Prayers of the People: Living Sheepishly ~ 4th Sunday of Easter '23 Yr A

For Sunday, April 30, 2023, Readings: Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23, 1 Peter 2:19-25, John 10:1-10

   Those who had been baptized devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [Acts 2:42]

  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake. [Psalm 23:1-2] 

  But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval...because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps...When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten...by his wounds you have been healed...For you were going astray like sheep but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. [1 Peter 2:20b-21, 23, 24b-25]

   Jesus said, "...the one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name...and the sheep follow him because they know his voice...Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep...Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. [John 10:2-3a, 4b, 7, 9]

     Psalm 23 is, without doubt, the best-known piece of Scripture in the world among multiple religions, denominations, and sects, for the believers and for those who have no faith affiliation or belief. The origin is ascribed to King David, a shepherd in his youth, and even through various older and more modern translations, this psalm gives us the moving pastoral image, line-by-line, of the everyday activities of shepherds*, describing in detail how God cares for us. 

     It is also true that sometimes the familiar is too comfortable and we don’t really hear the phrasing as we repeat syllables by rote. Are we contemplating the meaning and call to personal response and action behind the words, whether in this Psalm or any Scripture reading in the Liturgy/Service? We must listen again with fresh ears, minds, and hearts. The beauty and comfort of the Shepherd in Psalm 23 is easily zoned in on while the other readings are more easily left behind. But even this calming pastoral narrative comes with a price. We, who want to know ourselves as true and faithful Christians, must rouse ourselves from complacency, listen for the Voice that calls, and then follow in earnest and in confidence. All we "have" on this earthly plain is temporary, which was never clearer than in the recent and rampant pandemic.

     For Episcopalians/Anglicans, the reading from Acts this week is infused with one of the promises made by us or for us in our Baptismal and/or Confirmation Covenants: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers..."  The statements of belief and the promises of the Covenant are a quick refresher and guide to the basics of true Christian living, and always worth reviewing regularly, whether or not you are of this denominational heritage and practice. [for more information click here: BCPonline for the US version of the Book of Common Prayer - Holy Baptism - and scroll to pages 304-5 for the promises] 

     The rise of online Liturgy/Worship since COVID-19 lockdowns have made regular attendance available to many who are unable to participate in the breaking and receiving of sacred bread and in-person fellowship. Whether we attend in-person or online, or have simply fallen away from either, as we break bread for our meals each day, let us remember to say a simple “grace” as we sit down to eat, even if alone, even if only Thank You for this meal. 

     Personal prayer and the Apostles’ teachings are always readily available to us, and we can meet and greet each other in many ways. One way to pray is by using Psalm 23 aloud and inserting the name and specific pronouns of others, such as, “The Lord is Margaret’s shepherd, she shall not be in want…” Think about printing it out in that form, hand-writing a name throughout and sending it to someone in need; and re-read/pray it often for yourself.

    In the lesson from 1st Peter, we are given the difficult and all-too-current reminder that although we are to suffer what we must, as Jesus in his Passion, we are not to return abuse in kind. We are to realize that by the wounds of Jesus we are healed as we were going astray like sheep, but...have now returned...  Somedays are easier than others with political fervor and terrible violence at a daily high pitch. Yet the Gospel also carries the Shepherd theme and comforts us with another serene image, that of Christ as the divine Gate that opens for all of His sheep for salvation in a safe and abundant pasture. 

    Let us not go astray like sheep but flock together through the open Gate, living sheepishly by our hearts dwelling with the Lamb of God now and forever, in this life and the next. 

*I commend to you a charming and interesting little book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller, for an eye- and soul-opening look at the amazing connections between the Psalm's imagery and real-life sheep farming.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
 
Leader:  ~ Shepherd of our Souls, our Holy Gate, Your calming pasture is always open for spiritual shelter and encouragement in this life each minute, each hour, each day. As You call us by name, kindle our desire to hear Your voice deep within us and follow Your call to salvation and abundant life, now and for ever.
                                               
                                                 By Your blood we are reconciled
           RESPONSE:           By Your wounds we are healed
 
~ Shepherd of our Souls, as you stood peaceably in front of the political authorities of Your mortal time, grant us courage and confidence to peacefully and persistently urge leaders of this Country, this Community, and this World, to legislate safety, economic compassion, and equity for all people.  We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                               By Your blood we are reconciled
                                             By Your wounds we are healed
 
~ Shepherd of our Souls, anoint the hearts, restore the hope, and give rest from anxiety to all who are suffering in any physical or emotional way, and also to those who risk their lives to give protection, rescue, treatment, and all other forms of care. We pray for those in need…  add your own petitions 
  
                                               By Your blood we are reconciled
                                             By Your wounds we are healed
         
~ Shepherd of our Souls, we entrust the souls of all who have left this life to Your care, knowing that they now dwell in the light of Your House forever.  We pray especially for…  add your own petitions
 
                                               By Your blood we are reconciled
                                             By Your wounds we are healed
 
~ Shepherd of our Souls, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials…  add your own petitions
  
                                               By Your blood we are reconciled
                                             By Your wounds we are healed
                     
~ Shepherd of our Souls, Your ordained representatives in our time lead us to Your Gate with glad and generous hearts. They strive by an increasing variety of ways to bring You to us, through the Apostles’ teaching and prayer, and continually evolving options for fellowship. Through Your goodness and mercy, grant them peace, comfort, and stamina to continue Your work among, with, and for us. We pray especially for…  add your own petitions
 
                                               By Your blood we are reconciled
                                             By Your wounds we are healed
                                                                                                        
The Celebrant adds: O Lord our God, we are welcomed always into Your mystical pasture, to live and thrive on the Divine Bread of Life, Christ Jesus. Awaken us again, in these and all times, to follow You along the right paths and enter the Holy Gate to abundant and eternal life, in Your glorious and infinite kingdom. We ask this through Jesus the Christ, our Guardian and Shepherd; and the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom of our Souls; who together with You reign as One God, forever and ever.  Amen. 

 

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