The Shepherd King
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"The Shepherd King" by John Fitzgerald
"What's a Mother to Do?" by Keith Hewitt
* * * * * * *
The Shepherd King
by John Fitzgerald
2 Samuel 5:1-5,9-10
We come to Worship this morning with thoughts of America's birth in our mind. This nation has maintained a noble experiment in liberty since it's Declaration of Independence first unfurled on July 4, 1776. Over the years several representations of freedom have become popular with citizens of this fair country. The Statue of Liberty remains our most powerful symbol of freedom and liberty. It is appropriate to consider a famous poem mounted on the base of this iconic statue.
Emma Lazarus wrote a sonnet entitled, New Colossus which she penned for a fundraiser auction to raise money in behalf of the pedestal which our Statue of Liberty now sits. Emma's poem did not receive much attention and quickly became forgotten after the auction.
In the early 1900s and after Lazarus' death, one of her friends began a campaign to memorialize Emma's New Colossus writing. This effort grew into a huge success and her poem's text soon found a place inside the statue's pedestal. Most of the sonnet has been forgotten by an American public. However, the last lines of this work captured our nation's imagination and have been part of American history since its inception. The lines long remembered form New Colossus read: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
These poetic words articulate the hopes of our nation to incorporate folks from all parts of this globe into American society. Immigrants passing by the Statue of Liberty into our country have received inspiration for generations from this symbol and powerful piece of poetry.
Yet, America in 2015 has many problems in blending disparate elements into its national fabric. Instead of becoming a melting pot for all nations, we have dissolved into separate parts looking for unity. There is division and strife to be found at every level for this country of red, white, and blue. Dysfunctional families, a non-functional government, and people at war with each other in our workplaces mark United States in this present age.
We may be worried and dismayed at the lack of unity found in our country. However, in some ways this tradition of conflict has long historic roots. A person can go way back to biblical times and discover similar challenges with finding national harmony. In fact, this forms the background of our scripture reading for today.
2 Samuel Chapter 5 instructs that twelve tribes of Israel came to Hebron with thoughts of finding a new king. King Saul had led the tribes for quite some time, but David had been used by God to lead the military during this period. Tribal leaders realized that the nation of Israel would quickly dissolve into twelve separate groups unless a strong man who could promote unity emerged. The elders request that David become a new king and give Israel God given direction.
The charge given to David in his new role is defined by verse 2 of our scripture: "And the Lord said to you (David), "You will shepherd my people Israel and you will become their ruler." David is to become the Shepherd King. As Shepherd King, there are two attributes David personified in ruling his people. These two qualities are important for America in 2015 to consider as we think upon the question of national unity.
First of all, a good shepherd exercises compassion for each sheep in his flock. Sheep are vulnerable to attacks from predators, they are subject to disease, and are notorious for needing direction to keep on the proper pathway. A loving shepherd ensures that the sheep of his fold are taken care of and shielded from various potential problems. David witnessed compassion for his people and provided the proper care as Shepherd King. This quality led to the building up of national unity under David's reign.
America of 2015 can benefit greatly from sharing compassion between it's citizens. Instead of worshipping at the altar of rude, crude, and vulgar, our country needs a good dose of compassion and kindness shared among various classes of society. The harshness between us will dissolve in face of a witness to God's great love. We can learn from Jesus who said, "I am the good shepherd, The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)
The second characteristic of David which relates to his being a Shepherd King is emphasis as Israel belonging to one fold. The twelve tribes which comprised Israel were brought together as a singular unit with common purpose. We need that focus in our country today.
Too often we hear talk in current circles about my freedoms and my rights without corresponding language about my responsibilities and my obligations. If America is to remain strong and unified we must all consider our duties to family, work, church, school, and nation. Individual liberties are important. But so too are the basic commitments we have to groups beyond our self.
The scripture lesson concludes (verse 9) with a description of King David taking up residence in Jerusalem. Jerusalem bears it's founders namesake and is still remembered as the City of David. The word "Salem" means peace. Our hope is that God's peace might dwell in America and other parts of the world as we celebrate our nation's birthday.
John Fitzgerald lives in Leesburg, Ohio, with his wife Carolyn and has served as pastor at the Leesburg Friends Meeting for the past 27 years. Cornfield Cathedral (Fairway Press, 2013) is the second book authored by Pastor Fitzgerald. John has earned a Master's of Ministry Degree from the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.
* * *
The Shepherd King
by Keith Hewitt
Mark 6:1-13
“My Dearest Joseph,” she wrote, her fingers wrapped clumsily around the reed as she formed the letters with labored care. It was not so much that the words came hard -- although they did, as she dredged them up from deep within -- but the careful, delicate strokes hurt her fingers and hand as she inscribed them on the papyrus. Still, she just set her mouth in a grim line and continued to scratch ink onto the fiber, squinting a little in the lamp light.
“Do you remember how we always joked that your father’s brother, Ishmael, was the family shame? How he somehow managed to create a fuss at every event he attended, how he was disliked by so many people, and how his ideas always seemed to be a little...well, crazy? I remember how you tried to find reasons not to invite him to family functions, but in the end you would, because he was your father’s brother -- and then you would regret it afterwards.
“Well, I am writing you tonight to tell you that our family has a new shame, or at least a new source of embarrassment. Ishmael mostly keeps to himself these days, but over the last few months our son, Jesus -- our firstborn, who was so special to us -- has become something of a public nuisance, and a nuisance to our family, as well.
“I know this is not what you want to hear. After all, between the visitations we both had, and the marvelous events that surrounded his birth, we never did know quite what to make of him. He was always a good child -- you know that -- and even after he ran away from us during our trip to Jerusalem, many years ago, we could never find cause to be angry with him. Frightened, yes; frustrated, yes; but never angry.
“As he got older, we recognized that he was a very intense young man. You talked about it. I talked about it. Even his brothers and sisters, as they got older, saw it in him. So I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that in the last few months he gave up the trade you taught him -- gave up working with his hands, doing honest labor -- and has become an itinerant preacher. He has drawn crowds of people throughout Galilee, and has now even come home to Nazareth to teach in the synagogue here.
“Well, you can guess how well that went over. Preaching and teaching to his friends and neighbors -- to people who had watched him grow up, and knew that he had not received any special training in the Law -- he was immediately called out to either be deluded -- at best -- or a fraud, at worst. He sought me out, after there was a scene at the synagogue -- and then another one when he tried to preach to people in the center of town. I think he was hurt, and he asked me why people from his own town -- people who knew him well -- wouldn’t listen to him on such important matters.
“’Mother,’ he said, ‘if I told them how to frame a door, or mend a fence, they would pay heed to my words. Why, then, when I am trying to teach them something much more important, do they chastise me, and call me names?’
“I didn’t know what to say, so I just said, ‘Do you remember the lamb one of your father’s customers gave you? You said you were going to raise it for a meal, but then you named it and became attached, and we never did eat it. But you raised that lamb from a kid, cared for it and fed it, knew its every sound and action. If, one day, the lamb had suddenly begun to roar like a lion, you would have found it quite strange, and would not have known what to make of it.’
“He was quiet for a moment, and then he just said, sadly, ‘And so they mock me, because they don’t understand me?’
“And I said, as gently as I could, ‘No, they mock you because they think you are trying to be something you’re not. You are a laborer’s son, Jesus -- a craftsman -- and that is all you will ever be in their eyes. Not a rabbi.’”
She paused, then, and wiped her eyes with her free hand, tried to clear them -- for, suddenly, there seemed to be something irritating them, and they would not stop leaking tears. After a bit, she began to write again.
“Joseph, I know you said we must always tell our children the truth, but if you could have seen his face, you might not have thought truth was the right medicine for this problem. He looked sad, and hurt, and he said, ‘If there is no faith to be found, here, then I will not waste my breath on deaf ears. We will move on.’
“I think he wanted me to talk him out of it, but I said nothing. Oh, I said what any mother would -- that I would miss him, and that he should be careful -- but I didn’t say a word to talk him out of leaving. And that, too, cut him to the quick -- but I didn’t know what else to say. I do not know what it is, exactly, he has come to teach -- but I do know that his audience can’t be the people he grew up with, the families he grew up around. To them, he will always just be Jesus, Joseph’s son. The boy who ate mud and teased girls, and did all the other things that boys do growing up.
“Joseph, they don’t know what we know, and any attempt to tell them, now, would surely mark him for death as a false prophet -- for only a false prophet would claim to be sent to us from the Father, and we know how false prophets are dealt with. If it is a choice between not being taken seriously, and being taken seriously enough to be considered dangerous, then a mother will always choose for her son to be mocked, rather than stoned.
“But the irony is, I think, that they both hurt our son just as much...so what’s a mother to do?”
Mary re-read the letter, and pondered adding more to it -- about how even his own family struggled with this new Jesus -- but why put that in writing? She had said enough, she thought, and gently blew on the papyrus to be sure it was dry, then carefully rolled it into a small cylinder, and tied it with a ribbon. She sat for a moment, quietly tapping the rolled-up letter in the palm of her other hand, then got up and walked to the other side of the room, where she placed it on an open shelf, with dozens of other similar documents.
It hadn’t been easy, raising these children on her own...but writing letters to Joseph long after he had passed away had helped her order her thoughts. But tonight, for the first time in years, she wished that he could answer...because, all of a sudden, there was just so much for her to carry on her own.
It was the first -- but not the last time -- she would wish it, over the next three years.
Keith Hewitt is the author of two volumes of NaTiVity Dramas: Nontraditional Christmas Plays for All Ages (CSS). Keith's newest book NaTiVity Dramas: The Third Season will be published September 2012. He is a local pastor, co-youth leader, former Sunday school teacher, and occasional speaker at Christian events. He lives in southeastern Wisconsin with his wife, two children, and assorted dogs and cats.
*****************************************
StoryShare, July 5, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"The Shepherd King" by John Fitzgerald
"What's a Mother to Do?" by Keith Hewitt
* * * * * * *
The Shepherd King
by John Fitzgerald
2 Samuel 5:1-5,9-10
We come to Worship this morning with thoughts of America's birth in our mind. This nation has maintained a noble experiment in liberty since it's Declaration of Independence first unfurled on July 4, 1776. Over the years several representations of freedom have become popular with citizens of this fair country. The Statue of Liberty remains our most powerful symbol of freedom and liberty. It is appropriate to consider a famous poem mounted on the base of this iconic statue.
Emma Lazarus wrote a sonnet entitled, New Colossus which she penned for a fundraiser auction to raise money in behalf of the pedestal which our Statue of Liberty now sits. Emma's poem did not receive much attention and quickly became forgotten after the auction.
In the early 1900s and after Lazarus' death, one of her friends began a campaign to memorialize Emma's New Colossus writing. This effort grew into a huge success and her poem's text soon found a place inside the statue's pedestal. Most of the sonnet has been forgotten by an American public. However, the last lines of this work captured our nation's imagination and have been part of American history since its inception. The lines long remembered form New Colossus read: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
These poetic words articulate the hopes of our nation to incorporate folks from all parts of this globe into American society. Immigrants passing by the Statue of Liberty into our country have received inspiration for generations from this symbol and powerful piece of poetry.
Yet, America in 2015 has many problems in blending disparate elements into its national fabric. Instead of becoming a melting pot for all nations, we have dissolved into separate parts looking for unity. There is division and strife to be found at every level for this country of red, white, and blue. Dysfunctional families, a non-functional government, and people at war with each other in our workplaces mark United States in this present age.
We may be worried and dismayed at the lack of unity found in our country. However, in some ways this tradition of conflict has long historic roots. A person can go way back to biblical times and discover similar challenges with finding national harmony. In fact, this forms the background of our scripture reading for today.
2 Samuel Chapter 5 instructs that twelve tribes of Israel came to Hebron with thoughts of finding a new king. King Saul had led the tribes for quite some time, but David had been used by God to lead the military during this period. Tribal leaders realized that the nation of Israel would quickly dissolve into twelve separate groups unless a strong man who could promote unity emerged. The elders request that David become a new king and give Israel God given direction.
The charge given to David in his new role is defined by verse 2 of our scripture: "And the Lord said to you (David), "You will shepherd my people Israel and you will become their ruler." David is to become the Shepherd King. As Shepherd King, there are two attributes David personified in ruling his people. These two qualities are important for America in 2015 to consider as we think upon the question of national unity.
First of all, a good shepherd exercises compassion for each sheep in his flock. Sheep are vulnerable to attacks from predators, they are subject to disease, and are notorious for needing direction to keep on the proper pathway. A loving shepherd ensures that the sheep of his fold are taken care of and shielded from various potential problems. David witnessed compassion for his people and provided the proper care as Shepherd King. This quality led to the building up of national unity under David's reign.
America of 2015 can benefit greatly from sharing compassion between it's citizens. Instead of worshipping at the altar of rude, crude, and vulgar, our country needs a good dose of compassion and kindness shared among various classes of society. The harshness between us will dissolve in face of a witness to God's great love. We can learn from Jesus who said, "I am the good shepherd, The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)
The second characteristic of David which relates to his being a Shepherd King is emphasis as Israel belonging to one fold. The twelve tribes which comprised Israel were brought together as a singular unit with common purpose. We need that focus in our country today.
Too often we hear talk in current circles about my freedoms and my rights without corresponding language about my responsibilities and my obligations. If America is to remain strong and unified we must all consider our duties to family, work, church, school, and nation. Individual liberties are important. But so too are the basic commitments we have to groups beyond our self.
The scripture lesson concludes (verse 9) with a description of King David taking up residence in Jerusalem. Jerusalem bears it's founders namesake and is still remembered as the City of David. The word "Salem" means peace. Our hope is that God's peace might dwell in America and other parts of the world as we celebrate our nation's birthday.
John Fitzgerald lives in Leesburg, Ohio, with his wife Carolyn and has served as pastor at the Leesburg Friends Meeting for the past 27 years. Cornfield Cathedral (Fairway Press, 2013) is the second book authored by Pastor Fitzgerald. John has earned a Master's of Ministry Degree from the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.
* * *
The Shepherd King
by Keith Hewitt
Mark 6:1-13
“My Dearest Joseph,” she wrote, her fingers wrapped clumsily around the reed as she formed the letters with labored care. It was not so much that the words came hard -- although they did, as she dredged them up from deep within -- but the careful, delicate strokes hurt her fingers and hand as she inscribed them on the papyrus. Still, she just set her mouth in a grim line and continued to scratch ink onto the fiber, squinting a little in the lamp light.
“Do you remember how we always joked that your father’s brother, Ishmael, was the family shame? How he somehow managed to create a fuss at every event he attended, how he was disliked by so many people, and how his ideas always seemed to be a little...well, crazy? I remember how you tried to find reasons not to invite him to family functions, but in the end you would, because he was your father’s brother -- and then you would regret it afterwards.
“Well, I am writing you tonight to tell you that our family has a new shame, or at least a new source of embarrassment. Ishmael mostly keeps to himself these days, but over the last few months our son, Jesus -- our firstborn, who was so special to us -- has become something of a public nuisance, and a nuisance to our family, as well.
“I know this is not what you want to hear. After all, between the visitations we both had, and the marvelous events that surrounded his birth, we never did know quite what to make of him. He was always a good child -- you know that -- and even after he ran away from us during our trip to Jerusalem, many years ago, we could never find cause to be angry with him. Frightened, yes; frustrated, yes; but never angry.
“As he got older, we recognized that he was a very intense young man. You talked about it. I talked about it. Even his brothers and sisters, as they got older, saw it in him. So I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that in the last few months he gave up the trade you taught him -- gave up working with his hands, doing honest labor -- and has become an itinerant preacher. He has drawn crowds of people throughout Galilee, and has now even come home to Nazareth to teach in the synagogue here.
“Well, you can guess how well that went over. Preaching and teaching to his friends and neighbors -- to people who had watched him grow up, and knew that he had not received any special training in the Law -- he was immediately called out to either be deluded -- at best -- or a fraud, at worst. He sought me out, after there was a scene at the synagogue -- and then another one when he tried to preach to people in the center of town. I think he was hurt, and he asked me why people from his own town -- people who knew him well -- wouldn’t listen to him on such important matters.
“’Mother,’ he said, ‘if I told them how to frame a door, or mend a fence, they would pay heed to my words. Why, then, when I am trying to teach them something much more important, do they chastise me, and call me names?’
“I didn’t know what to say, so I just said, ‘Do you remember the lamb one of your father’s customers gave you? You said you were going to raise it for a meal, but then you named it and became attached, and we never did eat it. But you raised that lamb from a kid, cared for it and fed it, knew its every sound and action. If, one day, the lamb had suddenly begun to roar like a lion, you would have found it quite strange, and would not have known what to make of it.’
“He was quiet for a moment, and then he just said, sadly, ‘And so they mock me, because they don’t understand me?’
“And I said, as gently as I could, ‘No, they mock you because they think you are trying to be something you’re not. You are a laborer’s son, Jesus -- a craftsman -- and that is all you will ever be in their eyes. Not a rabbi.’”
She paused, then, and wiped her eyes with her free hand, tried to clear them -- for, suddenly, there seemed to be something irritating them, and they would not stop leaking tears. After a bit, she began to write again.
“Joseph, I know you said we must always tell our children the truth, but if you could have seen his face, you might not have thought truth was the right medicine for this problem. He looked sad, and hurt, and he said, ‘If there is no faith to be found, here, then I will not waste my breath on deaf ears. We will move on.’
“I think he wanted me to talk him out of it, but I said nothing. Oh, I said what any mother would -- that I would miss him, and that he should be careful -- but I didn’t say a word to talk him out of leaving. And that, too, cut him to the quick -- but I didn’t know what else to say. I do not know what it is, exactly, he has come to teach -- but I do know that his audience can’t be the people he grew up with, the families he grew up around. To them, he will always just be Jesus, Joseph’s son. The boy who ate mud and teased girls, and did all the other things that boys do growing up.
“Joseph, they don’t know what we know, and any attempt to tell them, now, would surely mark him for death as a false prophet -- for only a false prophet would claim to be sent to us from the Father, and we know how false prophets are dealt with. If it is a choice between not being taken seriously, and being taken seriously enough to be considered dangerous, then a mother will always choose for her son to be mocked, rather than stoned.
“But the irony is, I think, that they both hurt our son just as much...so what’s a mother to do?”
Mary re-read the letter, and pondered adding more to it -- about how even his own family struggled with this new Jesus -- but why put that in writing? She had said enough, she thought, and gently blew on the papyrus to be sure it was dry, then carefully rolled it into a small cylinder, and tied it with a ribbon. She sat for a moment, quietly tapping the rolled-up letter in the palm of her other hand, then got up and walked to the other side of the room, where she placed it on an open shelf, with dozens of other similar documents.
It hadn’t been easy, raising these children on her own...but writing letters to Joseph long after he had passed away had helped her order her thoughts. But tonight, for the first time in years, she wished that he could answer...because, all of a sudden, there was just so much for her to carry on her own.
It was the first -- but not the last time -- she would wish it, over the next three years.
Keith Hewitt is the author of two volumes of NaTiVity Dramas: Nontraditional Christmas Plays for All Ages (CSS). Keith's newest book NaTiVity Dramas: The Third Season will be published September 2012. He is a local pastor, co-youth leader, former Sunday school teacher, and occasional speaker at Christian events. He lives in southeastern Wisconsin with his wife, two children, and assorted dogs and cats.
*****************************************
StoryShare, July 5, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
