Church Talk (January 2017)

Click Posted ~ 17 May 2017
 
Because I don’t have much time right now, I will just add a few fillers here and there when I can.  Below, I have added the church talk I spoke to you about in another blog post in January this year.  I was asked to do a talk on the subject of “Feed my sheep” (from a Christian perspective) and this is what I came up with… (adapted): 
 
I hope that anyone reading this will be able to adapt the idea of my message to your own life story, beliefs, religious values, political leanings, etc., to allow the essence of my message to make a positive difference in this world for the sake of us all.
 

FEED MY SHEEP
 
We learn from John, Chapter 21, …
 
It was the 3rd time that the Saviour, after He had risen from the dead, showed himself to the disciples who had been fishing on the sea of Tiberius.  The Saviour had called them to come to shore and invited them to dine with Him.  He already had the fire burning and fish and bread prepared for their meal.  The fish they had caught as a result of a Miracle given by the Saviour were included.
 
And once they had dined, the Saviour said to Simon Peter, “Lovest thou me?  And Simon responded, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.  And the Saviour then said, “Feed my sheep”.
 
The Saviour went on to ask Simon Peter the same question three times and this grieved Simon Peter, and he responded, “Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.  And Jesus said again to him, “Feed my sheep”.
 
I wonder how sure are we, that we truly love our Saviour and that the love we feel for Him, is enough.  Would He need to ask you or I, more than once, the same question? 
 
Are we perhaps, to learn from His repeating that important question to Simon Peter, that we ourselves should be repeating the same question in our own minds on a daily basis.  “Do we truly love our Saviour, and if so… how are we demonstrating our love for Him?”
 
Are our efforts in loving our Saviour in line with what He expects from us, or are they purely mechanical… learned only from others, and not thinking for ourselves… not connected to our own spiritual-awareness and consciousness also.
 
The Saviour once said, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).  So, what is a good shepherd? A good shepherd would give his life to protect his sheep. He knows each one by name. Each one knows His voice and follows Him and none other. 
 
Surely the sheep had learned to LOVE and TRUST His voice… One has to earn such love and trust.
 
If one of the sheep is lost, a good shepherd will leave the flock and search endlessly for that one lost sheep and bring it safely back to the fold. 
 
To me, that is unconditional love.  I cannot imagine the Saviour using self-righteous guilt trip tactics to bring home His lost sheep… I visualize a joyful reunion each time, embraced with genuine loving care.
 
What is love, if it is not given with honesty and a loving heart and without ulterior motives, by the unique individual who is genuinely sharing of their love.  
 
The love I have to give to another, can never be the same as the love you have to give… the way I impart of my love, cannot be the same as the way you do.  We are all so unique and come from so many diverse backgrounds of experience, tradition, culture, etc. 
 
I don’t remember the Saviour ever asking the people He showed His love to, in serving them, what religion they belonged to first, or checking on their status, colour, intelligence, church attendance, etc., before he would have anything to do with them.  He did not expect them to already be like Him, when He approached them.  He went about His work on behalf of His Father in Heaven, by touching people with the power of His Unconditional Love for them, and that is how He succeeded in converting and uniting so many in the way of His Love and His Gospel.
 
When the Saviour said… “Feed my sheep” He did not for one minute mean to be saying, “Force Feed my Sheep” … and as we know… “Force feeding”, is one of the most destructive and disgraceful habits of most fantastical religions (and politicians) today. 
 
We don’t all have the same size spiritual tummies!  Some of us are not ready yet to be eating as much Gospel food as you might already be!  Who of you ever fed your baby a dinner plate of food equal in size to your plate!  Good grief no… quickest way to kill the baby! 
 
Some of us cook with too much oil and others add far too much salt or far too little sugar.
 
And there are the gluttons who like to pile their plates up as high as they possibly can, gobbling down everything far too fast… not chewing well enough first on each mouthful, to really appreciate the true textures and flavours of their meal, whilst at the same time, ladling piles of what they are eating onto the plates of others, expecting them to stuff themselves in the same way.
 
The good foods on the platters in the center of the Gospel table will always be replenished… you can encourage others to eat from them, but you cannot expect them to eat more than they are ready or able to at any one sitting… and you cannot force them to eat the foods and flavours that they have not yet become accustomed to.  It sometimes takes a little while longer for some of us to get used to the new textures and flavours that you already know and love.  
 
Be satisfied that the newcomers to the Gospel feast are at least at the table… be kind and welcoming to them… show them your love by recognizing their presence and company and allow them to choose from the good foods in front of them, what they are personally hungry for and personally ready to eat.  It’s ok to encourage others to try new foods, but please don’t be in the habit of force feeding.
 
They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach… but there’s only so much anyone can stomach and too much can distort stomachs and destroy good hearts.
 
When I come to church after a few weeks of missing it, and someone says to me, “I missed you” … I immediately feel angry and subconsciously roll my eyes… (if you look carefully, you might actually see it happening) … because surely if that person really missed me while I was away, I would have heard from them sooner. 
 
And when someone asks me why I had not been to church, my immediate answer is, “Because I’m the rebel here” … I believe that’s what they are already thinking, so I give them exactly what they want.  If I’m going to be the rebel here… I may as well do a good job of it to impress my judges!”
 
Some of you know already, that I have been very hurt by the fanatical religiosity in previous churches that I attended in my past, as well as the extreme damage done by a therapist who tried to shove her religious values down my throat and threatening me to the burning hell fires if I did not change from my “evil” church to her perfect one.  As a result, I am still struggling with what is known as, “Religious Trauma Syndrome” … a genuine condition that I have come to realise, will not be cured by anything but, Unconditional Love and Acceptance, for who I am… warts and all!
 
I like to be here, I love that each and every week, whether I’m here or not, Susan sends me a Loving WhatsApp message, that does not hint of fire and brimstone sarcasm or judgements… and that helps me to feel genuinely missed when I’m not here, and helps me feel a safe trust to return when I am able… I love that Noleen, visits me monthly with her cheerfully accepting ways.  I love that Bishop and his son try not to pressure me as they promised right at the start… they do slip up every now and then, but for now, I still feel that their good intentions and love can be trusted.  And I also love your cheerful Sabbath smiles and most especially the Sabbath hugs – I come especially for those J
 
May we learn to see beyond the labels we so often put on others and resist the temptation to accuse or judge others for being different to us in any way… be they of a different colour, creed, nationality, political preference and so on.  We don’t all have to be the same, do the same and look the same to be loved and accepted by one another.
 
There is more chance of healing this world through the giving of genuine unconditional love, than there would ever be by labelling and judging others.
 
We all belong in this world and it would be great if we could find a way to belong to each other also, regardless of our differences.
 
Thanks for sharing with me today…
 
With love for and to all
 
~ Panayiota