BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – Good Shepherd Sunday
April 25, 2021
The video recording of this service can be found here.
You can also dial-in by phone to listen to the audio recording at 613-820-8104
Gathering Music: Sheep May Safely Graze - Bach organ 2 minute version
Welcome & Announcements Rev. Lorrie Lowes
Welcome, everyone! It is wonderful to greet you this morning on behalf of Bells Corners United Church. We are so pleased that you are joining us from wherever you are in these days when we are unable to gather in the church sanctuary.
The work of the church continues during this time of lockdown and so there are many announcements on our website today. I will just highlight a few:
The Interfaith Committee invites you to take part in a joint outreach project to thank the workers in the Environmental Department of the Queensway Carleton Hospital. These 170 folks who do the necessary work to keep our hospital clean and sanitized are often overlooked and deserve our recognition. If you would like to sew scrub caps, please contact Alison Bridgewater for more information. We are also collecting donations of store-bought, individually packaged, nut-free snacks and drink boxes or cash donations to allow us to purchase these items. Again, please contact Alison for further details.
The Service, Outreach, and Social Action committee (SOSA) held the first in a series of free gardening workshops this week. We hosted close to 20 people and the information was appreciated by all. Don’t forget that, in conjunction with this “Veg-Out” program, we are also offering rain barrels, composters, and accessories for sale though rainbarrel.ca/bcuc/ The proceeds from this sale will go to Famsac, our local foodbank.
You can still request hymns in memory of loved ones or in celebration of a joyful occasion. Requests can be made for a suggested minimum donation of $30 by contacting the church office, and will be featured in an upcoming worship service between now and the end of May.
For more details, and more announcements, please visit our website.
Now, let us prepare our hearts and minds for worship.
Lighting of Christ Candle Acolytes: Norm and Jan Pound
On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we light this candle to remind us that we do not face the challenges of life alone. God is with us and cares for us like a good shepherd cares for the flock. Let the light and warmth of this small flame remind us of the guidance and comfort of that loving care.
Sung Response: Halle, Halle, Halle – Voices United #958 BCUC choir
Halle, halle, hallelujah! (3X)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Words trad, liturgical text and Music arr. © 1990 IONA Community, GIA Pub
Song # 02351 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Call to Gather Rev. Lorrie Lowes
The Lord is our shepherd.
We shall not lack for anything.
Our Lord gives us rest, and revives our spirits.
We follow in right pathways because we belong to God.
Even when we endure hardship and suffering, our God is never far from us.
Let us celebrate our God, whose love for us shows no bounds.
We praise God who keeps our lives.[1]
Prayer of Approach
Shepherd, enfold us into that place you call home.
May we learn to express your work through our actions.
We come seeking. Fill us with a great awe and unconditional understanding.
May this time together refresh us and renew us, this day and always. Amen[2]
Hymn: God, We Praise You for the Morning - Voices United #415 Susan, Mary & Bram
1. God we praise you for the morning;
Hope springs for with each new day,
New beginning, prayer and promise,
Joy in work and in play.
2. God, we praise you for creation,
Mountains, seas, and prairie land.
Waking souls find joy and healing
In your bountiful hand.
3. God, we praise you for compassion,
All the loving that you show;
Human touching, tears, and laughter,
Help your children to grow.
4. God, we praise you for your Spirit,
Comforter and daily friend,
Restless searcher, gentle teacher,
Strength and courage you send.
5. God, we praise you for the Saviour,
Come that we may know your ways.
In his loving, dying, rising,
Christ is Lord of our days.
6. Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Christ is Lord of our days!
Words trad, liturgical text and Music arr. © 1990 IONA Community, GIA Pub
Song # 02351 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Storytime Erin Berard
In today's Bible passage, Jesus compares himself to a good shepherd. I don't actually know any shepherds - do you? - but we sure do hear a lot about them in the Bible! Many people in the place where Jesus was were shepherds (and there still are nowadays in lots of places in the world… just not here in Bells Corners!). They were or knew about shepherds, so the people Jesus was talking to would understand the connection he was trying to make. He wanted to explain that he was trying to do for people, what a good shepherd would do for the sheep. A good shepherd would be someone who makes sure their animals are well-fed and healthy, someone who is willing to protect the sheep from predators and go after the ones who get lost. Jesus explains that the sheep would know a good shepherd's voice and respond to it, and that good shepherds would know the voices of their sheep, too.
In this week's Sunday School materials, I posted some links to videos of shepherds calling to their sheep. Check them out! It's so neat to watch them come running from over the hills when they hear that familiar voice. There's also a video of random people trying to call the sheep, and the sheep don't move a muscle! When the real shepherd speaks though, all the heads pop up immediately to see where that familiar voice is calling from!
Do you listen and come when your parents call?
When I call Ainsley there's a good chance she'll respond: "Be there in a minute!" She learned that from hearing the book Hurry Up, Franklin many, many times…
So… mostly, right?
Do you hear Jesus' shepherding voice calling you?
Perhaps we're still learning to hear and to recognize Jesus' voice. I think that maybe it's that voice inside of us which is helping us make good choices, reminding us to be generous or kind, encouraging us to use our skills and strengths.
Where else do we hear Jesus' voice of love? Maybe it's not even in actual words! Maybe we 'hear' it in the actions of people feeding and caring for us, encouraging us and teaching us.
We don't always listen when we're called or follow instructions, though do we? The good news is that even if we miss the Good Shepherd's guiding voice and make missteps - just like a sheep getting lost or hurt - God is there to love us, forgive us, and set us on the right path again.
Let us pray: Thank you God for your constant love that we can hear in caring words and see in the loving actions of our parents, teachers, and friends. Help us to be like shepherds to those around us, too. Amen
Hymn: Are You A Shepherd? - More Voices #126 Mary Schmieder
1. Are you a shepherd, good shepherd who leads us
Safely through danger while calming our fears?
Are you a father who shelters and feeds us,
Shares in our laughter and tears.
Refrain:
Yes, you are shepherd, parent, and teacher
But you are greater than all that we know.
Holy and living, loving and giving,
God, you are with us, wherever we go.
2. Are you a mother, good mother who bears us,
Comforts, protects us and helps us to rest?
Are you a teacher who daily prepares us,
Challenging students to offer their best? Ref
3. Great, gentle shepherd, forever beside us,
Lead all your children through paths that are right.
Great, loving parent, wise teacher, you guide us.
We want to love you and bring you delight. Ref
Prayer for Illumination Reader: Jordan Berard
Loving God, we pray that you will open our hearts and minds to hear your message of love in song and word. Amen
The Reading: John 10:11-18
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
May we find ourselves renewed in this ancient reading. Thanks be to God!
Sermon: Jesus - A Good Shepherd – but not the Only Shepherd Rev. Lorrie Lowes
Shepherd. It’s an image we hear throughout the Bible, in both the Old and the New Testaments. And although we are not as familiar with this occupation today, it is an image that was very familiar to our ancestors. The job was not one that many aspired to, perhaps, but it was vital to the lives of the people in ancient times. They depended on sheep for food and for clothing and even for religious rites. The shepherd image was used often to describe a good leader who both guided and cared for his people. Moses was a shepherd; David was as well – quite literally before they took on their God-given roles and responsibilities. It seems that God knew that the attributes of a good shepherd were just the kind of attributes that would make for a good leader or a good ruler. A good shepherd knew the terrain, was willing to travel far and in difficult circumstances to ensure that the flock entrusted to him was well-fed and protected from predators. A good shepherd knew his sheep well, recognizing them even when they were mixed in with other flocks, paying close attention to each one, checking them over for signs of injury or illness or distress. A good shepherd was more concerned with the well-being of his charges than with his own need for the comforts of a sheltered home and a warm bed. He wasn’t usually the owner of the flock but cared for them like a parent would care for his children. He knew that they needed the community of the flock to be safe, that a sheep lost and alone was easy prey for the wild animals that shared the mountains and valleys. He would risk his own safety to bring them back into the fold. He built a relationship of trust with his flock. This wasn’t just a job; it was a calling.
When God needed someone to guide, protect, and care for humankind, a shepherd was the right kind of person for the job. A good shepherd was someone that God could trust, and that others would trust enough to follow.
I think we would all agree that Jesus was this kind of a leader too. Unlike Moses and David, he wasn’t plucked from the actual role of shepherd and given this new responsibility. According to our faith stories, he was chosen for the task from before his birth and developed the attributes of a good shepherd leader as he grew. He loved God’s flock. He cared enough about each one to watch for signs of injury, illness, and distress and to do something about it when he found them. He drew them into community where they could nurture and protect each other. He lived with them in the same difficult conditions that they faced in the world. He was committed to his calling, even to the point that he would risk his own safety to stand up for the rights and needs of the flock. He instilled a sense of trust, a sense of comfort, and a sense of being cared for in the hearts of his followers.
When we think of good shepherds, especially in the context of the Bible, the scripture that first comes to mind for many of us is the 23rd Psalm. Most of us – at least in my generation, know this one by heart… “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…” If I pause here, I bet many of you will continue with the rest of the words in your mind, if not out loud! Psalm 23 is arguably the most familiar Bible passage in the world. Even non-churchgoers are familiar with it. We use it whenever comfort is needed – at funerals, or in times of grave illness or trouble. We like the serene images of green pastures and clear, quiet streams. It promises care and protection, sustenance and security. It gives us the assurance of God’s presence and care – a care that is abundant, with overflowing cups and lavish banquets!
The psalm doesn’t claim that God will erase all evil and suffering. It acknowledges the reality that life isn’t always easy and that there will be some really difficult and scary times. In the 23rd Psalm, there is no promise that belonging to God’s flock will mean that all the nasty stuff will go away. What it does promise is that we can trust that God will always be with us and will sustain us, even at the scariest of times. We are safe, in good hands.
Psalm 23 is easy to love. It gives us the loving care of a shepherd without telling us we are simply sheep. The images change from sunny pastures to banquets in the midst of battle. No matter the situation, our shepherd God takes care of us.
But today, we heard another shepherd analogy, from the book of John. It gives us a very different set of images. Wolves are coming and those hired to help care for the sheep run for their own safety, leaving the sheep vulnerable and unprotected. The good shepherd not only stays but actually lays down his life for the sheep.
On the surface, this good shepherd is a metaphor for Jesus who was willing to sacrifice himself for us (some would say for our sins) but I wonder if it’s that simple. I do think a good shepherd would be willing to jump up and fight for what was most important to him – his sheep – but then, what happens if the wolves overcome that shepherd? Where would that leave those vulnerable sheep? Following this metaphor, it would seem that our shepherd Jesus would certainly be our champion and protector as long as he was alive but that his followers would be on their own if he was killed in the action.
In many ways, I think this is exactly what Jesus’ followers thought. They felt safe and strong in the company of their teacher but, after he was arrested and then executed, they scattered and tried to hide – just as the sheep would do if a wolf overcame the brave shepherd. Is that the end of the story? Does the metaphor fall apart here?
I can tell you that this week in our Lectionary Study, we struggled with this passage. It’s not as easy to love as the 23rd Psalm, for sure. It seems to tell us that Jesus’ role, like that of a good shepherd is full of danger and that to fill that role he would be required to lay down his life. To me, it seems to be missing the point somehow. For one thing, it doesn’t give any responsibility – or credit - to us sheep who follow him.
This train of thought led me to do some more reading and thinking about shepherds. Here is where my thoughts took me…
There are many stories about shepherds in the Bible, but I can’t think of a single one where there is just one shepherd wandering alone with his flock. They seem to travel in groups. Think about the Christmas narrative, for example. The multitude of angels came to proclaim the good news to shepherds tending their sheep.
My reading tells me that, most often, shepherds would travel together, each with his own flock, but together for safety and company. When they all headed out in the morning, each shepherd would call his own sheep and they would follow the right voice. They could mingle together all day – but when the shepherd called to settle them for the night or even to take them home, there was no confusion about which sheep belonged to which shepherd. They would follow the voice they knew and trusted. They knew that he was present. They knew that they could trust him in the day to find sustenance, and in the night to give them security and protection. But, if something happened to their shepherd, there were others to step in – to keep them on the right path, to give them what they needed to survive, to offer them security and protection, to lead them home.
In talking with my Midrash group this week, one colleague recalled a sermon entitled, “Jesus the Good Shepherd – but Not the Only Shepherd”. She didn’t tell us the content of that sermon but that title really got me thinking! What happens if we reframe the metaphor this way? … Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but not the only one.
I actually found that, by changing my perspective in this way, a whole lot more was opened up for me. Just as one shepherd would not put the health and safety of his flock in his own precarious hands without a contingency plan, Jesus didn’t put the future of the world and God’s dream for it solely on his own shoulders. He gathered a group of people around him who he could teach, people who would see the importance of that future, that dream, and would share in his passion for moving it forward. Jesus was the leader, but he left many competent leaders behind him. They may not have seen it in the first shock of his death, but we know that they were able to rally and to take on Jesus’ mission soon afterward… and we are proof that it didn’t end with them. Looking at it this way made me realize that, perhaps we are not just the sheep – an identity that is a bit uncomfortable for me at the best of times – maybe we aren’t expected to sit back and rely completely on God to make our lives safe and comfortable; perhaps there is a shepherding role here for us as well, a role that is not so passive, a role that takes commitment and courage, a role that gives us some of the responsibility. That makes a lot more sense to me.
In our Lectionary Study discussion, we also struggled with verse 16:
“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
We worried that this is often taken to mean that, in order to be loved and cared for by God, you need to follow Jesus, otherwise you are out of luck. It makes it sound as though there is an exclusive club that you can only enter if you take Jesus as your leader. While some denominations would argue that this is exactly what this verse means, it doesn’t seem to fit with our United Church theology that understands God to love and care for all of humanity and all of creation.
I think this image of “Jesus as the Good Shepherd - but not the only shepherd”, can help us here as well. If we accept the understanding that several shepherds would travel together, each with their own flock, and that all of the shepherds felt responsibility for the entire group, that they pastured in the same places and drank from the same streams, then this exclusivity doesn’t make sense. One shepherd wouldn’t go around collecting sheep from the other shepherds’ flocks. He cares about them and will help them like his own, but he doesn’t need to steal them away from where they are safe and comfortable to do so.
Using this new twist to the metaphor I hear Jesus saying, “You are my flock, but I still have some responsibility for the other flocks too. I need to make sure they hear my voice and can recognize it as a voice they can follow safely as they mingle together in the pasture or on the hillside all day. They will follow their own shepherd at the end of the day, but we are all on the same journey to find sustenance and we are all guided by good shepherds leading us in the same direction. Most of the time we are all just one big flock.” To me that “voice” becomes the message of love that Jesus taught – one that is not so different from the messages of other faith leaders – to love one another, to work toward a fair distribution of the world’s resources for all, to care for creation so that it can thrive.
Jesus is our shepherd and a good one – but he’s not the only shepherd.
The end of this reading gives us one more piece to ponder…
“ …I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.”
Rather than reading this as a prediction of his crucifixion, or as a confirmation that Jesus was put on this earth by God to die for our sins, I now hear this as contradiction of those beliefs. He states that he has the power to choose what to do with his life. He knew the danger in what he set out to do but felt that it was important enough to take the risk. In the end it was his choice, a choice given to him by God.
The two shepherd images – one in Psalm 23 and the other in the Gospel of John – give us two very different pictures, for sure, but I don’t think we have to choose between them. They serve different purposes. Psalm 23 gives us comfort in the knowledge that God is always with us, especially when we are most afraid and vulnerable. The difficult situation isn’t removed, but the support we need is there to get us though. There are times in our lives when this is the shepherd we need – the shepherd who makes us rest and offers sustenance and peace; a shepherd who allows us to be the sheep in need of care and comfort… The passage in John, on the other hand, gives us a shepherd who challenges us to follow in his footsteps – a shepherd who points out that the job is not an easy one but that it is one that is vital to the life of humanity and all of creation, a shepherd who reminds us that there are others on the same journey, and of the need to work together for the good of all. This shepherd gives us a choice. Which will we be? - a good shepherd, fully committed to the task? … a hired hand who sees it as a good job as long as it isn’t too uncomfortable… or maybe a sheep who learns which shepherd to trust?
Jesus is the ideal shepherd, and we’d all like to be that committed and courageous, of course, but sometimes we can only be the hired hand and sometimes we need to be the sheep.
The image of the shepherd is a good one, I think. I feel secure knowing that my shepherd God is always there to care for me. Jesus showed us this care in action - an ideal shepherd for this world. But I also like the reminder that he could not do it all alone…
Jesus is the Good Shepherd – but not the only one. Amen
Prayers of the People Rev. Lorrie Lowes
Gracious God,
you care for me; I need nothing more.
We confess that we colour our lives with want.
Some of us long for more possessions;
others strive for more privilege or power.
Some of us seek greater productivity and output;
others want their perspective to prevail.
Teach us the way of “I shall not want.”
You lead me into a haven of peace and rest.
Today, may we live as non-anxious presence,
may we reflect a prayerful engagement,
may our conversations and interactions be blessed with spirit-filled breathing.
You breathe new life into me and lead me in new ways.
Restore our souls.
Lift our vision.
Guide our lives.
You are with me, and comfort me,
even when the way of the world seems lost.
In the midst of reports from Myanmar and Mozambique, Ethiopia and Ukraine,
with the headlines composed of COVID variants and the St. Vincent volcano,
with the news detailing the horror and trauma of mass shootings and racial injustice,
with the numbing, painful reality of creation in crisis,
you call us to compassionate change and committed peace-making.
And so, we pray for the planet,
its leaders,
those on the frontlines,
those grieving,
those afraid,
those alone.
In the face of those who trouble me
you provide for me and pour out your blessings.
Grant us steady patience.
Grant us holy impatience.
Grant us the discernment to know when calm tolerance is the loving response,
and the wisdom to know when prophetic outrage is loving faithfulness.
God of justice and compassion you are with me always
and have promised to sustain me all my life.
Gratitude for all the blessings.
Appreciation for all that is sacred.[3]
We ask these things in words that express our present reality and in the familiar and comforting words shared by Jesus so long ago:
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom 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 kin-dom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever, Amen.
Invitation to Offer Rev. Lorrie Lowes
As the flock who are nurtured and led by the shepherd Jesus, we are called to share our gifts of time, talents and resources so that we may show the care and love of the shepherd to others. If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the mail slot by the kitchen door of the church. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.
Offertory Prayer
God, you are like a shepherd to us and you lead us in green pastures.
When our cup overflows, inspire our generosity, so that we may continue to change the world according to your will. Amen
Sending Forth Rev. Lorrie Lowes
As you face this new week, listen for the voice of the good shepherd, who was willing to lay down his life for the message the world needs to hear. Share his message by sharing his love, with courage and conviction, with open heart, open mind, open hands, and open arms for all the world. And as you go, be assured that God accompanies you on the journey. Amen.
Hymn: Psalm 23 God is My Shepherd - Voices United #748 Mary & Erin Berard (flute)
1. God is my shepherd, I'll not want,
I feed in pastures green.
God grants me rest and bids me drink
from waters calm and clean.
Through daily tasks, I'm blessed and led
by one I have not one seen.
2. Restored to life each morning new,
I rise up from the dust
to follow God whose presence gives
me confidence and trust.
I praise the name of God today;
in God I put my trust.
3. When I must pass through shadowed vale,
where loss and death await,
I will not fear for God is there,
my shepherd strong and great,
whose rod and staff will comfort me
and all my fears abate.
4. No enemy can overcome,
no power on earth defeat
the ones anointed by God's grace
and fed with manna sweet.
My cup is filled and overflows
as I my Savior greet.
5. Goodness and mercy all my days
will surely follow me;
and where God reigns in heaven and earth,
my dwelling place will be.
My shepherd blesses, cares, and leads
through all eternity.
Scottish Psalter, adapt © 1992 Lavon Bayler, Music: James L Macbeth Bain, harm © 1934 Gordon Jacob
Song # 87691, 05319 & 20515 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Departing Music: He Shall Feed His Flock Like a Shepherd - Handel organ
from the Messiah - (2 and a half minute version)
Zoom Fellowship – 11 am
[1] Wanda Winfield, Gathering L/E 2018, p41. Used with permission.
[2] From Jim McKean, Gathering L/E 2014, p43. Used with permission.
[3] Ted Dodd, for the Diaconal Community, April 2021. Used with permission.