Sermon: Proper 19C (OT)
15 September AD 2013
Pentecost 17
Title: Lost Sheep Found (MP3 Audio)
Summary: Tired of kings, priests, and prophets allowing His people to stray and even actively leading and driving them away from Him, God promised to come down to shepherd His own flock. Taking on human flesh, Jesus became that Good Shepherd. He came to earth to track down, carry home, heal, and feed His Father’s lost sheep.
Yet while we receive abiding comfort for knowing God’s love for the lost, we also learn that He isn’t pleased with those acting as the “fat sheep.” His anger burns at those pushing others out of the way, those elevating themselves over people deemed less worthy.
In Jesus’ day, the Scribes and the Pharisees sneered at the One who welcomed table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners. If we treat others as second rate citizens of the Kingdom or attempt to hoard God’s gifts rather than use, invest, or give them to others, we become modern Pharisaical fat sheep.
We know that Jesus claimed Israel’s scepter, establishing a lasting Kingdom as the new David. His reign isn’t restricted to Abraham’s children according to the flesh but extends to his spiritual children; that is, all of us who trust in the same God to rescue, redeem, and rule us in love through this life and into life everlasting.
Text: “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land.
“And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
“As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
“Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey.
“And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.” Ezekiel 34:11-24
Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Lost Sheep Found.
NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.
Other Readings: Psalm 119:169-176; 1 Timothy 1:(5-11) 12-17; Luke 15:1-10
Tags: Proper 19 | Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost | 17th Sunday after Pentecost | Pentecost 17 | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Father | God | Lord | lost | sheep | David | shepherd | Good Shepherd | Baptism | Communion | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 15 September 2013 | September 15, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Ezekiel 34 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | Lost Sheep Found | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings
Pentecost 17
Title: Lost Sheep Found (MP3 Audio)
Summary: Tired of kings, priests, and prophets allowing His people to stray and even actively leading and driving them away from Him, God promised to come down to shepherd His own flock. Taking on human flesh, Jesus became that Good Shepherd. He came to earth to track down, carry home, heal, and feed His Father’s lost sheep.Yet while we receive abiding comfort for knowing God’s love for the lost, we also learn that He isn’t pleased with those acting as the “fat sheep.” His anger burns at those pushing others out of the way, those elevating themselves over people deemed less worthy.
In Jesus’ day, the Scribes and the Pharisees sneered at the One who welcomed table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners. If we treat others as second rate citizens of the Kingdom or attempt to hoard God’s gifts rather than use, invest, or give them to others, we become modern Pharisaical fat sheep.
We know that Jesus claimed Israel’s scepter, establishing a lasting Kingdom as the new David. His reign isn’t restricted to Abraham’s children according to the flesh but extends to his spiritual children; that is, all of us who trust in the same God to rescue, redeem, and rule us in love through this life and into life everlasting.
Text: “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land.
“And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.“As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
“Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey.
“And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.” Ezekiel 34:11-24
Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Lost Sheep Found.
NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.
Other Readings: Psalm 119:169-176; 1 Timothy 1:(5-11) 12-17; Luke 15:1-10
Tags: Proper 19 | Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost | 17th Sunday after Pentecost | Pentecost 17 | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Father | God | Lord | lost | sheep | David | shepherd | Good Shepherd | Baptism | Communion | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 15 September 2013 | September 15, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Ezekiel 34 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | Lost Sheep Found | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings
posted by Xrysostom | 19:00
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