again for me and for all people?"

The way that we have often cared for one another is evidence enough that we do not deserve eternal life in His presence. We have way too often turned our backs on God and on our fellow human beings. But, by faith in Him we have eternal life, anyway. It is His gift to all who believe in Him.

How excellent is the name of the One who created all things and who saves us in spite of ourselves! May God create in us new and clean hearts that we might love and and care for one another more fully.

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

In Fellowship; In Christ

 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

                                                                                  (Acts 2:42-43 KJV)

They continued in fellowship... I suppose fellowship of sorts can be done via social media. But, that is not the fellowship that was enjoyed by those first followers. The coming together to break bread and to pray; being together is what communing is all about. Yes, social media is good to keep in touch with one another when we cannot be together. It is great that we have the opportunity to share the Gospel by means of the world wide web!

But; when it is all over, Christians must gather together to hear the word; to pray; to sing praises; to worship the Lord; to break bread together; and to fellowship with one another. Being a Christian means being a member of the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is one body and not many separate bodies. We cannot delude ourselves into thinking that we can be Christian yet never truly connect ourselves with other Christians. As members of a Body we much be connected in order to be fruitful. As St Paul wrote to the Corinthians: 

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

For the body is not one member, but many.

If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

And if they were all one member, where were the body?

But now are they many members, yet but one body.

And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

                                                                                     (1 Cor 12:12-21)

And, once I'm rambling this morning one more question: How are we going to know how to serve others if we cannot ever hear them or see them face to face to know what their needs are? 

I watch many Bible Studies and Worship services online. Many people are hearing the Gospel that have never heard it before because of social mediajust as many people heard the Good News because of St. Paul's letters to the various communities. This safe-distancing that we live with today, in one regard has enabled a great deal of evangelism. It has also put a bit of a hamper on "feeding the sheep" as there are many who do not have social media available to them and that would include many faithful members of the Church. 

I see many small congregations who are either worshiping with social distancing or in their vehicles. I am very grateful for those congregations who are affording those opportunities to hear the Good News and Worship if even at a distance. But, there are many who are not taking advantage of the opportunity. They have found no real alternative ways to continue as evangelists and I cannot help but wonder if they will ever be able to open their church doors back up again. 

I just pray that as we hear the Gospel online, we will not consider this the end all. As soon as it is possible the Body of Christ has a great need to come together in worship; in prayer; in praise; in thanksgiving; in receiving the Sacraments; in breaking of the bread; in fellowship with one another; in community. We cannot succumb to thinking that we can be Christ-like without being connected to the Body of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Were You There: Are You There?

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

                                                                                     (Isaiah 53:3-8 KJV)

Who was there? Were you there when they crucified our Lord? Who had the courage to witness the crucifixion of Jesus? The two criminals who were crucified with Jesus were with him. The soldiers who nailed him to the cross were there. Many of the Jews may witnessed his crucifixion, from a distance, as Golgotha was not too far from the city. Were they were able to read the sign? Did they read the words "JESUS OF NAZARETH. THE KING OF THE JEWS" as he struggled to carry his cross to his death?

The three Mary's were there to witness his death; Jesus' mother, Mary, and her sister Mary and Mary Magdalene were there. Where were the close disciples whom he had called? Was Peter there or was he still in hiding? But, John was there. John, the disciple who loved Jesus, was there.

As Jesus was being tried and brutalized and killed, he was pretty much alone. The majority of his flock had deserted him to protect themselves. In these days when the majority of the country has been told to shelter in place; I wonder if we are there, if we are even able to be there for those who are suffering and dying.

Just a reminder on this Good Friday of something that Jesus told us: 

"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

                                                                                           (Matt 25:41-45)

On this Good Friday as we recall that the sheep deserted the shepherd when he was put to death for the very sake of the sheep, let us consider if we are truly there for Christ in our fellowman today? Do we continue to desert him?

God's Peace - Pr. J

Blood Shed For Many

And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.
                                                                                 (Mark 14: 22-27 KJV)

Eat and drink. This is my body. This is my blood.

It is Maundy Thursday. Today we remember the last meal that Jesus shared with his disciples. It was the passover meal. The annual commemoration of the night that, by God's hand, the Israelites were to be delivered from bondage to Egypt. Every first born, both man and beast, would die that night. Every first born except for those who had placed the blood of an unblemished lamb upon their doorposts. Then the lamb itself would be eaten in its entirety by those who were present in the house.

Today we remember that the unblemished lamb of God, Jesus the Christ, was about to be slaughtered; that his body and blood were given so that we might be delivered from bondage to sin; from bondage to a sinful world. 

How sinful that world he lived in was! His friends; his followers, betrayed him, they denied him; they scattered and hid in fear for their own lives. Do we really do anything different today? 

Let us remember, that on this day, Jesus willingly committed his body and his blood as a sacrifice that we might live. The blood of Christ was poured out for us that sin and death would have no power over us. 

God grant that we should live in thankfulness and faithfulness to the one who lived and died and yet lives for us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.