The Sunday Lectionary Readings
SUNDAY, May 12, 2019 - Fourth Sunday of Easter
(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)
Call to Worship
We praise Creation’s God:
Blessing and Honor; Glory and Power!
Let each single voice praise God:
Blessing and Honor; Glory and Power!
Let all voices together praise God:
Blessing and Honor; Glory and Power!
Let the great multitude of nations praise God:
Blessing and Honor; Glory and Power!
With all Creation we praise God:
Blessing and Honor; Glory and Power!
Opening Hymn
The Lord's My Shepherd (Psalm 23)
by Trinity
Prayer of Invocation
We seek and find you in Creation, O God, in the world you have made and the people you have called. Your vulnerable, powerful Lamb is our shepherd and guide, leading us to share the shelter of your abundant life. Let us recognize you here in the beauty of this morning and in its challenge; may the Risen One, your Shepherd-Lamb, lead us to act for your justice and peace, so that all may drink from your springs of the waters of life, and find their tears of sorrow and pain wiped away. In the name of the Risen One we pray. Amen.
The Collect (Book of Common Prayers)
O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
How often we pray the 23rd Psalm, and take personal comfort in its images of peace and safety. And yet at the heart of the Psalm is an image of great danger—“the valley of the shadow of death”, in traditional language.
These Easter days may be a time to ponder this powerful image in two untraditional ways:
First, are not many of the “valleys of the shadow of death” we experience of human making? Where are some places in which our own actions have contributed to destruction of our fragile earth home?
Second, in what way is God present in these “valleys of death”? How may we experience God’s leading and protecting as we venture through risky activities of justice and peacemaking? Where do we feel God’s vulnerable Shepherd-Lamb calling us to take a risk for the healing and protection of Creation?
Assurance of Grace
After reflecting on this familiar Psalm in a new light, let’s recite it together, as our assurance of God’s presence and grace not only in our personal lives, but in our shared lives and work for justice:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
Green Pastures
by Ray Vander Laan
First Reading
Peter in Lydda and Joppa
9:36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. 37 At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. 42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.
Living Psalm 23
Reimaged for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
1 Things go better when I let the Lord lead and guide me through the ups and downs,
the twists and turns of life.
When I think I can shepherd myself -- watch out, disaster is about to happen.
Trust me, I’ve experienced this.
When I dare to let go and trust the Holy One, no me falta nada (I lack nada).
2 With the guide of my life leading, I can chill out and give up control.
Control is an illusion anyway.
I am gifted with and enjoy the green of nature.
The giver of life is the one who challenges me to rest
rather than always running around like the energizer bunny.
Spirit leads me to the waters of life and challenges me to embrace rest and relaxation.
I fight against this, and yet the Sovereign offers me Extravagant Love and patience
in the midst of my anxiety;
3 Dios (God) keeps me alive when others would celebrate if I were dead.
Life offers me many paths; some are healthy and others not so much.
My human deseo (desire) is to embrace everything.
Spirit invites, warns and nudges me to embrace the road of love, life, healing and wholeness.
I often get in the way of myself by ignoring the Spirit of Wisdom.
Sophia continues, even when disappointed,
to call my name for the Lord desires all that is good for me.
4 I’ve walked through joy, despair, uncertainty, arrogance, doubt, shame, blame and guilt.
I’ve experienced the deepest and darkest valleys of life.
I’ve been uncertain. I still am. And yet, here I am.
I continue to pray that I might not have to live through the experiences
of the dark valley of the soul.
While no quiero (I don’t want) to travel this journey, I embrace your love and light.
I can only trust that no danger will embrace me because you are with me,
even when I am unsure whether I am with myself.
Is it not trust and risk-taking that you are calling me to live into?
I’ve learned that Your rod and your staff protect me,
even when I am not worthy of such loving grace.
I am eternally grateful.
5 The mesa (table) of unconditional love is what You have set before me.
I’m not sure what to do with such profound welcome.
I know myself and I do not deserve to be seated here.
Clearly, you see the sincerity of my soul while I focus on all my flaws.
Even in my confusion and doubt you sit me in front of my enemies.
How can it be that in my doubt, despair,
and my self-recognition of my sinfulness you pour out the finest oil and bathe my head?
What do you see within me that I cannot see within myself?
The Oil of Grace anoints me and says, “You are mine.
You always have been and will always be.”
The cup of gozo (joy) within me spills over! I am not alone.
I finally have figured that out.
You love me when I don’t even love myself.
You give me that bear hug that I desire even when I know that I don’t deserve it.
6 God’s mercy, grace, goodness, compassion and unending love have been gifted to me.
Hallelujah, I didn’t have to earn it.
Eterno Dios (Eternal God) your unconditional and faithful love is with me
and will not cease being present to me all the days of my life.
A smile of joy and the warmth of your Spirit bring unending certainty
of Extravagant Welcome and Love to me.
My address isn’t changing.
I am living in your grace.
When I am called home,
I will live throughout eternity in Your House.
My heart is glad and I am assured,
I’ve never been nor will I ever be alone all the days of life.
Second Reading
The Multitude from Every Nation
7:9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The Gospel
Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews
10:22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
Here ends the Lessons
Click HERE to read today's Holy Gospel Lesson message
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Benediction
Go forth in peace and confidence, following our trustworthy Shepherd through the valley of the shadow of death, to springs of living water for all.
Let us go forth praising God: Blessing and Honor; Glory and Power; Forever and ever!
Closing Prayer
Lord, thank you that we are a family in Christ. Help us to share his love and legacy with everyone that we encounter this week. May we lavish Christ’s abounding goodness upon our families, friends and colleagues. Holy Spirit, come and equip us in our workplace, guide us in our school life, and inspire us in our neighborhood. May we be your hands and feet to the needy, your words of affirmation to the oppressed and your arms of comfort to the lonely.Thank you for choosing to use us to bring your kingdom here on earth. Amen.
Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]
The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. Living Psalm 23, for Easter 4, was written by the Rev. Justo González II, Interim Conference Minister, Illinois Conference.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
No comments:
Post a Comment