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Village

▶Janice Scott ... The Village Shepherd

After being ordained in 1994 with the first wave of women priests, Janice became curate in a large city centre parish in Norwich and from there, moved to South Norfolk in 1999 as Rector of a rural benefice of six parishes. After completing her MA in Pastoral Theology with the Cambridge Theological Foundation in 2008 she was appointed Honorary Canon of Norwich Cathedral. Janice now lives with her husband Ian just outside Norwich. In addition to her diocesan work and writing "The Village Shepherd," she is a freelance writer for Redemptorist Publications in the UK. She has also written and broadcasts "Pause For Thought" on a local radio station and has written several novels, all with a church background.

Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - A

Children's Liturgy and Story

Matthew 28:16-20

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
On his last appearance on this earth, Jesus reassured his disciples that he would always be with them, until the end of the age. The age has not yet ended, therefore as his disciples, we too receive his promise, "I am with you always."

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I behave as though you are not with me.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I prefer to forget that you are with me.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I yearn for you, but do not feel you with me.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:
Matthew 28:16-20 (NRSV)

Children's Story

Matthew 28:16-20

Janice B. Scott
Toby was playing with his favourite toy. His family's new television had come packed in a large cardboard box, and now the box was empty Toby loved playing with it. Today it was a bus. Since his family had a car, Toby had only once travelled on a bus. It had been the highlight of his life. Now his big cardboard box was a bus, and Toby was the proud driver. Sometimes he would allow it his baby sister Samantha to sit in his bus as a passenger. But if she started to cry he got fed up and turned her out.

Intercession

Matthew 28:16-20

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Sermon

Isaiah 40:12-17; 27-31

Janice B. Scott
Children at the top end of Primary School aged ten or eleven, are poised between finishing with childhood and cautiously entering adolescence. When they were younger they thought only in concrete terms and were unable to get their minds around the abstract, but now they are just beginning to move beyond the concrete.

This can make it a very interesting age as far as religion is concerned, as long as they haven't already rejected religion because their questions remain unanswered. Some questions like "Who made God?" are unanswerable, but there is often a genuine desire to understand the relationship between religion and science and a real fascination with all aspects of death and eternal life.

Sermon

Matthew 28:16-20

Janice B. Scott
There seems to be something about mountains which appeals to the human imagination. When I was very young, I can just remember the huge excitement generated by Hillary and Tenzing's ascent of Mount Everest, believed then to be the first men ever to climb that massive mountain. Although lately it seems George Mallory may have beaten them to it, losing his life in the process. But now we have better technological support, Everest is climbed so frequently and with such apparent ease by both men and women, that it's no longer considered newsworthy. People are literally queuing up to climb it.

Sermon

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Janice B. Scott
Names come and go. Around 90 years ago, the names Ada, Esme, Edith and Agnes were all popular, as were Tom, Fred, Arthur and Alfred. Around 20 years ago we had Gary, Jason, Kylie and Tracey, and now all the old fashioned names have made a comeback, so that Eugenie and Beatrice, William and Harry are popular again.

Names always used to be chosen for their meaning, so that Faith, Hope and Charity were common names during particularly religious periods in our history, and at other times Daisy, Pansy and Rose enjoyed an airing. But even though names are rarely quite so obvious these days, the meaning is still important and books are devoted to the meanings of modern Christian names.

What is The Village Shepherd?

The Village Shepherd offers sermons, bible stories, children's stories and prayers based on the Revised Common Lectionary. These inspirational sermons, stories, and prayers are sure to touch your heart, because they reflect the simple virtues and tranquil serenity that characterize Reverend Scott's English countryside pastorate. The questions "Where is God in this particular situation?" and "Where does the Gospel story cross our own human story?" are always at the heart of these meditations -- but rather than finding overt answers, instead you will be gently led to make your own connections and discover the powerful ways in which God works. Janice Scott has the unique ability to find interesting details in ordinary life that illuminate scripture, while still challenging even the most intellectual reader. And that gift is precisely what also makes her an outstanding communicator with children.

Most weeks include:

  • Sermon based on the Gospel reading
  • Sermon based on the Epistle reading
  • Sermon based on the First reading
  • Children's stories linked with the Gospel readings
  • Children's liturgy and story (a different story than mentioned above)
  • An intercessory prayer

New & Featured This Week

SermonStudio

Wayne H. Keller
The church, that is, the ekklesia, the called out ones, has taken some hard knocks both from its friends within and its foes without, from chilly indifference inside and arrogant cynicism outside. All kinds of people have condemned it for its navel-gazing, and its lack of concern for the world. Some years ago in Russia, two meetings took place simultaneously. In one, a group of Marxists discussed how they could overturn the world. In the other, which took place only a few doors away, a group of Christians fervently debated the color of their church's choir robes.
Elizabeth Achtemeier
This priestly account of God's creation of the world has been called the most theological chapter in the whole Bible. Written down in the sixth century B.C., its every word is carefully thought through. But it is not intended to be a scientific account of how God made the cosmos. The endless creationist attempts to make it into science and to foist it on our schools are invalid.
Jerry L. Schmalenberger
Seasonal Theme
The teaching and ministry of Jesus the Christ.

Theme For The Day
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity. God as Holy Parent, Son and Savior, and the Spirit with us here and now.

A Suggestion: For the next thirteen Sundays, the First Lesson will be from the book of Genesis for those who use the Revised Common Lectionary. Now might be a good time to introduce these readings to the congregation by putting an outline in your worship bulletin.
1:1-2:4a -- Creation of the Universe and Adam and Eve
Carlos Wilton
Theme For The Day
The great Trinitarian benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:13 -- "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all" -- provides an outline for teaching the doctrine of the Trinity.

Old Testament Lesson
Genesis 1:1--2:4a
The Creation
Steven E. Albertin
Trinity Sunday begins the second half of the church year. The first half of the church year beginning with Advent and ending with Pentecost focused on the life of Christ. We call this second half ordinary time but there is nothing ordinary about it. It is an extraordinary time of the year when we focus on the church's life and mission. Some have called Trinity Sunday the "great hinge" of the church year. Others have called it the "great pain"! Why?
James L. Killen, Jr.
Things are. The world is. The universe, whatever that is, is. I am. You are. That didn't just happen. Some people believe that is the result of an awesome succession of accidents but I just can't believe that. All of this didn't just happen. It must have been the result of some kind of a miracle. And if there was a miracle, there must be some miracle worker. Nothing that Darwin or anyone else has discovered can deny that.
William G. Carter
In the middle of March, 1961, a minister named Duffy splashed water on my head in the middle of a Sunday morning worship service. I was only one of a half dozen "Baby Boomers" whose parents had recently petitioned the Session for the sacrament of baptism. Having recently moved to a trailer park in Akron, Ohio, my parents thought the time seemed right to make their firstborn infant a Presbyterian.
Thom M. Shuman
Call To Worship
One: God, who created all things and named them "good,"
has shaped us in the divine image.
All: We come, with grace-filled hearts,
into the presence of our Creator.
One: Jesus, who led the way by carrying a cross,
has brought us into the kingdom of God.
All: We come, our brokenness made whole,
into the presence of our Redeemer.
One: The Holy Spirit, who brings us together from many places, calls us to be the household of God.
All: We come, all walls broken down,
Beverly S. Bailey
Hymns
Sois la Semilla (You Are The Seed) (NCH528, MH583)
Lord, You Give The Great Commission (MH584, PH429)
We Shall Overcome (NCH570, MH533)
God, Who Stretched (CBH414, MH150, PH268)
Lord, Our Lord, Your Glorious Name (CBH157, PH163)
All Creatures Of Our God And King (LBW527, NCH17, PH455, MH62, CBH48)
All Things Bright And Beautiful (CBH156, MH147, PH267)
Wind Who Makes All The Winds Blow (NCH271, PH131, MH538)
I Sing The Mighty Power Of God (CBH46, MH152, PH288)
Frank Ramirez
Call To Worship
 This world is no accident, but the product of design and purpose. Our presence here is no accident as well, but planned before time by a God who loves us.


Collect (Psalm 8:9)
(Unison) O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Amen.


Prayer Of Confession

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
George Reed
Dean Feldmeyer
For May 31, 2026:

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Toby was playing with his favourite toy. His family's new television had come packed in a large cardboard box, and now the box was empty Toby loved playing with it. Today it was a bus. Since his family had a car, Toby had only once travelled on a bus. It had been the highlight of his life. Now his big cardboard box was a bus, and Toby was the proud driver. Sometimes he would allow it his baby sister Samantha to sit in his bus as a passenger. But if she started to cry he got fed up and turned her out.

StoryShare

Craig Kelly
Keith Hewitt
Contents
"God, Faith, and Science Fairs" by Craig Kelly
"The Road Much Traveled" by Keith Hewitt


* * * * * * * *


God, Faith, and Science Fairs
by Craig Kelly
Genesis 1:1--2:4a
Keith Hewitt
C. David Mckirachan
Contents
"The Critic" by Keith Hewitt
"That's Just Not Him" by C. David McKirachan
"Getting Crowned" by C. David McKirachan


* * * * * * *


The Critic
by Keith Hewitt
Genesis 1:1--2:4a

"So, what do you think?"

CSSPlus

Good morning! This morning I brought with me a person some of you know very well. Who is she? (Let them answer.) To some of you, she is your "mother." To others of you, she is a friend. And others know her as a neighbor. Perhaps you know her as a nursery helper. You might also know her as a member of the choir. She is also a wife, a citizen of the land, and a businesswoman.
The sun is always with us. We can't see it here this morning because we are inside the church building, but we know the sun is outside. Sometimes clouds hide it from our view. At nighttime it seems like the sun is gone, but it isn't. Where is the sun when it's nighttime? (Let them answer.) We always have the sun -- whether we see it or not.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

William H. Shepherd
The more I listened, the more I heard desperation.

"It is possible for there to be light and darkness without the sun and the moon," she said as she launched into a long explanation gleaned from some dubious website. "And of course the days are not real days, but eras," she concluded.

"But the days are defined as alternating periods of light and darkness," someone replied. "Are you trying to tell us that there was darkness for thousands of years, and then light for another thousand?"

"That's one possibility," she said.
R. Craig Mccreary
All of my life, as I am sure of that in most of your lives, I have had to live by the numbers, and it has only gotten worse. There was a time when if you could manage to keep your social security number and telephone number in your head you could pretty well count on getting through the day unscathed. Those days are gone forever. I believe that the downward slide began with the invention of the area code. All right, I innocently went along believing that little harm would come and that could even be some benefit. What did I know?

Special Occasion

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Pentecost
29 – Sermons
150+ – Illustrations / Stories
30+ – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
28 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Trinity Sunday
28 – Sermons
150+ – Illustrations / Stories
29 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
26 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 5 (OT 10, Pent 2)
22 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
24 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
21 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
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