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The Village Shepherd

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.

Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B

Children's Liturgy and Story

John 6:1-21

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus was able to produce enough food to feed all the people, and he was able to calm the storm. In our service today let us receive his nourishment and allow him to calm any storms that we might have.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes we reject the food you offer and blame our storms on you.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to trust that you always have our best interests at heart.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we are unable to believe that you can work miracles for us.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

John 6:1-21

Children's Story

John 6:1-21

Janice B. Scott
It was nearly the week of the show and Christopher's heart was beating very fast. It was beating fast because he was feeling very anxious. Christopher's friend Rex spent a lot of time on his father's allotment and was always coming into school boasting about how big his carrots were, or how tall for his corn had grown, or how beautiful his sweet peas smelt.

Christopher had got fed up with it, and in a moment of intense irritation had shouted at his friend that it was no big deal, anyone could grow things. That had stopped Rex in his tracks, but it was clear he hadn't believed Christopher and he looked rather hurt. So Christopher had tried to to justify his statement.

Intercession

John 6:1-21

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

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.

Sermon

2 Samuel 11:1-15

Janice B. Scott
We human beings so often spoil our lives by failing to speak the truth, or at least, failing to speak the whole truth, clearly and transparently. The reasons we fail to speak the truth often have to do with fear. We are afraid that someone will get hurt and so we try to shield them from what we imagine will be too painful for them to handle. Or we're afraid that we ourselves will be hurt because our reputation will be damaged and people will despise us or be shocked by our behaviour.

If we stand on the sidelines and watch, as we do with soaps on the television, we can see people on our screens digging holes for themselves. It's obvious as we watch, that through the little white lies which

Sermon

Ephesians 3:14-21

Janice B. Scott
It sometimes seems to me that our world is based upon power. Those in top jobs earn enormous salaries while those at the bottom of the pile earn very little. Those in top jobs can decide how many people to employ, who to employ and how much those employees will be paid. They can decide when redundancies are necessary, and who should be made redundant. If their company fails, they may find themselves out of a job, but many of them seem to find that they have a generous golden handshake. It was refreshing to see on the news recently that the boss of Marks and Spencer has opted to receive his bonuses in the form of shares in the company. Thus if the company fails his income is reduced, but if the company succeeds his income increases.

Sermon

John 6:1-21

Janice B. Scott
Some years ago I undertook some training in an introduction to counselling. The basis of counselling is good listening skills, listening with very close attention to what somebody has to say. I remember we were told that the client would probably slip in the most important things right at the end of any counselling session, and that if we failed to hear those important things they would probably be repeated in some other way. Since then, in all spheres of life I've tried to listen out for repeated comments from people, for those are likely to be comments which are important to them even though they may sound like throw-away lines.

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
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
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Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 10
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
21 – Worship Resources
30 – Commentary / Exegesis
2 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 13 | OT 18 | Pentecost 11
31 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
34 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
30 – Commentary / Exegesis
2 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 14 | OT 19 | Pentecost 12
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
29 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
2 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Signup for FREE!
(No credit card needed.)

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Katy Stenta
For July 28, 2024:

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: Twelve baskets. Have two of the baskets out to show everyone, but keep ten of the baskets hidden until you need them in the message.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Regardless of who we are and where we live, we will all one day face some form a wilderness. A modern example is “Wendy”, amiddle-aged woman who has had to relocate from the communities she was born, raised, attended school in and worked for many years. Changing circumstance of family employment forced Wendy to relocate to unfamilarcommunities that do not align with her values.  This urban community she currently resides, feels foreign to her in terms of loss of friends, family connections, different businesses. They are quite different values from the small college town she was raised in.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
2 Samuel 11:1-15
About David’s sin and sin in general, John Wesley wrote: “See how all the way to sin is downhill! When men begin, they cannot stop themselves.” (Commentary On the Bible, p.199) We are all as sinful as David, maybe more so. Martin Luther explained why:

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle…. (v. 1)

Most people, even those who don’t like Shakespeare, will recognize some of his most famous lines. Like:

“To be or not to be. That is the question.”

“Friends, Romans, and countrymen, lend me your ears.”

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

“To thine own and be true.”

One line they may especially recognize, even if they don’t know what play it’s from, is “My horse! My horse! My kingdom for a horse!”

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus was able to produce enough food to feed all the people, and he was able to calm the storm. In our service today let us receive his nourishment and allow him to calm any storms that we might have.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes we reject the food you offer and blame our storms on you.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to trust that you always have our best interests at heart.
Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

John E. Sumwalt
Kai M. Mcclinton
I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. (vv. 16-17)


My family is very close. We depend on one another and do all that we can for each other. When one is in trouble, we all come running to assist in any way that we can. We learned this kind of love and support from our grandmother, Elsie Burton. She was a hard working woman who loved her family and all people.
Michael D. Wuchter
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.
Sue Anne Steffey Morrow
Above my desk at home is a single pine shelf that holds a row of books, books which through the years have meant a whole world to me. You may have such a collection of such treasures, too, volumes by favorite writers of poetry, prose, narrative, non-fiction. Some of my books are so old that the covers are frayed and the pages yellowing. There is a volume I read for the first time last summer that is crisp and clean. Some have markers to note a beloved section or a poem I'd like to find with dispatch. Some are helpful in a direct manner, some reflective.
Charles And Donna Cammarata
Call To Worship
A general Call To Worship.
Leader:
Call upon the Lord.
People:
God is present in the company of the righteous.
Leader:
God is our refuge,
People:
And our salvation,
Leader:
Our strength,
People:
And our song.
Leader:
Let us rejoice,
People:
And be glad!

Ephesians passage.
Leader:
Come, let us worship God.
People:
Let us kneel before the Father,
Leader:
From whom his whole family,

Special Occasion

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