Sunday readings and prayers

THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER:

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

The God of love my Shepherd is,
and he that doth me feed;
while he is mine and I am his,
what can I want or need?

He leads me to the tender grass,
where I both feed and rest;
then to the streams that gently pass,
in both I have the best.

Or if I stray, he doth convert,
and bring my mind in frame,
and all this not for my desert,
but for his holy Name.

Yea, in death's shady black abode
well may I walk, not fear;
for thou art with me, and thy rod
to guide, thy staff to bear.

Surely thy sweet and wondrous love                                                   
shall measure all my days;
and as it never shall remove
so neither shall my praise.     George Herbert                                  

Ruben Aponte, Lima

The collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter.

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life: raise us, who trust in him, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, that we may seek those things which are above, where he reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

A Reading from Acts 2: 42-47

Many were baptised and were added to the community. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.

 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over.

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Second Reading 1 Peter 2.19–25

For it is to your credit if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, where is the credit in that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Gospel Reading John 10:1-10

Jesus said to the Pharisees: ‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’

Galla Placida,  Ravenna

AD 425-6

The image of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is very familiar to us but it is easy  to overlook its full impact. In Biblical times, life and wellbeing were dependent on sheep.  The arid conditions of the  Mediterranean  environment  were harsh but sheep could  survive with minimum water while providing  milk, meat and wool. They could be left to fend for themselves, removing the need for enclosures and it was usual for flocks  to mingle. When it was time to separate them out, the sheep knew their own shepherd’s voice.

However, they were prone to wander far from the fold and had to be led back by their shepherd on whom. they were totally dependent  for their safety and for daily care. At night, the shepherd herded them into their sheepfold and lay across the entrance; hence Jesus’ reference to himself as the door of the sheepfold.

We are all prone to be like lost sheep, we often wander away from the straight and narrow, we all know what it is to do foolish things that we later regret and it is then that we fall back on the Good Shepherd to pick up the bits, build us up again and set us back on the path that leads to living the life that God intended for us. As we read in the Gospel, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  Christ is always there to protect, nurture and guide us if we will but hear his voice, the voice of the Good Shepherd. And we certainly need the reassuring voice of the Good Shepherd in these difficult times!

Let us give thanks to our Heavenly Father for the assurance of His continued presence with us, even though the world is so unsettled at the current time.   We give thanks for the beauty of the natural world as leaves unfurl and trees come into blossom, giving new hope and a sense of expectation.

• We pray for Christians throughout the world that they may be inspired and guided by the Good Shepherd as they seek to serve their communities with compassion and sensitivity.
• We pray for those whose life experiences may make it difficult for them to believe in a loving God who is always with us.
• We pray for Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan and for those whose lives have been shattered by war and aggression.
• We pray for politicians and community groups who are seeking to bring peace across the nations.
• We pray for all working with livestock and for those seeking to promote high standards of animal welfare.
• We pray for those known to us who are in poor health, thinking of ...................................................
• We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have recently departed this life, thinking of ………... We ask you, loving Father, to be with the bereaved, that they may be comforted by your constant presence.