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
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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?
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!
