On behalf of the Cathedral Staff & Congregation we welcome all who have responded to the invitation to join us in worship this morning. Our prayer is that you will find satisfaction in this experience and will consider coming again.
God is pleased that you responded to a friend’s invitation to come to the Cathedral today.As we heard in the reading from Ezekiel (Chapter 34: verses 11 – 16) God wants to be our shepherd. “ I myself shall tend my flock and find them a place to rest.” As such, we have a caring God: “I myself will take care of my sheep; I shall feed them on good grazing land.” More than that, he says: ”as a shepherd goes in search of his sheep, I will go and rescue them.”
In the parable Jesus taught which we heard in the gospel reading from Luke (Chap.15: verses 1 – 7) even if one of the sheep is lost, he will go out and search until it is found. Then having found the sheep he will call his friends and rejoice that the flock is now complete again. I remember a picture that my mother had above her bed of the Good Shepherd saving a lost sheep. It made a great impression on me as a child and today that same picture hangs on the wall in my own bedroom, reminding me of what Jesus has done for me when I have been lost.
We are all lost in one way or another: in our relationships where we might be misunderstood or be taken for granted; at work, where we might be dissatisfied; perhaps unemployed, without hope or worth; or just lonely. Back in the book of the prophet Ezekiel the image of the Good Shepherd is expanded upon as follows: “I shall search for the lost, recover the straggler, bandage the injured, strengthen the sick, leave the healthy and strong to play, and give my flock their proper food.”
In whatever way we might be lost, God accepts us just as we are. The Christian faith says that God is searching for us, to lead us home, to give us what we need. We don’t have to sign on the dotted line or have huge faith. We just need to accept his invitation as the shepherd who is looking for us to bring us into safe pasture. He longs to bless us, no matter who we are or what we have done. He accepts us, warts and all!
God welcomes us because it is He who invites us, not because of our goodness, or worthiness or faithfulness. He welcomes us just as we are. We have all fallen short of his standards and the glory of God. And it is in this position, where we recognise that we are less than we should or could be, that God has stepped in, to be the Good Shepherd, to guide us and bless us and to show us the meaning of life. St Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest with God.” Whenever we feel sad, lost or lonely or have let ourselves down, God is there to pick us up, looking after us, offering his message of acceptance and forgiveness.
In the second reading from the first letter of Peter (Chap.2: verses 22 to 25) he shares with us the fact that we have all gone astray, but that God so loved us that he gave his life as a ransom so that we might be forgiven and thus become acceptable to Him. God is revealed in Jesus as the loving shepherd who has come to save the lost. “By Christ’s wounds you have been healed. You were straying like sheep, but now you have turned towards the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”
He rejoices to find us. The party is incomplete without everyone being there. That is why the shepherd in Jesus’ parable goes looking for the one lost sheep, and when he finds it, he rejoices. He doesn’t mind whether we are ready or not. He just wants to rejoice when he has found and welcomed us as our shepherd. He wants to say with the Psalmist in the 23rd Psalm: ‘The Lord is my Shepherd; I lack nothing. He makes me to lie down in green pastures and leads me to water where I may rest. He revives my spirit for his names’ sake; he guides me in the right paths…..I should fear no harm, for you are with me; your shepherd’s staff and crook afford me comfort.’
Happily, many of us are here this morning because we have accepted an invitation to be in church.
The Church consists of people who have turned up, not just people who have signed up. The Church is the fellowship of all who believe in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who loves us and cares for us as we allow him to lead us. God is the host who has invited us to join him. We are welcome at his table and this Holy Communion, and are invited to share in his life as we partake of his body and blood at the altar.
To those who have been invited to the service today, we welcome you. We are all members together of the Lord’s family, children of the same Heavenly Father, inheritors together of the Kingdom of God. We welcome you.
Let us pray:
Thank you for welcoming us into your church today.
Help us to understand and receive your love.
When we are lost and gone astray, help us to accept
your forgiveness and acceptance of us and allow you
to guide us in the right way, through Jesus Christ our Lord
and Saviour.
Amen.
Fr David Tanton