Fourth Sunday of Easter

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1 Fourth Sunday of Easter Fourth Sunday of Easter 22 April 2018 The Mission and Discipleship Council would like to thank Rev Allan McCafferty, Minister of St Andrews Hope Park & Martyrs with Strathkinnes, for his thoughts on the fourth Sunday of Easter. Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly. Introduction... 2 Acts 4: Psalm John 3: John 10: Sermon ideas... 5 Time with children... 6 Prayers... 6 Musical suggestions... 10

2 Introduction In the Revised Common Lectionary some call the fourth Sunday of Easter Good Shepherd Sunday. It gets its name from the fact that the gospel reading in each year of the lectionary cycle comes from John Chapter 10 and so each year sheep and references to shepherds appear. In Year A, Jesus at verse seven says, I am the door of the sheepfold. In Year C, Jesus says those who are His followers, the sheep of His flock, will listen to His voice and in Year B at verse eleven ( the first verse today ) Jesus says, I am the good shepherd, the shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. It offers a contrast to the other gospel readings since Easter because it is not an appearance story set in the days after His resurrection, rather it is set during His teaching ministry. Even so it is appropriate for this time of year, for it points to the fact that after Jesus has laid down His life He will receive it back again (John 10: 18). As well as the Gospel, the Psalm for this Sunday each year is Psalm 23. Acts 4:5-12 Each week after Easter the lectionary takes texts from the book of Acts. However, it doesn t work through the book numerically from Chapter 1. It starts on Easter Day, with Peter s words in Chapter 10 and not surprisingly ends up on the Day of Pentecost, at Chapter 2. However, from Easter to this day, the fourth Sunday of Easter, week by week, it jumps forward and back between chapters. It can therefore be useful to set the reading in context. At the start of chapter 3, when arriving at the Temple, Peter and John speak to a lame man begging for money. They do not give money but Peter says, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth get up and walk. The man is healed, Peter speaks to the crowd and many start to believe. Temple guards and Sadducees arrive and are annoyed (Sadducees denied the resurrection from the dead see Acts 23:8), they imprison Peter and John and the next day (where today s gospel picks up the story) they both appear before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. Verses 4-6 outline the composition of the Sanhedrin, which is made up of 71 members. Peter and John are asked by the court by what power or what name did you do this? Bearing in mind who he is speaking to, Peter s words must have taken firm belief and also courage to deliver. In short he answers in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, but also, as part of his explanation to the court, he introduces the concept of Jesus not simply as a stone, but a capstone which makes direct reference to Psalm 118:22.

3 Psalm 23 Psalm 23 is always the Psalm on this Good Shepherd Sunday. This is one of the most recognised portions of scripture. When people know things well, or think they know them well (and that includes the preacher), it brings with it challenges. One way to address this is to choose to read from a less well known translation or even perhaps to use a paraphrase, e.g. The Message by Eugene Peterson. The end of verse 1 in the Revised English Bible is, I lack for nothing ; in The Message, I don t need a thing. In verse 4 gone are the frequent, Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me as in, say, the New International Version; replaced by, Your shepherd s staff and crook afford me comfort in the Revised English Bible and in The Message, the words Your trusty shepherd s crook makes me feel secure. Small changes to well-known words can make the listener sit up and pay more attention. This can cause the hearer to interpret the meaning in slightly different ways and this can help shed fresh light on a particularly familiar text, such as Psalm 23. This is a shepherd whose flock the sheep would like to be in! They are lying on a lush carpet of grass; guided to water to quench thirsts. They are led in the right way but if they end up in a dark valley they trust and feel secure with this shepherd. From verse 5, the image of a shepherd is left behind, but it moves to an equally, if not even more positive picture, ending with eternity spent in the house of the Lord. 1 John 3:16-24 This is the third of five semi-continuous readings from the short first letter of John. Whereas the readings from Acts jump around, here from the second to the sixth week of Easter, the lectionary methodically works through 1 John. Scholars suggest this letter was written around 100AD. The early days and the first flush of enthusiasm in this new way of life has perhaps waned and it is written to second or even third generation Christians. In previous weeks, the first two portions of this letter warn against sin, but here the letter has moved on and expresses how we should view love and how we should behave as we try to love others. Interestingly, to discover love, verse 16 chooses not to say God loves us or Jesus loves us, but points us to an action Christ gave His life for us and that is how we know what love is. It immediately and logically moves to invite the recipients of the letter to reflect that example in their life and to lay down their lives for one another. Love cannot be

4 theoretical, it has to be lived out. Verses are difficult to translate and understand. Some translations decide on the use of heart whereas others go for the concept of conscience. People are urged to give their allegiance to Jesus Christ but also follow His command and love one another. Through the Holy Spirit people can have confidence that if they do so God will dwell in them and they in God. John 10:11-18 In John s gospel we find Jesus making seven distinct metaphorical I am statements (They can be found initially here 6.35, 8.12, 10.7, 10.11, 11.25, 14.6 and 15.1). Both this week and next week an I am statement finds its way into the gospel reading today, I am the good shepherd and next week, I am the true vine. In agrarian societies everyone would have already been aware of the important work of a shepherd. John s Jesus therefore is using a commonplace topic that would be part of everyday life and so allows them to relate life as they experience it to what Jesus Christ is like and what faith in Him might involve. Note the parallel with the reading from 1 John Jesus must lay down His life. In John s gospel there is a particular emphasis on the fact that Jesus will receive it back again and also that He freely chooses to lay down His life. By doing so Jesus is following God s will for His life. The fact that a hired man would run away as the wolf appears drives home the constancy, permanence and value of a committed relationship offered by a good shepherd. The relationship between the good shepherd and the sheep goes both ways each knows and recognises the other. However the text moves on. The flock is not to remain static, those sheep that do not yet belong to it will become part of the flock as they hear and respond to the voice of the good shepherd. It is a positive picture that points to a large, united flock with one shepherd.

5 Sermon ideas The passages are so rich that many choices present themselves. Psalm 23 and John 10 are particularly well known and the theme of Jesus as shepherd appears annually in the lectionary. Year on year this can make these texts a challenge when trying to prepare a sermon that remains fresh and new. A paraphrase might help cast new light on the passages. In 2016 the BBC news carried a story about researchers from Cambridge University who demonstrated that sheep can recognise faces from two dimensional photographs (not simply the voice of a famer who feeds them) ( You could share the story and then move on to talk about the text and help develop and explore the relationship between shepherds and sheep. The fact that one shepherd and one flock is mentioned in John allows ecumenism to be a good sermon topic. Different denominations may exist but the unity of all Christians in the one Church is salient so close to the 500 th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. John 10:11 includes one of the I am statements found in John s gospel. This is referred to below in the Time with Children section but could fruitfully be the main theme for a teaching sermon. What makes I am statements distinctive and how are they used in the gospel. As well as Jesus as a good shepherd, in Peter s words in Acts there is also the metaphor of Jesus to a cornerstone. The theme of images of God in the bible could also easily be used today. Another theme that clearly emerges is love. Love is demonstrated in the texts in different ways from Jesus laying down His life to the way He cares for the sheep. 1 John encourages us to follow Jesus through living sacrificially and by being open and attentive to providing for the needs of others in practical ways.

6 Time with children You could have fun and invite children and adults to play a game that uses their imagination. It s important to join in (and perhaps be self-deprecating). It s important not to laugh at anyone, but appreciate what they offer although it s okay to laugh with them. If they were to compare themselves to an animal what kind of animal would they be most like? (e.g. I would be like a cheetah because I run fast). Or a building, what kind of building would they be like? (e.g. I would be like a skyscraper because I am tall), or an object.. a bird.. a vegetable Choose categories that would work well in your context and be aware that certain answers might take you by surprise! You don t need to spend long on this; perhaps only one question per person if there are quite a number of children or adults taking part. This can lead on to speaking about how Jesus sometimes compared himself to other things and talking about I am statements in general, or Jesus saying, I am the good shepherd in particular. Encourage the children to interpret the story for themselves, asking what they think Jesus means when He says He is a good shepherd? Respond to their answers and perhaps develop them to help shed light on the concept of Jesus as the good shepherd. You could end by recalling how together you were thinking about comparisons with other things/people and that Jesus did something very like that. Then summarise the answers they gave. Prayers Prayer of Approach and Confession Creator God, around us lie so many signs of promise. The dark days of winter are firmly behind, and lighter days, and warmth, and buds, and colour have returned, Amongst the signs of spring are lambs gambolling in the fields - they too have a lightness and quickly convey to us the special nature of life. So for this season and the world around us that year on year still takes our breathe away in wonder and awe, we fall silent and offer You our praise, You, the one who from nothing, created all that we see and all that amazes us. We rejoice and bless Your name. Accept our worship.

7 In scripture we read of Your love, Its richness and depth, its constancy and profundity Jesus the good shepherd willing to lay down His life for the sheep. Yet in our lives we can be slow to respond to it wholeheartedly and sacrificially. Jesus sacrificial love to us is not matched by ours to others. At times, like meandering sheep, we choose our own path that looks like fun, we go our own way whenever it pleases us, we concentrate on satisfying our desires, we behave selfishly not only towards others but when we forget You and all You have done for us. In Your mercy, forgive us (time of silence) Repeatedly, again and again, You love us while we stray from You and forgive us as we turn back to you. As we ponder that forgiveness which is generously and freely given to us, may we also be strengthened to follow in Your way. Lead us and guide us we pray (sing H800 vs 2 Lead me, Lord ) Hear our prayers through Jesus Christ, the good shepherd who loves His flock. Amen

8 (You may wish to invite people to use the following response during the prayer of Intercession: Leader: Use our hands, feet, eyes and ears to be Your servants, All: And use us to help spread Your love. Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession Loving God, Jesus Christ, laid down His life for us. In this season of Easter we rejoice that He also received life back again thanks be to You that Christ is risen! In the life of Jesus, the good shepherd, those who follow him are part of His flock. Jesus knows each sheep by name, their idiosyncrasies and foibles, their faithfulness and their wanderings. We too are known and understood by You, named and loved for everything about us that makes us who we are. Your acceptance of us and interest in us makes our hearts burst with thanksgiving and joy. In scripture Peter refers to Jesus Christ as a stone, indeed a cornerstone. Easter confirms Christ is alive, a stable and foundational reality in our lives and the life of the world. For Christ s ever solid presence, actively and continually guiding us, we offer our deepest thanksgiving today. Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again for us thanks be to God. In this world many are thankful for their lives, likewise many are caught in situations and circumstances they would prefer not to be in, so hear our prayers for them now. We pray for those known to us in our communities where there is both joy and happiness as well as distress and sorrow: For those celebrating the birth of a new child or grandchild, For those starting a new job or beginning retirement. In the midst of change may new arrivals and fresh starts bring new energy and joy to their lives. Also for those who are ill, on the brink of death, and those recently bereaved. In the midst of pain or suffering may the Easter message of resurrection bring them solace, support and encouragement.

9 Leader: Use our hands, feet, eyes and ears to be Your servants, All: And use us to help spread Your love. We pray for those in our country, some whose names we may know, and whose names You do know: those rejoicing because they have achieved something important to them: passing a driving test, learning to play a musical instrument, speaking a new language. May their new skill enhance their lives. Also for those who are without homes and without much food, people who find themselves sleeping rough or who must use foodbanks. In the midst of pain or suffering may the Easter message of resurrection bring them solace, support and encouragement. Leader: Use our hands, feet, eyes and ears to be Your servants, All: And use us to help spread Your love. We pray for people in your world, most of whom we do not know, but in the knowledge each one is loved by You. We pray for those who are delighted because they have sent their children to secondary school or university and those who have seen a new hospital and better healthcare facilities open nearby them. May these opportunities bring lifelong benefits to their lives and the lives of their communities. Also for those who are struggling with drought or lack of clean fresh water, and those fleeing for their lives or who are too frail to flee and must remain in war zones. In the midst of pain or suffering may the Easter message of resurrection bring them solace, support and encouragement. Leader: Use our hands, feet, eyes and ears to be Your servants, All: And use us to help spread Your love. Lastly hear us as we sum up all our prayers in the words Jesus taught us Our Father.Amen

10 Musical suggestions CH4 124 Praise to the Lord A good general opening hymn that helps worshippers think of God s creation and care. CH4 141 Oh, the life of the world The hymn s themes chime well with the readings. CH4 211 Today I awake A good opening hymn with images of creation, the presence of God and the activity of the Spirit all featuring. CH4 H14/15/16 (Psalm 23) The Psalm for the day with a number of tunes offered (as well as Crimond). CH4 462 The King of Love my Shepherd is A paraphrase of Psalm 23. CH4 133 Source and Sovereign, Rock and Cloud Useful if the chosen focus is images of God. CH4 198 Let us build a house where love can dwell Encouragement to build a church through love and service where everyone s welcome. CH4 425 The Saviour died but rose again A rousing Eastertide hymn that makes reference to life laid down and picked up and also to love. CH4 511 Your hand, O God, has guided Mentions both a flock and unity Songs of God s People 57 Jesus the Lord said This would work after the Time with Children. Some verses may be omitted

Fourth Sunday of Easter

PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH Fourth Sunday of Easter Sunday, April 22, 2018 Pastor Jim Sorenson Sunday, April 22, 2018 Fourth Sunday of Easter Introduction The image of the Good Shepherd shows us how the risen