[Sunday's Worship Service and Scripture Readings]

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The Fourth Sunday of Easter 4-21-24

I am the good shepherd.

I know my own and my own know me, and I lay down my life for the sheep.

The 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 paths of righteousness for his  name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 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 forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forever. Amen.

I am the good shepherd.

I know my own and my own know me, and I lay down my life for the sheep.

 

Collect 

Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit 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, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

[Acts 4:5-12]  5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem.  6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest.  7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, "By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?"  8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Leaders and elders of our nation, 9 are we being questioned because we've done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed?  10 Let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed in the name and power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, the man you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.  11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, 'The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.' 12 There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them."

 

[1 John 3:16-24]  We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters.  17 But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help -- how can God's love be in that person?  18 Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.  19 It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord,  20 even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.  21 Dear friends, if our conscience is clear, we can come to God with bold confidence. 

22 And we will receive whatever we request because we obey him and do the things that please him. 

23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.  24 Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.

 

[John 10:11-18]  "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will leave the sheep because they aren't his and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he is merely hired and has no real concern for the sheep. 

14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,  15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.  16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock with one shepherd.  17 "The Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may have it back again.  18 No one can take my life from me. I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right to lay it down when I want to and also the power to take it again. For my Father has given me this command."

 

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