30th April 2023 Easter 4
Acts 2:42-47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd:
therefore can I lack nothing.
2 He will make me lie down in green pastures:
and lead me beside still waters.
3 He will refresh my soul:
and guide me in right pathways for his name’s sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:
for you are with me, your rod and your staff comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me
in the face of those who trouble me:
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup shall be full.
6 Surely your goodness and loving-kindness
will follow me all the days of my life:
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
John 10:1-10
1 ‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Reflection:
Today, I cannot go past thinking about the generosity of God. Our Heavenly Father continues to provide liberally. While he has never wanted his children to just accumulate wealth and material possessions, neither is he stingy and unwilling to provide us with all our needs: physical, emotional and spiritual. As Jesus taught the people he referred again and again to the Father in Heaven, and declared him to be kind, generous, and very much willing to give good things to those who ask Him. He feeds the birds and clothes the lilies. If we put His kingdom first in our lives, our needs will be provided. We are to go through life trusting our heavenly Father, knowing that this caring, watchful Father will see to it that we have all that we need.
The most famous chapter in the Old Testament begins by declaring God's bounty: "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want ". David testifies that he will never lack life's necessities because of the One he has chosen as his Shepherd. He does not say, "I am talented, and therefore will never lack," or "I because I work hard, I will never have to do without." David's confidence is in the Lord. And the Lord’s provision
There are 150 Psalms in the Bible, but Psalm 23 is definitely the most popular and well know. Even those who don’t really profess faith have found comfort nad promise in this psalm. It is commonly read at funerals, memorized in Sunday school classes, and well known to nearly every Christian of every nation? It is in Psalm 23 that we find a declaration about the generosity, protection, and kindness of God.
This theme of abundance runs throughout the Scriptures. In Luke Jesus tells us that as we give to God and others, it will be given to us "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over…" Here again we have the term "running over." This implies having more than we need, more than we planned on, more perhaps than we even wanted. In this case Jesus compares the provision of the Father to a jar of grain that is pushed down and shaken so that every possible space is filled, and then the grain keeps on being poured until it runs over the sides of the jar onto the ground. That may sound a little wasteful, but the thing is: whoever is doing the pouring is not stingy!
There’s a story I came across about a woman, who during pre-World War II days, was a missionary to New Guinea. Her name was Darlene Rose. When the Japanese conquered the nation, Darlene was put in a prison camp as a traitor. After spending time in the regular prison, she was transferred to a special prison for interrogation of especially dangerous prisoners. There she suffered from near starvation, infections, filth, and loneliness. One day, looking out the window of her isolation cell, she saw one of the prisoners in the prison yard reaching through the fence and helping herself to a bunch of bananas that came from a banana tree which grew just outside the compound. Darlene immediately thought how sweet it would be to eat a banana and prayed that the Lord would somehow get one to her in her solitary confinement. But she no sooner prayed for a banana than she began to realise just what an impossibility this would be. She wasn’t allowed outside her cell, and who would bring it to her? It just could not happen, and she apologised to God for making such an outlandish request.
Not long afterwards, the camp commander from the prison where she had previously been held came there, and upon hearing where Darlene was, came to her cell to check on her. For some reason he seemed to like her, and when he saw her terribly emaciated condition, he excused himself. Later some workers came to her cell. They had been instructed to bring her a banana. Actually, they brought her 92 bananas. Darlene was astounded and shoving the huge bunch of bananas to one corner of the room, she had a little talk with God. This time she apologised for her lack of faith, in not believing that the Almighty Creator could give her even one banana. This huge store of bananas provided her desperately needed nutrition and calories and helped sustain her and strengthen her for that season. In time Japan surrendered and Darlene returned home with a new perspective on the God who gives “exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or imagine.”
In many places in the Old and New testament we hear of God’s generosity. In Malachi for example, God tells Israel to bring their tithes into the storehouse, and prove Him, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." You see, we have the same concept – God giving His people more than they ask, expect, or need, so much that they have no room to store the abundant harvest He will provide.
Think about the accounts of the feeding of the four thousand and the five thousand. Each time after blessing the food, and giving thanks, Jesus instructed them to distribute the loaves and fish. Marvellously, the fish and loaves never ran out. We have all heard about this, but perhaps we don't consider that there is something rather peculiar about this miracle. You see God’s provision never ends. He loves to be generous to his children.
So with all this warm fuzzy goodness of God coming toward us, I then have to think – what do we do for God in return? What do we give to him? In our working days, we don’t think twice about going to work for a 35- or 40-hour week. Time is taken up with family, entertainment, necessities like house work and maintenance and so on. Yet for many to give God an hour or two on a Sunday morning to worship him, or to offer a little time to help with this or that in his ministry it becomes a really big thing. And what about generosity in giving of what we have?
Luke reports about the disciples in the book of acts, saying - They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
So to sum up- we know we have a generous God- A God of love who longs to provide for his children. We have the promise throughout the scriptures, that he will pour out his goodness upon us and provide what we need for each and every day. Whether that be in physical or spiritual blessings. We also know that as he walks with us that we are invited to share in his goodness and share his goodness with those we meet and enable his work among us. What that looks like for you is between you and God. However, perhaps with all the scriptures before us today we are encouraged to think about Jesus the Good Shepherd and our response.