netflix

Intervention by Invention, Genesis 1 on…

Standard

In our season of fall TV viewing, there’s probably nothing more compelling than this show on Netflix about Charlie Sheen, well in small doses when one is ready to watch the train wreck rehashed and explained by the train back on his current track. Let us pray that he stays sober in all ways. It’s unbelievable that Charlie Sheen is still alive. It’s pure brokenness in the world of drugs, and money and wild lifestyles fueling addictions to self. In a ME world, it gets bad fast…

And yet Charlie Sheen is still alive, coherent to talk, and as compelling as he was to many but this next generation now wouldn’t know him and the train wrecks of today are on other media streams or already deceased. Drugs are the worst – and I pray no one starts because it proves bad again and again. All this big scale brokenness reminds us of brokenness even bigger at the level of pure evil in the world. The devil is in the disasters, but we are still able to see the warnings coming and stop and shelter and survive. We surely see life examples of devastation so that we try to steer clear.

And yet, they said that people were paying money to see the train wreck in Charlie Sheen. And surely others paid much more of the price to try to rescue him over and over…  So, who are the helpers? The Netflix documentary mentioned his father, Martin Sheen who suffered immensely through these episodes of his son (although not interviewed for this series, the record as plenty of intervention attempts). His ex-wives are interviewed as they are surprised too that he is still alive. Even the former drug dealer to Charlie was recruited to help step Charlie down in intervention that “thought outside the box” and mixed lower and lower doses of crack until Charlie was able to step back up onto the sidewalk… It’s a story of rebuilding the tracks back or at least putting the train car upright. And there are victims of time, like his children, who will never regain a normalcy that rarely existed. If you wish for someone else’s life for yourself, DON’T. Take the cards handed to us and make our best plays. Our known is usually better than the unknown. 

Intervention by invention, those helping Charlie Sheen were also helping themselves in rescuing someone they love. Charlie’s one quieter non-media brother interviewed stated over and over again about the love that was given. LOVE came first, in the middle, and will be the lasting force forever. 

Intervention because of LOVE began at the time of creation, when God created the heavens and earth and separated darkness by instilling LIGHT and direction and motivation and sharing the LOVE. Genesis sounds like poetry of creation – so clearly over and over again intervention by invention and pre-prepared rescue was already planned as the Way. Intervention by invention is what got Adam and Eve back on track, Jacob and sons back to building nations, Moses back on the mountain, David back to praising God, and each and every person (past, present and future) to be rescued by Jesus. Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life – and Light of the World to overcome all darkness. God Wins.

Intervention by invention at conception and for perception and surely by perspiration. It is hard work to block out darkness, but time and time again, day after day, it is done and shown and lived and all for the love of shining the way.

Let us pray all trains get back on track, all people get the pulling up they need, and that the people themselves WANT to pick up their mat and roll it up and keep walking forward as Jesus commands – and “sin no more” for the sake of the whole story of saving. We do love to watch the dawning of a new day – and today is that day for so many – we pray. We pray for all who are lost to see they are found, pray for all who are wayward to want forgiveness and reconciliation and to be taken back into the fold of the Lord as children wanting for their Father God. And we pray that we remember that the LOVE is given by God so we will love until it hurts. Intervention is by Invention.

God is LOVE – and no matter which earthly train gets wrecked, we won’t ever get off HIS track from His LOVE. 

Amen

—

The History of Creation – Genesis 1:1-19 NKJV 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. …

My Sermon from today – Knowing God as our Shepherd – John 10 and Psalm 23

Standard

Blessed to share my sermon from today:

Knowing God Through Relationship – God as a Shepherd – Psalm 23 and John 10

Have you caught the media frenzy about the new pope, Pope Leo? WOW! Hard not to catch the news – I think it is like the FEEL-GOOD STORY for this month, before the next news cycle – but it IS exciting to see the excitement – don’t you think?

We love a local kid hits the big time story – even if we are not really local to Chicago – well most of us –  and I had to even be reminded that there were 2 baseball teams in Chicago – yeah I knew that but sure wasn’t on the forefront of my news every day – and whether or not you have figured out that the pope is a Chicago white Sox fan over the Chicago Cubs – what IS clear is that people have a thirst for info !!!  and as he becomes a pope for the people, the people find connections – and this brings them the sense of guidance. PEOPLE NEED AND FEEL GUIDANCE IS A WANT.

Why do I bring this up when we, as a community church, don’t follow the pope as an organization? Well, we can see that folks revere the office of the pope – many religious leaders – see the willingness of him and of all people of the church to serve. I bring it up because you may see there truly are people searching, searching for a shepherd- truly searching not just for a pope to give just an agenda, but for a person of faith to be a shepherd to lead. It’s a normal thing and I am intrigued and blessed to have this good news of faith displayed.

And this is where I want to speak about Jesus as our Good Shepherd – God with Jesus and the Holy Spirit – as a triune God – knew that “SHEPHERDING” WAS EXACTLY WHAT WE NEEDED!

I have to mention another aspect of Jesus being here on earth – He was accessible – He was with the people as He is now with us – but also in the flesh – and He had disciples including brothers who may have been so surprised AFTER Jesus rose – after they realized He was the Messiah – brother James especially in his chapter of scripture is so touching in his devotion – and giving us insight – as the other disciples did…

And yes – going back to my news media frenzy last week – Insight was key for the Pope has 2 brothers still in the US, Chicago and Florida – they really look like him – and thank God they provided that immediate media frenzy need for information – good or bad the responsiveness helped and wow did we get to that white sox over the cubs controversy answer quickly –  (scary that we learned all this stuff huh? Over real issues of the day ) but that accessibility to fulfill an insatiable appetite is SO VERY HUMAN of us -and amplified by media – and amplified by our worldliness – which is ANOTHER reason why Jesus needs us to know to be a sheep to Him as shepherd and watch out for becoming a media wolf trapped in the worldliness of the world – we need to be shepherded to look to things above…

So seriously, the shepherding that Jesus took on (and takes on) was so necessary and so fitting too. We want to know the best of God’s plan and will listen for Jesus’s voice – and gratefully we can listen with our souls to the Word – which is Jesus – Jesus is the Word made flesh…  John is the gospel of wisdom, written by a seasoned John who likely told these stories for years and was urged to write it down – John would know more fully when Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”

Jesus fully God, fully human and accessible to us through the holy spirit, His Word resonates to tell us that no one – no one can pluck us out of His hand… We pray and seek Jesus, knowing Him, reach for Him, and be shepherded by Him.

Because you know there are evil forces around – no sugar coating the wolf that comes after the sheep – the evil one in the devil is on the prowl – and yet we can speak the name of Jesus and tell the devil to stand down – that is the relationship that Jesus wants us to have with Him – with God – to know how to stay safe – Jesus tells us – also from the gospel of John that Jesus Shepherd is also the Gatekeeper. Jesus gatekeeper “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Jesus – such a GOOD Shepherd – and the Chosen one – not a chance that Jesus would turn away from His work. John 10:11-18 again records this amazing passage by Jesus: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

Ah yes – not the hired hand – Jesus is true and forever – and being God, He will never change. You can’t fall out of God’s LOVE because God IS LOVE – that is key to our relationship because it is about God’s plan – never to be snatched out of Jesus’s hand. Here is more from Jesus:

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. “

AH – sheep from other pens  – that is Jesus speaking of the Gentiles in addition to the Jews – that is Jesus speaking about us – in addition to the people of the time – Jesus for all generations is unchanged and still the Shepherd.

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Ah – so Jesus wasn’t forced or “voluntold” – Jesus chose this path – Jesus chose to save – Jesus chose us – Jesus chose to serve God – and to be the LOVE.

How could we ask for anything else??? 
———-

Our often favorite Psalm is psalm 23 – it is a tremendous reading to recite if you are able to – or us the colors to help you remember this comfort –  it is a key “go-to” it in times of trouble and in reflection – I can imagine David writing it from processing so much that God had done in his life.  Here is the beginning: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Yes – we shouldn’t want – and we should be grateful and see what we have FROM the Lord – we are shepherded – and provided for:

As I went to find the psalm to paste into my writing and came across a very succinct description of how encompassing these short phrases are – this is from “bibleinfo” webpage:

”The restored soul is then led on to another stage in God’s plan for his life – ‘He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.’ That is, God leads us into work, into service for Him. Rest in the green pastures and refreshment by the still waters are to fit us FOR work. – In the gospel plan, works do not precede but FOLLOW rest. The restoration of the soul comes first, then the works of righteousness. We are not saved by our works BUT WORK because we are saved. We are not justified by works, but FOR works.” 

 YES – I appreciate this – that our relationship with God is being shepherded to be MOVED.   Not just kept inside a gate but moved through life.

Here is an important part of life: the next part of Psalm 23: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…

HMMM… I question – have I walked thru the valley of the shadow of death? Don’t think we have to have a near death experience – so what does that mean to us? David experienced it –  We could take that to mean that we have been in awful situations – near death – or that we know those who were near death – or especially that we have seen the shadow of death with life but we are walking past it with salvations.

I have been watching a Netflix documentary of the “Blitz” in London – the WW2 stretch where they were bombed – unbelievable the horrors of war and the scariness of them – this but a fraction of the fear and the devastation seen in war – in any attack – the people in the streets of London went out during the day on their normal business but at night they pulled black out curtains to block the light from showing where population was – and at night they would take their families down into “the tubes” the underground train stations – they packed in for safety. And yeah the bombings were devastating – I is amazing to see the colorized film reels – brings it more to life  – These are situations where these people surely felt they were walking thru the valley of the shadow of death – needed Jesus, need peace…

And there is footage of Winston Churchill in the reels – and I remember a quotation from Winston Churchill: “If you are walking thru hell – keep walking” sounds like Psalm 23 doesn’t it – and great advice for us – to KEEP WALKING!!!

———————

Evil exists. Evil makes the conflict bigger.  War is awful – we can’t even imagine.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies

Yes – a rod and staff are shepherding tools – God’s ability to keep us moving in the RIGHT direction – the Holy Spirit shepherding we experience. The table – surely a heavenly banquet. And going after us – we are shepherded if we go astray:  one sheep. Even was reading this for my upcoming prep for vacation bible school this summer – Jesus will leave the 99 and go after the one sheep.
—

I want to talk about a very personal time that I was shepherded – still am – by Jesus and this going after the one sheep story is so fitting – Jesus really does go find us – really loves us – really leaves the salvation up to HIM not to us wandering sheep….

I know that I was shepherded by Jesus when my dad was sick and then passing – going downhill and then just a few weeks left became a few days and even a few hours – – and I have told at least some of you previously in a sermon that I write a daily devotion – this was a whole month specifically on dealing with my dad’s death – already was prewriting in my head – I have a chapter which will eventually become a book – I feel it would help others – and it was and is extremely healing to write – and  I was and am shepherded – and clearly in journaling – which I implore all of you to try – I also found comfort in that my dad was shepherded too… the one sheep …

So – I have a friend who is like an editor and voracious reader and child of God – and she is 92 now – and I gave her this chapter about my dad – and one of the writings included Psalm 23 which we have talked about for shepherding – and the copy from my dad’s prayer card from his funeral –  And we checked this card over greatly because the misspellings of my maiden name – people put an N in it…  well – we were good – and surprised even…  the N is a running joke in my family…  OK – no N – good to go…

Well, Sue – never saying “been there done that” with scripture – she took a moment to  actually read the Psalm 23 to herself. And WOW – she showed me and said: “Debbie, there’s an extra ‘N’ !!!” WOW – I was shocked – did we miss it in our name? No. then how and why???  “… thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over…”  Psalm 23   OH  – THERE WAS THE N – AN EXTRA “N” IN ANNOINTEST – WOW

I LAUGHED SO LOUD – it was both laugh and tears because it may not mean anything to you – certainly was just a typo to sue – but to me – oh the lord found the UNIQUE littlest of shepherding – the funniest thing – to let me know he was still listening and watching and shepherding and encouraging… and being there… Shepherding is SO UNIQUE to us!!!

HOW CAN WE NOT BE THRILLED AT THE LORD SHEPHERDING US – AND PRAISE HIM ! Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23       

AMEN

PRAYER: LORD THANK YOU FOR BEING OUR SHEPHERD – FOR US TO REALIZE IT – MAY WE GROW IN RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU TO WANT TO BE SHEPHERDED TO HAVE DIRECTION – TO HAVE SECURITY – TO HAVE A FUTURE AND TO HAVE A HOPE TODAY – AND EVERY DAY – Lord – thank YOU for YOU. AMEN