The readings for this Sunday are those of the Fourth Sunday after Easter:

• Acts 4.5-12

• Psalm 23

• 1 John 3.16-24

• John 10.11-18

You might like to use the link below to find the above readings, and click on any of the reading above that you wish to use: http://www.katapi.org.uk/CommonWorship/CWLectionarySelV.php

Collect of the day

Let us first spend a few moments in silence to centre ourselves,
to gather ourselves in our souls,
to come before the Lord just as we are with our joys and sorrows,
our hopes and our fears, our loves and our pains.
Let us just focus our minds and hearts on Jesus who is the answer for every problem.
Let us pray that the Spirit will work through our lives
to bring Christ to the world.

Silence is kept

Almighty Father,
who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples
with the sight of the risen Lord:
give us such knowledge of his presence with us,
that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life
and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;
and as the disciples were filled with boldness and fresh hope:
strengthen us too to proclaim the risen life of your Son
and fill us with your peace,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Prayer before the Sermon

Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life
and the faithful shepherd of your sheep:
teach us to hear his voice
and to follow your command,
that all your people may be gathered into one flock,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

A homily based on the readings of today is given below:

“I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep…”

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father know me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10.14-15)

The Spring pastoral scenes in the countryside are a view to stop and behold …

Lambs are among the first and most eagerly awaited signs of Spring. And many of us stop by to watch the sheep and lambs when we take a family walk. I often like to make a mental count of the number of new lambs.

Lambs and sheep are vital to keep in the life cycle of wildlife going because they graze orchards and meadows and keep wildlife habitats in tip-top condition. This helps us tackle invasive species of plants to allow rarer species a chance to grow and flourish, helping the biodiversity of gardens and parks we care for.

In poetry

The captivating view of sheep and lambs on the hillside and in the plains remind us also of the Lamb of God. Apart from the famous poem ‘The Lamb’ of William Blake, there is a poem by Katharine Tynan, an Irish-born writer, known mainly for her novels and poetry who lived from 1861 to 1931 who writes about ‘Sheeps and Lambs’. Let us listen to this poem as read by a reader.

In art

Some of you may have seen the well-known painting, the Altarpiece in the Ghent cathedral, ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ by the Van Eyck brothers, completed in 1432 which is recognised worldwide as a great work of art, and one of the most influential paintings ever made.

In music

Set to traditional and contemporary music, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ is a psalm of comfort and love, hope and strength especially in life’s most difficult moments.

Where are the shepherds?

As we see sheep and watch the sheep with newly born lambs frolicking on the grass, we wonder, “where are the shepherds?” It is true that nowadays we don’t see the shepherds with the sheep or lambs like once upon a time…flocks of sheep and lambs are left to graze mostly all on their own within safe barriers.

Jesus tells us today

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father know me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10.14-15) These are remarkable words coming from Jesus. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father know me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10.14-15) Unlike the hired hands, Jesus is committed to the total well-being of the sheep ready to give his life for the sheep.

In the Old Testament – The Shepherd

Shepherding in the Old Testament involved care and oversight, nurture and protection. God was Israel’s true shepherd, and David had been their great shepherd king. As ‘good shepherd’, Jesus now assumes the royal mantle of David, the leader under God – but he leads in his own distinctive way. Like much in John’s Gospel, these verses point forward also to Jesus’ love for us, the Church.

In the New testament – Jesus the Good Shepherd

Jesus’s knowledge and relationship with the flock resembles his intimate relationship with the Father. And it is a remarkable metaphor of his relationship with us. He is our shepherd. We are the sheep. Jesus says: “I know my own and my own know me.”

He is a shepherd commissioned, not leading for himself, but for God. Jesus’ commitment is absolute, steadfast to death. His dying will be a pastoral act, for the welfare of the sheep. It will be voluntarily accepted rather than imposed. Yet it will be an act of obedience, the culmination of his commission from God. A genuine death out of which his life will be restored to him.

Psalm 23 – The Lord is my Shepherd

These words of Jesus that we have heard today reminds us of the unforgettable Psalm 23 which we all know of. We all are familiar with the Psalm 23 that is the supreme prayer of comfort and strength.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want….fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me to revive my drooping spirit.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear for you are there with  your crook and your staff.
You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil.
My cup is overflowing.
Goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.”

To conclude

Jesus the Good Shepherd knows us personally, loves us and cares for us individually and has laid down his life for us.

• But do we really know Jesus the Good Shepherd personally?
• Do we love him?
• Knowing, loving and following Jesus is what Christianity is all about.

And Jesus is The Answer to all our questions and problems. The Real Answer!

Spend some time in silence, responding to what you have heard today and listening to what God might be saying to you.

Pause to pray …

A further Prayer you can say now:

Lord Jesus,
I believe you are the Son of God.
Thank you for becoming one of us.
Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.
Thank you for rising from the dead
to give me hope and the gift of eternal life.

I repent of my sins
and invite you into heart and life
as my Lord and Saviour.
Please grant me your Holy Spirit
so that I may know you, love you
and follow you every day of my life.

Amen.

[Revd Dr ST Mattapally, Rector, Springline Parish, Diocese of Lincoln]