Christ the King Sunday, 2014
(Last Sunday of the Church Year)
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
"The Lord seeks out the lost"
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
In just a few days we will be celebrating our nation's National Day of Thanksgiving. I pray to see this Church building filled to the brim with members, families, friends, and neighbors joining together to give thanks to God for His abundant care. This Thursday we shall sing the hymn "Now Thank We All Our God" and proclaim as one: "Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices, who wondrous things hath done, in whom His world rejoices; who from our mother's arms hath blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love and still is ours today."
Such beautiful words. Such loving hope-filled words penned by a man that nobody would be surprised if he had lost hope. The hymn "Now Thank We All Our God" was written by Martin Rinckart, Pastor in Eilenburg during the terrible Thirty Years' War. Eilenburg was a walled town and therefore a place of refuge for thousands who had lost everything in the war. The overcrowded condition of the city brought on famine and pestilence. At times Rinckart was the only Pastor in the city. To serve thousands suffering from hunger and dying from disease was a Herculean task. Often he read the burial service for forty to fifty persons a day. At last the number of dead each day was so great that it became impossible to bury them singly, and they were interred in groups in trenches.
Altogether, 8,000 person died in Eilenburg during this time, including Rinckart's wife. At the same time Rinckart suffered several financial losses and failed to receive the proper consideration at the hands of the authorities of the city in spite of his unselfish and tireless effort in behalf of the sick and the dying. And yet he wrote during this time that wonderful hymn of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.
The prophet Ezekiel went through a similarly horrendous time. He was a prophet of God that lived in exile with other Jews during the Babylonian captivity. He was separated from his wife who was left in Jerusalem. God informed His faithful prophet that Jerusalem would be destroyed and that his wife would be killed. His delight would be taken from his eyes even as the temple of the Lord; the delight of Israel, would be taken from the Jews. In the midst of losing his wife and his Church...Ezekiel wrote these words to his people and to us: "For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. 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, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice." (Ezekiel 34:11-16) "I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken." (Ezekiel 34:22-24)
In the midst of sorrow and grief. At a time when the people were broken and enslaved. As people gathered around the prophet Ezekiel void of hope...Ezekiel, himself grieving, proclaims that the Lord will gather His people together. He tells the people of Israel that although they were scattered, although the Temple of God built by King David's son Solomon had been destroyed...that the Lord would bring His people back...to a better Israel...to better pastures...and they would be gathered by another King...a better King than they had ever had...even better than David...and they would be restored to better glory.
That promise is for you as well! The Shepherd that God promised to send...a greater King and Shepherd than David...the shepherd who became a king...is Christ Jesus our Lord. Just like the Jews held in Babylonian captivity...we as Christians have been scattered as well. The first Christians were scattered as they fled and hid from both Jewish leaders and Roman leaders that were out to kill them. Even today Christians are scattered...many still fleeing from persecution... and others scattered as the world, family, friends, neighbors, and even so called Christian churches abandon God's Word and even openly attack those that are faithful to the Word of God.
What gives us pause to have hope in the midst of tragedy and heartache; what gives us the joy to give thanks to God for His love and abundant care in the midst of a world that hates us...is the same wonderful promise God has given to His people for ages upon ages. Our Lord comes to gather His people. Our Lord seeks out the lost and will rescue His people. Our Lord seeks out all the sheep that have been scattered. Our Lord comes to save us. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) Jesus said: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:12-13) "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." (1 Timothy 1:15)
Today...and this coming Thanksgiving Day...we rejoice in Christ our King and give thanks. We give thanks, not just for the temporal blessings we have received of food and drink, house and home, family and friends, but most especially for the gift of salvation won by Christ. We give thanks in the midst of this sinful, corrupt, fallen world that Christ came to save sinners. We gather and give thanks to our Lord every Sunday because Christ died for you; Christ died for your mom, dad, sister, brother, uncle, aunt, friend, and neighbor. Christ died for your enemy. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." (1 Timothy 1:15)
The wonderful news that our King comes to save us...is reason to rejoice and give thanks. It is the news that we share. It is the news that brings comfort. It is the news that we shall soon prepare for...and celebrate at Christmas: Christ Jesus was born to save us. So give thanks today, on Thanksgiving Day...and everyday for the gift of salvation...and rejoice that our Lord shall welcome us and all the saints on the last day saying: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34) Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
I am thankful for all the Lord has given me, but still their is the nagging concern for the Lord not to leave my side especially tomorrow when I see my last son go thru surgery, My prayers are for good news but if not give us the strength to see it through to the end
Posted by: Betty Montgomery | November 23, 2014 at 08:30 AM