Brothers and sisters, Greetings, and peace to you in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ. I encourage you to join us Sunday morning as we continue to celebrate the good news that Jesus is alive, being bodily raised from the dead. Because He lives, we who belong to Him, will also be made alive when He comes again.
I’ll begin by reminding you of upcoming events. This Sunday, May 11 is Mothers’ Day. Mothers are precious gifts from God. Many of us first learned of Jesus while sitting on our mother’s lap. Take time to thank God for your mom, and all Christian moms. If your mom is still living near you, start the day by taking her to church.
An Ascension Day celebration is planned for Thursday May 29 at 6:30.
May 11th is the Fourth Sunday of Easter. The Fourth Sunday of the Easter Season is traditionally called Good Shepherd Sunday. We are reminded that Jesus graciously laid down His life to save us, His sheep. The Shepherd theme is evident in several of the Scripture lessons and hymns. We will follow the liturgy of Divine Service One beginning on page 151 of the LSB hymnal. For the hymn of praise, I’ve chosen a hymn I wrote years ago as part of a seminary exercise. It is sung to the tune of #817 Earth and All Stars. Other hymns chosen for the day are #483 With High Delight, Let Us Unite; #711 Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us; #710 The Lord’s My Shepherd; and #468 I Am Content.
Scriptures assigned to the day are Psalm 23; Acts 20:17-35; Revelation 7:9-17; and John 10:22-30.
Psalm 23 may be one of the most familiar passages in Scripture. It describes the confidence of God’s people. There are wolves in this world, the devil and his agents, who would seek to destroy us like sheep. Like sheep, we rely on our divine, almighty, and gracious Shepherd to protect us, to calm us, and to lead us to peaceful pastures, even bringing us through the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus encourages you to listen for His voice, and to follow where His Word leads. If you follow Him, He promises to give you eternal life. He gives the assurance that no one can snatch you out of His caring hand.
The reading from Acts 20 is a record of a speech St. Paul gave near the end of his ministry. Paul was aware that he will soon be arrested, imprisoned, and likely be put to death. So, he gathers leaders from the Ephesian congregation and reminds them (and us) of the history of his service to Jesus. He then exhorts those leaders (and us) to beware of false teachers and other agents of the devil who will attempt to deceive us and mislead us away from Jesus. False teachers and worldly enticements remain a danger to each of us. Informed by Jesus’ Words in Scripture, and having our faith nourished by His body and blood, we are empowered and commissioned to help those under attack.
Revelation Chapter 7 describes heaven as a large throne room. People from every nation are gathered there. Their attention is focused on Jesus, the Lamb whose blood has cleansed them all from sin and redeemed them from death. The multitude joins with angels in singing praise to Jesus. As they serve Jesus, they recite His promise of eternal life without suffering or sadness. Jesus is the Shepherd who leads us to living water.
In the gospel reading from John 10, Jesus is at the Jerusalem temple celebrating the Feast of Dedication, also known as Hannukah. In 167 BC a Greek king ruled Jewish lands. He desecrated the Jerusalem temple by killing a pig on its altar. The Maccabees were a family of Jewish fighters who recaptured the city and cleansed the temple, and rededicated it for Jewish worship. It is said that God performed a miracle, seeing to it that the temple candles did not run out of oil for eight days. The Jews commemorated the event each year by also hoping for a leader who would cast off foreign rule. Jesus arrives, not as a political leader but as a spiritual leader. The Jewish religious leaders challenged Him, asking for proof that He was the Christ, God’s Anointed One. Jesus pointed to His miraculous works. Since the leaders did not believe the works, they were not going to believe His words either. But Jesus assures them that His “sheep” would recognize His voice. Those who hear His voice and follow Him will not perish. Jesus gives them eternal life. You are encouraged to read the Bible so you might discern Jesus’s words and not be misled to death by the false teachers and enticements of this world.
COLLECT: Almighty merciful God, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit so that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name, and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please let me know if you have any prayer requests or questions about schedules or Sunday’s Scripture lessons. God bless you. Pastor Boster
