Finally a Shepherd who cares for the sheep

Wesley United Methodist Church November 21, 1999 Finally a Shepherd who cares for the sheep Ezekiel 34: 11-16,20-24 Christ the King Sunday I have to admit, that at this point I am at my wits end. I don't know what to do. This being a parent of a jr. high student is just not working for me. It is getting to the point that the harder I work to help Prentice through this, the worse things get. Sixth grade started out okay, Prentice has never been one to keep up with his things, so I wasn't surprised when he lost things, or when his teachers told me that he didn't keep track of things. But this is getting to be an everyday occurance. First, it was his social stuhen I know that eventually you will get tired and do it for me he once told me. I try to help him to understand that I will not be around for him always. And I can't be with him every minute of the day to make sure that he does everything that he is supposed to do. How many times do we do have the same expectation of God? We look to God to get us out of everything. But God is also different from a parent in many ways. Because he sent Christ to be with us in everything. To find everything that we have lost ( I sure wish that he would find Prentices combination lock). and more importantly to find us when we have lost our way. Even when it is our fault. God has made a promise to us that our shepherd will be with us in all things, forever. Without Christ we lose things, even ourselves. With Christ we are renewed, restored and transformed. The lord is our shepherd, we shall not want. rprised when he lost things, or when his teachers told me that he didn't keep track of things. 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I can't do this much longer, one of us iÐÏ à¡± á ; þÿ þÿÿÿ ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ þ'Nø' ø' ° T› Ð ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ’) B, €+ Š+ š+ š+ š+ š+ à=Ð/ Ð 8 d š+ ÿÿÿÿ Ð ¬+ – ) Rev. Harriette Cross Wesley United Methodist Church November 21, 1999 Finally a Shepherd who cares for the sheep Ezekiel 34: 11-16,20-24 Christ the King Sunday I have to admit, that at this point I am at my wits end. I don't know what to do. This being a parent of a jr. high student is just not working for me. It is getting to the point that the harder I work to help Prentice through this, the worse things get. Sixth grade started out okay, Prentice has never been one to keep up with his things, so I wasn't surprised when he lost things, or when his teachers told me that he didn't keep track of things. But this is getting to be an everyday occurance. First, it was his social studies book. When I told him that I am sure that he can find the book, since everyone must have a book, yours must just be sitting someplace. He tells me that he just can't find it. Next, I come to school for conferences and discover that he has no lock on his locker, and he just doesn't know where it is. Everyday when he comes home, I ask what he does in school, where are the papers that were handed back to him, and if he has any homework. Prentice hurriedly answers no to each question and runs up stairs. He later tells me that he tells me that he did his homework, because he just didn't feel like having to do it. His science teacher recommends that perhaps I should teach my child some organizational skills. But how do you do that? Last week I was nearly in tears as I explained to the guidance counselor that I am pretty fanatic about being organized, and I manage every waking minute of Prentice's day, besides the time that he is at school. I am at the school every other day, because Prentice forgot something at home, he can't find a permission slip, or to bring something in that I don't want to take a chance of asking Prentice to bring to school. What else am I supposed to do? She looks at me calmly and explains that she too is very organized, and has a daughter who could care less. So she understands what I am going through. She goes to get Prentice out of class ands she asks him what would help him. Prentice explains that at first things were a little difficult for him but he has got the hang of it. Do you think that you could do better of we got some folders for you, and you just automatically put everything in the folder and brought it home. Prentice excitedly answers yes. the guidance counselor looks at me and tells me everything will be okay. It is normal for jr high students to lose things, but we try to train them now, so that they will be prepared for high school. Later that night we go to Prentice's locker. But wait a minute, Prentice, I just brought you a new lock on Tuesday, today is Thursday, where is the lock? Oh I lost it, he says. Just yesterday, I buy a brand new binder, have Prentice organize all of his papers, and put them in folders. Finally, frustrated at the papers, he balls them up and tries to jam them into the pockets of the folders. I tell you, as I tell Prentice about my theory that folders were specially constructed to hold paper, the paper should really fit in the folder. I am starting to lose hope in the guidance counselors assurance that everything will be okay now. I can't do this much longer, one of us is not going to make it to high school. And the problem is not my feelings of failure as a parent, or my concern for Prentices future. The problem is that it is always going to bother me that Prentice is disorangized and loses things, and Prentice is never going to care. And I just dont understand his attitude to life. The combination lock that I used in jr. high school is still in my desk drawer. I have not had a locker to put it on in 16 years. I remember the day in high school clearly that I finally threw away every paper that I had ever done since the fifth grade. I finally was able to let go of them, only after I spent two years rereading, correcting, organizing them in folders and filing them on my bookshelf. I jut can't comprehend why he does not care about losing things. I think that God did this to me on purpose. God sent me Prentice, because she knows that I can't deal with disorganization. God is probably at wits end with all of us too. She gives us love, support, advice and everything that we need, yet we don't always do the things that we know to be Christian. We are told to share with others, yet at times we just don't feel like it, we are to love our neighbor, yet we just didn't feel like introducing ourselves, we see someone in need, yet it is easier to turn and look the other way. And the list goes on. God tries so hard to give us opportunities learn the lessons that life teaches us, and not only do we not listen. It doesn't even matter to us that we don't care. And I would imagine that this is how God must have felt about the Israelites. This is the frustration that Ezekiel is expressing in chapter 34. the Israelites had been told that they are to look out for one another, that they are to care for those who are less fortunate than they are. God has tried everything to get the message across. He has sent prophets, leaders, teachers to get the message across. Yet his children do not listen, and they have to suffer the consequences. They are taken away from the land that was given to them and exiled in a strange land. Nothing works. So God tells all of us that the only way to make sure that things are done right is for God to do them. " I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 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.", God says. how many times have we as parents finally broke down and done the things that we ask our children to do, because we know that we will do it the way we want it done? I heard it once said, that the differences between religion and Christianity, is that, in religion, one searches for God, yet in Christianity God searches for us. God cares that much about us. God promises to be a shepherd. Sheep are a little different from children. At least children can decide that they don't want to listen. Sheep only knows what the shepherd tells them. We all know the 23rd Psalm, the lord is my shepherd I shall not want. The Israelites would have understood Ezekiel's reference to sheep well, for they were a farm people. They would have know the way sheep behave well. It is easy for sheep to get lost, because all that they are concerned about is eating grass. They get lost, sometimes they get too caught up in following their mouth to more grass. Sometimes they get greedy and are concerned about feeding themselves, that they forget that their are younger, smaller sheep who do not get a chance to eat. This was the situation of the Israelites at the time. Israel had been captures by the Babylonians. Those who were able had been taken into captivity. They felt that they were lost. And without a shepherd to protect them, many were treated unfairly and were neglected. Even though this exile was a result of their own misbehaving, God cared enough about them to be a shepherd himself and to rescue them. God cares about all o f us enough to rescue us, when we are lost. when we are so concerned about being happy, that we no longer pay attention to the consequences of our actions, it is God who will lead us in the right direction. When we are so lost in the midst of our lives, that we no longer know where to turn, God will find us and show us love. In the end, God gives us one more promise, scripture says that I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David and he shall feed them. Before we enter into the advent season, God promises us that a messiah is coming into our lives. And that messiah will find and care for us so that we will not have to care for ourselves. Christianity is not about finding God, is is about Christ, finding us. Sitting in a church was a box marked lost and found. Inside was a doll, that a little girl had left in the pew. When the mother found the doll, she said that it looked as if it had its arms open and she was saying I am lost, please come and find me. Please look for me and take me home. I am sure that we have all felt like that doll, even in the church, we can feel abandoned in the pew. We have felt that God had forgotten us. The good news for today is that we have been found. That we have been given a shepherd who cares enough to search in all places in order to find us. For ezekiel, this passage is a promise, that in the midst of an exile God will bring them home again. For us, it is a promise that as long as we understand that Christ is our shepherd, that no matter what the situation, no matter what the frustration, that in the end, Christ will give us peace. God sent his only son to be our shepherd, not only to make sure that those who have been lost will now be treated fairly. To make sure that those who are lost, will be found. He will be with us always. One of Prentice's teachers asked what she could do to help him to bring home a permission slip. He told her that if she would call me, that I would make sure that he brought it home. He has learned well, that he doesn't have to worry about taking responsibility, as long as I will do it for him. Why should I clean my room, w