May 3 – Fourth Sunday of Easter

 May 3 – Fourth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary

Lectionary readings from Vanderbilt Divinity Library online

(http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/BEaster/bEaster4.htm)

 

Acts 4:5–12

Peter testifies before the high priests.

Psalm 23 (VU pgs. 747–749)

God is my shepherd.

1 John 3:16–24

Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.

John 10:11–18

Jesus is the good shepherd.

 

Spark

Sounds of moving water and singing birds might provide a background to the reading of Psalm 23.

 

With Children

Focusing on the 1 John 3 passage, say one thing to the children, but do something contradictory. For instance, tell them you want to be sure they all have fun in church school today so you want them to memorize the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Tell them you love to share, then take out a chocolate bar and start eating it. You won’t have to do much more to explain the lesson from 1 John…the importance of your actions rather than just your words being loving!

 

Sermon Starter

When my wife and I drove through the English countryside a few summers ago, we’d occasionally come across a herd of sheep crossing the road. The situation could be chaotic, because many of the animals seemed intent on going their own way. Inevitably, it took a shepherd and some well-trained dogs to provide the direction that was necessary to get the sheep from one pasture to another.

 

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus suggests that we are something like sheep, and that God is the shepherd who offers us the guidance we need. Of course, we do not easily see ourselves as confused animals prone to wander astray, do we? More often, we think of ourselves as smart, self-sufficient, independent beings, who can make our own way without much assistance. But as the biblical writers recognized, worldly wisdom alone does not always suffice. Like sheep who journey into dangerous territory without the guidance of a shepherd, we too do better when we rely on our shepherd, Jesus Christ, to guide us. And when we follow his directions, we can see how God is actively working to re-focus our lives and lead us to places of greater wholeness and well-being.

 

Hymns

Acts

VU 326                        “O for a thousand tongues to sing”

VU 338                        “Ask me what great thing I know”

VU 586                        “We shall go out with hope of resurrection”

 

Epistle

VU 582                        “There’s a spirit in the air”

VU 595                        “We are pilgrims on a journey”

VU 600                        “When I needed a neighbour”

(Jim Strathdee)            “Love the Lord your God”

 

Psalm and Gospel

VU 210            “You, Lord, are both lamb and shepherd”

VU 273            “The King of love”

VU 748            “God is my shepherd” (Brother James’ Air is a refreshing change from

Crimond.)

MV 126            “Are you a shepherd” (Look this one up—a great text!)