April 22, 2018 Readings: Psalm 23,
John 10:11-18
Let us listen to this modern day parable.
The story is told of a new minister who had
been called to preach in small a suburban Church in Halifax. Some weeks after he had arrived, he made the
decision to ride the commuter bus from his home to the downtown area. After getting on the bus and sitting down, he
discovered that the bus driver had accidently given him a quarter to much in change. As he considered what to do he thought to himself, " I probably
should give the quarter back. It wouldn’t be right to keep it." Then he thought, on the other hand, IT'S
ONLY A QUARTER. Should I be worried
about a quarter? Besides the bus
company doesn’t need it. I’ll consider
it a gift from God! But when it was time
to get off the bus he stopped at the door, turned and handed the quarter back
to the driver. "Here he said, you
gave me to much change sir" The driver with a smile replied, “OH I recognize you, you’re the new preacher
in town at Trinity aren’t you? You
know, I don’t belong to any CHURCH”, said the driver, “ but I have been thinking about somewhere
to worship I mean.” You sir have just
made my decision, Pastor I’ll see you on Sunday.
As the Minister stepped off the bus, his heart sank low for a moment as he realized how his thoughts
could have tarnishing or lift HIS character, hurt or build his reputation, it
could of gone either way, a chill ran
down his spine. “I almost sold my soul for the sake of a quarter."
You and I might not realize it, but
by what we say and do might be the only bible some people ever read. That’s right by observing what we say and
do, others read our character. As people
who follow and represent Jesus our circumstances can put us to the test at any
given moment. Whether we are aware of
it or not we who “CLAIM” to follow in the ways of Jesus, CARRY HIS NAME ON YOUR
SHOULDERS. Therefore we must try to
remember that OUR THOUGHTS; should BECOME
his WORDS, His WORDS should BECOME OUR ACTIONS, OUR
ACTIONS then will develop good HABITS. Then OUR
HABITS will show HIS LOVE in all
situation.
Everyone has love, some have a
little at first, others more, and some have great love. But when we add UNCONDITIONAL love to our love, it changes us, and WE ALL BECOME LIKE HIM. We can never be perfect, but we should be
striving to live the life Jesus envisions for us, a life that is filled with
hope, joy peace and love. Not only for ourselves but also for our neighbor.
Psalm 23 is a cherished scripture
because it expresses a lot about life in the real world. It is often used as a comfort, or special
scripture for the family members of the dearly departed.
It does not paint a picture of a
perfect life in which days are always sunny and simple, where our relationships
with others are always friendly and uncomplicated. This psalm tells us about
and understands a life with shadows and valleys, especially in the face of
death. Although there are shadows in the
great valley of death, we do not forget that a shadow cannot exist without
there being a great light. It gives us
permission to acknowledge our enemies, neither denying their existence nor
being consumed by their threats. Whether
those enemies are human beings or other imposing forces, the psalmist knows we must
face them. And that’s why it is odd
that its opening words seem so unfamiliar to us: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” The psalmist may not
have wants, but we sure feel like we do. In fact, we allow our wants to drive us. We tend to assess our lives not based on what
we have but on what we haven’t yet acquired. We compare our lives with those around us and
listen to the messages of material desire from our culture. We
want to be more admired for our knowledge, we want more respected from our
families, our colleagues or our piers, and we all want to be more appreciated.
Often our want is for the best house and the best car. We want to
wear clothes that won’t embarrass us and sport bodies that others will envy. We are bombarded by ads and society to want
to fill our needs. We want to have the
brightest children, the most accomplished career, and the most adorned trophy
case. But this psalm offers a contrary
message: God has already given us
everything we need. And the future
tense of the verb suggests that we
“shall not want,” no matter what happens next. So
while this psalm brings comfort to many usually in their last days or during
our send off, it also challenges us, in a significant way: to find contentment peace, love and joy in the present day, to
acknowledge God’s blessings in our lives, and to give alms of gratitude for
them. Did you know the greatest miracle
drug in the world is gratitude and it free just express it. And the
congregation sang Amen.
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