April 21, 2024
Lectionary Texts
Acts 4. 5-12 — Peter is arrested by religious authorities after having healed a man; he attributes the miracle to the power of the resurrected Christ.
Psalm 23 — Green pastures, gloomy valleys, and hospitality.
1 John 3. 14-24 — We know we are risen because we love. Love not in words but in action. Jesus abides in us in our love.
John 10.11-18 — “I am the good shepherd, who lays down their life for the sheep. Not so the hired hand. My sheep and I know each other.”
Preaching Thoughts
See also Earth Day Resources.
Acts
Peter says then power to heal is in “the name” of Jesus. This isn’t a magic incantation, as if pronouncing the right syllables launches a magic spell. (Beware of people who claim to do stuff “in the name of Jesus.”) It’s not in the words, it’s in the love. To act “in the name of” someone is to act on their behalf, as if they are represented by you and in fact present in you. Like 1 John says: when we love, it’s Jesus loving in us. Love has power, but it’s not our power; we’re merely the vessels, the conduit. We’re the wire; love is the electricity; God is the generator. The important thing is not that you invoke Jesus but that you embody Jesus.
Psalm
The Psalm is not so much an idyll as a journey, and one that Jesus shepherds us on. We are led to green pastures and living waters. But we are also led onward to “paths of righteousness,” which means justice, which means hard work. If we really want to be shepherded, we sheep have to get up and move. And the next place the shepherd leads us is the gloomy valley. If we really follow our Good Shepherd, we’ll follow into difficult places, places of sacrifice, even places of death. Jesus asks us to follow and pick up a cross, not a lawn chair. But even there Jesus comforts and sustains us. (The rod and staff, of course, are used to guide and protect the sheep, not to control or punish them.)
But the scary canyons of grief and fear aren’t the end of the journey. We are led to a place of deep hospitality, and the gift of anointing, refreshment, and sharing a meal. “In the presence of my enemies.” Maybe that’s an allusion to the ancient practice of asylum: if a stranger, pursued by murderous enemies, even touched a tent peg of yours, it meant they were your guests and it was your moral obligation to protect them, and the enemies could not harm them while they were in your care. We are under God’s protection. I think of Jesus’ last supper, with death waiting at the door… Of course Jesus takes it a step further: he prepares a meal in the presence of your enemies and then invites them to dine with you all. Think of communion.
In the end, goodness and mercy “follow” you—the sense in the Hebrew is that they pursue you, shadow you, haunt you, stick to you. You can’t shake them. You dwell in God’s house, that is, God’s presence, every moment.
See Psalm 23 Paraphrases and Praying with Palm 23.
1 John
John has a fine definition of eternal life: not the afterlife, but the after-selfishness. We know we have passed from death to life because we love. We have passed out of the grave, the solitary confinement, of the isolated, self-centered, self-limited life of “me, myself and I,” where we have cut ourselves off from God. We have been raised into the eternal life of “we,” not by our own doing, but by being so profoundly loved. Jesus is raised in us, and lives in us in our love. Eternal life is the infinite Christ living in us. Whenever we love, that’s Christ beaming out from within us. To love is action, not just words, and not just feelings. It’s commitment to our co-being, our being together in God.
John
Jesus the Good Shepherd. Not a judge, proctor or prosecutor. Not demanding or aloof. The shepherd knows the landscape, offers guidance and leadership—moving us from where we are to where we need to be next. There’s intimacy: “I know my own and my own know me.” There’s protection: “I lay down my life for the sheep.” This is not an image of Jesus laying down his life as a sacrifice to God, but risking his life to protect us from the enemy of our own fear, greed and selfishness. He is not “made” a sacrifice; he makes it himself: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” True, he has “received this command from God,” but he willingly follows it, not like a sheep that is taken against its will.
“I have other sheep not of this fold.” Jesus loves and includes people we don’t love or include. We don’t get to decide who they are, or aren’t. To accept Jesus as our shepherd is to accept his ability to accept people we don’t accept.
Call to Worship
1.
Leader: Creator of the World, Womb of the Universe, thou Love,
who has called all things into being, and who has called us here to worship:
All: we praise you with lips and lungs of your glory, with hands of your making.
Christ, love of God embodied, gentle Lamb and faithful Shepherd,
you who have fed us in the wilderness:
we thank you with songs of your love, with hearts made new.
Holy Spirit, wind of heaven, breath of life, you who hold all living things as one:
with all Creation we sing your praise. Alleluia!
2.
Leader: Beloved, you shepherd us in love
All: In your grace we feast, we rest, we travel this life.
Beloved, you shepherd us in love.
You lead us through death to new life.
Beloved, you shepherd us in love.
In your love we love one another.
In our love we worship you. Alleluia!
3.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
You alone are holy, and we worship you.
Glory be to you, O God of all Creation.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, for our salvation.
Gentle shepherd, you bless us, protect us and provide for us,
and we give you thanks.
Alleluia! Shepherd us, O God, toward life.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!
Collect / Prayer of the Day
1.
Loving God, shepherd of our souls, you provide for us; you guide us; you lead us to new life. We turn to you now, to listen for your voice. Call to us, and lead us out to do your will, in the name and the spirit of Christ. Amen.
2.
Shepherd of love, lead us beside the still waters of your grace. Feed us in the green pastures of your Word. Guide us in your path of mercy. Restore our soul with your presence. Speak to us, and we will follow. Amen.
3.
Gentle God, you are our shepherd. You provide food for our bodies and our souls. Feed us now with your word; lead us and guide us by the power of your love. As we hear your scriptures and proclaim your Word, may Christ be alive in us. Amen.
4.
Gentle shepherd, you have fed us with the fruits of the green pastures of earth and its life-giving waters. You have restored our souls. Shepherd us by your Spirit to rest in your grace, to drink deeply of your mercy, to follow you in paths of love and justice. You call us your own; may we be yours. Amen.
5.
Gentle Christ, our good shepherd, you gather us beside still water to be refreshed by your Word. You have led us through dark valleys, and guarded our ways. We thank you, and we rest in the blessing of your grace. Feed us with your presence and renew us with your Spirit. Amen.
6.
Loving God, you give us the gift of Jesus, who tends us like a gentle shepherd. You fill us with your Spirit, so that we live in you and love with your love. We thank you for your grace, and pray that in hearing your Word we may be drawn more deeply from death into life eternal. We pray in the name of Christ, who is with us now. Amen.
Listening Prayer
(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)
1.
Loving One,
in the green pasture of your love I rest.
I drink of the clear waters of your grace.
Lead me in your path.
2.
Good shepherd,
you have guided me to green pastures;
you have led me through gloomy canyons;
now you anoint me and welcome me
to the feast of your love.
I rest in the house of your goodness and mercy.
3.
God of love,
we know we have passed from death to life,
for your love lives in us.
In stillness we cherish the living Christ
loving in us, praying in us.
4.
Gentle Shepherd,
you know us;
you call us your own.
By your grace help us
to know you,
and to be yours.
Prayer of Confession
Gentle Shepherd, you have led us to clear springs and green meadows.
But we have strained against you, and wanted to go our own way.
We have gone in ways other than the ways of deep life.
Forgive our waywardness, and brings us back into your way.
Show us your way; lead us to life, and restore us in blessing.
Help us to know your voice, to trust your desire for us,
and to follow you, for the sake of goodness and mercy. Amen.
Other prayers
1.
God, shepherd me today.
Grant me grace to walk behind you,
neither to stray from your leading
nor to run ahead alone.
Lead me through the dry valleys
to springs of living water.
Let me not wander from your flock,
but enclose my heart with your people.
Keep me from harm I might suffer
and harm I might cause.
This is my only hope, to follow you closely,
and so to be in your presence all of this day.
Shepherd me, O God,
and I will follow. Amen.
2.
Loving God, the earth is our faithful shepherd, and we thank you. Creation shelters us, feeds us and gives us all we need. We belong in this Creation; we are part of it. Yet we have sullied your waters and laid waste to your green pastures. We have filled the earth with our own valleys of death. Lead us in the paths of goodness, to care for Creation, to shepherd all living things, to lead your beloved people always toward life. We pray, as we live, in the name and the spirit of Christ, our good shepherd. Amen.
Readings
1. See Psalm 23 Paraphrases and Praying with Psalm 23
2.
From 1 John 3.14-24
Leader: We know that we have passed from death to life
because we love one another.
All: We know love by this, that Christ died for us—
and so we ought to lay down our lives for one another.
How does God’s love abide in someone who has the world’s goods
and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
Let us love, not only in word or speech,
but in the truth of our actions.
This is God’s commandment:
that, trusting in the love of God’s Own, Jesus Christ,
we will love one another, just as God has commanded us.
All who live by this love live in God, and God lives in them.
We know that God lives in us, by the Spirit that God gives us.
Response / Creed / Affirmation
1.
We praise you God, for the green pastures of our world; for the amazing grace of your presence even in the gloomiest canyons of life; for the table you set before us, and the goodness and mercy you give us,. By your grace you welcome us into your life, and we thank you..
We thank you, Christ, our loving shepherd. For your guidance, your gentle presence and your fearless love we thank you. You have shepherded us in green pastures of love, through the deepest valleys, to a place of feasting and hospitality. You laid down your life for us, and God raised you from the dead, and with you has raised us to eternal life, for you love in us and through us.
We belong to you, Holy Spirit. We have passed from death to life in you. We live by the power of your love in us, that we may be gentle shepherds for others and lead all to wholeness of life. Holy One, shepherd us, and we will follow. Amen.
2.
We believe in you, God, for you provide for us, protect us, and bless us.
We trust in you, Christ, our strong and gentle shepherd: you guide us in life, lead us in God’s ways. Yo laid down his life for us so that we might know the path of forgiveness and love, and follow in that way.
We live by the power of the Hoy Spirit, God’s love alive in us, enabling us to love one another and even lay down our lives for others.
We know we have eternal life, and that the risen Christ lives in us, in that we love as Christ loved. We live as his Body, the Church, trusting the power of forgiveness, the power of resurrection, the power of love. Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer
[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]
#1: General
# 2: Good shepherd, 1 John 3
#3: Psalm 23
—————— #1 ——————
[General]
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.
We thank you, God of Love, for you are our shepherd; we lack nothing.
You make us lie down in green pastures.
You provide this abundant Creation, and give us rest and belonging.
You lead us beside still waters and restore our souls.
You lead us from oppression to freedom, from anxiety to peace.
You lead us on a good path for the sake of your love.
Holy God, Heart of Light, all Creation glows with your grace.
Blessed is the one who comes in your name. Hosanna in the highest!
Even though we walk through the darkest valley we fear no evil.for you are with us; your rod and your staff comfort us.
In Christ you walk with us, your Word and your Presence made flesh,
gathering outcasts and making peace among all people,
healing, guiding and empowering, and establishing your Covenant of love.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
[… The Blessing and Covenant…] *
You prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies.
In the face of our sin, fear and selfishness you give us your grace.
Even though we separate ourselves from others you join us in this meal.
You anoint our heads with oil. Our cup overflows.
Pour out your Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup
that they may be for us the Body and blood of Christ,
and on us, that we may overflow with your love.
Surely goodness and mercy shall accompany us all the days of our lives.
May we spread goodness and mercy in all that we do.
We shall dwell in the house of the Lord all our days.
We live in your presence, for the sake of your love,
for all the world, each moment in eternal life.
Amen.
—————— #2 ——————
[Good Shepherd]
God be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.
Blessed are you, O God, Creator and ruler of all things.
You are our shepherd; we are in want of nothing.
You have made us in your image, and given us all of Creation.
We lie down in the green pastures of your grace.
You know us and claim us as your own.
You guard us from the wolf that snatches,
from the powers that oppress.
You lead us in paths of love and justice
and guide us, for we do not know the way.
You gather us here at your table with all your sheep,
and those not from this fold—one flock, with one shepherd.
And so with all Creation we join in singing your praise.
[Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
Hosanna in the highest.
[or alternate version]
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He was a shepherd to the poor
who fed the hungry, tended to the wounded,
and and guided those seeking deeper life.
He laid down his life for his flock,
but you raised him from the dead.
With him we too have passed from death to life,
because his love abides in us.
[… The Blessing and Covenant …] *
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
[Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
—or—
Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
Christ will come again in glory.
[or alternative]
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
one flock, called by God, shepherded by love,
God’s love abiding in us,
for the sake of the wholeness of the world,
in the name and spirit of Christ.
[Spoken or sung]
Amen.
————— #3 ——————
[Psalm 23]
Blessed are you, O God, Creator and ruler of all things.
You are our shepherd; we are in want of nothing.
You have made us in your image, and given us all of Creation.
We lie down in the green pastures of your grace.
By the Baptism of Christ’s life, death and resurrection
you have made us your holy people, and given us your Holy Spirit.
You lead us beside still waters of life, and restore our souls.
You have delivered us from bondage, and made Covenant with us
to be our God, that we should be your people.
You lead us in the pats of goodness and justice, for your name’s sake.
And so with all the saints, and all Creation, we join in singing your praise.
Sanctus
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He shepherds us in life,
heals us in our brokenness,
and walks with us even through our deepest sin and our worst evil.
He laid down his life for us, in perfect forgiveness,
and you raised him from death in perfect love.
Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death
we will fear no evil, for you are with us.
Your rod and your staff give us comfort.
[… The Blessing and Covenant …] *
Receiving the Body of Christ, we become the Body of Christ,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Memorial Acclamation
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, O God, and on these gifts,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of Christ.
In this feast you make us all your children, united in your grace.
You prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies.
Renew your Holy Spirit within us, and fill us with your grace,
to serve as the Body of Christ in this world.
Grant us the power of your Spirit to witness by our love and forgiveness,
and to humbly serve the poor, for the sake of the healing of the world.
You anoint our heads with oil,
and our cup overflows.
Through your Son Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,
all glory and honor is yours, our Mother and Father,
now and forever.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives,
and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Amen
____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]
On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion
[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) May we embody your love as Jesus did. May we be shepherds of life and good stewards of the earth, honoring all that you have made. May we give of our gifts and our lives for the sake of the healing of our neighbors, the nations and all Creation, in the name and the spirit of the crucified and risen Christ. Amen.
2.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have shepherded us in love; lead us now out into the world to do your will for the sake of the healing of all Creation, in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.
3.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) May we love as you have loved us, giving gentle care to others as you have shepherded us, in the name of Christ. Amen.
4.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have laid down your life for us, and now you live in us. Send us into the world with your love, to serve all who are hurting and to shepherd them into your grace, in the name and the power of the risen Christ. Amen.
Suggested Songs
(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)
Easter Eucharistic Responses includes nine sets of Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen to familiar hymn tunes. One is Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us.
Eternal Life (Original song)
[ 1 Jn. 3.1-4]
This is how we will know eternal life:
we will love one another.
I lay down my life, all that is mine alone,
that we may be raised together.
We are not bound by any earthy thing
when our lives we surrender to God
whose love is eternal life,
and so we will love one another.
Psalm 23 (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)
God is my shepherd; I have all I need. God
makes me lie down in green pastures to feed.
By the still waters God gently will lead.
Love, you’re my shepherd. I have all I need.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I
fear not, for you are as close as my breath.
For you are with me, your staff and your rod
they are my comfort, my shepherd, my God.
You set my table before all my foes. You
pour out your blessing; my cup overflows.
Goodness shall hold me wherever I roam,
and I will live with you, my Heart, my Home.