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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.

Seventh Sunday of Easter - C

Children's Liturgy and Story

John 17:20-26

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus prayed to God asking that Jesus might be within us just as God was within Jesus, so that we may become completely one with God. In our worship today let us meet with the God within us, who is waiting to welcome us.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes we act as though you are not within us. Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we refuse to look deep within ourselves and so can't find you. Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we prefer to be at odds with you rather than to be at one with you. Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

John 17:20--26

Story:

Children's Story

John 17:20-26

Janice B. Scott
"I think," proclaimed Peter, lying on his back and gazing up at the trees, "we should become bully-busters."

"What?" said Jimmy, lazily. Karl simply rolled over, chewing at the blade of grass in his mouth.

"No, c'mon," said Peter. "Like ghost busters. We could identify all the bullies in school, then go bust them."

Karl laughed. "You mean you could! Jimmy and me'd just pick up the pieces afterwards! Anyway, how you think you're gonna bust a gang like the Robots?"

Peter shrugged. "You know what they told us at Sunday School. Good always triumphs over evil in the end. We'll obliterate them with goodness."

Intercession

John 17:20-26

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

Ezekiel 36:24-28

Janice B. Scott
David was very ill. His energy levels had been reducing over the past few years and when he eventually visited the doctor he learned that he had a precursor of the sort of leukemia which sometimes occurs in elderly people. The doctor decided that David should have blood transfusions every six weeks or so, and for several months they were brilliant. After each blood transfusion, David felt like a new man for two or three weeks, until his blood levels gradually began to drop again and he needed another transfusion.

Sermon

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Janice B. Scott
General Elections in the UK aren't all serious business. At every General Election, lesser-known parties make a swaggering entrance into the world of politics. For many years now we've had the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, brainchild of Screaming Lord Sutch back in the sixties or seventies. This year they're joined by such eccentrically British delights as the New Millennium Bean Party, headed up by Captain Beany, superhero from the planet Beanus, who discovered inspiration while lying in a bath of baked beans. He claims that old politicians are full of wind and there is not enough bean done for people with real need!

Sermon

John 17:20-26

Janice B. Scott
In his book, "The Different Drum", Dr. Scott Peck the Christian psychiatrist, describes an experience he had as a member of a "sensitivity" group.

It was a 12-day training course, and Scott was in a group with fifteen other people, about half of them male and half female. They discovered they were a very diverse group of people, and spent the first three days in intense struggle. A lot of anger was expressed, sometimes rather viciously. They were all anxious, and it was often unpleasant.

But on the fourth day, there was a sudden shift. Dr Peck described it like this:

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
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Easter 6
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120+ – Illustrations / Stories
29 – Children's Sermons / Resources
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27 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Ascension
22 – Sermons
110+ – Illustrations / Stories
28 – Children's Sermons / Resources
15 – Worship Resources
23 – Commentary / Exegesis
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Easter 7
28 – Sermons
140+ – Illustrations / Stories
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John Jamison

The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (vv. 22-23)
John Jamison
I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (v. 49)

* * *

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
George Reed
For May 29, 2022:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
The enthusiastic exclamation of Easter Sunday, “He is risen” is a distant echo during the week of the 7th Sunday of Easter, as this season is headed toward the home stretch. A tired pastor in a small to mid-size church enters walks into the church office on Monday to find a thick booklet or church bulletin from a mega church a few hours away, on the desk. A short and sincere sticky pad stuck is on top of the full colored glossy papered bulletin. It reads, “We visited this church yesterday.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Acts 16:16-34
John Wesley notes how this text testifies to the countercultural character of the Christian message:

But this is a property of the gospel truth: It has something in it peculiarly Intolerable to the world. (Commentary On the Bible, p. 485)
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Acts 1:1-11
In the American judicial system, a witness is a crucial component to attain justice. It wasn’t a big trial, but I was once called upon to be a witness in a Kansas City courtroom. The attorney made clear what I was supposed to do. She wanted me to relay exactly what I’d seen and to answer the questions directly. Being a witness, even in a small trial, seemed like a big responsibility.
Mark J. Molldrem
Note: This installment was originally published in 2001

In golf, Tiger rules. In tennis, Venus. Depending upon which teen you talk with, either Ricky rules, or Brittney does. In Iraq, Saddam rules -- for now. In America, the people rule, despite what some political cynics or party technocrats say. For Christians wherever, Jesus rules!

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
Will stood in line at the cafeteria oblivious to the smells and noise and activity of the other students having lunch. He was still thinking about the scripture passage that had popped up on his phone that morning. He’d never really paid much attention to the story of the Ascension but for some reason the passage caught his attention and imagination today.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
"I think," proclaimed Peter, lying on his back and gazing up at the trees, "we should become bully-busters."

"What?" said Jimmy, lazily. Karl simply rolled over, chewing at the blade of grass in his mouth.

"No, c'mon," said Peter. "Like ghost busters. We could identify all the bullies in school, then go bust them."

Karl laughed. "You mean you could! Jimmy and me'd just pick up the pieces afterwards! Anyway, how you think you're gonna bust a gang like the Robots?"

SermonStudio

Elaine M. Ward
Some things we can't explain, and we call them mysteries and trust God's love no matter what. There is an old story about a rabbi taking a trip with his donkey, rooster, and lamp. When it was night, he had no place to sleep, so he slept in the woods. He lit his lamp to read his Bible before going to sleep, but a strong wind blew it over and broke it. "It must be time to sleep," the rabbi said, ending his prayers, "All God does, God does well."
Stephen P. McCutchan
Acts 1:1-11
As they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
-- Acts 1:9b

Stan Purdum
Both Psalms 47 and 93 (the alternative psalm for this day) are enthronement psalms, praise hymns celebrating God's rule over the nations. They were most likely used on festal occasions when Israel again declared that God was its king.

While Psalm 47 was for Israel's celebration, verses 1-2 call all the nations of earth to recognize God as their monarch as well. Verses 3-4, however, return to the specific relationship between God and Israel.

Donald Charles Lacy
When, dear God, shall Christians all be one? It is a first-century inquiry. It is a here-and-now recurring question. Countless programs have been launched. Numerous proposals have been given. Only God knows how many problems have risen in our quest for Christian unity.

Dallas A. Brauninger
More than anything else, Edward wanted God to forgive Keith. More than anything else, he wanted to forgive his son for taking his own life. For several months after his son's suicide, Edward feared that Keith was lost. The father could speak to no one about his heartbrokenness.

Then, prompted by the open, sky-filled space as he drove with friends across the prairie of Nebraska, he turned to the couple in the rear seat and told them the following dream:
Charles D. Reeb
A friend of mine once shared a story about his first visit to Niagara Falls. He said it was magnificent -- the rush and roar of the water -- the display of raw power. But as he looked upon the water gushing forth, he remembered a picture in a textbook. It showed Niagara Falls in the middle of winter, and much of the water was frozen. Big lightning-shaped forms of water were at a standstill. There was no movement, no action, no power.
Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship
If we must suffer, let it be for Jesus. If we are mocked, let it be for the Lord. If we are excluded, or hunted, or cast out from the midst of friends and family, let it be because our service to God upsets the comfortable order and calls all to repentance and service! Let us be God's people today.

Collect
Be present with us, Lord, today,
In all your minister might say,
In all your songs call from our heart,
In all your children's scribbled art.
In all the adults' restlessness,

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