Sermons @ Shepherd

Being the church, when we really pare it down, is all about 2 things: recognizing that Jesus is Lord, and then following in his way. And what is this "way?" Loving what is good, caring for strangers, rejoice in hope, living in peace with one another.

Building the church is a little like putting together a jigsaw puzzle; it takes lots of time, effort, and commitment. But then Jesus comes along and turns the pieces upside down. How are we to still be the church even when we cannot gather together in person?

It will be impossible to not be changed by what is happening in our world. Covid-19 has caused us to redefine how we are in the world, how we fellowship, how we serve, how we love. The “new normal” may seem disruptive and even scary. God is with us, shaping things to God’s will. We must seek God. We have made many adaptations to life sheltering in place. The real growth occurs when we learn to exercise those adaptations in the “new normal.”

One of the adaptations that we can make is to sneak up on moments of grace that we may not have otherwise seen coming. This adaptation will help us during social distancing, but it will also be a spiritual discipline that we can use after sheltering in place is over. We need to be assertive and not passive in our search for God.

One of the struggles of sheltering in place is that we feel so out of control (and we are). How do we deal with this? The story of Jesus in the Temple as a boy highlights the horror that Mary and Joseph felt, first, not knowing where Jesus was, and then, recognizing that this child was beyond their control. Is there a healthy way to “let go” without resorting to fatalism, giving up?

Many of us are getting “Zoom fatigue.” We are tired of doing everything in front of a computer screen. We want to connect. We want to get out of the house. The adaptation to this is to learn to grieve what we have lost. Grieving helps us to let go of some of the power something has over us. Matthew 5:1-6

What guides us on our journey through life? Are we focused on a particular destination (like the priest and the Levite), or are we seeking Christ along the way (like the Samaritan)? Our “true north,” our guiding principle, will inform our journey. Luke 10:30-37

Isolation is difficult. But sometimes it is necessary. Jesus isolated himself in order to connect with God. But isolation is temporary. We will be together again because God has compassion for us. The adaptation is to be creative in ways that we connect with others. The bonus is that when sheltering in place is over, we will have strengthened our ability/willingness to connect. Matthew 14:13-21

This week we wrap up our Virtual VBS scriptures of the early church along with reconciling the Laws of Moses and the laws of love as taught by Jesus. Through these lessons we learn to realign our hearts with Jesus as we listen to God and each other and persevere through these tough times. Matthew 10:15-20

Today we look at Romans (and Isaiah) to get insight into righteousness and salvation. We often look at these concepts as both something that only happens after we die, or worse, as a way God separates us here on Earth. The truth is that God sees us and loves us right now, a message spread by the beautiful feet of those who bring good news. Romans 10:5-15.