4 Easter/Year B - April 21, 2024
Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18
Opening Prayer: — written by Thom Shuman on Lectionary Liturgies
Day by day, God leads us: to the deep, deep pools of peace, to the green, lush lawns of grace. Day by day, Jesus calls us: to pour out ourselves in service, to anoint the stranger with hope. Day by day, the Holy Spirit shows us: the community we could be, the family we are called to become. Amen.
We are still journeying through the season of Easter…And on this 4th Sunday of Easter…every year…we set it aside as Good Shepherd Sunday…each year, we listen to a different part of chapter 10 in the gospel of John, that speaks about sheep and Jesus as the Good Shepherd…and every year, on this 4th Sunday of Easter, we read together psalm 23…
This psalm, to many, is comforting, especially in the setting of a funeral service, when it is most often read and heard…And it makes sense…because in our funeral services, the scriptures we listen to…are Easter related scriptures…we focus on the comfort and hope we find in Jesus’ resurrection, and how our belief in his resurrection, gives us hope not only for today…but for the days ahead…for the future that we cannot fully grasp just yet…
That’s why, for me…I love that we read this psalm together every year, outside of a funeral service…it’s a good reminder for us…to go back to the basics and core of what we believe…that we have a God that walks with us, all the days of our lives…A God that loves us, leads us, guides us, revives our weary spirits, comforts us, gives us hope in times of trouble, and assures us that in life and death…we can trust and believe that God’s goodness and mercy follows us, is with us, for this life…and for the future we cannot fully grasp just yet…
I think praying psalm 23…is a wonderful way to start the day…a daily prayer that can ground us and strengthen us…to be able to answer the call and commandment to love one another and serve one another, as Jesus has taught us…as the Holy Spirit, seeks to show us, and empower us to work together, to reach out to those in need in our communities, to continually seek ways to provide encouragement to those who are lonely, oppressed by society, in need of healing, guidance, and a sense of belonging…
And when I say a sense of “belonging”…I don’t mean that we want to welcome someone into some exclusive club…but to seek ways to truly welcome one another in love…a love that transcends our divisions; a love that shows us another way to deal with conflict without violence, without exclusion; a love that comforts and heals, and transforms us and reconciles us to one another…through a way of living that shows, not only in word and speech, but through truth and action - that we all belong…and that we will not cease in striving for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being…
Our neighbors, near and far, are crying out to be heard…to be seen…to be loved…to believe in something greater than the everyday violence, war, divisions, hunger crisis’, and exclusions from life-affirming care that many experience on a daily basis…
What you and I believe personally, what we believe about a God that loves us, and is truly with us always, is important…and praying psalm 23 can help us strengthen that relationship with God and affirm what we believe…
But it’s not meant to just transform me, and my life…I think of it as the cornerstone upon which we are called to build up the community of love around us…This love of God, made known to us through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, is meant to be shared…and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to do that…
I don’t know about you, but for me, some days, it is hard to envision a brighter future for all God’s children, when we are witness to the heart-wrenching ways God’s people treat one another, day after day…
But it is precisely in those moments of doubt and feeling overwhelmed, that I begin again, by focusing on the hope we can find in Jesus’ resurrection, and how our belief in his resurrection, can give us hope not only for today…but for the days ahead…for the future that we cannot fully envision or grasp just yet…
The Lord is my Shepherd…This I believe. The Lord is our Shepherd. What do we believe as the body of Christ, here in Sitka…and across the borders of lands and waters? This is an important question to ask ourselves from time to time to discern what we believe, and how we are being called to truth and action, here and now, in this time and in this place…
During this month of April, Child Abuse Awareness Month, I ask you to pray for our children growing up in violent times, pray for those who have been abused, and traumatized on daily basis…. Pray for the day that our children won’t be witness to so much violence in their lives…Pray and discern how God may be calling you to truth and action so that all children may be surrounded by an abundance of love that will help them to grow and flourish, as the beloved child of God, they were created to be from the very beginning.
May God’s Holy Spirit shows us the community we could be, the family we are called to become…and equip us with the boldness to love one another, not just in word and speech, but in truth and action…for this day…and for the future of God’s beloved kingdom, for the future of all God’s beloved children, here on earth, as in heaven.
Prayer/Hymn after sermon: Be a shepherd for my flock - Voices Found, #100
Be a shepherd for my flock. Feed them richly on my word.
Show them shelter in the storm, for I call you to serve.
1 With a mother’s tender love, care for all who need to hear
they can run into my arms. Ease every fear. Refrain
2 To the blinded bring my light, to the weary my rest,
to the poor abundant life forever blest. Refrain
3 Take my message to the world. Keep the stories ever new.
Sing my truth, dance my joy. I’ll carry you. Refrain
Be a shepherd for my flock, #100 from Voices Found — Words: Traditional Nigerian. Music: Jane McAlister Pope. Words and Music: Copyright © 1998 Jane McAlister Pope. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Rev Julie Platson, Rector
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska