Janice Scott ... The Village Shepherd
After being ordained in 1994 with the first wave of women priests, Janice became curate in a large city centre parish in Norwich and from there, moved to South Norfolk in 1999 as Rector of a rural benefice of six parishes. After completing her MA in Pastoral Theology with the Cambridge Theological Foundation in 2008 she was appointed Honorary Canon of Norwich Cathedral. Janice now lives with her husband Ian just outside Norwich. In addition to her diocesan work and writing "The Village Shepherd," she is a freelance writer for Redemptorist Publications in the UK. She has also written and broadcasts "Pause For Thought" on a local radio station and has written several novels, all with a church background.
The Nativity of our Lord - A
Children's Liturgy and Story
Luke 2:8-20
Janice B. Scott
Come, let us go even now to Bethlehem with the shepherds and the angels and see Mary and Joseph, with the baby lying in a manger.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, we come to worship the baby in the manger.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, we come to offer ourselves and our own gifts.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, we come to absorb your love.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading/Activity:
Luke 2:8-20
Children's Liturgy and Story
Luke 2:1-7
Janice B. Scott
Jesus is born! A bright light has come into our world, so let us thank and praise God for his gift to us of Jesus, the Messiah.
Invitation to Confession:
Lord Jesus, we are thrilled by your birth, make us worthy to worship at your crib.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, we are thrilled by your birth, may we remember you in today's excitement.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, we are thrilled by your birth, be born in our hearts today.
Lord, have mercy
Reading:
Luke 2:1-7
Children's Story
Luke 2:1-20
Janice B. Scott
The cup was called the Holy Grail and Joseph carried it hidden beneath a mystical, white cloth. For many moons he wandered, leaning on his staff cut from a white-thorn bush. He passed over raging seas and dreary deserts, he wandered through forests, climbed rugged mountains, and waded through many floods.
Intercession
John 1:1-14
Janice B. Scott
The Church of Christ Creation,
The Sovereign and those in authority
The local community and human society,
Those who suffer
The communion of saints
These responses may be used:Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Let us pray for the Church and for the world, and let us thank God for his goodness.
Almighty God our heavenly father, you promised through your Son Jesus Christ to hear us when we pray in faith.
Intercession
Luke 2:1-20
Janice B. Scott
These responses may be used:
Let us pray for the Church and for the world, and let us thank God for his goodness.
Almighty God our heavenly father, you promised through your Son Jesus Christ to hear us when we pray in faith.
Joyful God, it's your birthday. Today, in Christian churches throughout the world, people are meeting to celebrate your birth. We rejoice in our different styles of worship, but we rejoice even more that on this special day we come together in celebration of your birth.
Today with the world-wide church we pray especially for your Church in ...
Intercession
Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship
"The family. We [are] a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." ~Erma Bombeck
Sermon
John 1:1-14
Janice B. Scott
Christmas Eve, a young boy with light in his eyes
Looked deep into Santa's, to Santa's surprise
And said as he sat on Santa's broad knee,
"I want your secret. Tell it to me."
He leaned up and whispered in Santa's good ear
"How do you do it, year after year?"
"I want to know how, as you travel about,
Giving gifts here and there, You never run out.
How is it, Dear Santa, that in your pack of toys
You have plenty for all of the world's girls and boys?
Stays so full, never empties, as you make your way
From rooftop to rooftop, to homes large and small,
Sermon
Isaiah 52:7-10
Janice B. Scott
He was seen to be manifest in any kind of interchange which involved some form of crossing. So he was thought to be connected with transitions in one's fortunes, with the interchanges of goods (bartering and sale), with words and interpreting, and with the transition to the afterlife.
Hermes was also the god of thieves because he was very cunning and shrewd and was a thief himself from the night he was born. The night Hermes was born he slipped away from his mother and ran away to steal his Brother Apollo's
Sermon
Luke 2:1-20
Janice B. Scott
He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with some tubes of Smarties and some cans of Coke and started his journey. When he'd gone half a mile or so, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from one of his cans of Coke when he noticed the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some Smarties. She gratefully accepted and smiled at him. Her smile lit up her whole face.
Sermon
Hebrews 1:1-4
Janice B. Scott
The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities.
When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc. and on Dec. 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
What is The Village Shepherd?
The Village Shepherd offers sermons, bible stories, children's stories and prayers based on the Revised Common Lectionary. These inspirational sermons, stories, and prayers are sure to touch your heart, because they reflect the simple virtues and tranquil serenity that characterize Reverend Scott's English countryside pastorate. The questions "Where is God in this particular situation?" and "Where does the Gospel story cross our own human story?" are always at the heart of these meditations -- but rather than finding overt answers, instead you will be gently led to make your own connections and discover the powerful ways in which God works. Janice Scott has the unique ability to find interesting details in ordinary life that illuminate scripture, while still challenging even the most intellectual reader. And that gift is precisely what also makes her an outstanding communicator with children.
Most weeks include:
- Sermon based on the Gospel reading
- Sermon based on the Epistle reading
- Sermon based on the First reading
- Children's stories linked with the Gospel readings
- Children's liturgy and story (a different story than mentioned above)
- An intercessory prayer
