Holy Cross Lutheran Church May 3, 2020 Fourth Sunday of Easter WORSHIP AT HOME: Today is sometimes called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Jesus is called the “gate” of the sheep in today’s gospel. The risen Christ opens the way to abundant life. He anoints our heads with oil and guides us beside the still waters of our baptism. Each Sunday he spreads a feast before us amid the world’s violence and war. We go forth to be signs of the resurrection and extend God’s tender care to all creation. WELCOME GATHERING SONG Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Transcript
Holy Cross Lutheran ChurchMay 3, 2020 Fourth Sunday of Easter
WORSHIP AT HOME: Today is sometimes called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Jesus is called the “gate” of the sheep in today’s gospel. The risen Christ opens the way to abundant life. He anoints our heads with oil and guides us beside the still waters of our baptism. Each Sunday he spreads a feast before us amid the world’s violence and war. We go forth to be signs of the resurrection and extend God’s tender care to all creation.
WELCOMEGATHERING SONG Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. AmenGracious God, Have mercy on us. We Confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
PRAYER OF THE DAY: O God our shepherd, you know your sheep by name and lead us to safety through the valleys of death. Guide us by your voice, that we may walk in certainty and security to the joyous feast prepared in your house, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
THE FIRST READING Acts 2:42-47They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
THE WORD OF THE LORDTHANKS BE TO GOD
THE PSALM Psalm 23The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures;he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil;for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
THE SECOND READING 1 Peter 2:19-25For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
THE WORD OF THE LORDTHANKS BE TO GOD
GOSPEL ACCLAMATIONAlleluia. Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. Alleluia.
THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN 10:1-10“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
SERMON Rev. Jim Berggren
Gate? Jesus says that he is a gate? What I heard was that a gate is restrictive, and xenophobic. Gates should be dismantled and removed from their hinges. And what are we supposed to do with Jesus if he is the gate of the sheep? Oh yes, that is correct. We already did it on Good Friday. Really, I’d rather talk about Kum Bah Yah, and swaying deliciously in front of the campfire and ignore the hungry wolves and sheep predators circumnavigating the forest darkness, just beyond the reach of the light, unhindered by the safety of a fold and a gate. If I am a sheep there, I am low-hanging fruit.
That first week I attended summer church camp, at Camp Washunga, was a wonderful departure from my usual summer schedule of spending several weeks living with my Grandmother, G.G.,
in her workplace in Lansing, Kansas, The Kansas State Industrial Farm for Women. She was the Superintendent. Those are all nice euphemisms. G.G. was the head warden at the women’s state penitentiary.
G.G. assigned Ernestine to watch over me. She was the most dangerous woman there, a convicted murderer, large, dark, and full of scars. She protected me fiercely. I was safe in the Pen. But there were no other children there to play with. It was an all-adult world. I visited sick and injured prisoners in the hospital wing, some detoxing, some pregnant with complications. Elderly Lillian was deaf and mute and we spent hours writing notes to each other. What a patient woman she was! We were all sheep in G.G.’s fold. I believe that the love shown in that place was part of G.G.’s gift to the world. She was a gatekeeper who promised SAFETY, growing skills and CONFIDENCE and a future of ABUNDANCE for her shattered sheep.
So a week at Camp Washunga was a heady freedom. A new adventure with a peer group of actual peers. What puzzled me were my peers there, who were struggling with homesickness. I just didn’t understand, I was so thrilled to be with a lot of people my age. That didn’t happen either on the farm as an only child, or in the prison.
One young man was terrified, afraid of the Boogeyman. The more he fretted, the more the other children in the cabin worried. Our cabin counselor was a great guy, strong and kind. He tried every rational argument he knew to convince Johnny, that there wasn’t a Boogeyman. It was almost ‘lights out’ when in exasperation, he moved his bunk in front of the door and said, “OK Johnny, the Boogeyman’s gonna have to go through me to get to you. Trust me! He won’t make it!!” What a wonderful reassurance of safety!
Christ the Gate is the door that gives SAFETY. The sheepfold enclosed against the night hazards of weather, wild beasts and sheep thieves. Jesus is there between us and the world to provide safety and modify our relationships to people, places, and things. Jesus stands as a gate of mercy between enemies and friends, between wives and husbands, and between bosses and workers, giving us the option of forgiveness and love in human relationships that no human power could provide.
Jesus, the Gate, also gives us CONFIDENCE. We have encouragement and assurance as we go in and out, over the threshold, about our lives’ paths. We are assured of liberty and freedom as children of God and that gives us confidence in living. Sometimes we are victims of bad events, but Christ the door helps us to be survivors. He is the doorkeeper who watches the threshold and the comings and goings of all who go through the door.
Sheep won’t cross the threshold until the right shepherd calls. They have followed the shepherd long enough to know the right voice when it calls. The sheep has to confidently trust his whole life and risk it daily to go through the Door into a demonstrably dangerous world. The other side of the door is unknown. It can be dangerous, challenging or opportune. It all depends on our attitude. With Christ the Door as our assurance in our daily travels, our attitude need not be one of fear, but of confidence. The past is approved and the future is open. All things work for the good for those who love the Good Shepherd, the Door of the sheep, the Gate. Our perceived problem, we can confidently assert, is the foundation upon which God, at this very moment, is building a miracle.
Fear can be helpful insofar as it directs us to look to the great Shepherd of our lives, and benefit from the confidence he gives. Unnecessary fear is distracting. Ray Bradbury amazing writer of science fiction, won an award in 1968 from the Aviation/Space Writers Association for a Life magazine article he wrote praising space exploration. They had to mail him his award. He couldn’t speak to the awards ceremony in Florida, because he lived in L.A. and was afraid to fly.
The good shepherd, Jesus, the Gate of the sheep, watches us and instills CONFIDENCE as we watch him.
And over the threshold of Jesus, the Gate is another thing just for us. ABUNDANCE. All that we need to keep us fit and happy; abundant and full life. Don’t fear a future that holds green pastures and better living. All the riches of God’s world are right here in front of us.
It is hard to imagine how valued we are by God. We are privileged, important and necessary components of God’s Kingdom, just as the sheep are the life and livelihood of the shepherd.
One of the commentators I read mentioned watching a shepherd ford a stream with his flock, heavy with spring wool easily waterlogged. The shepherd led the sheep into the stream at a narrow spot and then if they lost their footing he would grab them and push them ahead of him to the bank. When he got there, he would run downstream and grab others that had been swept away by the current. It was a busy but life-giving exercise. The writer made the observation, “The sheep fare best that keep nearest the shepherd.”
For Christ to call us sheep and to take his place as our shepherd is to say that we are the best thing and the most important thing he has going. We are the chief wealth of the Kingdom of God. We are abundance and we enjoy abundance! Our lives are the food, milk, cheese, clothing, shelter and medium of exchange of the blessings of God. We are God’s economy, self-sustaining, that will never shut down.
This is what Christ the Door, Jesus, the Gate came to give us. What those green pastures and still waters tell me is that God is the author of life, he approves of life and living and he tries to lead us into it in every way possible. Jesus, the Gate of the Sheep, is the passageway to the best of everything. SAFETY, CONFIDENCE AND ABUNDANCE.
Step right through. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY
THE OFFERINGYour regular contributions during the Lenten services and the Sundays that we will be missing in corporate worship, will certainly be appreciated. As you can see through this weekly worship aid, we are not suspending operations. We are simply adapting to novel circumstances. Thank you for your service, your prayers and your faithful donations!!
APOSTLES CREEDI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of Heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived
by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH:
Shepherding God, we thank you for the educational ministries of your church. Enrich the work of teachers, professors, mentors, advisors, and faculty at colleges, seminaries, and learning sites. Lord, in your mercy . . . Hear our prayer.
Creating God, we praise you for those who maintain and operate farm equipment, for those who plant and harvest crops, for local farmers’ markets, and for those involved in agriculture of any kind. Strengthen their hands as they feed the world. Lord, in your mercy . . . Hear our prayer.
Guiding God, no one should be in want. Bid the nations to return to your paths of righteousness and inspire our leaders to walk in your ways, so that all may have the opportunity to live abundantly and sustainably. Lord in your mercy . . . Hear our prayer.
Comforting God, you carry us tenderly. We pray for those who walk through dark valleys overshadowed by anxiety and overwhelmed with suffering. Lord in your mercy . . . Hear our prayer.
Nurturing God, you desire justice for the hungry. Bless advocacy work, food pantries, and feeding ministries in our congregations. May none of our neighbors lack for basic needs. Lord in your mercy . . . Hear our prayer.
Everlasting God, your beloved have heard your voice; you have called them by name and guided them to your side in death. We thank you for their lives of faithful witness. Lord in your mercy . . . Hear our prayer.
With bold confidence in your love, almighty God, we place all for whom we pray into your eternal care; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen
HYMN
GO IN PEACE, SHARE THE GOOD NEWS. THANKS BE TO GOD !
