Sermons

vicarScottGrossman smSermon for Easter 4 - 
The Rev. Scott Duane Grossmann.
Vicar of Mt. Olive - 

The shepherds, the sheep, the hired hand or the scattered flock or the wolf.

The good Shepard
Or as they say in the "Wizard of Oz" - Are you a good witch or the bad witch?

The voice of God comes to us in many ways in many forms is to evoke emotional inspiration for you to
seek more on your own.

As the angels said to the shepherds on the hillside at the time of the birth of Jesus, 'Fear not.'
"Here are some examples of what people said they heard:

• 'Haven't I always taken care of you?'
• 'I'm here to help you.'
• 'I've been waiting for you.'
• 'I have always loved you.'
• 'You are never alone.'
• 'You need do nothing.'
• 'You are on the right track.'
• 'You are my beloved daughter in whom I am well-pleased.'
• 'Trust me!'
• 'It takes time to be healed.'
• 'There will always be enough.'
• 'Everything is going to be okay.'
• 'Let me handle this.'

"A man who was walking out of the front door of an office building where he had just been fired, cried out,
'Help!' and he heard, 'You just got help.'

We do not hear an actual voice. The 'teacher,' 'guide,' 'healer' comes to us gently during more peaceful
moments meditating, awake in bed in the morning." 5minents every moring

God whose love is everywhere 
can't come to visit unless you're not there.
Angelus sawlessus 1677)

God speaks to you individually and importantly for your growth to then share with others

quote whatDoISayJohn's message clear and concise states his purpose with figurative terms taken from common
experiences such as bread, water, light, life, door, shepherd, in these contrasting concepts Light/
darkness, love /hatred

John interprets the person and function of Jesus miracles he consistently calls signs

John’s insight of creative and imaginary
frequently links Jesus teaching to his signs

as the bread of life,/ after feeding the 5000

as the light of the world/, when he opens his eyes of a blind person

as a resurrection and the life/ in the rising of Lazarus from the dead

John counteracts the false teachings by affirming in the beginning was the word the word was God and
the Word became flesh and lived for a while among us and we living in through still living in such doing
the work that is our responsibility

In my specialness I had to break down this sort of writing because of being Dyslexic, Do you ever
become curious when you think of how people see things through a lens they are seeing, how they view
things like the autistic person and a idiot savant person or an artist who paints or a mathematician any
eyes that see it differently

I was working for NBC where the exc. say were not in you head, we wish we could be, but were not.

The story biblical narrative in reverse

Follow along from the end of the reading to the beginning see if this makes sense

God gives a command of my free will my choice to either let it go and let God or take back pain I was
experiencing as can refund your misery if that's what you want?

As no one can take from me unless I give it up to be taken

I give my life to serve God what does the service look like in my life your life it's different for each of as
people

Listen for God's voice the true and only voice

God will do whatever it takes to have them hear him me sometimes it's not easy to see the suffering
being done that brings the flock back to God

Reach out to my flock people
A fellow member of Mount Olive JD speaks to me and says preach to all the 100s of people here today in
the congregation and yet preach to all the hundreds of people who are not here

As one with God I cannot ever be separated, God knows me and I know God however I don't always go
and answer the call

If you are cared for by other people without an investment to your well-being you are being looked over
as there is no committed investment to care for you as the hired hand cannot care even for himself

as you are not one in the light but in the darkness that come over you

the unvested hired hand could be you has no real connection to God and will leave you fending for
yourself and your abandoned to be alone

scattered through fear by your so-called caretaker hired hand man you

God the shepherd of his sheep his flock even when the times seem dim and Grim

God does everything for you even things that might not be pleasant to you to bring us back to the flock
or so as we are of God’s image

God ultimately lays down his life, which is you and your free will to reassure you, and bring you to
salvation.

So it is the Fear that can keep us from accepting God's power in our life, it is that we don’t use the Christ
within that we do have we

Discovering how to Sheppard our self’s is a surrender of our humanness ability to let God in, to guide my
thinking just as we are in aw of those minds like little childrun no filter no shame, guilt, judgment, just
pure authentic God given thoughts to be that free as this is the message Jesus is telling his disciples
from last week you can do this be come good Shepard’s.


All are called, few chose to listen.

I take my Place among the Shepherds of God
So today I choose again to take my place among the teachers of God; a shepherd in training under the
gentle guidance of the one Shepherd leading us all home. So today, in this moment, I step into my
birthright with the might of Heaven behind it: I am among the Lord’s Shepherds, I am among His flock and
I am going home in Love. What do I do when the hole of despair comes knocking on my door

fear can keep us from accepting God's power in our life we see this in the fear of the hired hand who
does not have an ownership or a investment of love and honor to God to the sheep to his fellow man and
mostly to ones self of Gods will to do for us that we could not do for our selfs this surrender is all we
have.

we run,scatter, when we could stay,to hear, and listen to the voice we receive the next indicated step of
guadience taking us forward to the level of growth for our next achievement to give someone, something,
to our community in Gods world through our Hands, feet, voice, talents, thoughts


We certainly here in the Scripture of the passing on of our responsibility in sharing the message see we
become shepherds ourselves and we then find our purpose in life hearing the voice of God to guide us in
directions that will allow us to serve and love others this message is not just God taking care of us
however it is us taking care of God's world

My calling like most of us was not doves sitting on my front porch or even a burning bush

however it is through our life’s experiences that we are given our calling to do Gods work we are guided
as sheep to theses experiences and as we pray give us this day our daily experiences we are guided
into becoming Shepard’s just like the disciples no longer is the following of Jesus enough it is now in
their leading that we see the holy spirit at work doing Gods work again using our hands, our voice, our
patience, our money, our talents our piece of the peace.
"When the sheep hear my voice, they know it. They follow me because they know the sound of my
voice.”
• I think the biggest difference had to do with how we practice prayer and meditation.

their Quiet Time –
we are to bring God our

• fears and guilt
• dishonesty and shame
• loneliness and all of pain.
• “he anoints each one of their heads with oil.” – That oil heals and soothes all the cuts and
bruises of the day.

And then, sitting there in the quiet, we listened for God’s Voice– They listened for the voice of the
Shepherd. Listened beside the still waters where he lay them down and soothed their wounds – and
when they heard his voice they recognized him.
We are often surprised how the right answers (and how the right thoughts and how the right words) come
(into our minds) after we have tried this for a while. What used to be the hunch or the occasional
inspiration (it says) gradually becomes a working part of the mind.”
.
it God’s Voice and God’s Voice alone that

God filled that gaping hole in my heart.
“I am the good shepherd,” Jesus says:
“I know my sheep and my sheep know me.
I call my sheep and my sheep know the sound of my Voice. I call them by name and they follow me.”
as we are infused with the Holy spirit we are home in the arms of God we are the Shepard we are the
sheep and we are loved yet when we scatter we are just a thought away from the piece of the peace that
brings us home.

to pass up a sweet deal like this would be becoming a hired hand, it is your own connection that is most
important to be available to be shepherd with out question to give back to your flock and feel the safety
Gods love has given us,

God Loves you now and always, you do know this, dont you?… if not seek it out
its in you. be it so for me and for you..

Amen

Vicar Scott

The Rev. Scott Duane Grossmann
Vicar, Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
Santa Monica, California


What would you have me do? where will you have me go? What will you have me say, and to whom?
Sermon for Easter 4
April 25 and 26, 2015
Written by Rev. Scott Duane Grossmann 
Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, Santa Monica, California


 

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