Login / Signup

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.

Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - A

Children's Liturgy and Story

Matthew 10:24-39

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
Jesus said, "Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me." In our worship today let us pledge ourselves to be worthy of him.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, I don't know what my cross is, so I don't know how to take it up.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, I do want to follow you, but I also like to be comfortable.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, I want to avoid or evade crucifixion at all costs.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:
Matthew 10:24-39 (NRSV)

Children's Story

Matthew 10:24-39

Janice B. Scott
Steven couldn't believe his luck. He'd been slouching around the shopping centre with his hands in his pockets feeling miserable because he had no money. There was a new computer game he was desperate to buy, because all his friends had it and were raving about it. Steven had been wandering around the shop gazing longingly at the game, but he had no means to buy one.

As he'd wandered out of the shop, staring at the ground in his misery, he noticed a £20 note lying by the side of the waste bin. Steven quickly looked all around. Amazingly, there was no one in sight. He looked into the bin, to see whether a wallet or purse containing a name had been thrown away, but there was nothing.

Intercession

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

Matthew 10:24-39

Janice B. Scott
Years ago, politicians were regarded as the epitome of authority and therefore above reproach. There were occasional scandals which shocked the nation, like the Profumo affair in 1963, but it seems like Watergate in 1972 was the real opener of a very large can of worms indeed.

Since the days of Watergate politicians have no longer been above reproach, but have been regarded as fair game for all branches of the media. So much so that governments since have in part at least, been toppled by allegations of sleaze. But needless to say, no one party has exclusive rights to sleaze, and all parties now have their fair share of media revelations.

Sermon

Genesis 21:8-21

Janice B. Scott
In every century there has been at least one group of people which has been ostracized with due horror by the rest of society. When we look back, it isn't easy to fully understand why these groups of people have been regarded as beyond the pale. In the time of Jesus and for many years afterwards, anyone who contracted leprosy was immediately cast out and groups of lepers had to survive as best they could, on the scraps and goodwill of others.

Until the 18th century, slavery was regarded as normal for society and slaves themselves were regarded as an inferior branch of humanity, little better than animals. Slaves had to do the bidding of others, were not paid for their work and were often badly treated or even murdered.

Sermon

Romans 6:1b-11

Janice B. Scott
George Thomas was a pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit.

Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak. "I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, 'What have you got there, son?'"

"Just some old birds," came the reply.

"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.

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

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Dean Feldmeyer
Nazish Naseem
George Reed
Thomas Willadsen
For June 14, 2026:

StoryShare

David O. Bales
John Fitzgerald
Contents
"Most Improved" by David O. Bales
"Echoing Sheep" by David O. Bales
"Having Compassion" by John Fitzgerald

Most Improved
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)
By David O. Bales

In the teachers’ lounge at South Middle School the morning gossip and general world critique turned to Darrell Schmeling. “Old prune face,” one called him.

A teacher getting a soda from the refrigerator turned and said, “I saw him smile once, but I think he was getting paid.”
John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "She Had Compassion"
Shining Moments: "I Gave You to God" by Andrew Oren
Sermon Starter: "Like Having a Baby" by John Sumwalt
Scrap Pile: "Preaching without a Manuscript" by R. Karl Watkins
"How Do You Preach?" by John Sumwalt


What's Up This Week

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
When Jesus saw the people he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless. Is he calling you today to become a shepherd for his sheep?

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, I wonder why you don't call me to work for you?
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, I'm happy to work for you as long as I don't have to change anything in my life.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, help me to tune into your voice so that I may hear your call, and then to respond.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

David E. Leininger
Interesting collection of workers Jesus chose to accompany him -- the twelve. Not a genius among 'em. Common folks: a few fishermen, farmers, even a tax collector. They were not even particularly religious. What they were was willing to be used to further the work of a man they admired, even loved, despite the fact that he was a man they misunderstood. Eventually, they came to realize (even as a few others did) that "this truly was the Son of God." And with the training they had received combined with the commitment they came to develop, those folks turned the world upside down.
Constance Berg
I grew up in a predominately Catholic town, and I have three friends who are priests. I admire their adherence to the vows they took at their ordination: a vow of obedience, a vow of celibacy, and a vow of poverty. Each took their vows quite seriously at their ordination and still do to this day.

Steven E. Albertin
The phone rings in the middle of the night. There is only one reason why someone would call you at this time of the night, and it can't be good. The deadpan voice of the police officer tells you the horrible news rather matter-of-factly. Your imagination runs wild. You were not there, but you can hear the tires screeching, the metal smashing, the glass breaking, and the sirens whining. It was not supposed to end this way. She had so much of life yet to live.
Mark Ellingsen
Jesus' ministry and mission was shifting into high gear. Matthew reports that Jesus had gone about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues. But he had not just been preaching the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 9:35a). It seems that Jesus had compassion on the crowd because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). Matthew reports that Jesus cured every disease and sickness he encountered (Matthew 9:35b).
Wayne H. Keller
Unlike many businesses today engaged in the process of "downsizing," it was time for Jesus to "upsize." Too much happening, too many demands, too many needs, too much illness, too many people sapping Jesus' strength. So, he called the twelve. Did he have any idea what he was doing? What a pathetic band of characters, at least by society's standards. In a choose-up-sides baseball game, the captain probably would have picked them last. They looked and acted like the "Charlie Browns" of the first century.
Larry M. Goodpaster
The young woman squirmed uncomfortably in the cushioned chair to which she had been directed by the receptionist. Not only was she nervous about the impending job interview, but the shuttle service which had provided transportation from the airport to this office building had been the worst of her life. The others who had been on the van seemed as upset as she was -- and just as captive. Now, because of the traffic, and because that driver had not known which building was hers, she was late for her appointment.
Thom M. Shuman
Call To Worship
One: On an ordinary Sunday,
we come to worship God.
All: We come, trusting God will speak to us;
we come, hoping God will surprise us.
One: On this day, like every other day,
we seek to follow Jesus.
All: We follow, believing Jesus will be with us;
we follow, hoping Jesus will work through us.
One: On this day,
we lift our souls to God's Spirit;
All: we open our hearts, that the Spirit may fill us;
we open our hands that we might be a gift to others.
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
Confession And Absolution
P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.

P: Merciful God, your will for us is to know the abundance of life, yet this world's suffering continues.
C: We have no answers, and we confess to you the failure of our self-reliance and the anger that is born of our despair. Speak to our questions. Speak to our confusion. Speak to our tears.

Silence for reflection

Emphasis Preaching Journal

A few years back, the religious media was filled with reports of "holy laughter." Some charismatic churches saw what proponents called a new manifestation of the Holy Spirit, as their members were seized by fits of uncontrollable laughing. Advocates insisted that this was an indication that God was doing a new thing among believers. Critics countered that this new thing was a manifestation of the wrong sort of spirit, and brought about by New Age doctrine and mind control techniques. Outsiders looked at the whole controversy as yet another dumb thing fundamentalists do.
Wayne Brouwer
Psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, often wrote about the meaninglessness of his patients' lives. He was able to sympathize with them in a powerful way, since he spent part of World War II in a concentration camp. He remembered the dark weeks of 1944 vividly: the numbness of the gray days, the cold sameness of every dreary morning.

Suddenly, like a bolt of bright colors, came the stunning whisper that the Allies had landed at Normandy. The push was on. The Germans were running. The tide of the war had turned. "By Christmas we'll be released!" they told each other.

CSSPlus

Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to have a real treat. I found out the other day that our friend, Mike, is taking guitar lessons. So I asked Mike if he wouldn't mind playing for us.

Mike, how do you like playing the guitar? (let him answer) How long have you been taking lessons? (let him answer) How often do you practice? (let him answer) That is very good. I bet some day you will be a great musician. Would you play your favorite song for us? (ask him to play something that he knows very well)
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of your parents read a newspaper? (Let them answer.) Do some of you look at the newspaper? Do you read the comics or other sections? (Let them answer.) Some of you aren't old enough to read yet, but some day you'll start reading. One thing you will read will be a newspaper like this one. (Show the paper.) What does a newspaper have in it that is so important to people? (Let them answer.) It has stories in it. We call these stories "news." Some of the news is good news. Some of the news is bad news.

Special Occasion

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
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...
Proper 6 (OT 11, Pent 3)
29 – Sermons
150+ – Illustrations / Stories
30+ – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
28 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 7 (OT 12, Pent 4)
28 – Sermons
130+ – Illustrations / Stories
23 – Children's Sermons / Resources
19 – Worship Resources
22 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Signup for FREE!
(No credit card needed.)
Wildcard SSL