Matthew 18:21-35

For April 26, 2026:

• The Master’s Voice by Dean Feldmeyer. Jesus is the shepherd who calls us by name to follow him into his kingdom. But there’s so much noise out there that sometimes it’s hard to hear him.
• Second Thoughts: All Things Not In Common by Chris Keating.

During World War II, a number of British regiments from this part of East Anglia were sent to the Far East. Many young men were taken prisoner by the Japanese, and were incarcerated in Japanese prisoner of war camps.

Their treatment in these camps was brutal, and many lost their lives. Those who survived until the end of the War emerged emaciated, beaten, traumatised and often cowed.

Contents
"These Christians and Their Money" by David O. Bales
"Shepherds and Thieves" by Larry Winebrenner
"The Cry and the Answer" by Larry Winebrenner


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These Christians and Their Money
by David O. Bales
Acts 2:42-47

Contents
"Tea and Crumpets Committee" by C. David McKirachan
"Too Good to Be True" by Keith Hewitt


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Tea and Crumpets Committee
by C. David McKirachan
Acts 2:42-47

(See Lent 4, Cycle A, and Easter 4, Cycles B and C, for alternative approaches.)

It is one of the best-known and best-loved passages of the Bible. Generations have memorized it, in Sunday school or at the knee of parents or grandparents. It is one of the first Bible passages we learn, and -- as common as it is at funerals -- it is among the last words said over us when we die. Psalm 23 has been a source of strength and comfort for many.

BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS

Lesson 1: Acts 2:42--47 (C); Acts 2:14, 36--41 (RC)
(Look at Lesson 1 for Easter 3)

Lesson 1: Acts 6:1--9; 7:2a, 51--60 (E, L)

The week before classes began, Harold, a high school history teacher, fell off a step ladder and injured his back. For the next three months he was forced to wear a plaster cast around the entire upper part of his body. The cast fit so well underneath his shirt and sport coat that it was not at all noticeable.

Last summer my wife and I enjoyed visiting our friends Dick and Mary in Montana. They have about 45 quarter horses and they were thrilled to show us the herd and take us along one evening to feed them. That evening we also helped get a three-month-old filly into the barn in order to medicate a cut on her face. The filly was a little skittish, but we got her into the barn and into a large stall and then Dick tried to get a halter on her head to hold her still in order to clean and medicate the cut.

Now here is what I often think of as a passage of scripture with high potential for use as a brick--bat. At least it is often employed that way by folks who think the way the church moves ahead is by making people feel guilty and bad about things that are not their fault. Sometimes preachers read this and find it almost too tempting to stand before their congregations and extol the glories of the church in the New Testament version of the "good old days," so that everyone pretty much feels extra lousy that the good old days appear to be long--gone enough as to be well nigh unrecoverable.

I know a woman who says that her husband has a listening problem. Incidentally, this is not autobiographical. To be sure, he does have a hearing problem and wears hearing aids to compensate, but his real problem - at least according to his wife - is not a hearing problem but a listening problem. She says to him, "I'm going to the store, so would you please turn the oven to 350 degrees at 5:30 and put in the casserole." "Sure," he replies, "no problem." But when she comes home, the dinner is still cold. By the way, did I remember to tell you that this is not autobiographical!

Once upon a time, a great and loving king ruled over a vast territory. There was something very strange about this kingdom, however. Everything was the same. The people ate the same food, drank the same drink, wore the same clothes, and lived in the same type of homes. The people even did all the same work. There was another oddity about this place. Everything was gray - the food, the drink, the clothes, the houses; there were no other colors.

A Celebration Of Resurrection

Invitation to the Easter Celebration

Prayer Of The Day
P: Gracious Father, you sent your Son so that we might have life and have it abundantly. May we seek such goodness in our lives and desire it for others, so that gathered as one flock, all people would find their rest in our great shepherd, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
C: Amen.

Intercessory Prayers
Begin each new petition with:
Shepherd of our hearts ...
Shepherd of our communities ...
Shepherd of our nations ...
Shepherd of our churches ...

There are two themes that run through the passages for today. On the one hand there is the "Call of the Wild" (like Jack London's 1903 novel), in which we are commanded to follow our Shepherd Jesus through what might be trackless wastes and difficult places in responding to the great challenge of faith. On the other hand, there is the "Call of the Safe" (like Larry Crabb's great book on small groups, The Safest Place on Earth [Word, 1999]), which places us in the middle of a community of care and grace.

People have all sorts of travel styles. I am constantly amazed at those who can just pick up and go on their journeys with minimal amounts of preparation and packing. For me, even the simplest of journeys requires hours of preparation. When recent security concerns required the average traveler to show up at the airport hours before their planned flight I remained largely unaffected. I had been doing that for years. You never know when a mix up might land you at the wrong place or the wrong time. It is best to allow time just in case.

Good morning! Do you like stories? (get responses) Jesus told stories like this a lot. Sometimes when he wanted to teach people about things that were complicated, he would tell them a story about something they already knew about. Talking about something familiar to them helped them understand something unfamiliar.

When he has brought out all of his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. (v. 4)

Good morning, boys and girls. Jesus thought of himself as a shepherd. Do you know what a shepherd does? (let them answer) That's right, a shepherd watches and protects sheep. Jesus must have known a lot about shepherds because he taught us that sheep trust the shepherd with their lives. When a shepherd speaks, the sheep listen. The sheep know the shepherd's voice and follow him to safety.