You may wish to light a candle at the start of this time of worship.
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Theme Prayer (today is sometimes called “Good Shepherd Sunday”)
Risen Christ, faithful Shepherd of your Father's sheep:
teach us to hear your voice and to follow your command,
that all your people may be gathered into one flock,
to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Confession
Jesus the Good Shepherd calls us back to himself. Let us reflect on our need of his guiding hand and healing touch, and confess our sins to God.
Forgive us, Lord, when we stray from your way. Lord, have mercy.
(Lord, have mercy.)
Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to respond to your call. Christ, have mercy.
(Christ, have mercy.)
Help us to follow in faith, and to support and guide each other. Lord, have mercy.
(Lord, have mercy.)
May almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to seek and save the lost, bring us his pardon and peace, now and always. Amen.
God’s Word - John’s Gospel, chapter 10, verses 1 to 10 :-
Jesus said, ‘In very truth I tell you, the man who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is nothing but a thief and a robber. He who enters by the door is the shepherd in charge of the sheep. The door-keeper admits him, and the sheep hear his voice; he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. When he has brought them all out, he goes ahead of them and the sheep follow, because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.’
This was a parable that Jesus told them, but they did not understand what he meant by it. So Jesus spoke again: ‘In very truth I tell you, I am the door of the sheepfold. The sheep paid no heed to any who came before me, for they were all thieves and robbers. I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe. He will go in and out and find pasture. ‘A thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and may have it in all its fullness.
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
A Reflection on the Reading
People often moan about the “Nanny State” and the way it intrudes on our freedom of choice, and presumes we’re not capable of making our own well informed decisions about how to live together safely and enjoy the world without harming others. But just at the moment, with the “Nanny State” operating at full blast, the vast majority of us are very happy to have what really are quite severe restrictions imposed on us, because we recognise how necessary they are; and those who try to dodge them and go their own way - heading for Snowdon or the beach, for example - are widely censured.
Even without a viral pandemic, living together safely requires all of us to surrender some of our freedom to do what we want, so that others too may have a measure of freedom and choice. Some of that is imposed on us, by the law of the land, and some is just about being a good neighbour. But freedom of choice isn’t something equally shared, and maybe the experience of covid-19 might encourage some rebalancing, in terms of who is really important to a safe and stable society, and how we reward them. We’re discovering that nurses, care workers, and even shelf-stackers and dustmen, may in fact have more to offer when the chips are down than football stars or media celebrities. Oh, I’m not so naive as to expect a brave new world once the virus is gone - but I do hope we learn some of the lessons this time is teaching us.
“All we like sheep have gone astray” we sang a couple of months back, as a choir I sing with prepared for a concert that would have included items from Handel’s “Messiah” had it happened. The people Jesus was speaking to in today’s reading knew all about sheep, and they knew that one thing sheep do very well is go astray. A shepherd on the hills of Palestine needed his wits about him, if he was to look after his flock and keep them safe.
The job of a shepherd involved risk and sacrifice, if it was taken seriously and done properly. A good shepherd cared for his sheep, and saw them as more than a commodity to be used and exploited. Jesus called himself “the door of the sheepfold”, and those who heard him would have known how a shepherd, having penned the sheep for the night, would himself lie across the entrance, so that any wolf, lion or robber would have to contend with him first.
At the end of our reading, Jesus says, “I am come that they might have life, life in all its fullness.” A simple test of whether we’re on the right track, following our shepherd’s call as we should, is to ask: “Is what I do and decide adding life and light to those around me?” If not, maybe I’m doing the reverse - and to enhance my own freedom at the expense of others is the complete opposite of what I see in Jesus the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep.
Jesus calls us not only to be faithful sheep, but also faithful shepherds: to look out for one another, with a special care for those who are weak and vulnerable. He calls us to a servant ministry. I’ve heard some criticism of the lockdown as prioritising the needs of the elderly and vulnerable over those of the active, wealth-producing workforce. Well, I happen to believe that that in itself is the measure of a caring society, each member of which has value. And anyway, as Captain - now Colonel - Tom Moore has shown us, everyone has their place, and their part to play, their contribution to make.
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; ♦
therefore can I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures ♦
and leads me beside still waters.
3 He shall refresh my soul ♦
and guide me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 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.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; ♦
you have anointed my head with oil and my cup shall be full.
6 Surely goodness and loving mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, ♦
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, ♦
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
Prayers
Pray for our own nation and the world’s nations, as the battle against covid-19 continues. Pray too for countries battling other ills, such as climate change, civil conflict, and diseases such as HIV and malaria. Pray for world leaders, and for a coordinated response to the extraordinary challenge facing us all.
Pray that the Church everywhere may be inspired by the example of service and sacrifice we see in Jesus the Good Shepherd. Pray especially today for the Anglican Church in Japan, and within our own Diocese for the Deanery of Ludlow. Pray for our own Deanery, and especially for those parishes presently without a Rector; continue to pray for all who work in hospital chaplaincy.
Pray for those in need today: for all who grieve, for the worried and anxious, and for those who are struggling with isolation and loneliness. Pray for all who are ill, and particularly for those infected by the virus, for their care and treatment and recovery. Pray for health workers and carers, and for all who are “on the front line”. Pray for their safety, and that they may be valued for what they do and give not only now but also after this crisis is over.
Pray for our own communities and for our families and friends. May we be faithful not only as sheep but also as shepherds, looking out for one another and offering care. Give thanks for all who actively helping others during this time as volunteers, both in and beyond our local communities. Pray for our keeping of the VE Day anniversary on Friday.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for today and Blessing
May the light of Christ, rising in glory, banish all darkness from our hearts and minds. Amen.
May God our Father, by whose glory Christ was raised from the dead, strengthen us to walk with him in his risen life. And may almighty God bless us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
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