His Voice

John 10:1-5 NRSV

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

The four shepherds had their flock in a sheepfold.  An assistant would lie across the opening, as the gate keeper. No one entered but the shepherds. When it was time the shepherd would call their sheep, and they would follow by the shepherds song. It was a melodic song, a chant, the sheep knew - and they followed. 

They knew that voice among the other voices. They knew that voice in spite of whatever was going on around them. Sheep have no sense of direction and can get lost easily, but the voice as their rescuer. They can’t smell water and can be close to water and not know it, but the voice who leds to water. They will eat whatever is in front of them, but the voice who watches over and leads in places of nourishment. They can’t even clean themselves, but the voice, who cleans them off, sets them on their way.

We, like sheep, go astray, but the voice. The good shepherd rescues us, guides us, nourishes us, cleans us up, and sets us on our way. But we must listen for his voice. It’s our relationship with him. enough for now.

Have to Go

Numbers 14:1-4 NRSV

“Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron; the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become booty; would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us choose a captain, and go back to Egypt.”

I found it so interesting that even after Moses had led the people out, and that the spies brought back a good report of a land fertile, but a bad report of the size of the inhabitants, that the people grumbled again. They listened to the wrong report. Momma used to say “You don’t change horses in the middle of the stream.”  The Israelites wanted to go back into captivity. Come on. But sometimes what is familiar feels safer than the unknown. The thing about it is that we can’t stay captive to our own fears, our own trials. We can’t stay, can’t go back, we must go forward. That is where our freedom is. Have you seen the movie “Harriet”? You saw her, “Moses” freeing the slaves. They couldn’t stay, couldn’t go back, had to go forward. Even now, whatever is binding us -we can move forward, we must move forward. Why would we want to be held down? We must keep on keeping on. enough for now.

One More Night

Exodus 8:8-11 NRSV

“Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, “Pray to the Lord to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “Kindly tell me when I am to pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “As you say! So that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God, the frogs shall leave you and your houses and your officials and your people; they shall be left only in the Nile.”

Pharaoh bad decisions caused pain for his people. Yet, he was given a chance for relief for the Egyptians by releasing the Israelites. His relief would be from the frogs everywhere- but he chose to spend one more night with the frogs. 

The frogs, those things that keep us in a constant state of flux trying to deal with them. Too often we lash out at anything and everything, not realizing that the problem is the frogs in our mind. Pharaoh chose to spend one more night. We don’t have to. We can give those issues that cause us pain and misery to God right now, and watch what he does. He has ways of handling things that we can not imagine. What do you chose? enough for now.

Do You Love Me

John 21:15-17 NRSV

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

“Do you love me?” Peter had to get real with himself. The first time Peter was flippant, how he think he could love Jesus more than the disciples did? The second time he was concerned. The third time grief and remorse set in. Now he’s getting real. But each time Jesus gave him a mission to care for the lambs- the babes in Christ, nurture and teach them the way to go. Pasture the sheep- show them safe places to rest. Feed the sheep, give them what will nourish their souls.

When we get real with ourselves, we can get real with God. When we get real with God, we get real with self. That strengthens the vertical connection with God. And then we are ready for our mission. 

I can relate to Peter. A deacon at my home church in Detroit used to ask me, “Rev, is Jesus in your heart?”The first time he asked, I answered rather flippantly, “Well yes.” 

He shook his head and walked off. The next Sunday when he saw me, he asked me that same question again. I wasn’t so flippant that time. I couldn’t understand why he was asking me.

He was a very nice deacon but what was he doing?

And again, he shook his head, but said, “Don’t tell me, show me.”And again, he walked off.

And then I begin to wonder what was wrong. Why would he ask me that? Why couldn’t he see it? After all, I was a preacher. And why was he singling me out? 

I had to think. I had to get still. I had to hear from God. Then I got it. 

And after that, the next time he asked, and the times after that, “Is Jesus in your heart?” I just smiled, and he nodded and smiled back. He taught me a lot with that simple question. 

It wasn’t about what I said or did, but what he saw from within. And when you have Jesus, there is something that causes you to smile from within. You don’t have to say a word, you don’t have to prove anything. enough for now.

Can You Drink This Cup

Matthew 20:20-23 (NRSV)

“Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

James and John answered to what they didn’t know. No, they could not drink the same cup. Sometimes we want the fame, but we don’t want the work. We get so confused at times what we think we should be or how we should be, but the bottom line is that we each have a particular role to play. We have a cup but not his cup. And we work hard to stay on the journey that is ours. We have to be clear of our role, and go for it. We watch what God is doing and we follow Holy Spirit’s guide. Enough for now.

What Are You Afraid Of

 Mark 4:40

Mark 4:35–41 (NRSV): “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” 

Jesus asked the disciples, “Why are you afraid?” They had been with Jesus and had witnessed miracles, but now they are afraid of the storm. They missed Jesus cues that he was resting. He didn’t speak to their fear, but to what frightened them. 

He rebuked the wind and told the sea “Peace! be Still!”That rebuke in the Greek refers to exorcism and suggests that the wind was demonic. That’s powerful. Again, he speaks to what frightened us. We are frightened by one thing but it may be something totally different. 

Yes, there are times that we forget our ‘befores’, what he has done for us before. But if we remember we can live in our ‘now’.  We have to know that he has us in anything and everything. There is no fear. enough for now

Who?

Matthew 16:13-18 (NRSV)

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”

Our actions show what we believe. The disciples shared what others had said. Then Jesus asked, “what do you say?” And Peter spoke up. That’s two different things. We may hear one thing, but we must know what we believe. When Peter spoke up Jesus knew that Peter  was connected, that he had received such knowledge from God. 

This is actually the first recorded time that Jesus is acknowledged as Christ.  This was the one of two times that Jesus travelled north of Galilee. Caesarea Philippi or Banias was rich in paganism as the temples to Pan and Zeus were there. Out from the cave of Pan flowed water from an underground spring that was fed by the Jordan. This was thought to be the entrance to Hades. The cave is still there, but earthquakes have shifted the stream to flowing beside the cave and not out from the cave. The water flows at 4000 gallons per second.

There in the backdrop of paganism Jesus pronounced “Against this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” All on Peter’s revelation of who Jesus was.Who do you say? We have to be clear. Watch him use you. The church still stands, we must stand in our love, in our faith of what we believe. enough for now.