One Little Word

The Voice of the Shepherd

Lessons:
     Acts  4:5-12
     Psalm 23
     1st John 3:16-24
     St. John 10:11-18

Prayer of the Day:
    O Lord Christ, good shepherd of the sheep, you seek the lost and guide us into your fold. Feed us, and we shall be satisfied; heal us, and we shall be whole. Make us one with you, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

^10:11 [Jesus said:] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away – and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

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St. John 10:11-18, New Revised Standard Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

I once saw a television special about middle-east shepherds – people who live a life that isn’t radically different from that of their first century counter-parts. It was fascinating to see the lives they led, wandering endlessly in search of fields where their sheep might graze. Every night, the sheep were led into a protected area – a “sheepfold.” Sometimes, there would be three or four or five flocks gathered by a number of shepherds into the same area. The shepherds would take shifts staying up throughout the night, making sure that wolves or other wild animals weren’t able to make their way into the protected area. In the morning, a person would wonder if there was any hope of separating one flock from another. But interestingly enough, it was a very simple matter. Each shepherd went to opposite corners of the field and began to call the sheep. As the sheep heard the shepherds’ voices they immediately began to move towards the one that belonged to their shepherd. After a few minutes all the sheep were separated into their own flocks, and the shepherds lead them away.

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He Opened Their Minds
to Understand the Scriptures

Lessons:
     Acts  3:12-19
     Psalm 4
     1st John 3:1-7
     St. Luke 24:36b-48

Prayer of the Day:
    Holy and righteous God, you are the author of life, and you adopt us to be your children. Fill us with your words of life, that we may live as witnesses to the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

^24:36b Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ³⁷ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸ He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate in their presence.

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶ and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things.

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St. Luke 24:36b-48, New Revised Standard Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

I’ve been taught… and I’ve been taught. There have been times when teachers have filled my mind with information: explanations, dates, relationships, limits, expectations… It has happened at the hands of high school, college, and seminary instructors. Supervisors at work have done it in preparing me for new jobs. Leaders in civic organizations have laid out expectations for me. I’ve walked away from these experiences better informed, and perhaps even a bit more capable.

But there have also been people who have truly taught me. Parents, other family members, mentors throughout my life, close friends and colleagues – there have been times when these people have gone a step beyond filling my mind with information. There have been times when they have literally opened my mind to a new understanding of what was at hand. When a person is touched by that kind of teaching, the world never quite looks the same again. That kind of teaching is a closer kin to conversion than it is to indoctrination. It provides a depth of understanding that transforms who we are, and the way we live.

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Lessons:
     Acts  4:32-35
     Psalm 133
     1st John 1:1-2:2
     St. John 20:19-31

Prayer of the Day:
     Almighty God, with joy we celebrate the day of our Lord’s resurrection. By the grace of Christ among us, enable us to show the power of the resurrection in all that we say and do, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

^20:19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” ²⁴ But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹ But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

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St. John 20:19-31, New Revised Standard Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

This coming Sunday we celebrate “The Second Sunday of Easter.” Christians from the liturgical tradition hold that the resurrection of Jesus is so central to what we believe, that we don’t just celebrate it for one Sunday. In fact, we celebrate it for a week of Sundays. So get ready: for the next few weeks, at least here at Saint Peter, we’ll begin our time together with that familiar proclamation: “Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!”

However, this Sunday could just as well be called “The Feast Day of Thomas: Patron Saint of All who Ask Hard Questions.” He is called “Doubting Thomas” only by those who misunderstand him, and who don’t take time to read the Scriptures carefully. Thomas is one of my heroes, and I’m grateful that his story is told in the Bible, and during worship on the Sunday after Easter every year.

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Lessons:
    Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9
    Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
    1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43
    St. Mark 16:1-8 or St. John 20:1-18

Prayer of the Day:
    God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of life. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ, and help us to grow as your people toward the fullness of eternal life with you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

^16:1 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ^2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ^3 They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ^4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. ^5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ^6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. ^7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” ^8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

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St. Mark 16:1-8 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

How does St. Mark’s Gospel actually end? That may seem like a strange question, but we actually do not know how Mark intended to end his Gospel. There are a number of very old copies (hand copied by scribes, hundreds of years ago). They can be found in museums, universities, research centers and private collections throughout the world. If we compare them to one another, we find that there are at least five different endings represented in the various manuscripts. Some include a summary verse that follows verse 8. Some include a long section (verse 9 through 20) that follows verse 8. Some include both of these endings. Some include the longer ending (9-20) with additional material about halfway through it. And some end, quite abruptly, with verse 8.

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