Debra K. Brazzel - "The Good Shepherd" (May 10, 1992)

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	(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

Item Info

Title:

Debra K. Brazzel - "The Good Shepherd" (May 10, 1992)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 13:39. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 30:56.
What does it mean to refer to God as a shepherd, what does it mean for followers of Christ to be sheep? A shepherd protects their flock, and followers of Christ are in need of this protection and guidance especially in the present day, which offers many distractions.“The shepherd is mother and father to the flock. Providing sustenance, protecting from harm.” (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “The shepherd is mother and father to the flock. Providing sustenance, protecting from harm.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4zp3wf87

Date:

May 10, 1992

Speaker:

Brazzel, Debra K.

Liturgical Calendar:

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0280
ref9096_uf0
uachapelsermaud
duke:321432
dcrmv001267
ark:/87924/r4zp3wf87
d9ff5db0-6df4-4695-bbe0-5442bdfd8360

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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