May 12, 2019 Good Shepherd
Easter 4
See Previous Post for Themes of Each Sunday in Easter
The one theme for this entire Easter:
Love one another as I have loved you. Jesus’ single command that encompasses everything else that is God’s story of love, encompassed in the life of Jesus, (so that we -finite creatures- can comprehend what God -infinite divinity- wants us to know.)
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, We are called to love one another as Jesus love us:
We are to be Good Shepherds to one another
Acts 9:36-43
Thoughts
As Jesus is able to bring the young girl and Lazarus back from the dead, so Simon Peter is able to bring Dorcas, Tabitha, back to life after she dies!
Our love can be as life giving as Jesus’.
Handle with care!
Psalm 23
Thoughts
The needs for life, abundant life, of a sheep, (green pastures, still waters) the good Shepherd provides for us.
More: in the dark valley of the shadow of death (the greatest evil) I need not fear, the shepherd’s tools: rod and staff, comfort us.
Table along with my enemies! My cup runs over!
Goodness and mercy shall follow me all my days. I dwell eternally in God’s house.
Revelation 7:9-17
Thoughts
There are those who will survive the Great Ordeal, the silence of Beale Street in every generation. They will be gathered at Christ’s throne!
They will be washed white in the blood of the Lamb!
Shelter, food, water, no scorching by sun, but water of life, and tears wiped away!
John 10:22-30
Thoughts
We, like the Jews, want to know plainly, though Jesus has told and done enough. Like doubting Thomas we want to put our hands in Jesus’ side and feel the nail marks in his hand, but that is not enough. The HS must transform our hearts, teach us to know Jesus’ voice.
Voice and sheep and shepherds and gathering in and gathering to go out to green pastures and still waters.
They will never perish, die but not perish! No snatching, not from God. Jesus is God, one and three persons.
Outline Ideas
We want to know plainly, though Jesus has said and done enough, and there is no more that would help us.
Apologists, trying to argue the existence of God, futile. Every argument for or against God’s existence begins with a presumption that is equal to the conclusion of the argument.
HS transforming our hearts. The gift of faith, the growth of faith, the exercise of responding to faith.
Jesus the Good Shepherd, 23rd and repeated in Revelations:
provides life abundant
protects from destruction and all loss
We are to exercise that same love for one another
Peter brings Dorcas back to life, as Jesus did with talitha cum, and Lazarus.
Our love, as Jesus’ Love, is a life changing thing.
Warning Label Volatile Potential Handle with Care
Handle with Care Negative Potential:
as always, what can be so positively powerful, with a slight twist, a few degrees off from original, and there can be as much destruction as there could have been profound positive change.
Devil is so tempting, looks like Jesus the shepherd, just not.
Sin looks so tempting, looks like good life, it is not.
Handle with Care Positive Potential:
give life, but in the lack of exercise, leave people ‘dead’.
Stories needed of giving life (being the good shepherd for one another), of degrees of destroying life, of withholding means destruction.
Mother’s Day, possibly use stories as above, of mothers in action giving life?
