Good Shepherd Sunday

 This Sunday is called Good Shepherd Sunday as the lectionary readings center around us as sheep and Jesus a shepherd.

Of course we get my favorite, Psalm 23, 

1 The Lord is my shepherd; *

I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *

and leads me beside still waters.

3 He revives my soul *

and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I shall fear no evil; *

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *

you have anointed my head with oil,

and my cup is running over.

6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

And we get 1 Peter 2:19-25,

For it is to your credit if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, where is the credit in that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.

 ‘He committed no sin,

   and no deceit was found in his mouth.’

When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls

And John 10:1-10,

‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

 So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Americans may not like being compared to sheep, but looking at how we follow party political leaders who we cannot trust, we sure do act like sheep sometimes.

Forget them. 

Jesus is the good shepherd that we can trust, and follow.

 

Holy Lawsuits: Up against the clock

I continue to pray for America's United Methodists (the UMC) to come to their senses and reject the LGBTQrs+ wave that has hijacked their denomination. Some 2000 churches have disaffiliated, but others are being prevented by their bishops. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, and this window of opportunity will soon close. 

From First Things,

United Methodist congregations have “a limited right” to disaffiliate and keep their properties (over which the denomination has long claimed ownership), but only if they act quickly. This exit provision expires with the final 2023 meeting of each congregation’s annual conference (the equivalent of a diocese or presbytery), usually held in May or June, with voting and paperwork due much earlier.

It will soon be too late for many theologically orthodox United Methodists. But it is not too late for members of other churches to learn from the UMC’s mistakes.

What to do if your bishop tries to stop you from leaving the UMC? 

Sue!?

From The Christian Post,

...186 churches filed a lawsuit against the UMC North Georgia Conference in Superior Court in Cobb County over the conference's decision last December to prohibit any more congregations from leaving amid a denominational schism over homosexuality...

North Georgia Conference Bishop Robin Dease said in a statement that her "heart aches" over the congregations' decision to file the legal action. 

The North Georgia Conference announced in December that it was putting a "pause" on the disaffiliation process, claiming that "any local churches have been misled about the disaffiliation process and have been presented with information about the process."

"We have significant concerns about this misinformation and are well aware that it has the potential to do irreparable harm," stated the conference at the time. "We do not have confidence in the validity of upcoming church conference disaffiliation votes...

In June 2022, before the disaffiliation pause, 70 congregations representing 9% of the conference's churches and 3% of its members disaffiliated from the UMC...

As we have learned from the Episcopal organization's efforts to seize property, lawsuits drag on for years. 

Prayers for our Methodist friends will be needed for a long time. 

Witnesses of the supernatural

This Sunday's reading comes from Luke 24:13-35. In it Cleopas and another (his wife who was present at the crucifixion perhaps) meet a man who later reveals himself to be Jesus. This occurs before Jesus appears to the eleven and their companions.

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

There are a lot of things about the post resurrection Jesus that defy a natural explanation, and this appearance is one of them.

If you believe the witnesses, we are left with a supernatural explanation then aren't we?

You can believe it.

Too many witnesses.

Too many died because they refused to deny what they had seen.

. 

Please, do not create another Canterbury!

The Global Anglican Future Conference is meeting this week in Rwanda. Hopefully they can start forming a structure that has some sort of discipline built in for provinces that go astray. 

George Conger at Anglican Ink reported on Archbishop Foley Beach's address which sounds encouraging,

The archbishop then turned to the core of his address, speaking about the “four marks of a continuing spirit filed movement:” a repenting church, a reconciling church, a reproducing church, and a relentlessly compassionate church.

“We” Anglicans “can go on playing church, being religious, and even making statements that make no spiritual impact on our world.” However, the desire of Christians today is to see “revival break out and spread to every part of the world.”

A repenting church was one that modeled the Lord’s call for all people to repent of their sins. It served no purpose to call out the sins of others if we ignored our own sins and shortcomings, he explained. The Holy Spirit “reveals” to a believer their sins, giving you a choice to turn away or to continue in sin. 

Here the archbishop made his only comment on the situation facing the Church of England – not as a rallying cry for action, but as an example of reprobate behavior. He stated: “In recent days we have seen the Church of England led by the Archbishop of Canterbury walk away from the plain teaching of Scripture. We call on them to repent, to return to the teaching of the word of God. We call on them to stop blessing sin and return to the sanctity and holiness of marriage.”

He then called out the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Church in Wales, the Episcopal Church of Brazil, the Anglican Church of New Zealand, the Church of Australia, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Episcopal Church of the USA to “repent and turn to the teachings of Holy Scripture.”

“Sadly,” he observed, “and with broken hearts, we say that until the Archbishop of Canterbury repents we can no longer recognize him as the first among equals and the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion.”

“It is time for the whole Anglican establishment to be reformed,” he declared, and then asked “Why does the secular government of only one of the nations represented in the Anglican Communion still get to pick the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion? This makes no sense in today’s post-colonial world.” 

One question the leaders need to consider is do we need one global Anglican leader, and if we do, what will be his role and scope of power? If we don't want one person in charge, what other structure or structures need to be created. 

In other words, learn from the mistakes of the past, and don't let this tale devolve into another Canterbury! 

 

More Easter Fright

 For the second Sunday in Easter, the story of Jesus' appearances to the disciples once without Thomas and then with Thomas is told, 

John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

I don't blame Thomas one bit for not believing the disciples. We believe now because of the weight of witnesses to the resurrected Jesus, and because of the remarkable transformation of the disciples into men who were willing to die, and most did, for this belief. 

Truly, he was the son of God, and that new knowledge must have scared the heck out of those men.

Perhaps it should scare us too.

Episcopal Disinformation

 I received a message a few years back from a long lost time traveler friend of mine, Deep Pew. The envelope said, "Do not open until Easter 2023." I dusted it off and opened it up this Sunday, and this photo dropped out,

On the back was written in a familiar shaky scrawl, "Episcopal Church of Our Savior, Rock Hill, SC, Easter 2023."

My former parish. 

Double checking with a current member, I was able to verify that this was not part of an Anglican disinformation scheme.

The LGBTqrs+ flag attached to the Episcopal flag with the "All are welcome" slogan should be enough to scare off most seekers, so that is a good thing. The orthodox are not welcome, their opinions are not welcome, their theology is not welcome. I know from personal experience. I was once asked to leave and join another denomination.

The real disinformation is that unlike Jesus' desire for us, the people attending services in this building have no intention of allowing the Gospel to transform sinners into the likeness of Christ. Instead "all are welcome" to remain unchanged, and to be celebrated for their lack of effort. 

So it is an empty promise, "All are welcome", because Jesus came to save us sinners. Read the Gospels. He constantly reminded people of their sinfulness and need for repentance. 

No one today gets a free pass either.

Not even those who walk into a building with a mash up of a flag like the one shown above. 

Oh Happy and Frightening Day

 This Sunday's reading from Matthew 28:1-10 tells the world the details of the first Easter morning, 

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’

Matthew  gives us witnesses, the women and the guards, the location, the time, the day, an electrified angel, and Jesus. People everywhere need to hear the story and be taught its significance.

What they do with it after that is up to them.

Sadly, many will do it wrong, and some will twist it around to further a cause, and that is a frightful thing: to take something happy and make it sad.