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St
Alban’s (Grand Cayman) & St Mary’s (Cayman Brac) | |
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3
May 2009 Welcome
to
St
Alban's Anglican Church
Today's
Scripture :
Acts 4: 5-12
1 John 3:16-end
S. John 10:11–18 Today:
8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00 a.m. Church School/Scripture Study;
9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist; after service
Annual Church Meeting; Evening
Prayer 6 p.m. 3rd
Sunday after Easter
Almighty God, who shewest to them that be in error the light of thy truth, to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness; Grant unto all them that are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s Religion, that they may eschew those thing that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ. FAITH IN FOCUS: ETERNAL SHEPHERD In John’s gospel there are a number of times when Jesus uses a very common phrase but invests it with much more meaning. The phrase is “I am”. Sometimes this phrase means nothing more than “I am” but on other occasions it is the way that Jesus hints at his oneness with God, saying “I share the timeless existence of the Father”. Among these famous phrases are “I am the bread of life”, “I am the way the truth and the life”, “I am the light of the world”, “I am the door” and “I am the resurrection and the life”. Next week we will hear him say “I am the vine” but today we come across Jesus saying “I am the good shepherd”. We don’t follow Jesus because we feel he has some good ideas that will help us get through hard times. We don’t follow Jesus because he has a philosophy that makes us feel good and improves our self-image. We don’t follow Jesus because we’re just like sheep that would follow anyone who promised grass and water. We follow Jesus the Good Shepherd, because we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and because the pastures that he offers us do not simply promise a better life but life itself. The shepherd leads his sheep. But we are not simply sheep that aimlessly follow wherever we are led, because there are some paths that we need to avoid. And so we need to listen out for the true voice of Jesus amid the conflicting sounds of our world as they lure us into thinking that they have the solution to all our promises. Where do we look to in order to hear this word? Where would we expect to find the word of God? We find it in the Church, in the sacraments and in the proclamation of scripture. And we find it in the voice of those who speak with God’s accent. WORD
OF GOD I
am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me. (John 10:14) WORD
FOR TODAY To be Christian is not to go it alone but to belong to a community, to be members of the Church, the flock that is led by the Good Shepherd. And just as sheep recognise the voice of their shepherd so too we need to recognise the sound of our leader calling us in a world of competing voices. A LEADER is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. (John C Maxwell)
(Benjamin Franklin) WITHOUT A SHEPHERD the sheep are not a flock. (Russian Proverb) THIS
WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS
Mon: Deut 9 1–21, Ephes 4: 1-16, Luke 2:41-end Tues: Deut 9:23 – 10:5, Ephes 4: 17–end, Luke 3: 1-14 Wed: Deut 10: 12-end, Ephes 5:1-14, Luke 3:15-22 Thurs: Deut 11: 8–end, Ephes 5: 15-end, Luke 4:1-13 Fri: Deut 12:1–14, Ephes 6: 1-9, Luke 4: 14–30 Sat: Deut 15: 1-18, Ephes 6: 10-end, Luke 4: 31-37 NEXT SUNDAY : Acts 8: 26-end, 1 John 4: 7–end, S. John 15: 1-8
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