Sermon by: Robert Austell; September 17, 2017 - 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  :: Scripture and Music :: Come, Christians, Join to Sing (MADRID) Every Praise (Hezekiah Walker) You are Mine (arr. Hayes) - worship choir Oh, How Good it Is (Getty/Townend)   :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. Today we are starting a new series for the fall. It’s simply called “The Body.” That is a reference to one of the metaphors used many times in scripture to describe the Church. Over the coming weeks we will be looking at a number of those passages and the way that the human body illustrates and helps us understand how we relate to Jesus and each other. Today we are looking at Corinthians, a letter by the Apostle Paul to the early church in Corinth. That group had its issues (but who doesn’t?!) In particular, different spiritual gifts in the church were being ranked above others, and in general there was a “look at me” kind of attitude that distracted from worship of God and damaged relationships within the church. And so Paul wrote to his beloved fellow-believers to call them to a unity of spirit – unity of THE Spirit, that God would be worshiped and people would care for each other. Now, I’m not saying we have that Corinthian problem, but any church – ours included – will be blessed by growing in the worship of God and the care of people. In fact, that sounds a lot like the Great Commandment, doesn’t it? Love God; love others. So, in today’s text, Paul talks a little theology, but mainly offers this extended analogy of the church being one body with Christ. And it’s something I encourage you to take to heart. One in Christ (vv.12-13) Paul sets out what he has to say in verse 12: “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.” Now he’s going to break that down and explore the implications of that shortly, but there is what he’s trying to say in a nutshell. The church is ONE body with Christ. Now that’s already an analogy, because he starts it out with “even as” – just like the body, so is our spiritual reality. But before he really dives into the metaphor, he offers the theology behind what he’s saying: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (v.13) The church is not supposed to be a ranked or caste system of insiders and outsiders, but one of equal and full participation in what God is doing. This particular verse conjures up the separate water fountains of the 60s; but God has a different plan, with different nationalities and socio-economic statuses in the same line for the same outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit. And while the issue in Corinth was manifestly about gifting and role in church, no doubt there were ethnic and cultural divisions underlying and, perhaps, emphasizing the presenting issues around spiritual gifts as well. But I will be the first to admit – even as a theologian – that hearing that you and I are “baptized into one body and made to drink of one Spirit” makes me think unity, but doesn’t really explain to me why that unity is good or how it works. So, with my appreciation, Paul turns to this analogy of the body. Illustration #1: the body (vv. 14-24) He really takes his time with this, in verses 14-24 (and beyond), and walks us through the theology by using the analogy. And I would divide the illustration into two parts. In the first, he illustrates the benefit of one body having many p

 Sermon by: Robert Austell; September 10, 2017 - Psalm 119; Matthew 5:17-19 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  :: Scripture and Music :: Wonderful Words of Life (arr. Austell) Good, Good Father (Tomlin) Everlasting God (Brown) Come, Thou Fount (NETTLETON) Show Us Christ (arr. Grassi) - worship choir, benediction   :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. Today we are going to look at Psalm 119, which is a very special Psalm focused on the Law or Word of God. Why do I say it’s special? There are several reasons. With 176 verses, it is the longest chapter in the Bible. And almost every one of those 176 verses refers to one of eight words (synonyms) for God’s Word: including Law, statues, testimonies, word, judgments, precepts, ordinances, and commandments. On top of that, it is an ACROSTIC poem, which means that it is tied to the Hebrew alphabet. This was often done to aid with memorization. So, there are 22 stanzas of eight verses and each one is tied to a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And when I say ‘tied’ I mean it is really tied. Every one of the eight lines of a given stanza starts with the same letter of the alphabet. So, the first stanza is the ‘aleph’ or ‘A’ stanza, and each line starts with the Hebrew letter aleph. So imagine, eight lines start with the letter ‘A’ and each line has a reference to God’s Word. Then eight lines starting with ‘B’ and so on. Primarily we are going to listen to God’s Word, but I will briefly reflect on each stanza before or after we hear it. Now that acrostic feature is lost in translation to English. Not only do the words not necessarily start with the same letter, but Hebrew word order is different, so the A-word isn’t necessarily the first English word you see in your translation. So, I have prepared slides and a handout with the acrostic word in bold. You’ll see that it sometimes is the first word in English, but sometimes gets moved later in the sentence after translation. I have also put the reference to God’s Law or Word in bold all-caps. Finally, to try to give you a sense of what you are missing from the Hebrew, I have chosen an English word that starts with the acrostic letter of each stanza to summarize that stanza. So, for example, I have chosen “ABIDING” to summarize the main idea of the ‘A’ stanza. As we go through I’ll say a bit about each stanza, then give you the one or two word summary word in English that starts with the letter corresponding to that stanza. We ABIDE with God when we ‘walk’ according to his Word. In this stanza you will hear language of ‘observing’ and ‘learning’ and ‘keeping’ and ‘walking.’ It is a description of life lived in obedience to God. And the way we know what that looks like is by intimate knowledge of, love for, and obedience to God’s written Word. This stanza sets up the whole Psalm/song by inviting us to “make our home” in God’s Word as we live life. The next stanza features the word ‘blessed’ and the pronoun for mine and yours, which is a ‘b’ tacked on words like heart, lips, and several of the variations for God’s Word. Overall, the focus is on the blessing of belonging to God and holding God’s Word in our hearts and lives, so I doubled up on the B’s and call this section BLESSED BELONGING. The ‘G’ stanza names a number of difficult situations – being a stranger, being crushed, dealing with the anger and contempt of others; God’s Word in its various forms offers encouragement, strength and serves as a ‘counselor.’ I chose the word GRACE because of the way God cares for us through His Word in these difficult situations. The next

Sermon by: Robert Austell; August 20, 2017 - Psalm 124; Ephesians 6:10-18a :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  :: Scripture and Music :: Singing Together: Your Name (Baloche, Packiam) Singing Together: I Have a Shelter (Cook, Kauflin) The Word in Music, Dawn Anthony-vocalist: If the Lord Had Not Been on Our Side (Dourox) Offering of Music, Dawn Anthony-vocalist: Lamb of God (Twila Paris) Hymn of Sending: Be Still My Soul (FINLANDIA)   :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript (this is one of those). Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. We are continuing in our summer series, entitled “Psalm +1.”  Each week we are looking at one of the Psalms, from the songbook of God’s people; and we are pairing it with a text from the New Testament which connects or opens up the Psalm to the Good News of Jesus Christ. This week we are looking at Psalm 124, one of the Psalms called a “Psalm of Ascent,” to be sung on the walk up to the Temple in Jerusalem. In this particular song, the Lord is being praised as Deliverer, with the imagery bringing to mind the Exodus, when God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt. The New Testament passage we will look at is Ephesians 6, which is the description of the “Armor of God” – the spiritual resources God has provided His people to withstand wickedness and evil in the present day. This year and last week we talked about the concept of blessing – whether our act of blessing God or God’s act of blessing us. We talked about the place of blessing being a place of aligning with God’s Will and Word. As I re-read today’s texts, chosen back in May, the language of slavery, rising up, anger, and rage speak powerfully into our modern context, as does language of deliverance and help. The Psalm and the Ephesians text also make clear that help is in the name of the Lord, but that does not absolve humanity – and US – from participating in what God is doing. And that brings me back to blessing – precisely what we have the opportunity and responsibility to do is to align ourselves with what God is doing. So, let’s look together at these texts and listen for what the Holy Spirit would say to us. Singing the Exodus (Psalm 124) Exodus has been called the “Gospel” of the Hebrew scriptures. Exodus tells the story of God delivering His people from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. To do so, God raises up Moses, an unlikely front man for a number of reasons. He is older, he stutters, and he has run away from Egypt for murdering an Egyptian. And yet… God calls him, equips him, and sends him to confront the ruler of Egypt and say on behalf of the Lord, “Let my people go.” After no less than ten plagues – miraculous signs of God’s power – and much back and forth and changing of Pharaoh’s mind, he finally relents and the Hebrew people flee in the night. Even then, Pharaoh changes his mind and sends the army after them to bring them back (or kill them) and God parts the waters of the Red Sea to allow the Hebrew people to escape, while causing the Egyptian army to enact judgment on the Egyptians. It is the core story of God’s power and deliverance in the Hebrew scriptures and is still remembered every Passover. Psalm 124 appears to be a song reflecting on that that deliverance. Verses 2b-7 describe with various images, some metaphor and some frighteningly literal (when you think about the Red Sea):     Men rose up against us… they would have swallowed us alive when their anger was kindled against us (v.2b-3)     Waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have swept over our soul, the raging waters would have swept over our soul. (v.4

Sermon by: Robert Austell; August 27, 2017 - Psalm 148,150; Luke 19:37-40 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  :: Scripture and Music :: Singing Together: Every Praise (Hezekiah Walker, John David Bratton) Singing Together: Great Are You, Lord (Ingram, Jordan, Leonard) Offering of Music, Men's Choir: Praise the Lord! (Rick Bean) Song of Praise: All Creatures of Our God and King (v.1) (LASST UNS ERFREUEN) Hymn of Sending: Holy, HOly, Holy (NICAEA)   :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. Did you ever sing the song, “Hallelu,” when you were a kid? It’s the first song I teach the preschoolers every year. Partly it’s because the words are so simple. Will you sing it with me if you know it?     Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, halleluia; praise ye the Lord.      Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, halleluia; praise ye the Lord.      Praise ye the Lord; Halleluia! Praise ye the Lord; Halleluia!      Praise ye the Lord; Halleluia! Praise ye the Lord! That is essentially Psalm 148 and Psalm 150. The word ‘hallelu’ is Hebrew for ‘praise ye’. It’s a command, and imperative: (you) praise. ‘Hallelu-yah’ puts the short version of the Lord’s holy name (Yahweh) onto the end, so: (you) praise the Lord! If you look at Psalm 148 in Hebrew you see something like this (I’m leaving out some of the articles and prepositions):     Hallelu Yah (the LORD)     Hallelu the YHWH min ha samayim (the LORD from the heavens)     Hallelu hu beha meromim (Him in the heights)     Hallelu hu kal we malakay (Him, all His angels) And it goes on, ‘hallelu’ him all His hosts; ‘hallelu’ him, sun and moon. Psalm 150 is the same: ‘hallelu yah’ then ‘hallelu’ God in His sanctuary; ‘hallelu’ Him in His mighty expanse and so forth. Today, looking at these two Psalms at the end of the Book of Psalms, we see that the theme of PRAISE is the grand conclusion of the collection of 150 songs of Israel. We will also look at a fascinating passage from the New Testament, in which Jesus speaks of stones crying out in praise of God. Today we will talk about what it means to praise God and see that it is one of the most important activities in which we can participate. Praise: When, Where, and Why (Psalms 148,150) We opened the service with portions of Psalm 148, which surveys the wide swath of creatures and beings engaged in and exhorted to praise God. These include angels, heavenly hosts, sun, moon, stars, heavens, waters, kings of the earth, princes and rulers, young men and women, old men and children, and more! Psalm 150 is also all about praise, but takes a different tack, calling for praise in the sanctuary, in the mighty expanse, and with a range of instruments: trumpet, harp, lyre, timbrel, stringed instruments, pipe, cymbals, and more cymbals! There is dancing, too! We are invited to praise God for His mighty deeds and according to His excellent greatness – for Who He is and for what He’s done. And finally, as the last word of Psalm 150 and of all the collection of Psalms, we hear this encompassing charge: Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (v. 6) There’s not much room for confusion there – praise is the activity of all things in all places, for God is worthy. But what exactly IS praise? What is Praise? We know what it is to praise another person: “Hey, great game!” or “You look good today!” It’s a kind of compliment or acknowledgment of a positive action or attribute. When we think about God it is easy to merge together things li

Sermon by: Robert Austell; August 13, 2017 - Psalm 103; Matthew 7:7-11 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  :: Scripture and Music :: Singing Together: Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven (LAUDA ANIMA) Singing Together: Everlasting God (Brenton Brown) The Word in Music: Canon of Praise, choir (arr. Hopson) Offering of Music/Song of Praise: Bless His Holy Name (Andre Crouch) Song of Sending: Here and Now (Kirkland)   :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks  the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. We began today's service acknowledging the tragic events in Charlottesville. I noted that I was not changing the sermon - focused on blessing the Lord, it is all about aligning our heart, mind, and soul with God's Will and Word, which is at cross-purposes with racism and white nationalism. I invited the congregation (and will publicize opportunities) to join a book study with me or others of "Waking Up White" - a book that has greatly helped me see my own racial "blind spots." We also spent time in prayer for the racial issues behind Charlottesville (and our country), and ended the service with a wonderful song ("Here and Now") which invites us, as the church, to be the bearers of mercy, justice, and hope. If you are reading this, I invite you to enter into a season of prayer and self-examination with me around the racial realities and waters in which we all live in this country. ~Robert We are continuing our summer series, “Psalm+1.” Today we look at Psalm 103, which challenges us and models for us how to “bless the Lord.” We will also look at a short teaching of Jesus from Matthew which further illustrates one portion of the Psalm. Earlier this year we talked about blessing. When talking about God blessing us or our being blessed, scripture defines it as what happens when we are aligned with God’s Will and Word. That is the best place to be! So blessing is not what we want, but what God wants. We’ll work through this Psalm in order. It has several sections which are arranged in a classic poetic structure like an hour glass: Bless the Lord, O My Soul! (theme) What the Lord has Done What the Lord is Like What We are Like What the Lord is Like What the Lord has Done Bless the Lord, O My Soul (revisited) Bless the Lord, O My Soul (vv. 1-2) The Psalm begins with the words, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” (v. 1)  The idea of blessing can be confusing because it is sometimes used to describe something God gives or does to us; and sometimes it is something we say or do to God. But the two are very much entwined, since they both happen together. Maybe this illustration will be helpful: in most places where there is a gas line, there is a small lever that opens and closes the gas line. If that lever is perpendicular to the gas line, no gas flows. If it is lined up with the gas line, the gas flows. When you “turn on the gas” you line up the lever and it “turns on the gas” so your stove or fireplace will light. “Bless the Lord” is like lining up your heart, soul, and life with the gas line. The “Lord’s blessings” are the flowing of God’s presence into and through your life. Got it? Now let’s light the fire!  In this Psalm, blessing God is the posture we take towards God to line up with Him, where we will also then be recipients of God’s blessing. So verse one is the challenge to line up with God: to bless the Lord. Verse two reminds us to “forget none of His benefits.” That’s what happens when we are lined up – the blessing, the power, the benefits flow. Having said that, more than once I’ve gone to light the fire or stove,

Sermon by: Robert Austell; August 13, 2017 - Psalm 103; Matthew 7:7-11 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  :: Scripture and Music :: Singing Together: Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven (LAUDA ANIMA) Singing Together: Everlasting God (Brenton Brown) The Word in Music: Canon of Praise, choir (arr. Hopson) Offering of Music/Song of Praise: Bless His Holy Name (Andre Crouch) Song of Sending: Here and Now (Kirkland)   :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks  the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. We began today's service acknowledging the tragic events in Charlottesville. I noted that I was not changing the sermon - focused on blessing the Lord, it is all about aligning our heart, mind, and soul with God's Will and Word, which is at cross-purposes with racism and white nationalism. I invited the congregation (and will publicize opportunities) to join a book study with me or others of "Waking Up White" - a book that has greatly helped me see my own racial "blind spots." We also spent time in prayer for the racial issues behind Charlottesville (and our country), and ended the service with a wonderful song ("Here and Now") which invites us, as the church, to be the bearers of mercy, justice, and hope. If you are reading this, I invite you to enter into a season of prayer and self-examination with me around the racial realities and waters in which we all live in this country. ~Robert We are continuing our summer series, “Psalm+1.” Today we look at Psalm 103, which challenges us and models for us how to “bless the Lord.” We will also look at a short teaching of Jesus from Matthew which further illustrates one portion of the Psalm. Earlier this year we talked about blessing. When talking about God blessing us or our being blessed, scripture defines it as what happens when we are aligned with God’s Will and Word. That is the best place to be! So blessing is not what we want, but what God wants. We’ll work through this Psalm in order. It has several sections which are arranged in a classic poetic structure like an hour glass: Bless the Lord, O My Soul! (theme) What the Lord has Done What the Lord is Like What We are Like What the Lord is Like What the Lord has Done Bless the Lord, O My Soul (revisited) Bless the Lord, O My Soul (vv. 1-2) The Psalm begins with the words, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” (v. 1)  The idea of blessing can be confusing because it is sometimes used to describe something God gives or does to us; and sometimes it is something we say or do to God. But the two are very much entwined, since they both happen together. Maybe this illustration will be helpful: in most places where there is a gas line, there is a small lever that opens and closes the gas line. If that lever is perpendicular to the gas line, no gas flows. If it is lined up with the gas line, the gas flows. When you “turn on the gas” you line up the lever and it “turns on the gas” so your stove or fireplace will light. “Bless the Lord” is like lining up your heart, soul, and life with the gas line. The “Lord’s blessings” are the flowing of God’s presence into and through your life. Got it? Now let’s light the fire!  In this Psalm, blessing God is the posture we take towards God to line up with Him, where we will also then be recipients of God’s blessing. So verse one is the challenge to line up with God: to bless the Lord. Verse two reminds us to “forget none of His benefits.” That’s what happens when we are lined up – the blessing, the power, the benefits flow. Having said that, more than once I’ve gone to light the fire or stove,

Sermon by: Robert Austell; August 6, 2017 - Psalm 115; John 17:1-5 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  :: Scripture and Music :: Singing Together: Come Praise and Glorify (Chester, Kauflin) Singing Together: Mighty to Save (Morgan, Fielding) Invitation to Communion: We Will Feast in the House of Zion (McCracken, Moore) Hymn of Sending: To God Be the Glory :: Youth Mission Testimonies :: Elizabeth Austell      Maggie Slade        :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks  the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. Today we look at another Psalm in our Psalm+1 series, along with a New Testament passage which connects that Psalm to Jesus Christ. Psalm 115 contrasts the idols of the surrounding culture with the one true God of Israel. Though the particular idols have changed, we are in many ways still surrounded by idols and faced with trusting those false gods or the one true God. Today I want to specifically look with you at several limitations of idols as described in Psalm 115, then we will see the contrasting power and truth of the one true God, all the more demonstrated and made known to us through Jesus. Limitation #1: the gods we make are all about us (vv. 1-3) The Psalm begins pointing away from ourselves: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory.” (v.1) What a counter-cultural perspective, not just then, but for today as well: it’s not all about me! What’s the point of Christianity? of religious faith? Is it to secure a better life for me and mine? Is it wish-fulfillment? With this opening, the Psalmist sets up the first limitation of false or man-made gods. We tend to create or be drawn to gods that are all about us. That’s why even within the Christian faith the prosperity theology runs so strong. The Psalmist quotes the teasing of the surrounding culture: “Where, now, is their God?” What has your God done for you lately? Where is this invisible God of yours? The Psalmist’s response: “our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” (v. 3) That might even rub you a little the wrong way. But think about it… do you really want a god so small that it lives on your mantle or in your checking account or on your wish list? If God is really GOD – maker of Heaven and earth, we follow Him, not the other way around. We go bask in the sun; we don’t ring it up and tell it we are ready for it to shine. While it may initially feel distancing, a true God cannot be all about what I want and what I need. If we make gods in our image or according to our needs, then really we are posing as creators and gods ourselves. Limitation #2: the gods we make are only as strong as you are (vv. 4-8) Related to that limitation is another: the gods we make are only as strong as we are. Do we really want to call such a thing ‘god’? The Psalmist plays with this a bit. Yes, you can see and touch such gods: they are “silver and gold, the work of man’s hands.” (v. 4) But even though they look familiar and present, they are not alive; they cannot speak, see, hear, smell, feel, walk, or make a sound. (vv. 5-7) Are you picturing a tiny golden statue as an idol? That was certainly one version. But isn’t “silver and gold” – not in statue form – one of our common false gods as well? In money we trust (ironic, since it says “in God we trust” right on it!). If we don’t have it, it’s the thing we think will save us. If we do have it, we think just a little more will secure us against the uncertainties of the future. Or what else do we make into false gods? The right relationship… the right neighborhood… the right friends… a strong military…

Sermon by: the Rev. Dr. Carter Robinson; July 30, 2017 - Genesis 12:3-9, Matthew 28:16-20 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  :: Scripture and Music :: Singing Together: Come, Christians Join to Sing (MADRID) Hymn of Response: I Love to Tell the Story (HANKEY) Song of Sending: Here I Am, Lord (Schutte) :: Sermon Manuscript :: there is no manuscript this week

Sermon by: Robert Austell; July 23, 2017 - Psalm 84; John 1:14; 2:18-22 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  :: Scripture and Music :: Singing Together: Better is One Day (Redman) Singing Together: I Have a Shelter (Cook, Cook, Kauflin - Sovereign Grace) Offering of Music: Home (Austell) - click player to hear today's live version or check out the studio version Hymn of Sending: Be Thou My Vision (SLANE) :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks  the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. Today we pick back up in our summer series entitled, “Psalm+1.” Each week we are looking at one of the Psalms, which were the songs and prayers of God’s people. The “plus one” is a New Testament passage that ties in some element of the Good News of Jesus Christ to the theme of the Psalm. Today we are looking at Psalm 84 and the idea of being at home with God. Home with God (Psalm 84) Psalm 84 is a beautiful poem or song that reflects on what it means to be home with God, in the presence of God. In the first section of the Psalm (vv. 1-4), human beings can relate to the animals – the birds, the swallows. Like them, we also find a place to lay our head and care for family. (v. 3) But that experience of a home is just a glimmer of a greater Home where we are in the presence of God, who provides and cares for us as His family. So the poetic phrases and words flow. God’s home is ‘lovely’ (v. 1) and the Psalmist yearns, longs, and sings from the soul to be in God’s presence. (v. 2) That is the place of blessing, the best place to be. (v. 4) How are we to experience the presence of God? The Psalmist explores that as well in the middle section of vv. 5-8. God does not drag us against our will into His presence. Rather, the blessing of being in God’s presence comes to those who find their strength in God and whose hearts are traveling the highways to God. (v. 5) In other words – in fact, Jesus’ words – those who SEEK will FIND. Even passing through the valley (v. 6), those who seek God are oriented towards home and have the hope of finding and knowing the presence of God. The third part of the Psalm (vv. 9-12) connects the celebration of the first section with the chosen path of the second. It becomes clear that choosing to seek God also means choosing to turn away from the alternatives – from false gods, from self-interest, from distraction. That’s why one could say, “A day in your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (v. 10) Those places ‘outside’ may seem attractive in the moment, but they do not hold a candle to trusting and living in the presence of God. The Psalmist gives us a glimpse into the better way when describing the Lord God as “sun and shield" and the one who “gives grace and glory.” (v. 11) So all in one sentence: Being with and in the presence of God is the best thing and something that we can and should desire, seek, and find. To do so, we must turn away from what is against God or not God and turn toward God’s will and word. That is not only the path of blessing, but is the definition of blessing. God at Home with Us (John 1:14) Well that’s lovely and, as they say, “that’ll preach.” God is good; turn away from sin and turn toward God; God welcomes you home and into His presence! But here’s the reality and the problem: we don’t consistently and faithfully seek the presence of God. We do choose those places that are ‘outside,’ that are lesser than or outright lies in the moment. Not only do we not consistently seek and choose the “courts of the Lord,” sometimes we run full out i

Sermon by: the Rev. Betty Meadows; July 16, 2017 - 1 Peter 2:9-10; Luke 4:14-21 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  :: Scripture and Music :: Singing Together: Hosanna/Praise is Rising (Brown, Baloche) Singing Together: Great are You, Lord (Ingram, Jordan, Leonard) Offering of Music: This Kingdom (Bullock) Song of Sending: Our God Has Made Us One (WEBER) :: Sermon Manuscript :: there is no manuscript this week