Sermon Summaries

Almost 4 o'clock on this cool, overcast Friday afternoon. I just realized that I had totally forgotten to mention on my last post that it was my son, Benjamin's, birthday last Saturday. He is a handsome, hard-working 28 yr. old. Pray with me that God renews Ben's heart toward Him. While I raised my kids in Church, he has come to a place of unbelief. Rather than strengthening his faith, he has allowed deeper study to destroy it.

Meanwhile, I ended up with a nice, albeit unplanned period of time with my father on Tuesday afternoon. My oldest was coming back into town with him from visiting my mother and asked if she could borrow a little money. In return, I asked her for a ride to get a money order for my rent. I can usually get one at my regular store, just down the street, but their machine is being entirely replaced. Anyway, while she was in the Community Action office, trying to get mom's insurance figured out, my dad and I had about 45 minutes to talk. I was anxious to get home and clear my hall closet after the sprinkler inspection that morning, but the delay at least meant getting time with dad without going to the house, so it worked out.

I had a nice phone conversation with Jeremy last night. I was pretty much expecting he would call considering the messages he's been sending lately. It was good to catch him up on my news, and hear about his updates as well. I'm still trying to encourage him in his struggle to believe that God will give him time with Sharon, as well as giving me time with Mike. Earlier today, in an extension of our call, he was messaging me more about some of his physical struggles in being away from Sharon. The biggest thing I suggested was that he join me on Quora in order to keep his mind busy with Spiritual and Biblical things rather than giving that time to dwell on other obsessions. Prayers appreciated as my friend struggles against himself.

Also, Mike has a tentative ride to pick me up early next week, so I may not be posting for a bit. At the same time, pray that his ear stops throbbing. It's been acting up for a couple of weeks now, but he didn't go to the ER until late last Friday afternoon, I believe it was, and didn't get over to Wal-Mart for meds until first thing this morning. And speaking of Mike, his daughter, Arianna, is struggling with her beliefs. She's been in AA for a while now, along with other related groups, and therapies, and those groups, as you may know, encourage members to look to a Higher Power for strength to fight addictions. With the crazy life of Mike's marriage in the midst of kids and the military, I'm not actually sure whether his 3 were really raised much in Church like mine were, so I don't entirely know how much background she has for this struggle in terms of faith in God. Pray that she can find a good Church for guidance.

No other news, so we move on...

Although the message that follows was presented by both Pastors, Matt and Joe, I'm using something Pastor Matt brought up just a little bit into their time. He was saying that, for most of us, we really don't have a ton of experience with sheep. We may have seen them around, either on TV, or in movies like "Babe", but not much "hands on" as it were.

As I was just watching this sermon online earlier this afternoon, I was amused that Pastor Matt mentioned "Babe". I loved that movie SO MUCH when it came out!! LOL But in thinking about it more deeply just now, I remember the point the writer of the story was making. The truth being brought out was that a "sheep dog" didn't have to BE a dog at all, right!? This challenges us to think about our Church Leadership and the roles we assign to various people. In light of this, I would encourage you to read my recent article on Women in Ministry. It can be found on the Reflections page here on my site.

Now, that being said, as always with a dual hosted message, there is very little to specify the speaker at any given time, so just know that both are fairly equally engaged here. (And don't forget about the podcast, Diving in with Matt and Joe for even more on these messages.)

Once again, we turn to Psalm 23 and read slowly --

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.2     He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,3     he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths    for his name’s sake.4 Even though I walk    through the darkest valley,[a]I will fear no evil,    for you are with me; your rod and your staff,    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me  in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me    all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord    forever.

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What does it mean to have enough and to be enough?? The answers to these questions are entirely connected to Who God is and in trusting Him.

Our focus today is on the idea of lying down in green pastures. By declaring this, we are saying, in effect, "I have peace when the Shepherd is near." In this series, we look at the ways in which our deepest human desires, common to us all, are satisfied by God. Whether it's our significance, our sense of belonging, or our peace and security. Our "shalom", if you will.*

As we explore the statement that "He makes me to lie down in green pastures.", we are dialing into our desire for peace and security. Although on the surface of it, we may not appreciate being compared with sheep, the truths we find in this Psalm, and in other places in Scripture which depict Jesus as our Good Shepherd, show us the depth of beauty to be found in this analogy.*

In the process of pointing out to us that sheep don't have a natural instinct to lie down, Pastor Matt shared that the bit about how "He makes me to lie down" may seem like a command like you would give a dog, but it's really about the invitation God extends to rest in His presence. During this, he shared about his Labradoodle, "Jubilee", having a stubborn streak in her. When he tells her to "sit", or "lie down", he generally has to push on her hind end before she complies.

He went on to say that this verse has 2 components to it. First, we have the conditions in which the lying down happens; then we have the location.

In unpacking the conditions, it was shown that some versions of the Bible phrase it as, "He gives me rest...". As we saw in the first message of this series, Matt's wife, Heidi, has been assisting by reading the book, "A Shepherd's Look at the 23rd Psalm", by W. Phillip Keller, a Christian author who grew up in Africa. For this point, she shared with him that sheep require a very specific list of things before they are willing to lie down.

• They cannot be hungry

• They cannot be distracted by bugs in their fleece (internal source)

• They cannot have the sense that danger is nearby (external source)

• There cannot be disruption among the flock - it was pointed out here that sheep that are lower in the "pecking order", as it were, are actually willing to lie down faster than those "alpha" or even "beta" sheep within the flock. (Which makes sense, if you think about it. The "alpha" sheep would feel more responsible for the security of the flock than those with less of a feeling of "authority", if you will.)

The truth is, sheep REQUIRE a Shepherd to care for them. As we saw in our first message here, sheep are NOT STUPID, they are simply VULNERABLE due to a total lack of natural defenses.

And for us, responses to having our vulnerabilities exposed are varied. Some may exert themselves and find ways to seem/feel bigger. Others may "shrink" themselves, and become smaller as a way to create a lesser target, and the rest simply run away. (Either in denial or panic)* In opposition to this, God invites us to actually embrace our weaknesses so that we can then rely on Him to care for us in all of it. As we think about this, we are reminded of Paul's words in 2nd Corinthians 12:9. "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." (Great song, now that I think of it. In reviewing for footnotes just now, I'm reminding myself that these words are actually part of "Jehovah Jireh", which I posted with the first message of this series.)

This leads us to talk about the location in which these things are happening. As Pastor Joe spoke here of growing up in various parts of Pennsylvania, he brought out the fact that we might think about softly rolling hills of nothing but grass when reading this Psalm. But when we take a look at images of the pastures in which David had led his father's sheep, we get a whole different perspective. As you can see in the pictures below, the area of Israel David was writing about is primarily brown most of the year. Only in the rainy season do they get the greener pastures of hearty grass the sheep need to live full, healthy lives. This gives us the idea that the shepherd needs to know the land well enough to lead his sheep to the best areas possible, depending on the seasons. To the original Hebrew readers, this Psalm brings up the truth they have come to understand about how only God (Yahweh) provides the rain. Without Him, there is no "green pastures", either on the ground, or in their lives.

Another important aspect to this is that it gives us a picture of God as close and present rather than the Theist view of distance and unconcern. A "hands off" Deity Who created everything and left it alone. (Clearly not a Biblically accurate assessment)

The next thing shared was a closer look at the word "pastures" as David used it here. If we flip back to Genesis 1, we discover the same Ancient Hebrew word in the Creation narrative under "vegetation". Once again taking the perspective of the original readers, we see that David's use of that word brought the Garden of Eden to mind. Pastor Joe brought out here that King David "meditated" on the Scriptures available at that time. Rather than what we may think of with emptying our minds of all distraction, the term actually indicates the idea of filling one's self with the Word of God.* So with this "Eden imagery", we find the line aptly expressed as, "Yahweh gives us rest in Little Edens". (Pretty cool, right!!??)

When we remember that God created these spaces for us, spaces of abundance without scarcity, of rest without fear, and of trust without striving, as Pastor Matt put it; we can hardly manage to wrap our heads around it. In a world that doesn't bring peace, God provides it.

In looking at Genesis 1-2 and God's assignment to Adam and Eve to spread the abundance of Eden to the World, we find that their close relationship with Him was not meant to be an end unto itself. They were meant to share the abundance, joy, and quality of life that could only be found as they walked in harmony with their Creator. But then we read chapters 3-11 and find nothing but grasping that leads to violence in the separation from God brought by Eve's willing deception. We see them suffer in the wilderness, both of the Earth and in their lives apart from God. Although we know now that this was reconciled in Jesus, we also recognize, as was covered in our previous series here, that most of life is lived in the wilderness. In the brown, sparse grass of the first pasture image below. Once again, as David's original readers understood, we receive the "green pastures" of life from God. It's not about our own efforts.

While we've seen John chapter 10 mentioned a couple of times already, the attention now turns to the 16th chapter. This is where Jesus is speaking with His followers for the last time before His death and resurrection. He is encouraging them in the thought that, even though He will be leaving them, another Comforter will be sent as God's presence in their lives. It was necessary for Jesus to go in order that the Holy Spirit could come and be in their hearts. At the end of this speech, in verse 33, we read these words, ""I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world". This directly addresses our core desire for peace and security.

As we recall the bit in John 10 about how the sheep know the Shepherd's voice and follow, Pastor Matt shared about his youngest, Levi. When he was 4 yrs old, they had taken him to a local gym for "Scrum Basketball". At one point, Levi came away from the pack of kids, surprised at holding the ball!! He then proceeded to run down the court... in the WRONG DIRECTION!! (Not to mention the fact that he was not dribbling) LOL While everyone, including his coach, began shouting to him, it was Matt's "Dad Voice" that finally caught his attention. Levi then looked at his father, who was motioning for him to turn around, and he did so.

This can be applied to any one of us as we may stray from the right course of action. God knows us by name and calls to us. And the more attuned we are to His voice, the faster we will hear and obey. This is why meditating on the Scriptures, like David did, is so vitally important. Only by reading of His communications with others can we find faith to listen for His voice above the noise of the world, just as Levi stopped at the voice of his father in the gym that day, nearly 20 years ago now.*

Following this, it was pointed out how Jesus used Mary Magdalene's name to stop her panic at finding His tomb empty that first Resurrection Morning.* He calls each of our names, thus inviting us into His safety and security.

Pastor Matt then congratulated Joe on how he had previously expressed his own perspective on Psalm 23 in saying, "Psalm 23 is a confession born of lived trust as we rest in the presence of our Good Shepherd." (I like that!!) This is based on the recognition that King David lived in his own versions of the "wilderness" of life. In spite of having various people, including one of his own sons, seeking to kill him, he still found strength in trusting God.

While some in "Church World" see fit to gather into a "Holy Huddle", totally ignoring the world around them, we see in the words of Jesus' Great Commission that this is not a valid, Biblical approach to living out our faith. As Pastor Matt read the passage in Matthew 28, saying, "... surely, I am with you to the end of the Age.", they chuckled at the thought that this could be highly specific, only addressing women named "Shirley". LOL

The point remains that God's Commission remains the same for us as He intended for Adam and Eve. As we find peace in Him, we are meant to share it with the world.

In closing, Matt and Joe assured us that they love being our local shepherds and guiding us in our faith. Pastor Matt then proceeded to give a living example of the same kind of faithfulness and trust as exhibited by King David in this, and his many other Psalms. My friend ,Diane Wells, is the mother of one of my HS classmates, Steve. He is the youngest of her 6 children. After her leaving her husband, she raised them all herself. As of this past year, 4 of her children have passed away, and the 5th diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's. She is only a year or 2 older than me. On top of this, Diane lives in constant physical pain due to severe osteoporosis, arthritis, and other structural issues. In the midst of all of her personal struggles and loss, she has found abundant life, freedom, and joy in Christ. She remains a shining example of faithfulness and trust as she still continues to care for others as she is able, mostly in prayer. (May we all be like her when we grow up, Amen!!??)

-- God Bless!!

Footnotes:

1. As you may recall, one of my former pastors defined "shalom" as "Nothing missing, nothing broken.". I find this a great explanation.

1. I'm going to be encouraging both Jeremy and Arianna to look at these messages, either here or on YouTube.

2. As usual, parenthetical thoughts are mine.

3. Like I had mentioned in my personal updates, I am encouraging Jeremy to "meditate" on the Word of God by joining me on Quora. (Which, btw, any one of you is more than welcome to do. If you decide, be sure to message me and say hello!!)

4. Most of the paragraph about hearing God's voice is mine.

5. In calling it "Resurrection Morning" as opposed to "Easter", I'm thinking another article is in store here...
   

No music tonight, but you're welcome to listen to whatever stirs in you through this message.