Worship @ Home - 3 May 2020 | St. Peter's Church Ardingly

Nigel Cheater

Monday 3rd April 2023

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Grace, mercy and peace

from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ

be with us all.

Welcome again to ‘Worship at Home’, already the seventh in our Sunday series! In a spirit of thanksgiving, and even in our current situation or amid anxiety, pain or grief, take a moment to think of all the blessings God has given you, all his spiritual and material gifts…

So we cannot help but begin with praise and adoration, using George Herbert’s wonderful hymn. If you want to sing it, here’s a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecY8VkF1V1s

Let all the world in every corner sing: my God and King!

The heavens are not too high, his praise may thither fly;

the earth is not too low, his praises there may grow.

Let all the world in every corner sing: my God and King!

The church with psalms must shout, no door can keep them out;

but, more than all, the heart must bear the longest part.

Let all the world in every corner sing: my God and King!

“The church with psalms must shout, no door can keep them out”. Church doors around the world as well as our own may indeed be shut, but God’s people everywhere can’t help singing and shouting his praise in every corner of the world. Halleluia!

Come let us worship and bow down

and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God;

we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. (Psalm 95:6-7)

Let us pray.

We begin by reflecting for a moment on our own relationship with God …. We recognise that “we have erred and strayed from God’s ways like lost sheep and followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts”. Tell him about those occasions. Then pray:

Be with me, Spirit of God;

Nothing can separate me from your love.

Breathe on me, breath of God;

Fill me with your saving power.

Speak in me wisdom of God;

bring strength, healing and peace.

“If we confess our sins, He is just, and may be trusted to forgive our sins and cleanse us from every kind of wrong.” (1 John 1:9, NEB)

W.F. Faber’s hymn puts it like this:

1 There's a wideness in God's mercy,

like the wideness of the sea;

there's a kindness in his justice

which is more than liberty.

2 There is no place where earth's sorrows

are more keenly felt than heaven:

there is no place where earth's failings

have such gracious judgement given.

3 There is plentiful redemption

through the blood that Christ has shed;

there is joy for all the members

in the sorrows of the Head.

(There are so many different versions, both of lyrics and tunes, I will leave you to choose your preferred version if you want to sing it!)

Today’s Gospel reading is John 10:1-10. The context is important. In chapter 9, Jesus has healed a man born blind and the Pharisees had shown themselves hard-hearted, intolerant and, ironically, blind to Jesus’ revelation of himself as the Messiah. The healed man, however, said “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (9:33). Take some time to read the passage through…

John 10:1-10

As a church, local, national and world wide, we find ourselves sailing in unfamiliar waters: Christians unable to gather together are having to reflect on what ‘church’ really means. Isolation has challenged our sense of belonging, both to the church and to each other. A virus which has such devastating effects leaves us anxious for ourselves and our loved ones. We worry about the supply of goods and services, the post-pandemic future and the prospect of struggling, debt-laden economies.

Jesus’ words in this passage present his listeners with a series of pictures. They are painted deliberately by Jesus to create a contrast between himself and the Pharisees, most of whom have rejected him, dismissed his credentials and threatened and insulted his believers. Their treatment of the man born blind (ch.9) illustrates their hostility. They were the ones trying to enter God’s kingdom by a way other than through Jesus. They were the ‘thieves and robbers’ from whom believers in Jesus had turned and were listening to his call and following him. For the Pharisees, Jesus was painting pictures of judgement (9:39); for his followers pictures of encouragement.

First we are strengthened by the picture of ownership; we belong to Christ; we are his possession. Did you notice, as you read the verses, how often Jesus uses the word ‘his’? “…the shepherd of his sheep” (v.2), “…his own sheep…” (v.3), “…all his own…” and “…his sheep follow…” (v.4). Despite our current sense of isolation, we still belong to Jesus. “We are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care”, (Psalm 95:7). He has called us out (in Greek ecclesia, the word for church, means a calling out), as a shepherd then would from a communal village courtyard in which everyone’s sheep were penned for the night. What is more, the shepherd calls them out by name; he knows each one of them individually as Jesus, our Good Shepherd (v.11), knows us. We belong to him personally and to each other as his flock.

Secondly, we are reassured by the picture of safety. Jesus describes himself as the gate or, more properly, door, as the scene has moved from village into open country and the temporary overnight pens where the shepherd himself lay down across the gap in the stockade as a ‘door’ to protect the sheep. “Whoever enters through me will be saved”

(v.9). It is a picture of Jesus’ protection, that sense of security within the flock, defended from danger by a caring and loving Shepherd.

Finally, we are heartened by the picture of provision (vv.9-10). The psalmist (121:7-8) puts it like this: “The Lord will keep you from all harm -he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore.” When Moses asked God to choose a successor as leader of the Israelites to take them into the promised land (Numbers 27:17), he defined the profile of such a man: “… one who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” ‘Coming and going’ was the Jewish way of summarising all life’s activities. As Christians, we can be certain that God watches over every aspect of our lives. In his keeping, with his provision, we will ‘find pasture’; not only will our needs will be satisfied, but Jesus promises his flock life -life to the full.

We can trust in this promise, as Jesus himself, suffering and dying on the cross to pay for our sin, was raised to life. This same resurrection life is offered to whoever hears the Shepherd’s call and believes in Jesus, for “Whoever enters through me will be saved”. The flock becomes his possession. And his call continues each day; we become accustomed to his voice and trust in his leading, for only as his flock can we truly know God’s protection and provision.

So, our sense of belonging need not be diminished by our inability to meet in a building; what matters is that we still belong to Jesus and to each other. We can feel secure that, whatever may befall us or our friends and family, we are safe in the care of our loving Shepherd and do not need to be afraid. And we have no need to be anxious; Jesus promises to watch over all our comings and goings and provide everything we need both now and in the future. Halleluia!

Let’s close with prayer.

First, to Jesus our Good Shepherd:

Risen Christ,

faithful Shepherd of your Father’s sheep:

teach us to hear your voice

and to follow your command,

that all your people may be gathered into one flock,

to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Amid the current threats and restrictions hanging over us, we have much to be thankful for: the encouragement of communities coming together, creativity and inventiveness in finding ways to support medics and carers, feed the hungry and house the homeless; care and concern for the vulnerable and amazing fund-raising stories to lift the heart. Praise and thank God for bringing out the best of human kindness and co-operation.

Next in our own words, we lift before our heavenly Father: those who have suffered bereavement, those who are sick, those who care for the sick and vulnerable and those risking their own health who to supply all our needs. Pray inspiration for scientists working on vaccines, wisdom for decision-makers and Christ’s peace for those who are restless… Then pray…

Lord, you are our faithful Shepherd.

You know us all by name and call us out to follow you.

May we who are yours protect the weak, as you protect us.

May we who are yours provide for the needy, as you provide for us.

Through the sheep of your flock, comfort the sorrowing and fearful

and give understanding to the confused. Amen.

We end by joining our prayers together with our brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world by saying the Lord’s Prayer.

A closing hymn, Anna L. Waring’s ‘In heavenly love abiding’ leaves us with the assurance of God’s presence with us in the darkness and, one day, green pastures we’ve yet to see. Here’s a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sd7GDDSsvk

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

With love and blessings,

John W.

Except where indicated, Bible Quotations: Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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