Fear Not Little Flock

Title: Fear Not Little Flock By Pastor Lohn Johnson
Text:    Psalm 23:1-6   The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2     He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3     he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk     through the darkest valley,[a] I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me     in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;     my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me     all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord     forever. INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, Sometime back in, Bill Keane's Family Circus comic strip, Billy, the little boy sneezes and says, "Ah-Choo!" and his mother says, "God bless you!" He says it again and again she says, "God bless you." He does it again and again, getting louder each time, and each time his mother says, "God bless you." After the fifth time though, his mother says, "You're pushing it." And Billy replies, "I was just tryin' to be really blest." Being really blest seems to be the gist of the first two verses of this Psalm These two verses about the shepherd might give us the impression that being a Christian is all soft, warm, fuzzy business. After all, if the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want!  We read this text and we see that we are to be really blest.  A good shepherd does not like to see his sheep suffer in any way. God, too, has compassion upon His children when they experience hardship and sorrow.  But God never promised that His children would run the race of life on a carpeted track.
I.   Instead we His children, His sheep, get shorn!  Sorry but that’s the truth.
	A. Shearing time is always met with great anticipation in Australian sheep country. All the year's work comes down to those few long days. The shearers spend hours relieving sheep after sheep of a year's growth of wool. Appearing plump on the way to the shed, some sheep are so heavy with wool they quickly tire and drop to their bellies if the dogs chase them for the briefest moments. In the chutes they wait their turn. There are usually thousands of sheep, so speed is crucial. Pulled into position for the first shave, sheep sitting upright against the shearer's legs, the wool on the stomach is removed. The animal rotates slowly while long strokes remove the wool from stomach to side, to back, and down the other side. A few odd swipes on the legs and top of the head, and the fleece is gathered in a heap and quickly tossed skyward, flat onto a rack to be graded for quality. The sheep hobbles off, dazed and bleating, only patches of wool remaining.  Only the shearing reveals how scrawny and helpless these animals are. Relieved of the wool, they bound off.
		1.  Similarly the Lord our Shepherd brings us to green pastures and still waters, but this is right smack in the midst of "the valley of the shadow of death," "evil" (v 4), and "enemies" (v 5). And we get shorn!
				a. That's the way it goes with Christians in this life.  So it went with the prophets and with St. Paul, who says: "There was given me a thorn" (2 Cor 12:7). b. Peter and Paul suffer a martyr's death, as do all the apostles. And if it goes this way with the "most faithful" or "greatest" Christians, what about you and me?
		2. But we need to remember that Psalm 23 is designed to give comfort in the face of real difficulty and evil!
				a. Like this: In an old Peanuts cartoon, Lucy is down in the dumps & says to Linus, "My life is a drag. I've never been so low in all my life." Linus, the deep thinker and theologian of the comic strip tries to cheer her up by saying "When you're in a mood like this you should think of the things you have to be thankful for, count your blessings." Lucy replies, "That's a good one, What do I have to be thankful for?" "Well for one thing," Linus says, "you have a brother who loves you!" Lucy responds, "Sometimes, you say the right things." b. Sometimes we just need to hear the right thing don't we? A kind of encouraging word. I think the 23rd Psalm is one of the passages that says the right thing just when we need it.
	B. But we Christians should not be surprised to get sheared.  We shouldn’t be surprised when we bear crosses in this life.  Why? Because of Christ.  Christ, the Lamb of God, got shorn!  The student is not greater than the Master.
		1. And the shearing began when He became one of us.
					a. You see sheep are high maintenance – prone to wandering, requiring constant attention.  A rancher doesn’t hang out much with his cattle, not in the way a shepherd does. A shepherd needs to get right down there and join the flock. He becomes one of the sheep. They think of him as one of their own. b. Had the Son of God not joined the flock by becoming man, we would be doomed by our own sin and death. But this is the merciful heart of the Lord. He became one of us. The Word became flesh and pitched the tent among us, the way a shepherd dwells among his flock. He didn’t sit there on a throne in heaven somewhere saying, “They sure look lost; I hope they find me.” The Good Shepherd, joined the flock. c. And then on Good Friday your Good Shepherd walked into the dark valley. Jesus died on the cross sacrificing His life for the sheep.  He laid down His life. He was lifted up on the cross, He gathered all sinful, damned humanity, in the embrace of a loving shepherd God who is willing to lay down His life, to suffer and die to save us.
		2.  And then On Easter Sunday He rose from the dead.  He came out of the valley!  Jesus had conquered death, and sin, and hell.
					a. Your Savior is not a dead Savior.  He rose again.  Jesus lives! We are not sheep without a Shepherd. He is your Shepherd. b. Fear not, little Flock. Good Shepherd Jesus has gone ahead of you through suffering and death to resurrection and glory. Your Shepherd lives and in Him you live too. The grave couldn’t hold Him, and it can’t hold you either. c. And now beyond the valley of death lies the Father's home-Paradise--the eternal pastures for Jesus' sheep.
II. Even now The Shepherd is in control.   Illustration: Those sheep are an awful sight when the shearing is done!  They are scrawny, motley, and bleating. It's really quite hard to believe that they are the same animal! Why are they shorn? Well, it's a harvest, a livelihood for the shepherd to be sure. But we might also note that if those animals aren't shorn, the wool will continue to grow. Weighted down with more than a year's growth, sheep are susceptible to disease. They can't move well; the fleece is filled with dirt and burrs, and infection is a danger. The sheep are extremely vulnerable in this state. The shearing is quite painful, but necessary. And the shepherd wants that sheep back on the range, growing a nice valuable coat for the next season! Good thing the shepherd is overseeing the shearing!  It’s a good thing the Shepherd is in control.
	A. Remember that it wasn't any man who brought Jesus’ shearing about (Jesus even said to Pilate: "You have no authority, but that given you from above. . . . I lay down my life, and take it up again" [Jn 19:11; 10:17]). There was nothing accidental about Christ's suffering.  His shearing was intentional for our good.
		1. Neither is there anything accidental about our suffering. Bottom line! The shearing is purposeful! Christ's suffering was for a definite purpose, and so is yours when you suffer in this life!
					a. For even though the path may be bumpy and sorrowful, our Shepherd is the one leading us.  He knows...He’s been among us. b. He works in our suffering to strengthen our faith among other purposes.
		2. And that strengthened Faith frees us in the midst of trials and tribulations and reminds us that no matter how big the problem our God is bigger. We are not alone.
					a. The problems may seem big but God is still the same size. And God promised to walk with us through them. b. One author was travelling to Chicago one time and saw an elderly man and his wife pulled over to the side of the road in their truck waving for help. So, of course, he stopped and asked what was wrong. The elderly man told him that he and his wife were on their way to a town up the road, and were about to run out of gas, and was wondering if the author could  give him a ride to the nearest gas station. The author said, sure, but since the elderly man had not run out of gas yet, the author suggested that he get back in his truck, and drive towards the next station, and he would follow behind them, and if he ran out of gas, he would take him to get gas from there, but at least they would be closer. The elderly man agreed and thanked him. They drove more than 20 miles, and the author watched the older gentleman as he would look in his rear view mirror and wave to him from time to time, as he followed him. The truck never did run out of gas, they made it all the way to the gas station. At the station the old man thanked him again, and said, “Just knowing you were behind us, just in case we did run out of gas, allowed my wife and me to drive without worry because we knew you were there.” The author concluded, “That’s how God works also.”
	B. Now God gives us faith, a trust that He is there doing all this for us in our trying times.  We are brought to trust that love that moved Him to lay down His life for us.  And that faith has an effect on us sheep too.
			1. We sheep now take on the character of our shepherd. He is so much a part of us and our lives that the sheep reflect that same lay down our lives love toward each other attitude.
						a. Without their shepherd, the sheep would be butting heads, competing, struggling for their own survival. Without Jesus, all we are is isolated sheep turned inward. b. But something marvelous happens when that lay-down-His-life love of Jesus has its way with us. We become like Him.
			2. John writes about it. “By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” The love that flows from the merciful heart of the Lord overflows to the brother, to the sister, to your fellow Christian who shares the same baptismal birth.
CONCLUSION: When you are facing the shears in life, know that the Shepherd is the one in control. And though God's purposes may be hidden (like they were in Christ’s dying on a cross), he is working his will in your life for your good. And what good is that? He's allowing, causing, bringing afflictions to drive you to hold all the more tightly to "his rod and staff' (his precious Word—Luther); and to hold more tightly to the "quiet waters" of your Baptism, and to hold more tightly to the "restoration of your souls" in his forgiving Word of absolution; and to hold more tightly to the "table prepared in the presence of my enemies"—in his blessed Supper. And then "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life, and you shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever!" Amen!

Easter - Larger than the Stone

Title: Larger than the Stone By Pastor Lohn Johnson
Text:    Mark 16:1-6:   1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.  2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.  3 And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"  4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back- it was very large. INTRODUCTION:  My dear friends in Christ,. As I studied for this message this picture was brought to my attention. ( a picture of a tomb like this scene on a screen) It is a photo from the Holy Land of a tomb. The opening was square, and you'd have to bow down to get inside the tomb. Off to one side was a stone, round in shape, propped up against the side of a hill a foot or two higher than the entrance of the tomb. It was a large stone, and I'm sure it would take a couple of strong men to get it rolling down a groove to the front of the tomb. Notice the rock wall on the other side to stop it right in front of the entrance; note also the rocks in front of the tomb to keep it from tipping over.
I. It’s likely that This tomb looks much like the tomb in which Jesus was placed.
	A. Joseph of Arimathea was fairly wealthy, and he could have had a tomb, with a circular stone in front of it, waiting for his burial.
		1. When Joseph put Jesus in the tomb, no doubt with some help, he would have pushed the stone and started it down the track. You can imagine the sound it would have made when it suddenly stopped in front of the tomb. THUD! The stone in front of Jesus' tomb was very large, Matthew says. It was huge. After it went "Thud!" it was not going to be moved without a great deal of effort. Can you imagine how strong the men would have to have been to push it back up the incline? No, when it went "Thud!" it was there to stay. Or so it seemed. 2. We've been looking at the large stone from the outside. Imagine what it would have been like from the inside. You'd hear the stone grinding against the face of the hill and its rocks. Slowly, the entrance disappears. Then comes the "Thud!" Pitch darkness in the tomb. Silence surrounds you. Life is over. Done. Finished.
	B. “Finished” were some of the most enjoyable moments in life.
		1. One such enjoyable moment was when Jesus ate a meal together with his disciples. I can imagine the laughter, the camaraderie, the chatter.
				a. The sounds of food being dished out on plates, soft noises of utensils being picked up and set down, glasses being filled, and then, listen, as someone swallows whatever was in the cup. b. One day, Jesus pulls apart some loaves of bread and breaks up some fish, and a crowd of over five thousand eat to their full. That many people would make a noisy meal. The sounds of eating and being together with those who were following Jesus had to be some of the more wonderful sounds with him.
		2. But all that came to an end with a "Thud!" The stone rolls in front of the tomb. Everything comes to a halt.
				a. His disciples have run for their lives. Two men, Joseph and Nicodemus, have risked everything to bury him. And some women noted where Jesus is buried. b. His body is covered in darkness and surrounded by silence. He's dead. A large stone is in front of the tomb.
II. But very early on that first Easter morning, all that changes. The women are coming up the path to anoint Jesus' body with spices to cover up the odor of death.
	A. But they aren't strong enough to move the stone. They're ready to take care of his body, but they have forgotten one important detail. Who will let them in?
		1. When they get there, that small, actually very big, detail has already been taken care of.
					a. The stone, that large stone, has been pushed away. In Matthew's account, it says an angel did it. b. I imagine it was no trouble at all. I imagine it was like—when you see a crumb from a cookie on your shirt. You put a finger under your thumb and just flick it away. "Flick." It's gone. From a loud "Thud!" to a small "Flick," and the tomb is open.
		2. The women are amazed and afraid. Angels were there, waiting for them with a message.
					a. The heart of the message was: he is risen! The body is not in the tomb anymore. He is alive, just as he said he would be. b. Now that message is huge. Jesus' resurrection from the dead is larger than any stone. No stone could keep him in, no matter how large, and the women go in, and hear words that will loom large for the rest of their lives. He is risen!
	B. And just as he said he would, Jesus meets his disciples over and over again during the next forty days. You heard about those get-togethers in Paul's Letter to the Corinthians.
		1. During a couple of those reunions; Jesus does something that looks so small and ordinary. He eats with his disciples.
					a. He picks up a piece of fish and eats it. He has - breakfast with his disciples on a seashore. He isn't some ethereal phantom. He is flesh and blood. The scars are there for Thomas to touch and-believe. b. What a meal that would have been! Hushed tones at first. Amazed gasps. Then the chatter and hugs. The noise of joy would grow louder as Jesus turns disciples who had deserted and denied him into men of courage. He turns women who were terrified into messengers of hope.
		2. The sounds of a meal and a reunion with Jesus change everything. The simple message "He is risen!" is larger than any stone, than anything that could ever keep him from his followers. Jesus' resurrection is huge!
	A. Can you hear it? The sound it makes? Each load of dirt goes thud, thud, thud. Then, when the grave is filled up and the dirt patted down, there comes a stone. It's a gravestone. Some markers are big; others are small. But you know what sound it makes as it's put in front of the grave. Thud. Then everyone leaves. It's just silence. It's blackness surrounding a body. B. Grief and sorrow are so painful. Someone sits down to eat at the table, and an empty chair stares back. No sounds of laughter. The plate is in the cupboard. The utensils sit quietly in the drawer instead of clanging on the table. The glass is on a shelf instead of a drink being swallowed. Someone is missing. A voice has disappeared.  Whose gravestone is it? Someone you love? Your own family? That stone looms large. Too large for us to do anything about.
	A. He will come to your grave, to the graves of all who have followed him. The gravestone? Like a tiny crumb. Flick. Away it goes. Same for the dirt. And out we come. Bodies alive once again. Hands and feet that will hug and dance. Eyes to see the beauty of God's new creation. Ears to hear the songs of praise that will make our loud and joyous Easter singing seem like a whisper.
			1. And we will eat. The meal is described in the Old Testament Reading. Rich food. Drinks that will burst upon your taste buds with absolute delight. I'm heading straight for the sweet corn drenched in butter, roast beef, and mashed potatoes drowning in gravy. And for dessert, I'm hoping for warm cherry cobbler with ice cream.
						a. It will be a feast, a banquet. A meal so large we'll never be hungry again. And we'll be surrounded by those who love Jesus. We'll be laughing and talking. Listen to the noisy celebration. All because Jesus is larger than the stone. Isaiah says the Lord God will swallow up death forever. Tears will be wiped away from our eyes. They are too small to stop Jesus on the Last Day, the day of our resurrection. b. When that professor’s student began to fill in the young boy's grave, the mother began to sob, her shoulders shaking. His brother went over to her. He was a hunter and fisherman, a manly man kind of guy. He put his arm around her and asked if her son had been baptized. She nodded yes. Then, like an angel many, many years earlier had said to some women at an empty tomb, he assured her that her son was with Jesus. He told her that one day, she would see her son again.
			2. Yes, the simple message "He is risen" changes everything. It is larger than any stone, than anything that could ever keep us from Jesus and that incredible feast on the day of our resurrection.
	B. But all this is not just for that Last Day.  JESUS' RESURRECTION IS LARGER THAN ANY STONE, NOT ONLY ON THE DAY OF OUR RESURRECTION, BUT ALSO EVERY DAY OF OUR LIVES.  How so? Because now, some of the smallest sounds are larger than the thud of a stone.
			1. Listen to water being lifted up to baptize a child No stone, no matter how large, can stop Jesus from claiming that child as his own, just as he did for you in your Baptism. 2. Listen to the lid of a chalice being opened for the Lord's Supper. No stone, no matter how large, can stop Jesus from coming in this meal to give us life and forgiveness. 3. Listen to the pages of a Bible being turned. No stone, no matter how large, can stop Jesus from assuring us he is with us always, even to the end of the age. 4. Listen to the joyous hymns being sung today. No stone, no matter how large, can stop those who love Jesus from singing his praise. 5. Listen to the prayers. No stone, no matter how large, can stop Jesus from comforting us in our times of grief. 6. Listen to the laughter as you sit down to eat with family or friends. No stone, no matter how large, can stop Jesus from giving us a glimpse of the feast to come. 7. Listen to the message that changes everything. "He is risen!" Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.   Amen
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