Last Sunday of the Church Year

Text: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 The Old Testament book of Proverbs is a collection of words of wisdom, sayings that were for the most part written by King Solomon, the son of David. In 1 Kings and it 2 Chronicles it is recorded that the Lord appeared to Solomon to offer him any gift that he would wish. Solomon asked that the Lord would give him wisdom. The Lord granted Solomon this gift and we are told that he spoke more than 3,000 proverbs. About 800 of them are recorded for us in the book of Proverbs. Solomon was a king and he applied much of his wisdom to his rule. He recognized that earthly authority is a gift from God that he gives to establish peace and justice in the nation. When the king rules with wisdom, but also with justice and equity, when he cares for the needs of the poor, and when sticks up for the rights of the weak and protects them from being taken advantage of, then people feel safe and secure and the land prospers. But when kings are unjust, when they are wicked, when they accept bribes and take advantage of the poor and the weak, when they use their authority to make themselves rich, the people suffer and the nation as whole becomes weak. Here are only a few of the things that He wrote: “By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down. (Proverbs 29:4 ESV) “If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.” (Proverbs 29:14 ESV) When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Proverbs 29:2 ESV) Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his throne is upheld. (Proverbs 20:28 ESV) “When it goes well with the righteous the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.” (Proverbs 11:10) These things were true in Solomon’s day. They are just as true today. Think of the hatred and scorn people felt for Saddam Hussein, or Momar Gadhafi. Think of the frustration and unrest that we feel every time we consider the corruption and hunger for power in our own government. Both the “Tea Partiers” and the “Occupiers” are evidence that things are not right in our government. People see the rich getting richer and the powerful getting more powerful and out democratic ideal of rule by the people seems to be slipping away in the interest of the powerful few. We cannot tolerate injustice. And while our sense of justice is perverted because of sin, this sense of right and wrong and this intolerance for inequity remains in us as an imprint left over from the image of our creator. We were created in the image of God. God loves justice and mercy, he hates injustice. We don’t have it just right because of the fall into sin and our problem of original sin but we still know corruption when we see it. Favoritism, nepotism, the good ol’ boy network, we can’t stand it. If we can’t stand it, neither can God. Our Old Testament text was written at a time in the history of the nation of Israel when the rulers of the nation had been unjust. The high rollers and the fat cats were using their position and their wealth to take advantage of the weak and the poor. Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them. (Ezekiel 34:2-6 ESV) God was angry. He would not bless these people. He would not bless this nation. He would take it away and from them because they had been unfaithful. Our text, the portion of this text that was selected for our reading this morning has to do with God’s promise for the sheep. Those who were hounded and harmed by the faithless and worthless shepherds. They hadn’t done their job, the Lord was angry with them, but the sheep, those who were injured and scattered, the Lord was still faithful, he would gather them, he would heal them, he would feed them, he would protect them. And he himself would send his own Son, his servant, the Son of David, to be their shepherd. I, I myself will go look for them, those lost sheep and I will seek them. . As a shepherd searches for his flock that have been scattered so will I seek out my sheep and I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. Our Lutheran Catechism tells us that there are two kingdoms. There is a kingdom of the left hand. God is concerned about keeping order in the world and so he raises up governments; kings and presidents. He gives them armies and policemen and judges and mayors all to help keep the world in good working order. There needs to be somebody to protect law abiding citizens. There needs to be somebody to punish those who break the laws and so God gives out authority in this left hand kingdom. But there is a second kingdom. There is a right hand kingdom. A heavenly kingdom where God reigns in heaven, but that also exists on earth. We pray for this kingdom every day, every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer we pray Thy Kingdom come. Lord send us this heavenly, right-hand kingdom. Kings and kingdoms and presidents and governments all pass away. They rise for a season and then fall. Jesus has more important things to discuss, things that involve his heavenly kingdom. The metaphor that God uses to describe this kingdom is that of a Shepherd. A good Shepherd who goes out after his sheep to find them as they have wandered off. Sheep wander for lots of reasons. Certainly sometimes it is their own foolishness, but here in this text our Lord is telling us that there are times when the sheep wander because they are chased away. Just like in the Left Hand Kingdom, sometimes in Christ’s Church, where the only agenda should be Christ’s agenda, the leaders lose sight of their God given duty. The Church is supposed to be a place where Christ’s Word is the focus of the entire ministry and work of the congregation. Teaching and preaching that word, filling the trough full of only the good and nutritious food that is provided by God himself, pure and true, full strength without being watered down. Sometimes those man made agenda not only water down that Word of God, sometimes the man made agendas take it away all together. And that is when the sheep are abused hurt and injured and so they wander. But it is the work of Jesus, the Good Shepherd to go out and find them. To go to them where they have wandered to discover their injuries. To see where they have been abused. To bind up those injuries and heal those wounds. There are a lot of things that cause those wounds. Many causes of those injuries; sometimes it’s sin. A cruel word, a criticism, an injustice can really do injury to the word of God. Sometimes it’s bad doctrine, false teaching that does it. False teaching always does the same thing. It takes away Jesus. It gives less of Jesus and requires more from you. It takes away the comfort of the gospel that Jesus offers and gives to heal and restore sinners. And when the leaders of the church, the under-shepherds, fill the trough with watered down food the sheep leave on Sunday morning with their sins still in their hearts with no comfort to ease their troubled conscience. They get tired and burned out and they leave. But Jesus brings comfort. He brings his gospel. He speaks his true word. He speaks forgiveness and love to that broken sinner, to that wounded sheep. Whatever wounds there might be, and no matter who inflicted those wounds Jesus heals them. Jesus binds us the broken hearted. And he restores the captives. He enables love and forgiveness even between enemies. And then when consciences are wounded because of sin he forgives those sins and washes away all those wrongs. No matter how bad those sins might have been Jesus takes them all and dips them all in his blood so that we are made new, restored and whole and clean and forgiven. His kingdom, his right hand kingdom has come to us. In the Gospel of John Jesus says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:1-15 ESV) Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He calls his sheep. He gathers them. He cares for them. He protects them. He feeds them. He shelters them. When they are injured he binds them up. When they are sick or hurt he heals them. When they are broken he restores them. He gives, he provides, he helps, he defends, he protects, he in short does everything. There are false shepherds. They have no agenda but their own. They have no truth, they preach only the lies that they have made up that fit their own agenda. The false shepherds injure the sheep. Don’t listen to them. Instead listen to Jesus. Hear his voice and know his voice. Run to his voice and he will care for you. Amen.