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▶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 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A

Children's Liturgy and Story

Matthew 22:15-22

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

When some Pharisees tried to trick him, Jesus said, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." In our worship today let us explore the things that are God's.

Children's Story

Matthew 22:15-22

Janice B. Scott
"Are you coming?" shouted Tim breathlessly.

Ben bit his lip and frowned. "I'm not sure," he muttered.

Tim stared at him in amazement. Ben was considered to be the best football player in the class, and the game without him was unthinkable. "What do you mean?" asked Tim.

Intercession

Matthew 22:15-22

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

Exodus 33:12-23

Janice B. Scott
On the death of a loved one there, our local hospital gives to bereaved relatives poems containing words of reassurance and support. One of the pieces they give is that lovely, anonymous poem "Footprints", which is still a comfort and an inspiration to many people. It goes like this:

Sermon

Matthew 22:15-22

Janice B. Scott
Round about 1986, a national movement arose in Britain called something like: the Snowball campaign. It grew from CND, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. It started in a small way, but it grew bigger and bigger, hence the name Snowball.

Ian and I were living in Fakenham at the time, and the campaign had quite an impact on life in North Norfolk. Partly because it was the brainchild of Angie Zelter, a young woman who lived in one of the villages just outside Fakenham.

Sermon

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Janice B. Scott
The Alpha course raises strong emotions, not least amongst clergy. Alpha is a course on basic Christianity, designed for non-believers and devised by Holy Trinity Church in Brompton, London. It started in a small way back in the seventies and eighties, but when a young curate, the Revd. Nicky Gumbel, joined the staff of Holy Trinity, he revamped the course and it took off in a big way.

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 October 18, 2026:

SermonStudio

David G. Rogne
Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax."And they brought him a denarius.
Carlos Wilton
Theme For The Day
The faith, love, and hope Paul celebrates among the Thessalonians are virtues we do well to cultivate today.

Old Testament Lesson
Exodus 33:12-23
Moses Intercedes For The People, And Sees The Glory Of The Lord
Stan Purdum
(See The Transfiguration Of Our Lord/Last Sunday After The Epiphany, Cycles A and C.)
This psalm celebrates the kingship of God, and proclaims that divine kingship is related to holiness. Structurally, the psalm may be divided into three parts. Verses 1-3 proclaim the kingship of God over all the earth. Verses 4-5 announce God's justice and righteousness specifically for Israel. Verses 6-9 praise God as the one who answers those who call on God's name. Together, these three sections define a God who is holy: holy in majesty, holy in justice, holy in responsiveness.
Mariann Edgar Budde
The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.
Joseph M. Freeman
Over the course of one's life, one knows those persons/groups who think the worst of you and who aren't the least bit interested in changing their opinion. In my life, as I cross paths with such persons, I automatically put up my guard -- high! -- and I match their low regard for me with an equally low regard for them. However, that high-guardedness, attitudinally and dispositionally, bars one from meaningful conversation and ensures only perfunctory exchanges. We leave each other's company all the more grounded in our limited perception of one another.
William A. Jones
"I beseech Thee, O God, show me thy glory. Show me the essence of your being. I want the mystery to be unveiled. I desire an unblurred view of divinity. Lord, show me thy glory."

Intimacy with God, no doubt, has made possible the request. Moses and God have been on speaking terms for quite a while. From the backside of Horeb all the way to this mount named Sinai, the Lord talked with Moses and He did it as a man speaketh unto his friend.
Life never stands still. It can crawl along too slowly, zip past us before we know it, torture us with opportunities we can never get again, or bewilder us with which path to take. But it never stands still.
George L. Murphy
It was a trap. The Pharisees set it. Jealous that Jesus was gaining a following, they were eager to destroy him, and they'd do it by using his own words against him.
Richard C. Brand
Now there is a greeting that will knock you back a moment. "We always give thanks to God for all of you." Other translations put it: "We give thanks to God always for all of you." And maybe Paul was pouring it on a little thick, but it is a greeting that will put one on the defensive, because if we are honest, we cannot reply that we have always been praying for Paul. If we are honest, we cannot say that we are always faithful in our prayers at all. Paul tells the church at Thessalonica that he is always praying for them and giving thanks to God for them.
Thom M. Shuman
Call To Worship
One: We gather in God's holy presence,
coming to the One who knows us by name.
All: God's glory surprises us each morning;
God's goodness cradles us at night when we sleep.
One: We praise the One whose justice is for all;
whose word transforms every life.
All: God's presence never leaves us;
God's mercy mends the cracks in our broken lives.
One: We give thanks to God for the hope of each day;
we remember God's splendor lighting our way.
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
Litany Of Confession
P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
I: We confess to you, O God, that we wish to be you.
II: We try to make you in our image and to define your power in ways
that set us above our neighbors.
I: We wish to control our own destinies.
II: We confess to you our worship of the world's power and wealth:
oil, land, and money;
strength, speed, and physical beauty.

Silence for self-examination and prayer

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
The lessons for this Sunday share common themes regarding knowing God (how he is correctly known) and also that he receives all the credit due him for what he does for us. 

Exodus 33:12-23
Wayne Brouwer
"Politics are almost as exciting as war and quite as dangerous!" said Winston Churchill. "In war you can only be killed once but in politics many times."

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
"Are you coming?" shouted Tim breathlessly.

Ben bit his lip and frowned. "I'm not sure," he muttered.

Tim stared at him in amazement. Ben was considered to be the best football player in the class, and the game without him was unthinkable. "What do you mean?" asked Tim.

StoryShare

Scott Dalgarno
Timothy J. Smith
Contents
What's Up This Week
"We Are, None of Us, Our Own" by Scott Dalgarno
"The Word from God" by Timothy J. Smith


What's Up This Week
Craig Kelly
David O. Bales
Contents
"Glorious" by Craig Kelly
"All This Over a Coin?" by David O. Bales


* * * * * * * *


Glorious
by Craig Kelly
Exodus 33:12-23

Man, I loved Uncle Edward.

CSSPlus

Good morning, boys and girls. Has anyone ever played a trick on you? (Let them answer. Ask what the trick was and then ask how the child felt when the trick was revealed.) Sometimes tricks are pretty harmless. Someone might point behind you. As you look to see what is behind you, the other person says "Made you look!" Has that ever happened to any of you? (Let them answer.) That trick doesn't really hurt anyone, but some tricks can make you feel pretty bad. It's really not very much fun to be tricked.

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