Jesus the Good Shepherd who Brings Abundant Life
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series II, Cycle A Gospel Texts
A Celebration Of Resurrection
Invitation to the Easter Celebration
In the name of God, the Creator, Liberator, Sustainer, Energizer, welcome to the fourth Sunday of Easter. How have you come? Glad, sad, mad, or a mixture of all three? No matter how you came, what do you hope to get out of this worship? And, by the way, how you came probably will give you different expectations. So, what do you want to get? A little uplift? Something to think about? A jog to your conscience? Marching orders for the week? What? Mark Twain once said, "Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they will not be disappointed." And I add, "Blessed are those who come, not as spectators, not as observers, but as participants, responsible to God, to each other, to oneself; for they shall be filled." (Sidelight: A response I once received to this invitation was this from a parishioner: "I never bothered to formulate my expectations; that's the pastor's job." Really, now!)
Response
(During the response, have the organist, pianist, or orchestra play some energetic music.)
P: God, our God, we praise you for our hearts,
M: which respond in love to your mercies.
P: We praise you for our minds,
M: which open up broad avenues of understanding.
P: We praise you for our wills,
M: which can be tuned into the Good Shepherd for obedient action.
P: We thank you for salvation by grace and for wisdom by revelation,
M: that all persons may come to know your shepherding qualities, and thus, to trust you as the One who possesses the nurturing of Mother and Father.
Hymn of Praise
"Praise Ye (You) the Lord, the Almighty" (Joachim Neander, 1680; trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1863; alt.).
Recognizing Who We Are And Whose We Are
The Act of Recognizing Our Humanity
To confess our sins means to "cut them out." Write down those sins that you need to cut out. (Give three, yes, three, minutes of silence.) Now, cross out the ones that you will cut out. (Two minutes of silent prayer, followed by a pastoral confession, if you think that it's really necessary.)
Response
Soloist, preferably a teenager, to sing "Amazing Grace" while the congregation hums it. (I substitute the word "someone" for the word "wretch." Perhaps the people can find one that fits them.)
The Act of Receiving New Life
I invite us to remember that forgiveness has nothing to do with our feelings; it has everything to do with God's promise, and our acting on that promise. It is an act of God's will and our will.
Ministers: God, because we can hide nothing, no part of ourselves, from you, we have confessed our alienations and brokenness. We rejoice that you forgive us, even when we "feel" unforgiven and guilty. Remove from us the guilt and shame which get in the way of you and others despite the promise of the Good Shepherd, who promises us the abundant life. Remove all of those barriers, especially fear and anxiety, which betray our trust in you and others, beginning with the members of our own biological family, and extending to our church family. In the name of Christ, the sin-bearer, reconciler, and Good Shepherd.
Response
Now, have the soloist sing "Amazing Grace" once again. Ask the congregation if they heard and responded to it any differently now than previously.
The Teaching
Message with the Children of All Ages
Several weeks in advance, ask the children, and any members of the church who are in touch with their inner child, to write their version of Psalm 23. One person who works with inner-city children began his version, "The Lord is my probation officer ..." Use this time to encourage the children to share their versions. You may want to begin by sharing your version. While reading, ask the organist to play "The Lord Is My Shepherd."
Reading of the Newer Covenant
In advance, ask a member to memorize the passage and present it, as if he/she were simulating Jesus.
Proclamation of the Good News
Expose the vocation of the shepherd during Jesus' time; and apply those qualities to our lives this week.
Stewardship Challenge
Here is someone who knew the Good Shepherd personally: A woman of ill health had to give up many activities. Wishing to express sympathy (though most of us prefer empathy), a friend said to her, "Illness does color life, doesn't it?" "Yes," she replied, "it does; but I intend to choose the colors." What does our giving have to do with "choosing colors" in the presence and power of the Good Shepherd?
Charge to the Congregation
If we celebrate the presence and power of the Good Shepherd in all of our relationships and experiences to let everything that breathes praise God; to say "yes" to life's mysteries, as a Chicago teenager has said, "Even in the midst of absurdity"; a "yes" as Martin Luther has said that "we make merry even when there's nothing to be merry about," what a difference life would be. We would move from a fear of life to a cheer for life. Everything would speak to us of the realities of life, instead of allowing us to wallow in our illusions. The whole world, in the shadow of the Good Shepherd, would shout to us of the Creator's goodness. All of our experiences, even the painful ones, would elicit praise, thanksgiving, gratitude for everything under the sun.
Meditation
"Do not fear that your life shall come to an end, but rather, fear that it shall never have a beginning" (Cardinal Newman, updated language). No wonder that a person responding to a remark of someone who believed in the immediate return of the Christ said, "Thousands of people now living are already dead." In the presence and power of the Good Shepherd, we make our life count for something, lest it fall for everything.
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: Medley of Easter hymns, or "Andante Religioso," Thomé.
Choral Introit: (Choir) "Hosanna, In the Highest."
Hymn of Praise: "Come, Christians, Join to Sing," Christian Henry Bateman, 1843; alt.
Response to the Newer Covenant: "Shepherd of Eager Youth," ascribed to Clement of Alexandria, c. 200 A.D.; trans. by Henry M. Dexter, 1846; alt.
Hymn of Commitment: "In Christ There Is No East or West" (two tunes), John Oxenham, 1908; alt. Alexander Robert Reinagle, 1836.
Offertory: "Priere," Lemmens.
Music for Dismissal: Medley of Easter hymns, or "Fanfare," by Handel.
Invitation to the Easter Celebration
In the name of God, the Creator, Liberator, Sustainer, Energizer, welcome to the fourth Sunday of Easter. How have you come? Glad, sad, mad, or a mixture of all three? No matter how you came, what do you hope to get out of this worship? And, by the way, how you came probably will give you different expectations. So, what do you want to get? A little uplift? Something to think about? A jog to your conscience? Marching orders for the week? What? Mark Twain once said, "Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they will not be disappointed." And I add, "Blessed are those who come, not as spectators, not as observers, but as participants, responsible to God, to each other, to oneself; for they shall be filled." (Sidelight: A response I once received to this invitation was this from a parishioner: "I never bothered to formulate my expectations; that's the pastor's job." Really, now!)
Response
(During the response, have the organist, pianist, or orchestra play some energetic music.)
P: God, our God, we praise you for our hearts,
M: which respond in love to your mercies.
P: We praise you for our minds,
M: which open up broad avenues of understanding.
P: We praise you for our wills,
M: which can be tuned into the Good Shepherd for obedient action.
P: We thank you for salvation by grace and for wisdom by revelation,
M: that all persons may come to know your shepherding qualities, and thus, to trust you as the One who possesses the nurturing of Mother and Father.
Hymn of Praise
"Praise Ye (You) the Lord, the Almighty" (Joachim Neander, 1680; trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1863; alt.).
Recognizing Who We Are And Whose We Are
The Act of Recognizing Our Humanity
To confess our sins means to "cut them out." Write down those sins that you need to cut out. (Give three, yes, three, minutes of silence.) Now, cross out the ones that you will cut out. (Two minutes of silent prayer, followed by a pastoral confession, if you think that it's really necessary.)
Response
Soloist, preferably a teenager, to sing "Amazing Grace" while the congregation hums it. (I substitute the word "someone" for the word "wretch." Perhaps the people can find one that fits them.)
The Act of Receiving New Life
I invite us to remember that forgiveness has nothing to do with our feelings; it has everything to do with God's promise, and our acting on that promise. It is an act of God's will and our will.
Ministers: God, because we can hide nothing, no part of ourselves, from you, we have confessed our alienations and brokenness. We rejoice that you forgive us, even when we "feel" unforgiven and guilty. Remove from us the guilt and shame which get in the way of you and others despite the promise of the Good Shepherd, who promises us the abundant life. Remove all of those barriers, especially fear and anxiety, which betray our trust in you and others, beginning with the members of our own biological family, and extending to our church family. In the name of Christ, the sin-bearer, reconciler, and Good Shepherd.
Response
Now, have the soloist sing "Amazing Grace" once again. Ask the congregation if they heard and responded to it any differently now than previously.
The Teaching
Message with the Children of All Ages
Several weeks in advance, ask the children, and any members of the church who are in touch with their inner child, to write their version of Psalm 23. One person who works with inner-city children began his version, "The Lord is my probation officer ..." Use this time to encourage the children to share their versions. You may want to begin by sharing your version. While reading, ask the organist to play "The Lord Is My Shepherd."
Reading of the Newer Covenant
In advance, ask a member to memorize the passage and present it, as if he/she were simulating Jesus.
Proclamation of the Good News
Expose the vocation of the shepherd during Jesus' time; and apply those qualities to our lives this week.
Stewardship Challenge
Here is someone who knew the Good Shepherd personally: A woman of ill health had to give up many activities. Wishing to express sympathy (though most of us prefer empathy), a friend said to her, "Illness does color life, doesn't it?" "Yes," she replied, "it does; but I intend to choose the colors." What does our giving have to do with "choosing colors" in the presence and power of the Good Shepherd?
Charge to the Congregation
If we celebrate the presence and power of the Good Shepherd in all of our relationships and experiences to let everything that breathes praise God; to say "yes" to life's mysteries, as a Chicago teenager has said, "Even in the midst of absurdity"; a "yes" as Martin Luther has said that "we make merry even when there's nothing to be merry about," what a difference life would be. We would move from a fear of life to a cheer for life. Everything would speak to us of the realities of life, instead of allowing us to wallow in our illusions. The whole world, in the shadow of the Good Shepherd, would shout to us of the Creator's goodness. All of our experiences, even the painful ones, would elicit praise, thanksgiving, gratitude for everything under the sun.
Meditation
"Do not fear that your life shall come to an end, but rather, fear that it shall never have a beginning" (Cardinal Newman, updated language). No wonder that a person responding to a remark of someone who believed in the immediate return of the Christ said, "Thousands of people now living are already dead." In the presence and power of the Good Shepherd, we make our life count for something, lest it fall for everything.
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: Medley of Easter hymns, or "Andante Religioso," Thomé.
Choral Introit: (Choir) "Hosanna, In the Highest."
Hymn of Praise: "Come, Christians, Join to Sing," Christian Henry Bateman, 1843; alt.
Response to the Newer Covenant: "Shepherd of Eager Youth," ascribed to Clement of Alexandria, c. 200 A.D.; trans. by Henry M. Dexter, 1846; alt.
Hymn of Commitment: "In Christ There Is No East or West" (two tunes), John Oxenham, 1908; alt. Alexander Robert Reinagle, 1836.
Offertory: "Priere," Lemmens.
Music for Dismissal: Medley of Easter hymns, or "Fanfare," by Handel.
