Symphony of Praise

The Sermon uses scripture Psalm 148.  It was preached on December 31, 2017 at Lake City Presbyterian Church in Lake City, SC.
It incorporates part of a previous blog post, Ritual for a New Year. 
                                                                  

Symphony of Praise

Tomorrow begins the New Year: 2018.

We say goodbye to 2017,

and what a year it has been.
We look back at what has happened in the world,
     in our nation, our community,
     and in our individual lives.

How do you and I look at endings and beginnings?

the image of ‘father time and baby new year’

‘a page turning and a new chapter begins’

‘a door closes and a window opens’

‘out with the old / in with the new’

Of course with something new, there can be anxiety,

fear of the unknown,

apprehension, and uncertainty.

So perhaps a quote from T. S. Elliot

nay help us look at newness in a different way.

: “What we call the beginning is often the end.

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start from.”

The end is where we start from.

Starting at the end, that sounds to me like time for ‘reflection’

a time to see where we have been,

a time to look back at accomplishments

and disappointments,

a time to keep the good, and leave behind the sad.

We have to know where you and I have been

to know where we are going.

That is how you and I can find joy in the journey.

So we look at today as an ending

and tomorrow as a beginning.

Time to reflect on what has been and

time to look with hope to what is to come.

Let us start at the end.

A few years ago, a friend sent me ‘ritual for a new year’.

I have changed it a little and adapted it some

to be more that a secular ritual;

something that incorporates prayer, reflection,

and spiritual growth.

Here are the basics…

Start with a 10 - 15 minute time of meditation and prayer in which you set your attention on releasing the old and opening yourself to the new.

During this remember the scripture from Philippians 4:6:

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Next on a piece of paper,

hand write a list of all the things in 2017

that you'd like to let go of.

This can include old patterns that don't serve you,

grudges or resentments you're hanging on to,

fears that hold you back, or

circumstances that you'd like to change.

Make sure your list is as complete as possible

with everything that didn't work for you in 2017.

If it's easy for you to burn the list, then you can do that.

If not, you can tear the list up in many pieces.

As you release this list,

imagine letting go of the energies that are represented

on your list.

Give these worries over to God.Now, on to creation.

Make a list of all that you wish to create for yourself in 2018. Include the habits you'd like to embrace,

the external circumstances you'd like to create,

and the internal experiences you'd like to have

(joy, freedom, ease, love, peace,

acceptance of all that is, etc.).

Be as specific as possible.
Read the list aloud (whether you're alone or with others). Speaking it out adds more energy to it.

Feel each item as though it's actually happened.

You can also read it as a form of prayer.

One final step:

Pray.

And remember the scripture from Philippians 4:6

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Save the list; put it in a special place.

Notice how you feel after doing this ritual

cleansed, lighter, renewed,
excited about what's ahead, hopeful.

That feeling of release, of joy, of hope…

That is what Psalm 148 is all about…

a psalm of praise.

All creation praising God;

lifting their voices in a symphony of praise.

Praise the Lord!

Praising God with joy!

This is a Hallelujah Psalm…

an invitation to all creation:

Mountains and all hills,

 fruit trees and all cedars!

and all creatures:

Wild animals and all cattle,
      creeping things and flying birds!

All are invited to join in praising the Lord!

From the heavens, a heavenly choir:

Praise him, all his angels;
     praise him, all his host!

From the earth, all creation:

Praise the Lord from the earth…

 his glory is above earth and heaven.

All people of the earth join in:

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
     princes and all rulers of the earth!

Young men and women alike,

old and young together!

Earth, heaven, sky, sea, creation, creatures, people…

all together in a symphony of praise!

Praise the Lord!

How is creation to answer the call to praise?

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
     for he commanded and they were created.

The first chapter of Genesis: God the Creator…

In the beginning

when God created the heavens and the earth…

And God said, “Let there be…

                      light,

sky,

land,

seas,

vegetation,

living creatures of sky, sea, and land,

and humankind.”

God proclaimed creation good;

and creation must respond with praise for its Creator.

join in the symphony of praise…

Praise the Lord!

How are you and I to answer the call to praise?

We can answer on behalf of all creation…

We embrace our God given gifts,

using the talents our Creator gave us;

We embody Jesus’ teachings and become disciples,

taking action as individuals and as a community of faith;

You and I proclaim our faith by our everyday actions

being guided by the Holy Spirit.

We live as Christians, not just on Sunday, everyday;

not just in the Christmas season…every season.

Psalm 148 is a Psalm appropriate to Christmas and Easter,

yet, also a psalm for all seasons.

join in the symphony of praise…

Praise the Lord!

We respond in praise because of our faith,

because we know God’s grace,

because Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer.

You and I respond in praise in love…

as God loves us,

we reach out to each other in love.

join in the symphony of praise…

Praise the Lord!

A final question…

How do you want to end 2017 and begin the New Year?

With worry? With fear?

Or

With hope and joy?

Anxiety or anticipation?

Is it an ending or a beginning?

If the end is where we start from,

has this been a good end and

are we ready for something new?

In Henri Nouuwen's book:

Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life,

he centers on 3 topics of change…

              Loneliness to solitude,

   Hostility to hospitality,

              Illusion of control to prayer.

Taking something old and

changing to something new and better.

Small steps leading to great joy.

And isn’t that our hope for the New Year?

Joy as we journey…

loving those around us…

embracing our relationship with God…

and answering the call with all of creation to

join in the symphony of praise…

Praise the Lord!

~~~

Let us pray…

Merciful God,

We have a desire to let things go,

To give our worries, doubts, and fears over to you.

Let it be as if we have placed them on a stone

which sinks to the bottom of a pond.

Lead us from:  Loneliness to solitude,

            Hostility to hospitality.

            Illusion of control to prayer.

Guide us on our path

and let us embrace the joys you bring our way.

Let it be as a flowing stream,

always bringing the new possibilities to us.

Thank you Lord.

As we rejoice and pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Sheep of the Good Shepherd

The Sermon uses scriptures Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 and Matthew 25:31-46.  It was preached on November 26, 2017 at Red Spring Presbyterian in Red Springs, NC.

 

 

Sheep of the Good Shepherd

 Today is the last Sunday in the liturgical calendar,

Christ the King Sunday.

Next week we begin with Advent,

preparation and anticipation for the birth of Jesus.

Today is when you and I celebrate Jesus’ journey:

from the infant born in a manger to

the teacher of the disciples to

the one crucified and resurrected to

his reign in God’s kingdom.

Jesus Christ is king!

 And more than king…

Throughout the New Testament

there are so many names for Jesus:

          Son of God                    Son of Man

          Messiah                          Christ

          Lord                               Teacher/Rabbi

          King                               Bread of Life

          Savior                            Redeemer

          Logos                            Word of God made flesh

          Truth                             Shepherd

 Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd.

That enduring image of the ‘good shepherd’

was given a new perspective for me when in seminary,

my Greek professor said

he preferred to translate

καλός as the ‘beautiful shepherd’. 

The familiar image of the shepherds

tending their flocks by night;

the shepherd is with the sheep, day and night

          -it can be a lonely life,

yet that image endures…

The caring shepherd,

          the kind shepherd watching over his flock

and caring for the lost lamb.

Caring is for the whole flock, the ones that get lost,

the ones that get into trouble, the mean ones,

and the wandering ones. 

The shepherd cares for the whole flock.

Yet there is a courage that must accompany

the gentleness of caring

Caring carries a price. 

It leads us to the image of the Courageous Shepherd,

          the willingness of the shepherd to protect his flock

even at the cost of his life. 

From early on in the Old Testament,

          shepherds were pleasing to God.

          Abel, “a keeper of sheep”

brought to God the “firstlings of his flock”.

          Abram, Isaac, and Jacob –all tended sheep;

          Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law

                   when he encountered the burning bush.

          And of course David,

from a young shepherd in the field to a king,

                   the “shepherd of God’s people”.

The good king;

the good shepherd.

 Ezekiel is looking for the true shepherd.

Judah’s last kings had been bad shepherds.

The role of the Shepherd         is someone to tend the flock.

The shepherd is a leader and protector.

The shepherd is caring and courageous, gentle and strong. 

Kings were expected to tend their subjects justly,

especially those vulnerable to abuse:

widows, orphans, poor, infirmed, and displaced.

These are people who live on the margins of life;

          those without a voice.

They are the invisible people on the edges of society. 

The lost sheep of society that need the care of a shepherd.

The true shepherd is there for the sheep, staying with the sheep.

When kings fail the people,

one turns turn elsewhere for a shepherd;

          a true shepherd.

Ezekiel looked to God as the true shepherd of the people.

God will

          seek them out and rescue them

from all the places where they have been scattered,

and gather them into their own land.

God will feed them on the mountains of Israel,

          feed them with good pasture.

God will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.

God will feed them with justice;

God will tend them rightly.

 So what did God do for his people?

He sent them a beautiful shepherd,

          someone to tend the flock,

          to care for the people,

          and not desert them.

The caring shepherd, who heals, who teaches,

who touches the lives of all

including the forgotten, the voiceless,

the sick, the injured, and the lost.

The courageous shepherd who gives his life willing

          in protection, in sacrifice, and in love.

In our scripture from Matthew today,

          Jesus tells of the sheep and the goats,

          the final judgement of them.

Remember shepherds tended both sheep and goats;

          sheep and goats grazed together.

Yet there were times

when the sheep and the goats were separated,

it was a normal practice of the day.

The sheep of this passage from Matthew are viewed as

          generous,

          merciful,

          givers of food and drink. 

And the goats:

          the self-centered cursed sinner.

So who are sheep and who are goats?

It is not for us to make that judgement.

And that can be a hard thing to do into today’s world.

You and I are guilty of making judgements

about those we know and those we do not know.

We make judgements on those who are not like us,

          (did you see that couple and how they were dressed?!);

we make judgements on our own friends and even family,

          (did you hear about what they did last weekend?!)

          and on occasion we judge ourselves,

                   usually more harshly than others would.

What does our judgement of others say about us?

          Just as a kingdom in the Old Testament showed

          its society’s true values not by the values

          it professed to hold but by those revealed in their actions.

You and I profess our values through our actions.

That is the judgement in the Matthew passage.

‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

Sheep or goat.

The one to judge the difference –our true shepherd, Jesus.

Son of God                    Christ

          Lord                               King                    

          Savior                            Redeemer

          Truth                             Shepherd

Christ’s truth judges falsehood.

Jesus knows what is in each of our hearts.

We desire to be sheep of this beautiful and true shepherd.

 What do we know about the sheep?

From ancient times sheep were tamed

because of their importance as a resource;

They were a source of both clothing and food,

part of what was needed to sustain life to others….

And isn’t that what the sheep are doing in Matthew’s scripture?

They are the source for others…they…

          give the hungry, food;

          give the thirsty, drink;

          give the naked, clothing;

welcome the stranger;

          take care of the sick;

          visit the imprisoned.

You and I as the sheep,

the sheep of the good shepherd,

the beautiful shepherd:

You and I have responsibilities as his sheep.

You and I are to extend hospitality…

          to love another…

          to do for “the least of these”…

Can you and I leave judgement behind?

          If we go through life putting others into categories

of sheep and goats,

does that not make us more like the goats?

Can you and I look past the outward appearance of the stranger,

          and see them as a Child of God?

We desire to be the blessed sheep…

          Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

We are Christ’s followers, his disciples.

We are blessed to be sheep to this good shepherd!

The caring shepherd who shows love.

The courageous shepherd who died for his flock.

The true shepherd who was resurrected and

          reigns in God’s kingdom.

Jesus has taken on our sins and he is our redeemer;

our salvation is through him.

As we have been given such a wonderful gift,

          should we not be able to do something as simple

as caring for each other?

This week we gave thanks for so many blessings in our lives…

The question I leave you with is

how are you and I a blessing to others?

 

Next week the church calendar begins again,

          with Advent, the anticipation of the birth of Jesus,

          leading to God’s light of love,

          love’s own crucified risen light,

          coming into the world;

However today we celebrate that Jesus Christ is Lord.

A true shepherd to God’s people.

Christ is King!