May 15th
Morning service -- I did not preach what I had prepared, I edited as I went.
Evening service -- Based on John 10: 1-5 (this was an interactive service with more singing. The sermon then is not exactly as it happened in the service but the essence is expressed here)
Shepherd SundayWhat is the first thing you think of when you start your day/?
Anyone wish there was someone to like a shepherd to show you how to get through the day, take you over the crooks, rocks and ditches??
Now not always but sometimes I think we would like someone to tell us what to do, which path to take, which problem to tackle first, how to handle friends and family members, how to live with the stress of modern life.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone who cared for you and you could say, OK you decide!!
I think we all noticed that when Mark Gourley brought the sheep here to the Easter service, that little ball of fuzz and diaper followed him everywhere he went. The sheep know the voice of their shepherd and follow!
Now here’s a question…if Jesus is our shepherd…do we follow?? What are the things that you follow in your life??What takes your attention, your energy, your time?What do you give your attention to?Whose voice do you follow??
This is not a criticism; please don’t hear it that way. It is an opportunity for us to reflect on our lives and see just what it is that holds our greatest attention.
Now hold that for a minute
Think now on what you know about Jesus??What does Jesus say to you?? What are some of the things that you know he is saying to you that you may not be acting upon or listening to??Take a minute and think about who you know Jesus to be…Out loud – what do we know…?
So, now… thinking about your life…what is Jesus saying to you today, in your situation? In you life? Your family? Where is the shepherd leading you to or from??
The sheep are hard wired to follow the shepherd. God gave us freedom of choice. We can follow or not, it is entirely up to us what we do. Regardless, God loves us…but following God, listening to the shepherd leads to a more fulfilling life and a life of wholeness.
For us we have to work hard to think about what has our attention.I know for me, in our house, I get caught up in all the shoulds of having a home and how it should look, and my children, all the way I could be doing better, my husband all the time we don’t spend together,
Anyone else suffer from the shoulds??
Well that becomes my shepherd and it is a slippery slope when that is your shepherd because things are never good enough then. It is easy to get lost and forget what is important.
So what do I do?? I try to repeat this little phrase every once and a while in my day…this moment is the only moment I have.I try to read the bible – to remind myself what God is like through the stories of Jesus. Like I said this morning, Jesus never healed anyone and said ok, good your ready to go now off with you and work yourself into the ground.
Instead Jesus said, I have come to give you life and a life abundant.
Following Jesus allows us to become our true and authentic selves. It frees us from all the shoulds of life. If we follow the way of the shepherd our values become clear – not the same as everyone elses but clear for us.
Morning service -- I did not preach what I had prepared, I edited as I went.
Evening service -- Based on John 10: 1-5 (this was an interactive service with more singing. The sermon then is not exactly as it happened in the service but the essence is expressed here)
Shepherd SundayWhat is the first thing you think of when you start your day/?
Anyone wish there was someone to like a shepherd to show you how to get through the day, take you over the crooks, rocks and ditches??
Now not always but sometimes I think we would like someone to tell us what to do, which path to take, which problem to tackle first, how to handle friends and family members, how to live with the stress of modern life.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone who cared for you and you could say, OK you decide!!
I think we all noticed that when Mark Gourley brought the sheep here to the Easter service, that little ball of fuzz and diaper followed him everywhere he went. The sheep know the voice of their shepherd and follow!
Now here’s a question…if Jesus is our shepherd…do we follow?? What are the things that you follow in your life??What takes your attention, your energy, your time?What do you give your attention to?Whose voice do you follow??
This is not a criticism; please don’t hear it that way. It is an opportunity for us to reflect on our lives and see just what it is that holds our greatest attention.
Now hold that for a minute
Think now on what you know about Jesus??What does Jesus say to you?? What are some of the things that you know he is saying to you that you may not be acting upon or listening to??Take a minute and think about who you know Jesus to be…Out loud – what do we know…?
So, now… thinking about your life…what is Jesus saying to you today, in your situation? In you life? Your family? Where is the shepherd leading you to or from??
The sheep are hard wired to follow the shepherd. God gave us freedom of choice. We can follow or not, it is entirely up to us what we do. Regardless, God loves us…but following God, listening to the shepherd leads to a more fulfilling life and a life of wholeness.
For us we have to work hard to think about what has our attention.I know for me, in our house, I get caught up in all the shoulds of having a home and how it should look, and my children, all the way I could be doing better, my husband all the time we don’t spend together,
Anyone else suffer from the shoulds??
Well that becomes my shepherd and it is a slippery slope when that is your shepherd because things are never good enough then. It is easy to get lost and forget what is important.
So what do I do?? I try to repeat this little phrase every once and a while in my day…this moment is the only moment I have.I try to read the bible – to remind myself what God is like through the stories of Jesus. Like I said this morning, Jesus never healed anyone and said ok, good your ready to go now off with you and work yourself into the ground.
Instead Jesus said, I have come to give you life and a life abundant.
Following Jesus allows us to become our true and authentic selves. It frees us from all the shoulds of life. If we follow the way of the shepherd our values become clear – not the same as everyone elses but clear for us.
