June 16th 2019 - Rev Trevor Morrow

​THE REVEREND TREVOR MORROW OPENED THE SERVICE BY CALLING ALL THE CHILDREN FORWARD AND ASKING THEM WHAT WERE THEIR NAMES.
HE THEN TOLD THEM THAT THEIR NAMES ARE IMPORTANT SINCE THIS IS HOW SOME PEOPLE RECOGNISE YOU, NOT ALWAYS BY YOUR LOOKS BUT BY YOUR NAME. 

TREVOR THEN READ FROM 2 CHAPTERS  IN THE BIBLE “ISAIAH CHAPTER 43 VS 1-4” & “JOHN CHAPTER 10 VS 1-8”.  IN THE READING FROM ISAIAH GOD ASSURES THE ISRAELITES THAT THEY WILL ALWAYS BE GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE AND HE WILL PROTECT THEM EVEN TO THE END OF THE EARTH. IN JOHN’S READING JESUS EMPHASIS, TO HIS FOLLOWERS  AND, HE ALSO TELLS THE PHARISEES THAT HE IS THE GATEKEEPER, AND ANYONE WHO DOES NOT ENTER BY THE GATE, BUT CLIMBS OVER THE FENCE IS A THIEF OR A ROBBER. THE ONE WHO ENTERS THE GATE IS THE TRUE GATEKEEPER AND WHEN HE CALLS HIS SHEEP THEY WILL FOLLOW HIM. THEY WILL NOT FOLLOW ANYONE WHO THEY DO NOT RECOGNISE HIS VOICE.

TREVOR SHOWED US A FILM CLIP ABOUT A FARMER (SHEPHERD) WHO GOES INTO THE HILLS AND CALLS HIS SHEEP. BECAUSE THERE WAS A THICK MIST OVER THE VALLEY, THE SHEEP COULD NOT BE SEEN, SO OF COURSE THEY COULDN’T SEE THE FARMER. SO HE CUPS HIS HANDS, INTO A FUNNEL, AND CALLS THE SHEEP BY THEIR INDIVIDUAL NAMES, UNTIL THEY ALL COME TO HIM.  HE THEN FEEDS THEM AND TAKES THEM BACK TO THE FARM SO THAT THEY WILL BE PROTECTED FROM WILD ANIMALS.  HE EVEN LIES IN FRONT OF THE WOODEN GATE SO THAT IF THE SHEEP WANT TO GO OUTSIDE OR COME BACK INSIDE, HE WILL OPEN THE GATE FOR THEM AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY RETURN TO THE SAFETY OF THE ENCLOSED BARN. SOMETIMES WHEN SHEEP FROM DIFFERENT FLOCK ALL GATHER TOGETHER  AT A WATERING TROUGH, AND THE SHEPHERD DECIDES IT IS TIME TO GO, HE WILL EITHER CALL HIS SHEEP BY NAME OR A WHISTLE, WHICH THEY RECOGNISE, AND ONLY HIS SHEEP  WILL FOLLOW HIM.

YOU MIGHT NEVER SEE JESUS BUT YOU KNOW HIM BY HIS NAME, BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY IS THAT JESUS KNOWS EACH OF US AND CALLS US BY OUR NAME, TO BE HIS DISCIPLES. HE WILL KEEP CALLING UNTIL HE GET ALL THOSE WHO WANT TO FOLLOW HIM AND THEN, HE WILL LOVE AND PROTECT THEM FROM ALL DANGERS. IN FACT JESUS TELLS HIS AUDIENCE THAT THE SHEPHERD IS EVEN WILLING TO DIE TO PROTECT HIS SHEEP WHEREAS A “PAID HAND” WOULD RUN AWAY IF HE FELT HIS LIFE WAS IN DANGER.