Debra K. Brazzel - "The Good Shepherd" (May 10, 1992)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(church music) | 0:00 | |
- | Fourth Sunday of Easter. | |
And especially on this Easter morning. | 0:02 | |
I'm sorry, Mother's Day. (laughs) | 0:06 | |
I knew it was a special holiday. | 0:09 | |
(laughter) | 0:11 | |
My mother will get me if I forget this. (laughs) | 0:13 | |
I'd like to call a couple of announcements | 0:16 | |
to your attention. | 0:18 | |
We'd like to thank especially today | 0:19 | |
for their musical contribution to our service | 0:21 | |
the members of Jordan High School Choir. | 0:24 | |
We'd also like to recognize and honor | 0:27 | |
all those mothers who are present with us | 0:29 | |
for all of the ways that they bless our lives. | 0:32 | |
Let us continue our worship as we join in the greeting. | 0:35 | |
Please stand. | 0:39 | |
Christ is risen. | 0:45 | |
Congregation | He is risen indeed. | 0:47 |
- | Glory and honor, dominion and power be to God | 0:50 |
forever and ever. | 0:54 | |
Congregation | Christ is risen, hallelujah. | 0:55 |
(church music) | 1:00 | |
(congregation singing) | 1:32 | |
- | Let us pray. | 4:05 |
Oh God, who showed your great power | 4:07 | |
in calling our Lord Jesus from the dead | 4:10 | |
and made him to be the great shepherd of the sheep | 4:13 | |
of all time and every place, | 4:16 | |
send us as Jesus' under shepherds, | 4:19 | |
that through our ministry the lost may be rescued, | 4:22 | |
the injured healed, and those who hunger | 4:26 | |
and thirst for righteousness may be led | 4:29 | |
to the green pastures and the still waters of life. | 4:31 | |
These things we ask in the name and under the service | 4:35 | |
to your son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns | 4:38 | |
with you and the Holy Spirit as one God, | 4:42 | |
now and forever, amen. | 4:45 | |
- | Let us pray together the prayer for illumination. | 5:07 |
All | Oh living God, | 5:13 |
bring us forth from death to life | 5:15 | |
so that as the scriptures are read | 5:18 | |
and your word is proclaimed, | 5:20 | |
we might be brought to a sure and living faith in you, amen. | 5:23 | |
- | The first reading is taken from the book of Acts | 5:32 |
the 13th chapter, starting with the 15th verse. | 5:36 | |
After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, | 5:42 | |
the officials of the synagogue sent them a message saying, | 5:46 | |
"Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation | 5:50 | |
for the people, give it." | 5:54 | |
So Paul stood up, and with a gesture, began to speak. | 5:58 | |
My brothers, you descendants of Abraham's family | 6:04 | |
and others who fear God, | 6:09 | |
to us, the message of this salvation has been sent. | 6:11 | |
Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders | 6:17 | |
did not recognize him or understand the words | 6:20 | |
of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, | 6:24 | |
they fulfilled those words by condemning him. | 6:28 | |
Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, | 6:33 | |
they asked Pilate to have him killed. | 6:37 | |
When they had carried out everything | 6:41 | |
that was written about him, | 6:43 | |
they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. | 6:45 | |
But God raised him from the dead | 6:50 | |
and for many days he appeared to those | 6:53 | |
who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, | 6:56 | |
and they are now his witnesses to the people. | 6:59 | |
And we bring you the good news | 7:03 | |
that what God promised to our ancestors | 7:06 | |
he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus. | 7:09 | |
As also it is written in the second Psalm, | 7:15 | |
"You are my Son, today I have begotten you." | 7:19 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 7:25 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 7:28 |
- | Psalm 23 on page 754. | 7:39 |
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. | 7:50 | |
Congregation | He makes me lie down in green pastures. | 7:55 |
Lector | Leads me beside still waters, restores my life. | 7:59 |
Congregation | He leads me in the path of righteousness | 8:04 |
for his name's sake. | 8:07 | |
Lector | Even though I walk through the darkest valley, | 8:10 |
I fear no evil. | 8:12 | |
Congregation | For you are with me. | 8:14 |
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. | 8:16 | |
Lector | You prepare a table before me | 8:19 |
in the presence of my enemies. | 8:21 | |
Congregation | You anoint my head with oil, | 8:24 |
my cup overflows. | 8:26 | |
- | Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me | 8:28 |
all the days of my life. | 8:31 | |
Congregation | And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord | 8:34 |
as long as I live. | 8:37 | |
(church music) | 8:39 | |
(congregation singing) | 8:48 | |
- | This reading is from the Revelation to John, | 9:49 |
chapter seven beginning with the ninth verse. | 9:52 | |
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude | 9:57 | |
that no one could count, from every nation, | 10:02 | |
from all tribes and peoples and languages, | 10:05 | |
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, | 10:09 | |
robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. | 10:13 | |
They cried out in a loud voice, saying, | 10:18 | |
"Salvation belongs to our God | 10:21 | |
who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb." | 10:24 | |
And all the angels stood around the throne | 10:29 | |
and around the elders and the four living creatures, | 10:32 | |
and they fell on their faces before the throne | 10:36 | |
and worshiped God, singing, | 10:39 | |
"Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom | 10:42 | |
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might | 10:46 | |
be to our God forever and ever, amen." | 10:51 | |
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, | 10:57 | |
"Who are these, robed in white, | 11:00 | |
and where have they come from?" | 11:03 | |
I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." | 11:05 | |
Then he said to me, "These are they | 11:11 | |
who have come out of the great ordeal. | 11:15 | |
They have washed their robes and made them white | 11:17 | |
in the blood of the Lamb. | 11:20 | |
For this reason they are before the throne of God, | 11:23 | |
and worship him day and night within his temple, | 11:26 | |
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. | 11:30 | |
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more. | 11:35 | |
The sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat, | 11:40 | |
for the Lamb at the center of the throne | 11:45 | |
will be their shepherd, | 11:47 | |
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, | 11:49 | |
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." | 11:53 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 11:59 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 12:02 |
- | These words are from the 10th chapter | 12:06 |
of the gospel according to St. John, | 12:09 | |
beginning with the 22nd verse. | 12:11 | |
At that time the festival | 12:16 | |
of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. | 12:18 | |
It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, | 12:21 | |
in the portico of Solomon. | 12:25 | |
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, | 12:29 | |
"How long will you keep us in suspense? | 12:33 | |
If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." | 12:36 | |
Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. | 12:41 | |
The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me | 12:47 | |
but you do not believe | 12:51 | |
because you do not belong to my sheep. | 12:52 | |
My sheep hear my voice. | 12:56 | |
I know them, and they follow me. | 12:59 | |
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. | 13:02 | |
No one will snatch them out of my hand. | 13:07 | |
What my Father has given me is greater than all else, | 13:10 | |
and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. | 13:15 | |
The Father and I are one." | 13:19 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 13:24 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 13:26 |
- | The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. | 13:39 |
Well known and beloved words, but it is doubtful | 13:44 | |
that they communicate the same meaning to us | 13:48 | |
as they did to the agrarian people for whom David | 13:51 | |
first wrote the 23rd Psalm. | 13:54 | |
His was a pre-technological, nomadic society | 13:57 | |
and David had been a shepherd for many years. | 14:01 | |
He wrote with an intimate understanding | 14:04 | |
of what it meant to name God as his shepherd. | 14:07 | |
On the other hand, most of us have little knowledge | 14:11 | |
of the shepherd or sheep. | 14:14 | |
Over spring break this year, I had the opportunity | 14:17 | |
to lead a group of students | 14:19 | |
on a mission trip to Washington, D.C. | 14:21 | |
On the way we stopped at the home of one of our students | 14:24 | |
for a home-cooked meal. | 14:27 | |
All of you mothers will appreciate | 14:29 | |
how graciously he had volunteered his mother | 14:31 | |
to cook for 11 of us. | 14:34 | |
His mother was kind enough to fulfill his offer | 14:37 | |
and served a wonderful meal, much enjoyed by students | 14:40 | |
starved for mama's cooking. | 14:44 | |
His family lived in a rural community outside of Richmond. | 14:47 | |
As we prepared to re-load the van, | 14:51 | |
the student spotted a small flock of sheep | 14:54 | |
that his family raised. | 14:57 | |
They were mesmerized and it took us another 30 minutes | 14:59 | |
to pull them away from the fascinating sight | 15:03 | |
of a few sheep. | 15:06 | |
I daresay it was the first time | 15:07 | |
many of them had seen live sheep. | 15:09 | |
Of course, I was jaded to the view. | 15:12 | |
I had once touched one in a petting zoo | 15:14 | |
and I have a picture on my refrigerator to prove it. | 15:17 | |
Most of us don't know anything about sheep, | 15:21 | |
much less the shepherd. | 15:24 | |
Yet the Psalm, the passage from Revelation, | 15:26 | |
and our gospel text from John | 15:30 | |
all speak of God or Christ as our shepherd. | 15:32 | |
What does it mean to refer to God as a shepherd? | 15:37 | |
When we speak in this way we are saying | 15:41 | |
something about God's nature, God's very being. | 15:44 | |
But we are not referring to God alone | 15:48 | |
because the word shepherd has meaning | 15:51 | |
only in relationship to those who are shepherded. | 15:53 | |
There can be no shepherd, good or bad, | 15:58 | |
without a flock, although the flock | 16:00 | |
may be very large or very small. | 16:02 | |
Now that is not to say that God | 16:05 | |
does not exist apart from a flock. | 16:07 | |
But that God is shepherd only in relationship to the flock. | 16:09 | |
To refer to God as a shepherd also implies | 16:15 | |
that those God is in relationship with are as sheep. | 16:18 | |
If we're uncomfortable with the image of God as a shepherd | 16:23 | |
we are doubly so with language imaging ourselves as sheep. | 16:26 | |
Jesus identified himself as a lamb | 16:31 | |
led by the guidance of God and the shepherd. | 16:35 | |
But it is not an image we particularly like for ourselves. | 16:38 | |
To call God our shepherd is to acknowledge | 16:43 | |
the shepherd's ownership, authority, and control over us. | 16:46 | |
It is most difficult for us to imagine | 16:51 | |
being owned by any other. | 16:54 | |
It conjures up images of slavery and tyranny and abuse. | 16:56 | |
Voluntary submission to another | 17:02 | |
is not something that we are comfortable with. | 17:04 | |
Authority and control over our lives | 17:07 | |
are not things that we give up easily. | 17:10 | |
Yet the fact remains, all three of these scriptures | 17:14 | |
refer to the Lord as a shepherd | 17:18 | |
and speak with joy of their trust and confidence in him. | 17:20 | |
Now, why would David, John, and Jesus | 17:25 | |
image God as the good shepherd and themselves as sheep? | 17:28 | |
The wellbeing of any flock of sheep | 17:34 | |
is solely dependent upon the character of the shepherd. | 17:36 | |
Their care, of lack thereof, is his responsibility. | 17:40 | |
To say that God is the good shepherd | 17:45 | |
is to say that God does everything necessary | 17:47 | |
for the flock to thrive. | 17:51 | |
Diligent care is given to provide for every need, | 17:53 | |
abundant material provision, protection from harm, | 17:57 | |
seeking the lost, restoring the sick, | 18:00 | |
fending off enemies, paying constant attention | 18:03 | |
to every need, however trivial, | 18:06 | |
to ensure the wellbeing of the flock. | 18:09 | |
Sounds rather like a mother's care, doesn't it? | 18:13 | |
The shepherd is mother and father to the flock, | 18:17 | |
nurturing, providing sustenance, | 18:20 | |
protecting from harm. | 18:23 | |
Now who wouldn't want a shepherd like this? | 18:26 | |
Someone to make sure nothing bad ever happens to you. | 18:29 | |
But a Pollyanna protected existence | 18:33 | |
is not what the scriptures promise. | 18:35 | |
A flock of sheep are susceptible to many dangers. | 18:38 | |
Drought can cause the fields to dry up, | 18:42 | |
waters can become infested with disease, | 18:44 | |
wild animals prey upon them | 18:48 | |
and they have no means of self-defense except flight. | 18:50 | |
Competition within the flock can cause | 18:54 | |
the younger, more vulnerable sheep to be butted aside. | 18:56 | |
They're easily cast down, meaning they get | 19:00 | |
rolled over on their backs and they can't get up | 19:03 | |
and will die quickly if they're not returned to their feet. | 19:06 | |
They're defenseless against insects and pests | 19:09 | |
and they are creatures of habit | 19:12 | |
who will graze over and over on the same, dried up pasture | 19:14 | |
unless they are led out to fresh fields. | 19:19 | |
The shepherd doesn't eliminate all of these problems | 19:23 | |
but is diligent in watching over them | 19:27 | |
to help guide the sheep through the dangers. | 19:29 | |
As Phillip Keller says in A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, | 19:34 | |
sheep need more attention and care | 19:38 | |
than any other livestock. | 19:41 | |
More than any other livestock, | 19:43 | |
they are unable to fend for themselves. | 19:45 | |
Well, after all, these are sheep. | 19:48 | |
What can you expect? | 19:50 | |
But what about us, why would Jesus refer to us as sheep | 19:52 | |
in John's gospel and why did David | 19:56 | |
consider himself a lamb in Psalm 23? | 19:59 | |
He was one of the most intelligent, | 20:03 | |
powerful leaders of his day, yet sheep are dull creatures | 20:05 | |
who are totally helpless, vulnerable, | 20:10 | |
and dependent upon the shepherd. | 20:12 | |
They travel in herds, they're easily spooked, | 20:15 | |
and they will blindly follow the lead sheep, | 20:17 | |
even into danger. | 20:20 | |
Sheep can be stubborn creatures of habit | 20:22 | |
who will drink out of the first dirty pool they come across | 20:25 | |
rather than follow the shepherd to clean water. | 20:29 | |
This imagery goes totally against the self-concept | 20:33 | |
we've worked to cultivate. | 20:36 | |
Individuals who are powerful, smart, in control, | 20:38 | |
independent, and growing toward self-actualization. | 20:43 | |
We certainly don't consider ourselves | 20:48 | |
as owned by anybody. | 20:50 | |
We make our own decisions and we follow our own judgments. | 20:52 | |
We don't need anyone to tell us what to do. | 20:55 | |
And just look how successful we've been. | 20:59 | |
We are independent, but our families are broken. | 21:02 | |
We are competent, but we need alcohol or tranquilizers | 21:07 | |
to escape from our lives. | 21:12 | |
Our possessions are endless, but our souls are tapeworms | 21:15 | |
that are never filled. | 21:20 | |
We are thin and beautiful but we are anorexic and bulimic. | 21:22 | |
We are obese, but more is never enough. | 21:28 | |
We're sexy and free but we're alienated and lonely. | 21:33 | |
We have used the natural resources | 21:38 | |
to create incredible technological advances, | 21:41 | |
but we've exploited our environment | 21:45 | |
and it's poisoning us. | 21:47 | |
We have created urban centers that are a wonder to behold, | 21:50 | |
but they're crumbling from within. | 21:55 | |
We've taken advantage of investment opportunities | 21:57 | |
to secure wealth and position | 22:00 | |
while the chasm between rich and poor | 22:03 | |
has become a boiling cauldron. | 22:05 | |
But we are smart, powerful, in control. | 22:08 | |
Perhaps more than any people in history, | 22:13 | |
we are in need of a good shepherd. | 22:17 | |
For we are a flock truly walking through | 22:21 | |
the valley of darkness, | 22:24 | |
blindly following one another into danger. | 22:26 | |
In the Psalm, David talks about this valley, | 22:30 | |
sometimes called the valley of the shadow of death, | 22:33 | |
but literally translated as dark shadows. | 22:37 | |
In the valley near Jerusalem there were dark ravines | 22:41 | |
where beasts and robbers could lie in wait | 22:44 | |
to prey upon the unwary. | 22:46 | |
The valley of dark shadows symbolizes | 22:49 | |
all the circumstances in life that give rise to fear. | 22:52 | |
There is so much in the 20th century to cause us fear | 22:57 | |
and anxiety is a way of life for many of us. | 23:02 | |
Some of us fear the emptiness in our lives | 23:06 | |
and work desperately to fill it or escape it. | 23:09 | |
There's a simple poem in Charles Allen's | 23:13 | |
Victory in the Valleys of Life | 23:15 | |
which speaks to this need. | 23:17 | |
For those who seek the answer | 23:20 | |
in houses, lands, and rings | 23:21 | |
will some day find their empty lives | 23:24 | |
just as empty, filled with things. | 23:26 | |
One can be successful in accumulating things | 23:31 | |
and still doing nothing in life | 23:34 | |
that makes you feel that life is worth living. | 23:36 | |
In the words of St. Augustine, | 23:40 | |
our souls are restless until they find their rest in thee. | 23:42 | |
Some of us fear the unknown. | 23:47 | |
Maybe you're facing graduation, | 23:50 | |
and an uncertain future. | 23:52 | |
Reliance upon the shepherd doesn't take away the uncertainty | 23:54 | |
but gives you the confidence to keep moving forward | 23:58 | |
toward the future without fear. | 24:01 | |
Others of us find ourselves in the valley | 24:05 | |
because of some kind of trouble in our lives. | 24:07 | |
Sometimes it's trouble we've brought upon ourselves | 24:10 | |
through our actions. | 24:13 | |
Maybe you blew off your studies all semester | 24:15 | |
and tried to cram a semester's worth of work | 24:17 | |
into finals week. | 24:20 | |
One of the most memorable experiences of my life | 24:22 | |
was flunking Chemistry 102 when I was an undergraduate | 24:25 | |
for this very reason. | 24:28 | |
I was an A student, I thought I could pull it off. | 24:30 | |
It was a great lesson in humility for me, | 24:34 | |
learning my limits and accepting | 24:37 | |
the consequences of my actions. | 24:38 | |
But trouble brought upon ourselves | 24:41 | |
is no less difficult to bear. | 24:43 | |
The shepherd's forgiveness and compassion | 24:46 | |
can help us accept the pain we've caused | 24:48 | |
and grow through it. | 24:51 | |
You may be in a valley because of some trouble | 24:53 | |
that you can't avoid. | 24:56 | |
One of the unfortunate facts of life | 24:58 | |
is that the iniquities of the fathers and mothers | 25:00 | |
are visited upon their children. | 25:02 | |
Perhaps you've suffered | 25:05 | |
because of abusive or neglectful parents, | 25:06 | |
your parents' addictions or lack of self-esteem. | 25:09 | |
Negative family patterns are often passed on for generations | 25:13 | |
and it takes courage and the help of a loving shepherd | 25:18 | |
to break destructive patterns. | 25:21 | |
But trouble goes both ways in families | 25:25 | |
and you may be in the valley | 25:28 | |
because of some action of your child that you can't control. | 25:29 | |
It has been said that you are only as happy | 25:33 | |
as your unhappiest child. | 25:36 | |
Certainly, children can cause their parents | 25:39 | |
much suffering, as any mother present can attest. | 25:41 | |
The shepherd understands | 25:46 | |
the pain caused by wayward children. | 25:47 | |
You may be facing the dark shadows of disease. | 25:51 | |
Sometimes we can change our lifestyle or behaviors | 25:55 | |
in ways that will decrease our vulnerability to disease | 25:58 | |
but none of us are immune. | 26:02 | |
We don't know why one person is struck down with cancer | 26:04 | |
at 40 and another lives to be 90. | 26:07 | |
It's not the shepherd's will that any person | 26:11 | |
suffer disease, but this is one of the valleys | 26:13 | |
that many of us will face. | 26:17 | |
Some of you may be suffering from an accident, | 26:19 | |
some circumstance outside your control | 26:22 | |
that happened in an instant, changing your life forever. | 26:24 | |
Or perhaps you've been affected by a natural disaster, | 26:29 | |
a hurricane, tornado, or flood. | 26:32 | |
Or maybe you've lost a loved one. | 26:35 | |
Some would tell you that trouble is God's will. | 26:38 | |
But the shepherd never causes suffering | 26:41 | |
to come upon the sheep. | 26:44 | |
In a law-abiding universe where creation and human beings | 26:48 | |
are given the freedom to act, | 26:52 | |
sometimes suffering comes. | 26:54 | |
And the shepherd wills to lead us through it | 26:57 | |
to the other side. | 27:00 | |
We must remember that the shepherd | 27:02 | |
is also the lamb. | 27:04 | |
And there is no human suffering that our God has not also | 27:06 | |
willingly faced on our behalf. | 27:10 | |
Now there is another kind of trouble | 27:14 | |
that we sometimes find ourselves facing. | 27:16 | |
Occasionally there are conflicts | 27:19 | |
that we must not avoid. | 27:21 | |
Jesus faced this kind of trouble on his way to the cross | 27:24 | |
as he followed the guidance of the shepherd | 27:28 | |
and became the lamb sacrificed for us. | 27:30 | |
Students at Duke last week | 27:34 | |
felt that they had to risk the danger of possible violence | 27:36 | |
to stand up against the injustice | 27:40 | |
in the Rodney King verdict. | 27:42 | |
Another student felt she had to expose dishonesty | 27:45 | |
and risk the rejection of her classmates. | 27:49 | |
Sometimes we find ourselves in circumstances | 27:53 | |
facing trouble we must not avoid. | 27:56 | |
As we say with Martin Luther, | 27:58 | |
"Here I stand, I can do no otherwise, God help me." | 28:00 | |
Each of us must face our own dark shadows. | 28:07 | |
It is not possible to avoid the valleys of life | 28:11 | |
but we don't have to face them alone | 28:15 | |
and we don't have to fear them | 28:18 | |
because there is a loving shepherd | 28:19 | |
for whom our wellbeing is primary. | 28:22 | |
The shepherd is waiting to guide us | 28:26 | |
through all the adversities of our life. | 28:28 | |
The question is, are we willing | 28:32 | |
to follow the shepherd? | 28:34 | |
For the cost of following this shepherd is not cheap. | 28:37 | |
First we must ask ourselves, | 28:40 | |
are we willing to be owned by the good shepherd? | 28:42 | |
All of us must give our lives to something. | 28:46 | |
What will you live for? | 28:49 | |
Before the shepherd can guide us | 28:51 | |
we must become part of his flock. | 28:53 | |
We must be marked as belonging to the shepherd. | 28:56 | |
All sheep have a notch cut in their ear | 28:59 | |
which identifies their owner. | 29:02 | |
In being marked, we become intimately known by the shepherd | 29:04 | |
and we identify ourselves as his. | 29:08 | |
Are we willing to give the shepherd | 29:12 | |
this kind of authority and control over our lives? | 29:14 | |
In truth, no one exists apart from the shepherd. | 29:18 | |
Who among us could make the sun rise in the sky one day? | 29:22 | |
Yet the shepherd has given us the freedom to choose. | 29:27 | |
Will we belong to his flock? | 29:31 | |
In giving the shepherd authority over us | 29:35 | |
we must also agree to follow his lead. | 29:37 | |
In John's gospel Jesus says that all those | 29:40 | |
who belong to his sheep hear him and follow him. | 29:43 | |
Are we willing to follow? | 29:48 | |
Do we trust the shepherd to guide us on the right paths | 29:50 | |
and to keep our best interest at heart? | 29:54 | |
If we are willing to belong, to hear, and to obey, | 29:59 | |
then Jesus promises us that we will hear his voice | 30:03 | |
and we will receive his guidance and protection. | 30:07 | |
In his words, no one can snatch us out of his hand. | 30:11 | |
Christ shows us what it means to belong to God as a lamb | 30:17 | |
and to follow the shepherd's guidance | 30:22 | |
through every valley of dark shadows, even unto death. | 30:24 | |
He has shown us that only by following the good shepherd | 30:29 | |
do we find the way that leads through the darkness | 30:33 | |
to life abundant, to life eternal. | 30:36 | |
As we come to the communion table, | 30:41 | |
we too have the opportunity | 30:44 | |
to accept the mark of the good shepherd. | 30:46 | |
Do you hear his voice? | 30:50 | |
Will you follow? | 30:52 | |
Lector | The Lord be with you. | 31:11 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 31:13 |
- | Let us pray. | 31:15 |
We praise your most holy name, oh God, | 31:18 | |
for sending your son as a shepherd | 31:21 | |
to make us walk to the still waters | 31:24 | |
of forgiveness and peace. | 31:27 | |
By your grace we have been visited by the Holy Spirit, | 31:30 | |
brought to faith and new life in the waters of baptism, | 31:33 | |
and by the teaching and proclamation of your word. | 31:37 | |
And on this day you lead us to the green pastures | 31:41 | |
in the bread and wine | 31:44 | |
in which you give us the bread of life, | 31:46 | |
your son, Jesus Christ. | 31:49 | |
For these and all other blessings | 31:52 | |
which you have showered upon us so abundantly | 31:54 | |
that we cannot name them all, | 31:57 | |
and yet by which we live, we give honor to your name. | 31:59 | |
Lord, in your mercy. | 32:04 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 32:06 |
- | Your world lies wounded before you, oh Lord, | 32:08 |
and we commend it to your care. | 32:11 | |
Take up the cause of the oppressed, | 32:14 | |
those who are given no justice, | 32:16 | |
those who pursue the ways of peace | 32:18 | |
and find only persecution. | 32:20 | |
We pray especially that you would lead our own nation | 32:22 | |
into the paths of righteousness for your name's sake, | 32:25 | |
that through our leaders and our citizens | 32:28 | |
your divine will may be carried out in the world. | 32:31 | |
But in like fashion, we set before you | 32:35 | |
all nations of the world, | 32:37 | |
asking your divine mercy upon Yugoslavia and its brokenness, | 32:39 | |
South Africa in its search for a new future, | 32:43 | |
Afghanistan in its need, our own cities | 32:46 | |
where humans set upon humans and forsake the ways of peace. | 32:50 | |
Mother our world, oh God, | 32:54 | |
that it may become your family. | 32:57 | |
Lord, in your mercy. | 33:00 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 33:01 |
- | Let your church fear no evil in its perilous journey, | 33:04 |
oh God, for it walks with your son | 33:07 | |
through the dark valley of those shadows that lead to death. | 33:10 | |
Call all of us to die to ourselves | 33:16 | |
that we may rise to you. | 33:19 | |
Let your church not shun the ways of suffering, | 33:21 | |
that it may, as the body of your son, | 33:24 | |
shepherd the sheep of this world and this time, | 33:26 | |
preparing a table in the presence of your enemies | 33:30 | |
where your children may safely eat and drink | 33:33 | |
from the overflowing cup of your mercy. | 33:36 | |
Lord, in your mercy. | 33:39 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 33:41 |
- | Look upon all who live in families, | 33:43 |
that mothers and fathers alike may raise children | 33:45 | |
in your fear and favor | 33:49 | |
and that children may find in mothers and fathers | 33:51 | |
a sign of your presence with them. | 33:54 | |
Be with the homes that are broken, | 33:56 | |
that there may be renewal and a restoration | 33:58 | |
of a wholeness now torn apart. | 34:01 | |
Be with all who live and love with care and compassion | 34:04 | |
as households of mutual affection, | 34:07 | |
seeking the good of all who live therein. | 34:10 | |
Lord, in your mercy. | 34:13 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 34:15 |
- | And we pray oh God, for all whose lives are torn | 34:17 |
and fractured and fragmented by illness, | 34:20 | |
by mourning, by poverty, by loneliness, by unemployment, | 34:24 | |
by mental or emotional disturbances and the like. | 34:28 | |
Remember those who have too little, oh God, | 34:33 | |
that they may not fall into despair. | 34:35 | |
And remember those who have so much, oh God, | 34:38 | |
that they may not fall into idolatry of their wealth. | 34:42 | |
Help us to see that what we have is from your hand, | 34:46 | |
to receive it with thankfulness, | 34:51 | |
and find in it an occasion to care for and serve | 34:54 | |
those who are in need. | 34:57 | |
Take us all under your care. | 35:00 | |
Claim us, comfort us with your rod and staff | 35:03 | |
as you protect us from our enemies | 35:06 | |
and follow us with your goodness and mercy | 35:09 | |
all the days of our life | 35:11 | |
until we dwell in the house of the Lord forever, amen. | 35:13 | |
The peace of the Lord which is given to us | 35:36 | |
in Jesus Christ is the peace | 35:38 | |
that we have to give one to another. | 35:41 | |
Let us exchange it now in a common exchange of peace. | 35:44 | |
(congregation conversing) | 35:52 | |
(triumphant music) | 36:37 | |
♪ Mine eyes have seen the glory ♪ | 36:55 | |
♪ Of the coming of the Lord ♪ | 36:59 | |
♪ He is trampling out the vineyards ♪ | 37:04 | |
♪ Where the grapes of wrath are stored ♪ | 37:08 | |
♪ He hath loosed the fateful lightning ♪ | 37:13 | |
♪ Of his terrible, swift sword ♪ | 37:18 | |
♪ His truth is marching on ♪ | 37:23 | |
♪ Gloria ♪ | 37:31 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 37:34 | |
♪ Gloria ♪ | 37:39 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 37:43 | |
♪ Gloria, Gloria ♪ | 37:48 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 37:53 | |
♪ Gloria ♪ | 37:58 | |
♪ His truth is marching on ♪ | 38:00 | |
(triumphant music) | 38:08 | |
♪ I have seen Him in the watch fires ♪ | 38:15 | |
♪ Of a hundred circling camps ♪ | 38:19 | |
♪ They have builded Him an altar ♪ | 38:24 | |
♪ In the evening dews and damps ♪ | 38:28 | |
♪ I can read His righteous sentence ♪ | 38:33 | |
♪ In the dim and flaring lamps ♪ | 38:37 | |
♪ His day is marching on ♪ | 38:41 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 38:52 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 38:56 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 39:01 | |
♪ His truth is marching on ♪ | 39:06 | |
(triumphant music) | 39:11 | |
♪ In the beauty of the lilies ♪ | 39:41 | |
♪ Christ was born across the sea ♪ | 39:49 | |
♪ With a glory in His bosom ♪ | 39:58 | |
♪ That transfigures you and me ♪ | 40:05 | |
♪ As He died to make men holy ♪ | 40:14 | |
♪ Let us live to make men free ♪ | 40:22 | |
♪ While God is marching on ♪ | 40:25 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 40:33 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 40:40 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 40:46 | |
♪ His truth is marching on ♪ | 40:51 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 40:59 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 41:06 | |
♪ Glory, glory hallelujah ♪ | 41:12 | |
♪ His truth is marching on ♪ | 41:18 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 41:25 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 41:32 | |
(organ music) | 41:46 | |
(congregation singing) | 42:11 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 43:10 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 43:12 |
- | Lift up your hearts. | 43:13 |
Congregation | We lift them up to the Lord. | 43:15 |
- | It is right to give our Lord thanks and praise. | 43:17 |
(congregation response) | 43:21 | |
- | It is right and a good and joyful thing | 43:23 |
always and everywhere to give thanks to you, | 43:26 | |
Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. | 43:29 | |
You formed us in your image | 43:33 | |
and breathed into us the breath of life. | 43:36 | |
When we turned away and our love failed, | 43:39 | |
your love remained steadfast. | 43:42 | |
You delivered us from captivity | 43:44 | |
and made covenant to be our sovereign God, | 43:46 | |
brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey, | 43:50 | |
and set before us the way of life. | 43:53 | |
And so with your people on earth | 43:56 | |
and all the company of heaven, | 43:58 | |
we praise your name and join their unending hymn. | 44:00 | |
All | Holy, holy, holy Lord, | 44:05 |
God of power and might, heaven and earth | 44:07 | |
are full of your glory. | 44:10 | |
Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he | 44:13 | |
who comes in the name of the Lord. | 44:16 | |
Hosanna in the highest. | 44:18 | |
- | Holy are you and blessed is your son, Jesus Christ. | 44:20 |
Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, | 44:24 | |
to proclaim release to the captives, | 44:28 | |
and recovering of sight to the blind. | 44:31 | |
To set at liberty those who are oppressed | 44:34 | |
and to announce that the time had come | 44:37 | |
when you would save your people. | 44:39 | |
He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. | 44:41 | |
By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection | 44:46 | |
you gave birth to your church, | 44:50 | |
delivered us from slavery to sin and death, | 44:53 | |
and made with us a new covenant by water and the spirit. | 44:56 | |
By your great mercy, we have been born anew | 45:01 | |
to a living hope through the resurrection | 45:04 | |
of your son from the dead | 45:06 | |
and to an inheritance which is imperishable, | 45:09 | |
undefiled, and unfading. | 45:11 | |
Once we were no people but now we are your people, | 45:15 | |
your flock, following your guidance, | 45:19 | |
declaring your wonderful deeds in Christ | 45:22 | |
who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. | 45:25 | |
When the Lord Jesus ascended, | 45:29 | |
he promised to be with us always | 45:31 | |
in the power of your word and Holy Spirit. | 45:34 | |
On the night in which he gave himself up for us, | 45:38 | |
he took bread, gave thanks to you, | 45:40 | |
offered it to his disciples, and said, | 45:44 | |
"Take, eat, this is my body given for you. | 45:46 | |
Do this in remembrance of me." | 45:51 | |
When the supper was over he took the cup. | 45:54 | |
He gave thanks to you, offered it to his disciples, | 45:57 | |
and said, "Drink from this, all of you. | 46:00 | |
This is the blood of the new covenant | 46:03 | |
poured out for you and for many | 46:05 | |
for the forgiveness of sins. | 46:08 | |
Do this as often as you shall drink it | 46:10 | |
in remembrance of me." | 46:13 | |
On the day you raised him from the dead | 46:17 | |
he was recognized by his disciples | 46:19 | |
in the breaking of the bread. | 46:21 | |
And in the power of your Holy Spirit, | 46:23 | |
your church has continued in the breaking of bread | 46:26 | |
and the sharing of the cup. | 46:29 | |
And so in remembrance of these, your mighty acts | 46:31 | |
in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves | 46:34 | |
in praise and thanksgiving | 46:37 | |
as a holy and living sacrifice | 46:39 | |
in union with Christ's offering for us | 46:41 | |
as we proclaim the mystery of faith. | 46:44 | |
All | Christ has died. | 46:47 |
Christ has risen. | 46:48 | |
Christ will come again. | 46:50 | |
- | Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here | 46:53 |
and these gifts of bread and wine. | 46:55 | |
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, | 46:58 | |
that we may be for the world the body of Christ | 47:02 | |
redeemed by his blood. | 47:05 | |
By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, | 47:08 | |
one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world | 47:10 | |
until Christ comes in final victory | 47:15 | |
and we feast at his heavenly banquet. | 47:17 | |
Through your son, Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit | 47:20 | |
in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours | 47:23 | |
almighty God, now and forever, amen. | 47:27 | |
All | Our father | 47:33 |
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. | 47:34 | |
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done | 47:37 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 47:40 | |
Give us this day our daily bread | 47:43 | |
and forgive us our trespasses | 47:45 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 47:48 | |
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. | 47:51 | |
For thine is the kingdom, and the power | 47:56 | |
and the glory forever, amen. | 47:58 | |
- | Because there is one loaf, | 48:02 |
we many as we are, are one body. | 48:05 | |
The bread which we break is a sharing | 48:09 | |
in the body of Christ. | 48:12 | |
The cup over which we give thanks | 48:16 | |
is a sharing in the blood of Christ. | 48:19 | |
The body of Christ given for you. | 48:25 | |
Won't you come and feast at the Lord's table. | 48:54 | |
(church music) | 48:58 | |
♪ Just as I am without one plea ♪ | 49:33 | |
♪ But that Thy blood was shed for me ♪ | 49:42 | |
♪ And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee ♪ | 49:49 | |
♪ Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come ♪ | 49:57 | |
♪ Just as I am, and waiting not ♪ | 50:10 | |
♪ To rid my soul of one dark blot ♪ | 50:18 | |
♪ To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot ♪ | 50:26 | |
♪ Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come ♪ | 50:34 | |
♪ Just as I am, though tossed about ♪ | 50:47 | |
♪ With many a conflict, many a doubt ♪ | 50:56 | |
♪ Fightings within, and fears without ♪ | 51:05 | |
♪ Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come ♪ | 51:13 | |
♪ Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind ♪ | 51:27 | |
♪ Sight, riches, healing of the mind ♪ | 51:36 | |
♪ Yea, all I need, in Thee to find ♪ | 51:44 | |
♪ Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come ♪ | 51:52 | |
♪ Just as I am, Thou wilt receive ♪ | 52:06 | |
♪ Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve ♪ | 52:14 | |
♪ Because Thy promise I believe ♪ | 52:23 | |
♪ Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come ♪ | 52:32 | |
♪ Just as I am, Thy love unknown ♪ | 52:46 | |
♪ Has broken every barrier down ♪ | 52:54 | |
♪ Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone ♪ | 53:03 | |
♪ Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come ♪ | 53:13 | |
(organ music) | 53:27 | |
(church music) | 54:19 | |
(choir singing) | 54:35 | |
♪ For the glory of the skies ♪ | 54:41 | |
♪ For the love ♪ | 54:47 | |
♪ Which from our birth ♪ | 54:51 | |
♪ Over and around us lies ♪ | 54:54 | |
♪ Over and around us lies ♪ | 54:58 | |
♪ Lord of all ♪ | 55:02 | |
♪ To thee we raise ♪ | 55:04 | |
♪ This our joyful hymn of praise ♪ | 55:10 | |
♪ For the beauty of each hour ♪ | 55:22 | |
♪ Of the day and of the night ♪ | 55:30 | |
♪ Hill and vale, and tree and flower ♪ | 55:35 | |
♪ Sun and moon and stars of light ♪ | 55:43 | |
♪ Sun and moon and stars of light ♪ | 55:46 | |
♪ Lord of all ♪ | 55:50 | |
♪ To thee we raise ♪ | 55:53 | |
♪ This our joyful hymn of praise ♪ | 55:59 | |
♪ For the joy of human love ♪ | 56:12 | |
♪ For the joy of human love ♪ | 56:15 | |
♪ Brother, sister, parent, child ♪ | 56:19 | |
♪ Brother, sister, parent, child ♪ | 56:23 | |
♪ Friends of earth, friends of earth ♪ | 56:26 | |
♪ And friends above, and friends above ♪ | 56:29 | |
♪ Lord of all ♪ | 56:32 | |
(choir singing) | 56:35 | |
♪ To thee we raise ♪ | 56:44 | |
♪ This the joyful hymn, the joyful hymn, of praise ♪ | 56:49 | |
(choir singing) | 56:58 | |
♪ This the joyful hymn of praise ♪ | 57:33 | |
♪ This the joyful hymn, the hymn of praise ♪ | 57:42 | |
(church music) | 58:01 | |
(congregation singing) | 58:25 | |
- | Let us pray. | 1:00:26 |
Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery | 1:00:28 | |
in which you have given yourself to us. | 1:00:32 | |
Grant that we may go into the world | 1:00:35 | |
in the strength of your Spirit | 1:00:37 | |
to give ourselves for others. | 1:00:39 | |
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. | 1:00:41 | |
Go forth in peace, | 1:00:45 | |
following the guidance of the good shepherd. | 1:00:47 | |
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ | 1:00:50 | |
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit | 1:00:51 | |
be with you all, amen. | 1:00:55 | |
(organ music) | 1:00:59 | |
♪ The church's one foundation ♪ | 1:01:20 | |
♪ Is Jesus Christ her Lord ♪ | 1:01:25 | |
♪ She is his new creation ♪ | 1:01:30 | |
♪ By water and the word ♪ | 1:01:36 | |
♪ From heaven he came and sought her ♪ | 1:01:41 | |
♪ To be his holy bride ♪ | 1:01:46 | |
♪ With his own blood he bought her ♪ | 1:01:51 | |
♪ And for her life he died ♪ | 1:01:56 | |
♪ Elect from every nation ♪ | 1:02:03 | |
♪ Yet one o'er all the earth ♪ | 1:02:08 | |
♪ Her charter of salvation ♪ | 1:02:13 | |
♪ One Lord, one faith, one birth ♪ | 1:02:19 | |
♪ One holy name she blesses ♪ | 1:02:24 | |
♪ Partakes one holy food ♪ | 1:02:29 | |
♪ And to one hope she presses ♪ | 1:02:34 | |
♪ With every grace endued ♪ | 1:02:40 | |
♪ Though with a scornful wonder ♪ | 1:02:47 | |
♪ Men see her sore oppressed ♪ | 1:02:52 | |
♪ By schisms rent asunder ♪ | 1:02:58 | |
♪ By heresies distressed ♪ | 1:03:03 | |
♪ Yet saints their watch are keeping ♪ | 1:03:09 | |
♪ Their cry goes up, "How long?" ♪ | 1:03:14 | |
♪ And soon the night of weeping ♪ | 1:03:20 | |
♪ Shall be the morn of song ♪ | 1:03:25 | |
♪ Mid toil and tribulation ♪ | 1:03:33 | |
♪ And tumult of her war ♪ | 1:03:38 | |
♪ She waits the consummation ♪ | 1:03:44 | |
♪ Of peace for evermore ♪ | 1:03:49 | |
♪ Til with the vision glorious ♪ | 1:03:55 | |
♪ Her longing eyes are blessed ♪ | 1:04:00 | |
♪ And the great church victorious ♪ | 1:04:06 | |
♪ Shall be the church at rest ♪ | 1:04:11 | |
♪ Yet she on earth hath union ♪ | 1:04:19 | |
♪ With God the three in one ♪ | 1:04:25 | |
♪ And mystic sweet communion ♪ | 1:04:31 | |
♪ With those whose rest is won ♪ | 1:04:37 | |
♪ Oh happy ones and holy ♪ | 1:04:42 | |
♪ Lord, give us grace that we ♪ | 1:04:48 | |
♪ Like them, the meek and lowly ♪ | 1:04:54 | |
♪ On high may dwell with Thee ♪ | 1:05:00 | |
(organ music) | 1:05:15 |