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The Collect

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life: raise us, who trust in him, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, that we may seek those things which are above, where  he reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

¶ The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Acts 2.42-47

Many were baptized and were added to the community. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Psalm 23

Refrain: I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The Lord is my shepherd; *therefore can I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures *and leads me beside still waters. R
He shall refresh my soul *and guide me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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. R
You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *you have anointed my head with oil and my cup shall be full.
Surely goodness and loving mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, * and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Refrain: I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 2.19-25

Brothers and sisters: It is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, where is the credit in that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; 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.

Gospel Reading: John 10.1-10

Jesus said to the Pharisees: ‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 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 leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.  So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’

I apologise for the late arrival of the intercessions this week. To be honest, it was partly the thought of the theme of sheep. And then I understood that, for me at least, the real message of this week is ‘I am the gate’. Jane Williams writes very well about it, on pages 64-64 of her book on the lectionary, which you may be able to read here if you search for ‘telescope’ . She says:

…our shepherd and guardian, whom we must trust and emulate in all our doings, is the crucified Christ. Our gateway to life is made up of the wood of the cross. So in Christ we are indeed offered security, but on such a huge scale that it is almost frightening.

Prayers of Intercession

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, we are the sheep of your pasture and, like sheep, your Church huddles together in the familiar field, always doing what it has always done and failing to find new pasture. Give us the courage, and trust in the wonderful possibilities that you open up for us, to follow you instead, like those fishermen who left their nets on the Sea of Galilee to follow your son, through the open gate towards a distant horizon that beckons us.

Lord, open the gates of your kingdom for us! –  in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

Lord, help us to break down the barriers that separate nation from nation, Christians from Moslems,  rich from poor, and one from another. We barricade ourselves into gated communities, afraid of the danger posed by what is different from us.  But the protection that this affords us is only illusory if it depends on our isolation. Help us instead to overcome these barriers, inspired by the world of the early Church, where property and talents were shared for the common good without fear.

Lord, open the gates of your kingdom for us! – in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The local community

Lord, help us to offer open doors to our neighbours. Knowing that the strongest ties are the bonds of affection, and that a chain made of willing links between each one of us is as strongly forged as steel, help us to build your kingdom here on earth, link by link.

Lord, open the gates of your kingdom for us! – in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Those who suffer

Lord, in this great adventure you call us to in exploring new worlds of possibilities, let us never forget the weak and infirm, the old and those who suffer, whether mentally or physically. For the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. And we are members one of another, all sheep.

Lord, open the gates of your kingdom for us! – in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The communion of saints

Lord, our sovereign and shepherd, who brought again your son from the valley of death, comfort us with your protecting presence and your angels of goodness and love, that we also may come home
and dwell with him in your house for ever.*

Lord, open the gates of your kingdom for us! – in your mercy, hear our prayer.

^{Copyright acknowledgement *Based on the Post Communion (4th of Easter) © 1995 General Synod of the Church of Ireland Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000}