Other sheep

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 When the hired hand sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away. That’s because he isn’t the shepherd; the sheep aren’t really his. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 He’s only a hired hand and the sheep don’t matter to him. 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I give up my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that don’t belong to this sheep pen. I must lead them too. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock, with one shepherd. 17 “This is why the Father loves me: I give up my life so that I can take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I give it up because I want to. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it up again. I received this commandment from my Father.” (John 10:11-18, CEB)

There are other sheep that don’t belong to this sheep pen that belong to the whole of my sheep, Jesus said here. What does that mean?

Well if you see the sheep pen as your local congregation, then other congregations are also a part. Or if you see the sheep pen as your denomination then other denominations are a part. If you see the sheep pen as the protestant denominations, then the Catholic and Eastern churches are a part too. If you see the sheep pen as all of those who are Christian regardless of denomination, then there are sheep outside the Christian church that belong too.

The thing I see in this is we shouldn’t judge someone because they have a “different” faith than ours. We are all created by God and therefore loved by God. So we need to love all people because we don’t really know who the other sheep are.

Love People. Love God.

Self Care

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. 31 Many people were coming and going, so there was no time to eat. He said to the apostles, “Come by yourselves to a secluded place and rest for a while.” 32 They departed in a boat by themselves for a deserted place. 33 Many people saw them leaving and recognized them, so they ran ahead from all the cities and arrived before them. 34 When Jesus arrived and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:30-34,CEB)

Jesus sent the disciples out and they returned and was telling him about their journeys and he noticed they were being surrounded and had no time to themselves. So Jesus said, “let’s get away and rest.”

Rest is important. It is important to tell people you can’t do things because you need time to yourself.

We need to make time for ourselves and take that time to be alone with God.

Selfcare is important. So rest and be alone with God.

Love People. Love God.

heard…

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them. 2 They were incensed that the apostles were teaching the people and announcing that the resurrection of the dead was happening because of Jesus. 3 They seized Peter and John and put them in prison until the next day. (It was already evening.) 4 Many who heard the word became believers, and their number grew to about five thousand. (Acts 4:1-4, CEB)

Many who heard became believers.

Peter and John were talking to those who would listen. The spoke of the Love of God through Jesus Christ.

And when people heard, they believed.

People hear the story of God’s love for them and believe it.

Have you told the story of God’s love today?

Go tell the story.

Love People. Love God.

Follow

17 “Brothers and sisters, I know you acted in ignorance. So did your rulers. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he foretold through all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. 19 Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then the Lord will provide a season of relief from the distress of this age and he will send Jesus, whom he handpicked to be your Christ. 21 Jesus must remain in heaven until the restoration of all things, about which God spoke long ago through his holy prophets. 22 Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up from your own people a prophet like me. Listen to whatever he tells you. 23 Whoever doesn’t listen to that prophet will be totally cut off from the people. 24 All the prophets who spoke—from Samuel forward—announced these days. 25 You are the heirs of the prophets and the covenant that God made with your ancestors when he told Abraham, Through your descendants, all the families on earth will be blessed. 26 After God raised his servant, he sent him to you first—to bless you by enabling each of you to turn from your evil ways.” (Acts 3:17-26, CEB)

We need to listen to God and follow after Christ.

God sent us Christ and enables us to follow after him and to turn from evil. Christ gives us the ability to live in love and love as God loves us.

So follow after God and live in love and love others as God loves you.

Love People. Love God.

Addition?!?!

[9 They promptly reported all of the young man’s instructions to those who were with Peter. Afterward, through the work of his disciples, Jesus sent out, from the east to the west, the sacred and undying message of eternal salvation. Amen. ]

[[9 After Jesus rose up early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to the ones who had been with him, who were mourning and weeping. 11 But even after they heard the news, they didn’t believe that Jesus was alive and that Mary had seen him. 12 After that he appeared in a different form to two of them who were walking along in the countryside. 13 When they returned, they reported it to the others, but they didn’t believe them. 14 Finally he appeared to the eleven while they were eating. Jesus criticized their unbelief and stubbornness because they didn’t believe those who saw him after he was raised up. 15 He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to every creature. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever doesn’t believe will be condemned. 17 These signs will be associated with those who believe: they will throw out demons in my name. They will speak in new languages. 18 They will pick up snakes with their hands. If they drink anything poisonous, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:9-18, CEB)

These verses are in the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, and here they appear in [ ]. This is because they were added later.

The gospel of Mark ends with the women fleeing from the tomb and saying nothing to anyone because they were afraid, but scribes and early believers didn’t see this as a proper ending to the gospel of Mark. Well it is a good Lutheran ending, because Lutherans have a hard time sharing their faith with others, and usually don’t say anything to strangers. I am kidding, sort of…

I find the actual ending of Mark better than these 2 additions. Mark left the story hanging, because it was not meant to be finished. GO back to Mark 1:1 The Beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ. And then go to the women fleeing in fear and not telling anyone anything. So how do we know the message? Because that wasn’t the end. The good news of Jesus Christ is still being written.

Tell everyone about the Love God gives you through Jesus.

Love People. Love God.

Live In Love

1 From the elder. To the chosen gentlewoman and her children, whom I truly love (and I am not the only one, but also all who know the truth), 2 because of the truth that remains with us and will be with us forever. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be ours who live in truth and love. 4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children living in the truth, just as we had been commanded by the Father. 5 Now, dear friends, I am requesting that we love each other. It’s not as though I’m writing a new command to you, but it’s one we have had from the beginning. 6 This is love: that we live according to his commands. This is the command that you heard from the beginning: live in love. (2 John 1-6, CEB)

We need to live love. That is all Jesus asked us to do.

Live and love everyone as God is loving us.

This is one of the easiest and hardest things to do.

Live your life so that all can see God in and through everything you do.

Love People. Love God.

Who?

10 This is how God’s children and the devil’s children are apparent: everyone who doesn’t practice righteousness is not from God, including the person who doesn’t love a brother or sister. 11 This is the message that you heard from the beginning: love each other. 12 Don’t behave like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he kill him? He killed him because his own works were evil, but the works of his brother were righteous. 13 Don’t be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have transferred from death to life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The person who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that murderers don’t have eternal life residing in them. 16 This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:10-16, CEB)

Does this really make it clearer who is following God and who isn’t? I think it does.

If you don’t love a brother or a sister you are not practicing righteousness and therefore not of God. So if you think you are better than anyone else, that is not loving your siblings and makes you not from God.

If you believe you are more sacred or righteous than someone else for any reason, you are not from God.

We need to be ready to lay down our lives for our siblings, and if you aren’t you are not from God.

Love all people as God loves you.

Love People. Love God.

What’s for supper?

Jesus himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 37 They were terrified and afraid. They thought they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you startled? Why are doubts arising in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me! Touch me and see, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones like you see I have.” 40 As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 Because they were wondering and questioning in the midst of their happiness, he said to them, “Do you have anything to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of baked fish. 43 Taking it, he ate it in front of them. 44 Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law from Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. 46 He said to them, “This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:36b-48, CEB)

The disciples met on the shore and Jesus was there after the resurrection. And in order to show them that he was not a ghost he asked them for food. We all know a ghost can not eat.

This was to show the disciples all that Jesus had told them was true and that he was God. And because of this and everything they saw for the time they were with Jesus, they are witnesses to the world.

We are all witnesses to who Jesus was, is and will be, and we are to go into the world and share that truth.

Know that Jesus wasn’t a ghost and the promises are truth.

Love People. Love God.

Who is greatest?

24 An argument broke out among the disciples over which one of them should be regarded as the greatest. 25 But Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles rule over their subjects, and those in authority over them are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But that’s not the way it will be with you. Instead, the greatest among you must become like a person of lower status and the leader like a servant. 27 So which one is greater, the one who is seated at the table or the one who serves at the table? Isn’t it the one who is seated at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 “You are the ones who have continued with me in my trials. 29 And I confer royal power on you just as my Father granted royal power to me. 30 Thus you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones overseeing the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:24-30, CEB)

Who is greater? The one who is served or the one who serves?

Of course we would all answer that the one who is served is greater, but Jesus turns this on it’s head. The one who serves is not lesser than the one they serve, nor are they greater. We have a way of wanting things to be laid out in order and know who is above another, yet in the kingdom of God there is no one greater than another and we are all equal.

We need to understand what it is to be a servant of others in order to lead people to the place God has for us.

So lower yourself and love as God loves you.

Love People. Love God.

remain

26 I write these things to you about those who are attempting to deceive you. 27 As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains on you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you the truth. But since his anointing teaches you about all things (it’s true and not a lie), remain in relationship to him just as he taught you. 28 And now, little children, remain in relationship to Jesus, so that when he appears we can have confidence and not be ashamed in front of him when he comes. (1 John 2:26-28, CEB)

The anointing you got from Jesus stays with you always. Do not be deceived by others as they will come to deceive you.

Know that Jesus wants to be in relationship with you and wants to remain in that relationship.

Keep the confidence you have with Jesus and walk always with him.

Love People. Love God.