Good Shepherd Sunday Sermon

The Good Shepherd by William Dyce

Preached at St. John's Lancaster on the Fourth Sunday of Easter MMXII

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. In an age where we are influenced in so many ways to consider ourselves as individuals to be the center of the universe, it is very tempting to talk a lot about the nature of sheep. And I must admit, there do seem to be some very real similarities between us and them. They are creatures of flight and instinct which seem ever prone to move as a herd or a mob, without much evidence of reasonable introspection. They seem to be sick a great deal, and are relatively unable to protect themselves successfully against those who would prey upon them. They are beautiful in their own way, and useful after a fashion, but at the end of the day they do sort of remind me of four legged chickens with wool coats. To compare myself or my fellow homo sapiens to sheep is far from a compliment, and I think there has been far too much of it over the years.

No, it seems to me that the real purpose of today’s image of Jesus as the great and good Shepherd of Israel is more about him than us. In an age more agrarian and pastoral than our own, one which was scarce removed from the wandering lifestyle of the Bedouin tribes, the image of the shepherd was as common as that of the auto worker or the teacher in our own age. Just as the non-expert in our own day can identify a teacher who is able to motivate and inspire her students, or an auto worker who is diligent and timely, so the ancient Jew understood what constituted the character and habits of a good shepherd, even if he was several generations removed from the agrarian experience. Hence Jesus employed this image, along with others common to the age, to explain the love of God to the people of Israel, and indeed to all the world.

In ancient Jewry, the sight of the shepherd enduring cold, heat, rain, and danger to insure the safety and well being of his charges was well known. The good shepherd’s willingness to sacrifice and endure hardship and danger on behalf of his charges was proverbial. Jesus was not the first rabbi to employ the image of the shepherd climbing down the face of the cliff to rescue one of his charges, not was he the first to speak of Israel as a flock cared for by a committed and loving steward. While we no longer see shepherds in our daily travels, the image is as well fixed in our culture as it was in that of ancient Palestine. The image is a part of our culture, and it is not hard to understand.

Jesus Christ loves us, and takes personal responsibility for our care and nurture. He is as willing to go down the face of the cliff for you and me today as he was when he walked the dusty roads of ancient Galilee. His desire to deliver us from the danger and potentially fatal results of our lust, our gluttony, and our pride was demonstrated conclusively to everyone on the earth by his death for us on the cross. His ability to deliver on his characterization of himself as the pen or paddock which provides our safety, security, deliverance, and well being was proven by his ability to take up his life again in the Resurrection from the dead. Yes, his willingness to endure the shame and suffering of the Passion and Crucifixion, and his triumphant defeat of death itself is historical proof that he is faithful to all of those who are loved by God, and that includes you and me. Unlike the hireling who runs away at the first sign of trouble or danger, Jesus is willing to stand by us, to labour for your salvation and for mine, until the very end. He is willing to do whatever it takes to help all of us to overcome those sins which drag us down. He will faithfully stand by us when the bad times come to us, without regard to whether those bad times just come our way or are the result of our bad decisions and actions. In a nutshell, that is the meaning of all of this talk about Jesus being the Good Shepherd.

How will you respond to such a commitment made on your behalf? True, none of us asked him to be our Good Shepherd. He made these decisions willingly to show us his love before we were even created. When we were no more that a loved dream of what was to come in the mind of God, Jesus made the decision to love you and me, and everyone else ever made in the image of God the Father. He determined to do whatever it might take to offer us the gifts of forgiveness, of reconciliation with God, of deliverance from guilt and shame, of release from the bondage of our addictions and bad habits, of deliverance from being alone and devoid of purpose. And in addition to deliverance and restoration to God in this life, he offers us the opportunity to live forever with him in heaven in the life to come. He offers us escape from the just reward for our sins, for the way we have treated God and each other. He offers us escape from Hell and its everlasting separation from God’s love and hope and purpose. How will you respond?

I invite you on this day to respond by embracing God’s love in Jesus Christ with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength. As I complete this sermon today, stand and confess Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy and Blessed Trinity as Lord and Saviour by saying the creed with passion and commitment, as if you really do believe it to be true. In the prayers of the People, bring him all of your needs and leave them at the foot of the cross, believing that he will do that which is best for you, and give you strength to do that which is best for his kingdom. Kneel in humility to confess your sins of act or omission and believe in your heart and mind that he truly does keep his promise to forgive you and restore you to a right relationship with your Heavenly Father. As we stand for the peace, purpose in your heart to make restitution to anyone or everyone you have wronged in any way, and if they are here today, approach them and offer to make a start. And then come to this table of our Lord to receive God’s gift of the Body and Blood of Jesus. Offer again to receive him as your own. Name him as your King and Saviour, your Brother and Friend. Know that in this act of Holy Communion, as you come to him in faith, he receives you as his own and empowers you for the task at hand. And then go forth into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit to bear witness to the dynamism and strength of this salvation by living a life of humility and obedience, one that recognizes your need of him, and which passionately desires to please him by doing those things the Bible says we ought to do, and by not doing those things it tells us not to do. As we respond in this way to the Good Shepherd, God will work through each of us, through all of us, to glorify himself and to bring the nations into his fold; and there will be peace among the nations, and all people shall see the glory and tenderness of his love.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

National Day of Prayer

General Washington at Prayer at Valley Forge
An Icon of our Heritage

This morning, St. John's hosts the kick off breakfast for the National Day of prayer, so I am up very early to do my chores and open the church.  Quincy, our Westie, accompanied me to the barn and greenhouse in the rain to accomplish the morning routine.  Princess, the thoroughbred/arab mare was jiggy as always as the heavy spring rains pelted the tin roof of the barn.  Both terriers are now asleep on the couch as I consider the priviledge of following the biblical mandate to pray for those in lawful authority over us. 

Since the early days of the Republic, America's leaders have set aside times for vountary prayer on behalf of our nation by people of faith.  In the worst of times, some people or parties have attempted to hijack these times for their own purposes, but when we are at our best, such times have brought out the best in us.  Imagine a place where people of differing faiths commit to a common cause, a common good if you will, even when their differences abound.  They may consider one another's opinions to be false or misguided, but they fiercely maintain the rights of all people to follow their individual consciences, even when those individual consciences lead them to different conclusions.  They all acknowledge the importance of respecting all, and together, in spite of their differences they organize athletic teams, build schools and hospitals, and acknowledge the importance of a generally agreed common good.  While they may disagree in matters of religion and faith, and even consider one another bound for perdition, they respect the right of every citizen to worship God according to the dictates of their own heritage and conscience, or not to worship God at all.  Occasionally, at the behest of their elected leaders, they agree to call out to God, or to meditate as they will, for the support and good of those institutions and individuals in lawful authority for the good of all.  It is a heady doctrine, an unlikely combination, a glorious dream, and so often we fall so short in its accomplishment.  But on this day, many of us will ask in all humility, according to the dictates of conscience, that it might be more of a reality among us.

May God bless these United States of America.

Blessed George, My Namesake and Patron

A blessed St. George's Day to friends far and wide.  While many of the legends about George stretch the imagination to its limits, we do know that he was a Roman soldier in the Imperial household who manfully resisted the persecution under the Emperor Diocletian, even unto death.  In all probability, he was very generous to the poor, and we know that his example of faithfulness to Christ under persecution led many people to accept the Lordship of Jesus. 

On this day, I cannot help but think of the many Christians who are persecuted today, in many cases even unto death.  May God give them steadfastness in their sufferings, and may their courage, and the evidence of the Holy Spirit in their lives lead to the conversion of their persecutors and detractors.  As Christ our King overcame the pains of death, so may they be raised incorruptible to live with him and all of the white robed martyrs in Heaven.  Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

What Can I Do For Jesus?

Christ Jesus feeds the 5,000.  What is he calling us to do?

Rector’s Rambling: May 2012

As I sit down to write the Eastertide edition of this column, Quincy, the West Highland White Terrier, sits belly deep in the overgrown red clover behind our home surveying his domain. Rawley, the Cairn terrier, languishes with me on the back porch in an exile which is completely lost on him. Last night’s encounter with some local wildlife led to a brouhaha which lasted very audibly until about one o’clock in the morning. Like most of his breed, he is not to be trusted. Faithful old Pat, the white hound, sleeps behind me. His arthritic and bony frame reveals his age and condition, but he is still a good friend of long acquaintance. And so here, in the midst of the beauty of the countryside, I sit with my friends to write about the possibilities afforded us by the risen Christ.

Several recent conversations with parishioners have focused on the very issue of possibilities in Christ. Last night at Nicks over pizza, I challenged our middle school youth to be thinking about a service project they could do to show the love of Jesus to someone. We talked about the possibility of doing some yard work for an elderly member of our church, or volunteering to do some painting for someone who can‘t afford to have it done, or planting potatoes and pulling weeds for the Common Friars in Athens (and then staying to pray Evening Prayer with the community!) Ivan and I met after last week’s mission committee meeting and talked about how many of our folks are involved in prison ministry, and what we as a church might do to help released prisoners to reintegrate into society. I received an e-mail today from a friend about how we might support the work of Wycliffe Translators, whose purpose is to provide the Scriptures in every known language on the planet in this generation. Jenn e-mailed over the weekend to ask if I knew anyone who might like to usher at the 10:30 service. I was contacted this week by the Gideons about how we might support their work to provide Bibles free of charge to those who cannot afford them around the world. I met recently with Mike and Barb about how we might continue to support our community’s National Day of Prayer observance where people of faith come together at the behest of our leaders in Washington to pray for and support those individuals and institutions which bring us stability, opportunity, and security. I was on the phone yesterday when Paul came in to collect our weekly donation of food for the local pantry, but his faithfulness reminded me that we can do much to help our neighbors in need. Today, I received a gift catalogue from Food for the Poor, and have been thumbing through it to see what Rebecca and I might donate on behalf of Margaret and Helen, our grand daughters, to help our friends in the Caribbean and Latin America. Perhaps this year we will donate a swarm of bees or some pigs.

The possibilities around us for living out the Easter message are endless. I hope that all of us at St. John’s and beyond might prayerfully consider what God would have us to do to show the love of the risen Christ to those who are made in the image of God, to those for whom Christ died. It is through concrete expressions of our love for each other and for the people around us that those outside the church will be drawn to hear our teaching, to experience our worship, and to give their hearts and lives to Jesus, who by his resurrection offers to us the gift of eternal life. If you are having a hard time making up your mind, I invite you to call me at 740/215-3900, or e-mail me at rector@stjohnlancaster.org. And of course, you can always catch me after church. I would like nothing better than to sit down with you and prayerfully seek how God might have you to serve him.

Faithfully,

Bill+

Easter Sermon 2012

Easter Year B
I Corinthians 15:1-11
Preached at St. John’s Lancaster, 8 April 2012

With our brother Saint Paul, “I remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you… that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.” Today we come together to celebrate the accomplishment of God’s great plan for each of us, and for his church and indeed the entire world. Imagine if you can the implications of this feat. The Kingdom of God has come among us in power, and we have seen the first fruits of that resurrection which is the birthright of the elect. In less theological language, that means that God is among us. He lives with you and with me, and is in the process of sending his grace into all the world through you and through me. Just as Jesus came into this world from his Father to share God’s love and to model the life of true holiness, he now calls us, his people, to do the same.

What does it mean to share God’s love? Certainly those things are included which we sometimes call the social gospel. We must give of ourselves to assist those who suffer in this world. We must welcome the stranger in our midst. We must feed the hungry and clothe the naked. We must show kindness to everyone we meet. We must insist that all people ought to have the freedom to follow their consciences and to reach their full potential economically, politically, personally, and spiritually. We must comfort those who mourn and visit those imprisoned and alone. We must bring hope to those who have given up. There are so many ways that we are called to share God’s love with the people around us, and most of us are willing to agree with most of these categories most of the time. But the more we think about loving our neighbor, the more the implications of such a life commitment can trouble us. The more personal the work becomes, the more difficult it is to maintain the sort of attitudes and actions to which God calls us. You see, God calls us to love people even if they might not seem to deserve it. He calls me to love and pray for the soldier who shot my son, and for the politicians who created the situation which put him in harm’s way, and for my fellow citizens who insist that we must fight in so many places for so many things. And those prayers must not be for their punishment or their defeat or that their minds might be changed to be like mine. They must be prayers in which I offer myself to the work of genuine reconciliation with those who differ from me and probably always will. They must be prayers which genuinely seek for those people to have God’s blessings in their lives, and that they might enjoy the same blessings I enjoy. God calls me to feed the person who I know is taking advantage of me if he has no food. He calls me to seek housing and clothing and a job for the person who is lazy or parasitic and always the player. He calls me to make myself vulnerable to be used even as I used Jesus, even as all of us used Jesus. And so you see, sharing God’s love is a hard thing to do, because it means that we must work through our own emotions and prejudices and beliefs and find a way to genuinely care for those who have different emotions and prejudices and beliefs. It means sharing love with them even if they never come to share my presuppositions and values. It means coming to those I like, and to those I dislike even as Jesus came to me. It is a hard thing to do, and yet it is the call of Easter. It is the duty of us who are named as the soldiers of Jesus Christ. Our war is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of wickedness in high places. It is a spiritual war which employs the weapons of prayer and faith and love and salvation and sacrifice. It purposefully eschews those weapons which are the common currency of mankind: control, force, violence, coercion, and hate. Jesus calls us to love those who persecute us and utter all kinds of calumny against us, for so did the prophets which were before us.

And what of true holiness? Holiness is that quality of being set apart for God’s purpose. And God’s purposes are modeled for us in the life of Jesus. By his grace, we are expected to circumscribe our desires and keep our passions within due bounds. The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes give us some pretty good lists of what this holiness should look like in our lives, but holiness is not just a list of rules to observe. It is an attitude of appreciation and desire which is our rightful response to the wonderful gift of salvation which God gave us through Jesus- even when we didn’t deserve it. We were all among the number of those people who always seem to be on the lookout for someone to take advantage of, those people we are called to love. Sometimes we are still among that number. But Jesus shows us a better way. He came and died on a tree so that we could be made right with God, so that his justice might be honored even as his mercy and love blazed forth to transform this fallen world. And our appreciation ought to be so incredibly great this day that we want with all our hearts to be given over to being like Jesus. We should like him want to feed the poor and heal the sick and give sight to the blind. We should have compassion for those in prison and visit the fatherless and the widow. We should dedicate our lives to see justice roll down like a mighty river for all people, even those who don’t really seem to deserve it. Because Jesus did all of those things for us when we didn’t deserve them. Holiness is at the end of the day a state of mind and heart which inspires us to walk in the way of Jesus Christ, even if it means that we will be abused, and misunderstood, and taken advantage of, laughed at, scorned, and yes, even killed. Holiness is to walk with Jesus the way of the Cross, in the full faith and knowledge that it is the way to eternal life.

Because of Easter, the Kingdom of God has come among us. Because of Easter, we are called, each and every one of us, to live as if heaven is here among us on earth, now and every day. We are the Saints of God. Through us and our actions and our attitudes men and women ought to see the Risen Christ. They should through us know his mercy and experience his love. They should have the same confidence when they approach us for help or comfort or deliverance that the blind and deaf and leprous had when they approached Jesus some two thousand years ago in Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. For that to happen, our lives and our attitudes must be like those of Jesus. We cannot allow ourselves to view people made in God’s image as faceless members of some group to which we have already ascribed inalterable characteristics or patterns of behaviour. We must never turn our backs on any human being in need, even if it is obvious that their level of understanding or experience leads them to approach us only for what they can get from us. We must never seek to control or bully another human being by with-holding our love and concern, or God’s love and concern from them, especially if we disagree with them on fundamental issues of faith, politics, morality, or culture. We must be known as the people of God, and by our lives we must model the love and holiness of Jesus Christ for every man, woman, boy, and girl we meet. It is through such lives, such faithful witness to the risen Jesus, that people will be drawn to join us and proclaim him as Saviour and Lord, as Brother and as Friend.

Today, we acclaim the Lordship of the risen Christ. We confess our sins, bring our needs to God, and gather around this Holy Table to participate in the foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet prepared for all of God’s people. Might we solemnly consider the implications of this sacred day as we continue in the presence of God. Might we all look within our hearts and open our minds to ask what God would have us to change in our lives, what he would have us to do as we leave this blessed place today. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.

Good Friday Sermon

Good Friday Sermon: St. John 18:1-19:42
Preached at St. John's Lancaster April 6, 2012

On this day Jesus Christ died for you and for me. He was the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world. We all know what we are, deep inside our hearts and minds. We all know the sins we are guilty of committing and those we are capable of committing. Jesus Christ, by his death today, forgives our sins and takes upon himself our justly deserved punishments. Because of the Event of Good Friday, we are given the opportunity to start afresh, to begin anew. The process is simple. I come before him and admit my wrongs and ask his forgiveness. I acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died to wash away the stain of all my sins. I accept God’s forgiveness and declare my intention to live according to his will revealed in Scripture and modeled in the life and attitudes and motives of Jesus. I do not have to understand it all or even get it right. But I do need to believe that God’s promises are true and receive the undeserved and unmerited gift of forgiveness that He offers me.

But what does it mean to start afresh, to begin anew? It does not mean that people I have wronged will forget the past and trust me like they did the first day we met. It does not mean that all of the unintended consequences of my past actions will be fixed. It does not mean that I will not have to pay my parking fines or alimony or the credit card bill from that trip I shouldn’t have taken- the one that takes such a large part of my monthly pay cheque. It does mean that when God looks upon me, he chooses not to see the sins of my past. It means that he begins in me a healing process which will allow me to escape the guilt and shame I have felt for years. It does mean that I can begin the process of having my motives transformed into the motives of Jesus. It does mean that I have access to the power of the Holy Spirit as I struggle to overcome the destructive patterns of behaviour and habits and persistent sins which have characterized my life for years. It does mean that at the end of my days, I will go to heaven.

On Good Friday, we come together because we believe in Jesus, and desire to show him the respect he is due as we receive the gift he offers us, the gift of salvation in this life and the next. Good Christian people, and the not so good, and even those who are not Christian: I bid you this day to consider the claim that Jesus has upon us all. When he chose to die for you and me, he fulfilled his own words which said “greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Today he calls us to be his friends by responding to that love which he has shown to each and every one of us. We respond to his love by loving him in return. We love him in return by believing him to be who he claimed to be, by believing his promises, asking him to forgive us, and striving to follow him with the help of the Holy Spirit. In the silence of this holy place that we love so well, might we all accept his gift today. It is the ultimate act of appreciation. And it is the way to begin life anew. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.

Maundy Thursday Sermon

Da Vinci's Last Supper

Maundy Thursday Meditation on Exodus 12:11
Preached at St. John's Lancaster April 5th, 2012

“And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s Passover.”

The Children of Israel had suffered long in a land not their own. What had started as a sojourn of opportunity and deliverance soured quickly after Joseph died. The favour of the ruling powers evaporated with the rise of a new dynasty in Egypt. Foreigners who had been welcomed for the skills they brought and the connections they had were now seen as a threat to the stability and security of the realm. They were over the centuries relegated to the status of slaves in their adopted land. But all of that was about to change. God had raised up a man, Moses, and instructed him to lead the people into a land of promise. Their trek was to be a sign for all peoples of how God provides for the elect in a sometimes hostile and difficult world. And their journey was destined to become a symbol to all people of how God is faithful to us as we wander in the wilderness of our own emotions and realities.

Things had come to a climax, and it was almost time for the journey to begin. The plagues of Egypt were only a warm-up for the events of that night, when the firstborn would be slain, unless the blood of God’s assigned sacrifice covered and atoned for those waiting inside each dwelling. From that night on, the people of the atonement, God’s people, would be a pilgrim band, a tribe apart, living in the world but not of the world, bound for a promised land which was their heritage and their birthright. As a symbol of this uncertain and sometimes uncomfortable status, the Children of God were instructed to institute a new meal which would commemorate their deliverance by blood from their slavery. They were instructed to take this meal dressed and prepared for the journey of a lifetime. Their food was to be camp food, prepared without time for yeast to rise or meat to be delicately prepared. Their side dishes were to be bitter herbs, emblematical of the dangers and difficulties of the road ahead. And so they entered into this new reality as people prepared for a journey they could not have fully understood. Like Abraham before them, they left that which was secure and comfortable, if imperfect, for a land promised by God, a land that they could scarcely imagine.

And here we gather, the people of God in this place, ready to begin our own journey to that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Along the way we will meet dangers, challenges, and opportunities. Some of us may loose faith and fall by the way. Others will suffer mightily and fight the good fight. None of us will be given the opportunity to see this journey as a pleasant stroll in the countryside, because it is so much more than that. It is the very journey from the slavery of our sins and those of the culture in which we live into a land promised by God- a land of service, and sacrifice, and commitment to the ways of God. On this night, in this sacrament, we commit ourselves to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and our neighbors as ourselves. Often, there will be no time to think about how we will accomplish this journey. The storms of life and the realities of human need will come at us in ways which are both unexpected and immediate. We often will not have the resources we need, and we will be forced to trust in God because we will be inadequate to the task. We will fail on occasion, and hopefully in humility we will rise and by His grace do better next time.

On this night, as we receive the strength of the sacrament and strip the altar of God, are you willing to strip away all of those things in your life which are extraneous to the journey, to the living out of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Are you willing to put aside the comforts and securities of life and embrace the call of God to you and to the Church, whatever the cost may be, and however frightening and unknown the future may appear? The children of Israel that night experienced the deliverance of God. They were made one with their God and responded by an act of faith which made them willing to follow him immediately wherever he might choose to lead them. On this night, we are called to do the same. As we receive this Holy Communion, as we wait in the silence of this disconcerting and terrible night, let us, like them of old, re-commit ourselves to following him wherever he chooses to lead us as individuals, and as the people of God. In the Name of The Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit. AMEN.