Discipling Life

In Ezekiel 34 , the “bad shepherds” are the leaders of Israel, especially kings, officials, and likely religious authorities, who were entrusted with the care of God’s people but instead used their position for their own benefit. Rather than protecting the vulnerable, binding up the injured, or seeking the lost, these leaders exploited the flock for their own gain, “feeding themselves” while leaving the people defenseless and scattered. They completely ignored the weightier matters of justice and mercy that God requires of those entrusted with leadership. It is so easy to see the modern parallels. People running for offices of leadership often make promises they won’t keep. Elected officials seem to be more interested in holding onto power than serving those in their care. This passage begins with God’s promise to do what failing shepherds would not do. “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak” (v. 16...

The King We Need, Not The King We Want Sermon by Alan Swartz – November 23, 2025 EUMC & BCUMC – Christ the King Sunday We live in a world that groans with anxiety. We have car loans and mortgages to repay. We scroll through our feeds, watching the relentless cycles of crisis and conflict, and deep within us, a primal desire stirs for someone to step in and simply  fix it . We long for a savior-figure who can silence the chaos, bend history to their will, and restore a sense of order to our frantic lives. It is a profoundly human desire to find a powerful figure who can make everything right, a king who will finally deliver on our hopes for security and control. But on this Christ the King Sunday, we are confronted with a kingdom that operates on a radically different logic. The scriptures present us not with the king we might design in our fear, but with the king we desperately need. Today we will see the profound and challenging difference between the king we often wan...