Lectionary for the forth Sunday of Easter
Praise and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honour, power and might, be to our God for ever! Revelation 7:12
Collect. O God, the fountain of joy and peace, you have subjected to the royal power of your Son the destinies of all peoples and nations. Sustain us by the power of your Spirit, and grant that, in the midst of all life’s varied changes, we may never be separated from our Good Shepherd, who guides us to the springs of life, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings. Revelation 7:9-17. Anyone who has attended a Christian funeral will probably have heard the words of comfort in this reading: the promise that there will come a time when every tear will be wiped away. They are wonderful words of comfort but they are not just for the comfort of people recently bereaved. The setting of the verse is quite specific. Often the words are used to suggest that the person who had died is now safe and secure and in the company of Jesus. Indeed there are verses which do give us that assurance (e.g Luke 23:14. Rev 2:7.). However this passage has a more far reaching meaning. The setting of the passage is here on earth, not in some far removed place. It is on earth but is very different from the present experience of life on earth. In this setting God is on his earthly throne and standing by is The Lamb; they are receiving the praise and honour due from every nation and all earths’ people: The throne is surrounded by the whole people of God and there is no division. It is a wonderful description of universal unending praise and worship. Then the message comes to John that these worshippers are the ones who have trusted Jesus through to the end. They have remained faithful through all the attacks that have come upon them on the journey through life. Thus the prophecy is for a time still to come when the whole ministry of Jesus Christ will have been completed and every enemy of God has been overcome. With the victory fully and finally in place the worshipping celebrations can begin. It is then that the promise of being lead to the “water of life” takes place. These closing verses then become great words of comfort for the whole people of God; a word of hope and a powerful reminder that the victory of Jesus Christ will one day be completed and God will reign and all of God’s people will join in a time of endless rejoicing.
Prayer. Almighty God we thank you for your great love for each of us. We thank you that like so many others we can be gathered around your throne and cheer and rejoice because of your great goodness. We thank you that we can look forward to that time when “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”. Help us Lord to fix our thoughts on what you have done for us and recognise how great your power is to overcome evil and injustice. Help us to live in the wonderful power of your love, today and every day and every day look forward to the fulfilment of your promises. Amen
My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me; I give them eternal life. John 10:27-28
Reading. John 10: 22-30. The Feast of Dedication was celebrated to honour the rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabaeus after it was defiled by Antiochus Epiphanies in 167 BC. (Today this celebration is more commonly called the Festival of Lights or Hanukkah.) Lasting eight days, this festival was marked by the lighting of the Menorah and celebrated that true worship in the Temple could begin again. During this celebration the Jews challenged Jesus to reveal his true self. Jesus is in the south and the Jews from the south had a different relationship with Jesus that those in the North, in Galilee. The Jews from the south had a much more legalistic attitude to keeping the Law and that is why they constantly challenged Jesus’ orthodoxy. This is why in John’s Gospel that Jesus times in Jerusalem are filled with controversies. The Jews questioning of Jesus is a legalistic challenge but Jesus uses it to remind them that who he is can be clearly and consistently seen should they wish to do so. Jesus reminds them that he does the works to which God has called him. In one sense every leader in Israel should have been doing the works that Jesus did. As Luke reminds us in Acts 10:38; Jesus went about, “doing good”: That in itself should have told them that Jesus’ power to do those good works came from God for he could do them and they could not. They did not want to see and therefore they could not see. From verse 26 John is speaking more directly to the early church, namely: Only those that believe belong to flock of Jesus Christ. Not to believe puts one on the outside. Yet for those who believe they need also to hear and having heard they also obey. We need to remember that in the ancient world the shepherd called his flock and they followed. The shepherd never drove the flock to where the sheep needed to be to find good pasture! The result of being an obedient follower was to have the gift of “Eternal Life”. For people then as now, this was an announcement of good news for it reminded the reader that though trouble and strife, sadness and death might surround them, these did not take away the promise of eternal life that Jesus gave. Those who followed Jesus could know that their relationship with him was secure because Jesus and the Father were one in complete harmony.
It was this close harmony that Jesus possessed that so angered the Jewish leaders around the Temple. Jesus was a leader who cared for the sheep and after whom the sheep were beginning to follow. They as leaders should also have cared for the sheep by doing his will but they had failed. John’s point is made clear; Jesus is the true Shepherd for God’s Flock: through Him true worship of God is possible.
Prayer. Gracious God we thank you for Jesus the true Shepherd of the sheep. Grant that we may always be open to hear his voice and follow him when he calls. May our hearts ever be truly set on him and having been so cared for may we also be carers of your sheep: To the honour and glory of your name. Amen.
O God, the fountain of joy and peace, you have subjected to the royal power of your Son the destinies of all peoples and nations. Sustain us by the power of your Spirit, and grant that, in the midst of all life’s varied changes, we may never be separated from our Good Shepherd, who guides us to the springs of life, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen (Uniting in worship)
ericjkirkham.com 