Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter Part of My Flock
(A Sermon for the Children of Grace Lutheran Church, To Help Them Understand Their Parents) Theme: Love does not always feel like love. Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia! In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks harshly to those Jews who opposed Him and refused to take His Words to heart. These Jews gathered around Jesus and asked, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus decided not to be polite: “I told you,” He said, “and you do not believe… you do not believe because you are not part of My flock.” Dear Christian friends, I wonder if any of the children in this congregation have ever had their mother or father, grandmother or grandfather, yell at them. Or perhaps one or two of you children have experienced some kind of unpleasant discipline at some time in your life—such as being grounded, losing computer or television privileges, or maybe even getting swatted. Those times when you get lectured or rebuked or punished do not feel like very loving times, do they? In fact, if you think only about the times when you get into trouble, you might begin to think that mom or dad, grandma or grandpa, do not really love you. At least there are times when it does not feel like they love you. Think again, children. Learn from Jesus. Learn from Jesus that love—true, honest-to-goodness love that will never leave you—love does not always feel like love and love does not always sound very loving. I know that, sometimes, parents can go too far and they can be too harsh with their children. In fact, I know that sometimes there are people who are not very good parents to their children. I do not want that to happen to you—and I want to help you if it should happen to you. For right now, however, I want you to think about the way your parents or grandparents treat you lovingly. I am not talking about those times they make you feel happy or when they give you things that you like. I am talking about those times when they make you feel sad or sorry. I am talking about when your parents or grandparents yell at you because you will not listen or when they discipline you because you will not obey. I am talking about those times when it does not feel like they love you very much. Love, dear children, does not always feel like love. We know from the Bible that Jesus loves these Jews who came to Him in today’s Gospel. We know that Jesus loves these people because Jesus loves everyone in the whole world. After all, Jesus came to suffer and to die for the sins of the whole world (John 3:16), and Jesus wants all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). It is not that Jesus does not love the Jews in today’s Gospel—it is simply that these Jews refuse to believe that Jesus loves them and came to die for them. Stated another way, Jesus’ love for these people did not feel very much like love to them. Jesus loved them, but not in a way that these Jews wanted Him to love them. You probably can understand the way these Jews felt. I am sure there have been times in your life when your parents or grandparents did not show love to you in the way you wanted them to show it. Maybe you wanted them to give you something, but they decided it was best for you not to have it. Maybe you wanted to go out late in the evening, and they told you “No” because it was safer for you at home, and because you needed a good night’s rest to get ready for school the next day. Maybe you got punished for something you did wrong, and now you want them to change their minds about your punishment but they won’t. So moms and dad, grandmas and grandpas do not always give you what you want and that does not feel very loving. Guess what: Love does not always feel like love, children. In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains to these Jews why they could not understand how much He loves them. “I told you [who I am],” He said to them, “and you do not believe… you do not believe because you are not part of My flock.” Stated another way, these Jews did not have Jesus always with them, like a sheep always have a good and faithful shepherd with them, or like you children always have your good and faithful parents with you. Stated yet another way, these Jews only saw Jesus once in a while. They did not see how Jesus always cares for them, always does the best for them, and always loves them. They did not yet learn from Jesus that love sometimes does not feel like love—but it is real love, faithful love and beneficial love nevertheless. “You do not believe because you are not part of My flock,” Jesus said to the Jews. Think about how it is totally the opposite for you. It does not matter whether you live with your mom or your dad or your grandma or your grandpa, children. Those people have you as part of their flock. That is to say, those people guard you and watch over you and protect you like a shepherd would guard and protect a flock of sheep. Sometimes the sheep goes away from the safety of the group, so the shepherd has to thump it a little bit and tell it what to do and push it back to the group. The shepherd does this because he loves his sheep. In exactly the same way, your moms and dads, your grandmas and your grandpas also sometimes need to thump you a little bit, or to raise their voice, or to take you by the hand and lead you when you are feeling rebellious. It does not feel good to get treated that way, I know. For your part, know this: Love does not always feel like love. Your parents have already come to understand this, that love does not always feel like love. They understand this because they also were children once, and they, too, had someone who loved them in ways that did not always feel loving. But even more than that, your parents and grandparents have lived long lives in this difficult world. · They have had experiences where it did not always seem as though God was with them. · They have sometimes felt as though God did not love them because it seemed like He was treating them too harshly. · Some of them might also have sometimes wondered whether it was even worth it to be Christian. Through all your parents’ and grandparents’ hard experiences, your God has remained their God. Your parents have had the blood of Jesus shed for them, forgiving all their sins—just as the blood of Jesus likewise forgives all your sins and cleanses you from all unrighteousness. Stated another way, your parents have been made part of Jesus’ flock through Baptism—just as you also were made part of Jesus’ precious flock through Baptism. Your parents now hear the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd and they believe—they believe because they are part of His flock. You believe for the same reason: you believe because you also are in Jesus’ flock. · It is a good thing for your parents to believe in Jesus and to trust in Him. This helps them during those times when they experience love from God that does not feel like love. · Being part of Jesus’ flock also helps your parents and grandparents to raise you as well as they are able. They understand very much when you think that their acts of love for your do not feel like love. They know that discipline feels harsh, and yet they were willing to let things seem harsh and to disciple you because they love you. your parents also know that rebukes and lectures are unpleasant for you, but they want very much to teach you how to grow strong in the faith and in faithful living. They do not like giving you trouble any more than you like getting it—but they love you and love does not always feel like love. Believe that they love you, children. Believe that they love you because you are part of their flock. Then join them with in believing all the more that Jesus your Good Shepherd likewise loves both you and your parents. You are able to believe and to know this because Jesus has made you part of His flock. He has baptized you, and in Baptism He both forgives you your sins and makes you His own dear sheep. He has done that for your parents, too. And He loves your parents and grandparents, even as much as He loves you, even when it does not feel like love. Please do me favor and tell them that when you have a chance. The peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. ___________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author (as long as no charge is made for the work and it is not made part of a compilation), as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? Send ANY note to: sermons...@cat41.org Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: sermons-...@cat41.org Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/sermons@cat41.org/> For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at: Rev. Fr. Eric J. 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