Fourth Sunday of Easter
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle A
The church year theological clue
The Fourth Sunday of Easter, in years A and B, at least, has the biblical content that the Second Sunday after Easter used to have: namely, Good Shepherd Sunday. John 10 is read in all three years: Year A is assigned John 10:1-10; Year B has the original Good Shepherd Sunday Gospel, John 10:11-16; and Year C contains the last part of the chapter, John 10:22-30. The figure of the Good Shepherd was central to the symbolism of all of the ancient churches, picturing the risen Christ, ascended, sitting on a throne, Peter and Paul on either side, the other disciples often in the background and, nearly always, sheep drinking from a river emanating from the four gospels, while other sheep graze on the grass by the river. The Good Shepherd usually has a hand raised in benediction. Josef Jungmann, the noted Roman Catholic liturgical theologian and homiletical scholar, once wrote: "The ancient church knew full well why she had placed the Easter Christ and His Easter work in the apses of her basilicas, why she had proclaimed Easter so loudly, providing it with a forty-day preparatory celebration and a fifty-day aftermath, and had given the stamp of Easter to every Sunday. This played a great part in educating the Christian in the knowledge of his Christian dignity and in confirming his confidence." The Good Shepherd is the risen and ascended Lord, who will be with his church, caring for his people, until he comes again. This Sunday articulates the Good Shepherd/pastoral theology of the Gospel.
The Prayer of the Day - The LBW provides two collects for this Sunday, of which the first specifically applies to Good Shepherd Sunday: "God of all power, you called from death our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep." After this introduction, the prayer asks God to "send us as shepherds to rescue the lost, to heal the injured, and to feed one another with knowledge and understanding." The latter part of the second prayer, "Give strength to all who are joined in the family of the Church, so that they will resolutely reject what erodes their faith and firmly follow what faith requires," is introduced by a word to God that suggests the role of the Shepherd ("you show the light of your truth to those in darkness, to lead them into the way of righteousness"), and could be attached to the opening address of the first prayer.
The Psalm for the Day - Psalm 23 - The Shepherd Psalm is really the only psalm that could be appointed for this Sunday. Jesus really is the Good Shepherd, really is the Lord of all, and really is the one who watches over his own in all situations, reviving the souls of the faithful, leading them in life and death so that they will, feasting at the table he has set, "dwell in the house of the Lord forever." The imagery of the psalm clearly suggests the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. If the ancient churches would have had modern technology available to them, they might have had a recording of the 23rd Psalm beneath the mosaics of the Good Shepherd, playing continuously when there were no services in the churches, to call people to prayer and devotion - and preparation for the meal at the Table of the Lord - in the name of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
The Psalm Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, shepherd of your Church, you give us new birth in the waters of baptism; you anoint us with oil, and call us to salvation at your table. Dispel the terrors of death and the darkness of error. Lead your people along safe paths, that they may rest securely in you and dwell in the house of the Lord now and forever, for your name's sake.
The readings:
Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60
This lection, which tells about the growth of the early church, the election of seven deacons "to serve tables," and the amazing ministry of Stephen, seems to complement the first prayer more than it does the Gospel for the Day. The portion of Acts 7 that is attached to Acts 6 tells of the part of Stephen's speech that got him into trouble with the authorities and caused him to be stoned. His miracles were apparently accepted by most of the people as acts of God, but his proclamation of the good news in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was too much for the religious leaders to swallow. He died, firm in the faith, with a word on his lips - "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" - that echoes Jesus' word from the cross, also reported by Luke alone, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Stephen's words suggest that his executioners really did know what they were doing, and he even reports that Saul fully approved of the execution.
1 Peter 2:19-25
The passage from 1 Peter picks up the theme of suffering that was introduced in the second part of the Acts reading with the stoning and death of Stephen. The Christian life, if lived fully and with positive witnessing for Jesus Christ, is almost certain to bring persecution and suffering; sometimes, the faithful will actually be put to death for their faith - today! Believers may very well expect to be, at the least, laughed at and ridiculed for their faith, but will have to learn, as did Stephen, to take all forms of persecution and suffering with patience. God surely doesn't desire people to suffer needlessly, particularly those who are living righteously in the faith bestowed upon them in Jesus Christ, but he is pleased when people suffer for the faith with patience, as did their Lord. Peter points to Christ's innocent suffering and death as the supreme example for the Christian community. Not only did he die innocently on the cross, but he "bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." The last verse of the lection provides movement from the Acts reading to the Gospel for the Day, declaring that his wounds brought healing to the human beings of the world who were straying like sheep, but now have been returned to the one to whom they belong, the shepherd and guardian of their souls.
John 10:1-10
In these first ten verses of the beautiful Good Shepherd chapter of St. John, the person and work of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, are described. In the first little parable, Jesus shows his authority and legitimacy as the Messiah to the religious leaders of Israel; it had to be heard as a challenge by them, one they couldn't ignore. In the second little parable, Christ asserts that those who have faith will hear and follow him; he will indeed be their shepherd, for they are his sheep. They "know his voice," and they cannot be led astray by false shepherds who would rob them of their faith. As the shepherd, Jesus is also the gate to the sheepfold, the door by which they must enter the kingdom of God, because there is no other way to gain entrance. Jesus' purpose in coming as the Good Shepherd, who is also the Suffering Servant in his passion and death, is to give life - abundant and eternal -to those who will have him as their shepherd and their Lord.
A sermon on the Gospel, John 10:1-10 - "A Question for the Sheep."
No one ever forgets the nursery rhymes that are learned as little children, including the one with the question in it: "Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?" There is a question, which is put before all sheep, not just "black sheep," that takes precedence over this question. It is: "Sheep, do you have a shepherd?"
In the spring of the year a couple of decades ago, my family and I took a weekend drive through the highlands of Scotland. We hadn't gone very far before we saw a young lamb dead alongside the road. Soon there was another - and another - and another. Occasionally, we would see a full-grown sheep dead by the roadside. In a day and a half of driving, we counted twenty-two dead lambs and sheep, which had obviously wandered onto the narrow roads of the highlands and been hit and killed by automobiles. The reasons were obvious: there were no fences to keep them off the highway; there were no sheep dogs to be seen anywhere; not a single shepherd was in evidence during that trip. Without fences, sheep dogs, and, especially, shepherds, the sheep didn't have a chance and, when they wandered onto the highland highways, they simply perished. A shepherd would have given them the opportunity to live out their lives as God meant them to.
1. "I am the shepherd" - he said it, the one who was and is the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, the Lord, of whom the psalmist sang.
2. Jesus really is the Good Shepherd, who proved his right to the title, Good Shepherd, when he laid down his life for all of the sheep, to save them from sin and death and give them life abundant and eternal.
3. The Good Shepherd, the Risen Lord, "has begun his reign;" he is the gatekeeper, the "door," of the kingdom. By him alone are the sheep able to enter God's fold.
4. The shepherd gives courage and confidence to faithful followers, who know and love him as their guide and protector, as long as they live.
A sermon on the First Lesson, Acts 6:1-9 - "A Church That Is Pleasing to God."
1. The early church took care of its own; the leaders took action to care for all of the widows and children. It provides a model for the modern church. The church must be caring and compassionate, concerned about all people.
2. The church knew it was more than a social or welfare agency; the leaders and the people were regular and constant in prayer and worship; they took time for daily prayer. Their example reveals a serious defect in contemporary Christians, who are too busy to develop a devotional life.
3. The church members took their evangelism responsibilities seriously; the first evangelism program (selecting Stephen and six others "to serve tables") was developed so that the Word might be given its due by releasing the disciples for missionary work in the world. The church desperately needs to do something like this today.
4. The church pleases God when its members have the caring heart of Jesus, the prayerful spirit of the psalmist, and the evangelical zeal of Paul (this could be a sermon plan by itself).
A second sermon on the First Lesson, Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60 - "Stones Break Bones - and Kill."
My son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters live in Williamsburg, Virginia, where they are members of St. Stephen Lutheran Church, which was built after a design by Thomas Jefferson right across from the campus of William and Mary College. It is an interesting building, not in the round, but hexagonal in the floor plan, and octagonal in the clerestory windows, with a centrally located table and pulpit. The clerestory tells the story of Stephen. The church might have been named St. Stephen the Deacon, or better yet, St. Stephen the Martyr, both of which are implied by simply naming the congregation St. Stephen. Whenever I go there - or to any other church bearing the name of St. Stephen - I look for a pile of stones, sometimes thinking that the lawn ought to be littered with rocks to remind all people who enter or pass by that Stephen was the first person to die for the faith after Jesus' death and resurrection, and to impress upon them the cost of discipleship. Some of the stones and rocks ought to have "blood" - bright red paint - on them.
1. Salvation is God's free gift in Jesus, but discipleship is costly; it demands total surrender of one's time, possessions, and life.
2. Contemporary Christians, it is claimed, prefer "cheap grace;" the human thing is to claim the faith at bargain basement prices, so that being a Christian costs as little as possible. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "cheap grace" theology was developed because he, like Stephen and the other martyrs, had learned the true cost of discipleship. Like Stephen, he paid the high cost with his life. Oddly enough, most of the stories and sermons I have heard about Bonhoeffer say lots about his theology and his ethics, but little about his martyrdom. Curious, isn't it?
3. The question for contemporary believers is siniply this: Are you willing to pay the cost of discipleship, which in one way or another means giving up your life to and for Jesus?
A sermon on the Second Lesson, 1 Peter 2:19-25 - "Patience - A Precious Gift of the Spirit."
The Rite of Confirmation has been changed, to the total confusion of many long-time members of the congregations of Lutheranism, into a rite for the Affirmation of Baptism. The theology is sound, the liturgical rite is appropriate because it is built on solid tradition (and it may still be called confirmation). An ancient prayer for the gifts of the Holy Spirit is used as the Prayer of Blessing in the rite: "Pour your Holy Spirit upon ____________: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (plus) the spirit of joy in your presence." But a serious omission is made when this prayer is substituted for the older Prayer of Blessing:
The Father in Heaven, for Jesus' sake, renew and increase in thee the gift of the Holy Ghost, to thy strengthening in faith, to thy growth in grace, to thy patience in suffering, and to the blessed hope of everlasting life.
By the omission of "to thy patience in suffering," an important dimension of discipleship is deleted from the rite.
The Fourth Sunday of Easter, in years A and B, at least, has the biblical content that the Second Sunday after Easter used to have: namely, Good Shepherd Sunday. John 10 is read in all three years: Year A is assigned John 10:1-10; Year B has the original Good Shepherd Sunday Gospel, John 10:11-16; and Year C contains the last part of the chapter, John 10:22-30. The figure of the Good Shepherd was central to the symbolism of all of the ancient churches, picturing the risen Christ, ascended, sitting on a throne, Peter and Paul on either side, the other disciples often in the background and, nearly always, sheep drinking from a river emanating from the four gospels, while other sheep graze on the grass by the river. The Good Shepherd usually has a hand raised in benediction. Josef Jungmann, the noted Roman Catholic liturgical theologian and homiletical scholar, once wrote: "The ancient church knew full well why she had placed the Easter Christ and His Easter work in the apses of her basilicas, why she had proclaimed Easter so loudly, providing it with a forty-day preparatory celebration and a fifty-day aftermath, and had given the stamp of Easter to every Sunday. This played a great part in educating the Christian in the knowledge of his Christian dignity and in confirming his confidence." The Good Shepherd is the risen and ascended Lord, who will be with his church, caring for his people, until he comes again. This Sunday articulates the Good Shepherd/pastoral theology of the Gospel.
The Prayer of the Day - The LBW provides two collects for this Sunday, of which the first specifically applies to Good Shepherd Sunday: "God of all power, you called from death our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep." After this introduction, the prayer asks God to "send us as shepherds to rescue the lost, to heal the injured, and to feed one another with knowledge and understanding." The latter part of the second prayer, "Give strength to all who are joined in the family of the Church, so that they will resolutely reject what erodes their faith and firmly follow what faith requires," is introduced by a word to God that suggests the role of the Shepherd ("you show the light of your truth to those in darkness, to lead them into the way of righteousness"), and could be attached to the opening address of the first prayer.
The Psalm for the Day - Psalm 23 - The Shepherd Psalm is really the only psalm that could be appointed for this Sunday. Jesus really is the Good Shepherd, really is the Lord of all, and really is the one who watches over his own in all situations, reviving the souls of the faithful, leading them in life and death so that they will, feasting at the table he has set, "dwell in the house of the Lord forever." The imagery of the psalm clearly suggests the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. If the ancient churches would have had modern technology available to them, they might have had a recording of the 23rd Psalm beneath the mosaics of the Good Shepherd, playing continuously when there were no services in the churches, to call people to prayer and devotion - and preparation for the meal at the Table of the Lord - in the name of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
The Psalm Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, shepherd of your Church, you give us new birth in the waters of baptism; you anoint us with oil, and call us to salvation at your table. Dispel the terrors of death and the darkness of error. Lead your people along safe paths, that they may rest securely in you and dwell in the house of the Lord now and forever, for your name's sake.
The readings:
Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60
This lection, which tells about the growth of the early church, the election of seven deacons "to serve tables," and the amazing ministry of Stephen, seems to complement the first prayer more than it does the Gospel for the Day. The portion of Acts 7 that is attached to Acts 6 tells of the part of Stephen's speech that got him into trouble with the authorities and caused him to be stoned. His miracles were apparently accepted by most of the people as acts of God, but his proclamation of the good news in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was too much for the religious leaders to swallow. He died, firm in the faith, with a word on his lips - "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" - that echoes Jesus' word from the cross, also reported by Luke alone, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Stephen's words suggest that his executioners really did know what they were doing, and he even reports that Saul fully approved of the execution.
1 Peter 2:19-25
The passage from 1 Peter picks up the theme of suffering that was introduced in the second part of the Acts reading with the stoning and death of Stephen. The Christian life, if lived fully and with positive witnessing for Jesus Christ, is almost certain to bring persecution and suffering; sometimes, the faithful will actually be put to death for their faith - today! Believers may very well expect to be, at the least, laughed at and ridiculed for their faith, but will have to learn, as did Stephen, to take all forms of persecution and suffering with patience. God surely doesn't desire people to suffer needlessly, particularly those who are living righteously in the faith bestowed upon them in Jesus Christ, but he is pleased when people suffer for the faith with patience, as did their Lord. Peter points to Christ's innocent suffering and death as the supreme example for the Christian community. Not only did he die innocently on the cross, but he "bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." The last verse of the lection provides movement from the Acts reading to the Gospel for the Day, declaring that his wounds brought healing to the human beings of the world who were straying like sheep, but now have been returned to the one to whom they belong, the shepherd and guardian of their souls.
John 10:1-10
In these first ten verses of the beautiful Good Shepherd chapter of St. John, the person and work of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, are described. In the first little parable, Jesus shows his authority and legitimacy as the Messiah to the religious leaders of Israel; it had to be heard as a challenge by them, one they couldn't ignore. In the second little parable, Christ asserts that those who have faith will hear and follow him; he will indeed be their shepherd, for they are his sheep. They "know his voice," and they cannot be led astray by false shepherds who would rob them of their faith. As the shepherd, Jesus is also the gate to the sheepfold, the door by which they must enter the kingdom of God, because there is no other way to gain entrance. Jesus' purpose in coming as the Good Shepherd, who is also the Suffering Servant in his passion and death, is to give life - abundant and eternal -to those who will have him as their shepherd and their Lord.
A sermon on the Gospel, John 10:1-10 - "A Question for the Sheep."
No one ever forgets the nursery rhymes that are learned as little children, including the one with the question in it: "Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?" There is a question, which is put before all sheep, not just "black sheep," that takes precedence over this question. It is: "Sheep, do you have a shepherd?"
In the spring of the year a couple of decades ago, my family and I took a weekend drive through the highlands of Scotland. We hadn't gone very far before we saw a young lamb dead alongside the road. Soon there was another - and another - and another. Occasionally, we would see a full-grown sheep dead by the roadside. In a day and a half of driving, we counted twenty-two dead lambs and sheep, which had obviously wandered onto the narrow roads of the highlands and been hit and killed by automobiles. The reasons were obvious: there were no fences to keep them off the highway; there were no sheep dogs to be seen anywhere; not a single shepherd was in evidence during that trip. Without fences, sheep dogs, and, especially, shepherds, the sheep didn't have a chance and, when they wandered onto the highland highways, they simply perished. A shepherd would have given them the opportunity to live out their lives as God meant them to.
1. "I am the shepherd" - he said it, the one who was and is the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, the Lord, of whom the psalmist sang.
2. Jesus really is the Good Shepherd, who proved his right to the title, Good Shepherd, when he laid down his life for all of the sheep, to save them from sin and death and give them life abundant and eternal.
3. The Good Shepherd, the Risen Lord, "has begun his reign;" he is the gatekeeper, the "door," of the kingdom. By him alone are the sheep able to enter God's fold.
4. The shepherd gives courage and confidence to faithful followers, who know and love him as their guide and protector, as long as they live.
A sermon on the First Lesson, Acts 6:1-9 - "A Church That Is Pleasing to God."
1. The early church took care of its own; the leaders took action to care for all of the widows and children. It provides a model for the modern church. The church must be caring and compassionate, concerned about all people.
2. The church knew it was more than a social or welfare agency; the leaders and the people were regular and constant in prayer and worship; they took time for daily prayer. Their example reveals a serious defect in contemporary Christians, who are too busy to develop a devotional life.
3. The church members took their evangelism responsibilities seriously; the first evangelism program (selecting Stephen and six others "to serve tables") was developed so that the Word might be given its due by releasing the disciples for missionary work in the world. The church desperately needs to do something like this today.
4. The church pleases God when its members have the caring heart of Jesus, the prayerful spirit of the psalmist, and the evangelical zeal of Paul (this could be a sermon plan by itself).
A second sermon on the First Lesson, Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60 - "Stones Break Bones - and Kill."
My son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters live in Williamsburg, Virginia, where they are members of St. Stephen Lutheran Church, which was built after a design by Thomas Jefferson right across from the campus of William and Mary College. It is an interesting building, not in the round, but hexagonal in the floor plan, and octagonal in the clerestory windows, with a centrally located table and pulpit. The clerestory tells the story of Stephen. The church might have been named St. Stephen the Deacon, or better yet, St. Stephen the Martyr, both of which are implied by simply naming the congregation St. Stephen. Whenever I go there - or to any other church bearing the name of St. Stephen - I look for a pile of stones, sometimes thinking that the lawn ought to be littered with rocks to remind all people who enter or pass by that Stephen was the first person to die for the faith after Jesus' death and resurrection, and to impress upon them the cost of discipleship. Some of the stones and rocks ought to have "blood" - bright red paint - on them.
1. Salvation is God's free gift in Jesus, but discipleship is costly; it demands total surrender of one's time, possessions, and life.
2. Contemporary Christians, it is claimed, prefer "cheap grace;" the human thing is to claim the faith at bargain basement prices, so that being a Christian costs as little as possible. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "cheap grace" theology was developed because he, like Stephen and the other martyrs, had learned the true cost of discipleship. Like Stephen, he paid the high cost with his life. Oddly enough, most of the stories and sermons I have heard about Bonhoeffer say lots about his theology and his ethics, but little about his martyrdom. Curious, isn't it?
3. The question for contemporary believers is siniply this: Are you willing to pay the cost of discipleship, which in one way or another means giving up your life to and for Jesus?
A sermon on the Second Lesson, 1 Peter 2:19-25 - "Patience - A Precious Gift of the Spirit."
The Rite of Confirmation has been changed, to the total confusion of many long-time members of the congregations of Lutheranism, into a rite for the Affirmation of Baptism. The theology is sound, the liturgical rite is appropriate because it is built on solid tradition (and it may still be called confirmation). An ancient prayer for the gifts of the Holy Spirit is used as the Prayer of Blessing in the rite: "Pour your Holy Spirit upon ____________: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (plus) the spirit of joy in your presence." But a serious omission is made when this prayer is substituted for the older Prayer of Blessing:
The Father in Heaven, for Jesus' sake, renew and increase in thee the gift of the Holy Ghost, to thy strengthening in faith, to thy growth in grace, to thy patience in suffering, and to the blessed hope of everlasting life.
By the omission of "to thy patience in suffering," an important dimension of discipleship is deleted from the rite.
