April 30, 2023
WORDS OF WELCOME
Pastor Amanda Miller Garber
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WELCOMING STATEMENT
Caroline Palmore
RISE believes that God has open arms, and so should we. Our Creator wants us to love, accept and affirm every human being, including persons of every age, race, ethnic background, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, family or socioeconomic status, educational background, and physical or mental ability. We celebrate our diversity and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us as we seek to follow Jesus with mutual respect, understanding, and love.
*Read more about “Why Pronouns Matter” HERE.
Celebrating our grads
Abby Butler-Cefalo
FOR A NEW BEGINNING
~John O'Donohue
In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.
For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.
It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.
Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.
Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life's desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
SONG
Brent Holl
“23rd Psalm”
The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want;
He makes me to lie down,
In pastures green; he leads me
To the quiet waters by.
My soul he does restore again,
And He makes me to walk
Within the paths of righteousness,
All for his own name's sake.
Yet, though I walk in death's dark vale,
Oh, I will fear no ill:
For He is with me, and his rod
And staff do comfort still.
He’s set a feast before my eyes,
In presence of my foes;
My head with oil He anoints
My cup, it overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my life
Will surely follow me;
And in God's house for evermore
My dwelling-place shall be.
THEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION
Pastor Amanda Miller Garber
Shiree Harbick
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS OR TEXT THEM TO 833-803-0868!
It’s sheep Sunday! There’s a clear theme in our scriptures for today. So let’s share some sheep facts:
Sheep facts (taken from a blog post by Mike Baughman)
1) Sheep are filthy animals, generally covered in mud and their own waste. Their wool can tangle around all sorts of nastiness and hold onto it until the shepherd shows up to get it clean. It's a good thing that Woolite works on wool whether it's in a sweater or still on the sheep. The best shepherds use it before shearing.
2) Lambs bleat a gentle "bahhh." Sheep blurt a disturbing "BLAGHGAGHHAGHAFFTT!!!!!" This has led me to plenty of embarrassing falls as I was so startled by the volume, suddenness, and generally demonic tone of the sound. Sheep start out cute, cuddly, and calming. They rarely stay that way through adulthood.
3) Sheep are either suicidal or stupid—probably both. A West Texas Shepherd, Ed Winton, describes them this way: "Sheep are just born looking for a way to die." He can recall countless stories that involve sheep putting themselves in unnecessary peril, much of which could usually be avoided by doing something simple like turning around.
4) Sheep are hard-wired to follow the sheep in front of them. Sheep do know the voice of the shepherd, but will only sometimes follow him or her. They follow other sheep far better than they follow a shepherd. Sometimes, however, sheep will follow a stranger—especially sheep who do not yet know the shepherd well. It takes time for a shepherd to know sheep well enough to tell them apart. Sheep apparently see us the same way.
5) Sheep have poor depth-perception and have a hard time distinguishing a partially open gate along a fence line. Unless a gate is wide open, they need a shepherd to lead a couple sheep through.
When you hear these, what surprises you or comes to mind?
John 10:1-10 (The Message)
1-5 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”
6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep rustlers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and abundant life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
What is Jesus saying in this text? (Also, what is he NOT saying?)
Why do you think the Pharisees didn’t understand what he was saying?
We’re reexamining hope in this series - so where or how do you hear hope in this scripture? Are there images or phrases that cause you to rethink the idea of hope or a new beginning?
There’s a very nurturing and protective depiction of Jesus as the shepherd here. That can be comforting but also confusing at times (particularly when harm comes to us). What might you say to someone who is skeptical of this passage?
In your opinion, who are the “thieves” or rustlers he speaks of?
What’s the danger in oversimplifying this passage?
Let’s hear a second passage, one of the most famous in the Bible, Psalm 23.
Psalm 23 (CEB)
The Lord is my shepherd.
I lack nothing.
He lets me rest in grassy meadows;
he leads me to restful waters;
he keeps me alive.
He guides me in proper paths
for the sake of his good name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—
they protect me.
You set a table for me
right in front of my enemies.
You bathe my head in oil;
my cup is so full it spills over!
Yes, goodness and faithful love
will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the Lord’s house
as long as I live.
Where do you hear hope in this passage? Does the hope in this passage feel different from the John passage?
Today we’re celebrating our graduates. What wisdom might these scriptures and “sheep Sunday” offer those who are making a major life transition or beginning their “next chapter?”
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COMMUNION
Pastor Amanda Miller Garber
SONG
Brent Holl
“Guide My Feet”
Guide my feet, while I run this race
Guide my feet, while I run this race
Guide my feet, while I run this race
For I don’t want to run this race in vain.
Hold My Hand, while I run this race…
Stand by Me, while I run this race…
I’m your child, while I run this race…
Search my heart, while I run this race…
Guide my feet, while I run this race…
Final Blessing
“May God give you grace never to sell yourself short, grace to risk something big for something good, grace to remember that the world is too dangerous for anything but truth, and too small for anything but love.”
~William Sloan Coffin