Home Service Sheet for Sunday 3 May 2020
Call To Worship Psalm 23
Loving God I acknowledge today that you are my shepherd. You care for me, love me and protect me from harm. I am yours and your very presence comforts me. Remind me today of the ways in which you have guided me and helped me to listen to your voice through the words of Scripture. Help me to hear your voice today as I read the Bible, and help me to be obedient to you in all parts of my life. Assist me to praise you as you deserve, and keep me following you all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Sing or read The King of Love by Henry Williams Baker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcCwUF0s_-Y&feature=youtu.be
1 The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His,
And He is mine forever.
2 Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And, where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.
3 Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home rejoicing brought me.
4 In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy Cross before to guide me.
5 Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And oh, what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!
6 And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.
The Lord’s Prayer
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 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
1st Bible Reading 1 Peter 2:19-25
2nd Bible Reading John 10:1-10
Reflection
One of the more common pictures we find of God in the Bible is of him being the Shepherd. It is used in both the Old Testament and the New Testament as we see from our Bible readings today. Perhaps it’s not the easiest of images for us to properly understand as few of us have first hand experience of farming, let alone sheep farming in the Ancient Near East. In my younger days as a believer I recall reading a couple of books by a man called Philip Keller, who was himself a shepherd. He wrote commentaries on both Psalm 23 and the passage from John’s Gospel where Jesus speaks about himself being the Good Shepherd. Keller used his own experience as a shepherd to bring out the significance of some of the details, and some of this has remained with me over the years and has undoubtedly helped me to understand better the significance of God being like a shepherd to us.
Shepherds today tend to sleep in their own beds in their own houses at night in relative comfort, but this was not the case for shepherds in Ancient Israel. They would remain with their flocks all the time, day and night. They would typically corral their sheep into a fold of kinds and sleep in the gateway so anyone wanting to get to the sheep would have to go through them first. This image is clearly seen in our second reading from John’s Gospel where Jesus says, “I am the door of the sheep.” No-one can get to us and snatch away our salvation if we are in Christ, protected by him. What a wonderfully encouraging picture this is!
We also need to understand that the sheep are God’s people. Jesus describes himself as being the one who protects us from those who would steal or kill the sheep. God is our shepherd and as such we, the sheep, need to listen to his voice. The reality is that we can get into the worst kind of situations when we do not listen to God’s voice revealed to us in Scripture. By ignoring or disobeying God’s Word we put ourselves and our own opinions in God’s rightful place, thereby making ourselves idols. God has made us, sustained us and guided us; he knows best what we need, just as a shepherd knows best what his sheep need, even if they don’t like it.
In our reading from Peter’s first letter we are reminded that the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, was sacrificed for us. The one perfect sacrifice that was needed to pay the price for our sin was killed at Calvary, and using words from the Prophet Isaiah, ‘by his stripes we are healed’. What is meant by this is seen clearly when we read it in context. It is about us being made right with God through Jesus’ death on the cross, and not about our physical health. Sadly, though, it is another of those Biblical phrases or verses that is sadly twisted and misused by some people.
Peter writes about what Jesus went through for us, and points us to his example for us to live by. As we mentioned last week, he is not saying that if we follow Jesus we won’t sin. Rather he is saying that if we follow Jesus’ example and let His Spirit work within us then we will become more like him until we are finally perfected when Christ returns. Jesus also suffered and died despite not having done anything wrong. We too should not suffer for doing wrong, because it does us no good. However, if we suffer for doing right God’s Grace is given to us so that we may endure. Perhaps at this time this is an encouragement for us to continue to follow Jesus, regardless of what is going on in the world around us. Let us all be those who have returned to the great Shepherd of the sheep who cares for us and loves us so much.
Prayers of intercession
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” (Psalm 95:6,7)
• Good Shepherd, within your embrace we are safe and secure. Within your embrace we know that we are precious in your sight. Within your embrace we feel the warmth of family and belonging. Within your embrace we grow and are nurtured together as one flock, the people of your pasture under your loving care and protection. Come, let us bow down before the LORD our Maker.
• Good Shepherd, within your embrace we find comfort and healing. We bring to you those who are weak, or struggling with physical, mental or spiritual health. You are the great healer, and we pray for healing of mind and body for those we now name in the silence of our hearts. Come, let us bow down before the LORD our Maker.
• Good Shepherd, within your embrace we find justice. We bring to you the brave voices who cry out for freedom, those prepared to stand up and be heard without counting the cost. We pray for those who have been imprisoned or tortured for their race, colour, caste or faith. For all Christians who have taken up the Cross and know its weight and pain. Come, let us bow down before the LORD our Maker.
• Good Shepherd, within your embrace we find peace. We bring to you those orphaned, crippled or dispossessed by war, for refugees wandering this earth in search of a home, for all victims of strife and warfare, and for all those who have dedicated their lives for the search for peace and reconciliation. Come, let us bow down before the LORD our Maker.
This we pray in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Prayer of Blessing
May the blessing of Almighty God be upon me and all those whom I love today. May the great Shepherd of the sheep keep us safe and help us to hear his voice day by day. May your loving kindness surround us and help us to live in accordance with your ways. Bring us through those times that feel like the valley of the shadow of death, and may we ultimately spend all our days in the house of the Lord. This we pray through the name of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Amen.