WHATDOYOUTHINK?  Sunday, May 20, 2012

Ephesians 2:1-10

And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of he air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God – not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand, that we should walk in them.

Matthew 10:24-33, 40-42

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-el’zebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven…

“He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Augustine, Bishop of Hippo  (354 – 430)

“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.” And what must you shepherds hear? “Thus says the Lord: Behold I am superior to the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand.”

Listen and learn, sheep of God; God requires his sheep from the wicked shepherds, and from them demands an account for the death of his sheep. For he says in another place through the same prophet: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.”

What is this, my brothers? You see how dangerous it is to keep silent? He dies, and rightly dies; he dies in his impiety and sin; for his heedlessness kills him. He might have found the living shepherd, who says, “As I live, says the Lord”; but since he has been heedless, no warning comes from the one appointed as watchman to give warning, he will justly die, and the watchman will be justly condemned. But if, says the Lord, you tell an impious man, “You will surely die,” when I have threatened him with the sword, and he neglects to avoid the sword hanging over him, and it falls and kills him, he will die in his sin; but you have saved your life. Therefore it is my part not to keep silent; it is yours, even if I should keep silent, to listen to the words of the shepherd from holy scripture.

Let us see, then, since I put this forward, whether he takes the sheep from the wicked shepherds and gives them to the good shepherds. I do see him taking away the sheep from the wicked shepherds. For this is what he says: “Behold, I am superior to the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hands, and I will put a stop to their feeding my sheep; and the shepherds will no longer feed them.” For when I say, let them feed my sheep, they feed themselves not my sheep: “I will put a stop to their feeding my sheep.”

How does he put a stop to their feeding his sheep? “Do what they say; but not what they do.” As though to say, “Their words are mine, their actions are their own.” When you do not do what the wicked shepherds do, they are not feeding you; but when you do what they say, I am feeding you.

Sermon 46

Let Us Pray,  

O Lord, our God! Thou seest and hearest us. Thou knowest each one of us far better than we know ourselves. Thou lovest us without our deserving it. Thou hast helped us and dost help us still, although we are ever again inclined to spoil thy work by wanting to help ourselves. Thou art the Judge, but thou are also the Saviour of the poor and perplexed human race. For this we give thee thanks. For this we praise thee. We rejoice in the prospect of seeing with our own eyes on thy great day what we already now may believe if thou makest us free to do so.

Make us free to believe! Give us the true, honest and active faith in thee and in thy truth! Give it to many! Give it to all men! Give it to the peoples and their governments, to the rich and to the poor, to the healthy and to the sick, to the prisoners and to those who think they are free, to the old and to the young, to the joyful and to the sorrowful, to the heavy-laden and to the light-minded! There is no one who does not stand in need of faith, no one to whom the promise of faith is denied. Tell all our people, ourselves included, that thou art their merciful God and Father and ours! This we ask thee in the name of Jesus Christ who commanded us to pray:

“Our Father…..