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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 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A

Children's Liturgy and Story

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
Jesus told a story in which an enemy came while everyone was asleep. In our worship today, let us resolves to be alert and awake for God, so that we are not caught napping by enemies and are ready when God comes to us.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, I need sleep, but save me from spiritual day-dreaming.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, I need sleep, but keep me alert to hear your voice.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, I need sleep, but want to be awake in your service.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (NRSV)

Children's Story

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Janice B. Scott
Nobody liked Jennifer. She'd come from another country to join the class and it was difficult to understand what she said. And she had such odd ideas. Rosie discovered that instead of eating cereals from her bowl at breakfast time, Jennifer drank hot chocolate from her bowl - having first dipped her toast in it!

Everybody laughed when Rosie told them about Jennifer's breakfast. But being nice girls, they thought they ought to make an effort, so invited Jennifer to join in their game at playtime. But Jennifer was a disaster. Not only was she hopeless at skipping, but she wanted to change the game to suit herself. In the end, the girls gave up. During the next playtime everyone ignored Jennifer.

Intercession

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

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

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Janice B. Scott
You always get one! The person on another table in the restaurant who holds forth very loudly and at great length so that the whole room can hear what he or she is saying. Or the person in a meeting, where everyone knows that whatever the subject, this particular person will invariably disagree. Or the one member of a family, who for some unknown reason is always incredibly difficult.

And films have been made about the one person on a jury who refuses to go along with the otherwise unanimous verdict and insists on keeping the jury for hours or maybe days or weeks because he or she won't budge.

Sermon

Romans 8:12-25

Janice B. Scott
There's been a lot of trouble in recent years over politicians receiving gifts. So much so, that nowadays politicians must declare even the smallest gift they receive. The trouble came because what these politicians actually received weren't gifts at all but were inducements to grant some or other favour to the giver of the gift. Thus a free holiday in the Seychelles or a new car or a grace-and-favour apartment weren't really free at all, but carried a hidden price tag. And that price tag could be considerable. The cost was the unwritten but nonetheless understood obligation to use pollical influence on behalf of the donor of the so-called "gift".

Sermon

Genesis 28:10-19

Janice B. Scott
When the first astronauts went into space, they were awestruck by the strange beauty of all they saw. They didn't meet God in person face to face, but they had a sense of God's presence through this newly revealed wonder of his creation. Few of us are likely to venture into space, but many of us can identify with that feeling of the presence of God in a place of awesome beauty. The coastline of Cornwall, the mountains of Scotland, the Yorkshire Moors, the beaches of Norfolk and so many other places where the surrounding beauty is breathtaking.

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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Proper 10 | OT 15
25 – Sermons
100+ – Illustrations / Stories
31 – Children's Sermons / Resources
19 – Worship Resources
22 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 11 | OT 16
24 – Sermons
100+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
19 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 12 | OT 17
28 – Sermons
100+ – Illustrations / Stories
35 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
22 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 13 | OT 18
23 – Sermons
100+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
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(No credit card needed.)

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Genesis 28:10-19a
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Genesis 28:10-19a
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I love questions like, “ How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” I realize that speculative exegesis, like angelology, is not everybody’s cup of tea. It is so easy to dismiss these kinds of question as idle speculation that edifies nobody. But, for me, it is exactly these “idle questions about stuff that doesn’t matter” that have revealed some of the most earth-shaking and paradigm-shifting theological insights.

StoryShare

Keith Hewitt
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Contents
"The Invaders" by Keith Hewitt
"Surely The Lord Was In This Place" by Peter Andrew Smith

The Invaders
by Keith Hewitt
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

The suns were still high in the sky when Jessica Pike landed on the roof of the Colonial Administration Building, cut the engines, and waited for the rotors to stop. The parking attendant rolled up to her window and tapped on it, asked solicitously, “How can I help you this afternoon?”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
“Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ (v. 30)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Nobody liked Jennifer. She'd come from another country to join the class and it was difficult to understand what she said. And she had such odd ideas. Rosie discovered that instead of eating cereals from her bowl at breakfast time, Jennifer drank hot chocolate from her bowl - having first dipped her toast in it!

SermonStudio

Richard A. Jensen
Matthew 13 contains the parabolic ministry of Jesus as Matthew tells the story. The first three of these parables are seed parables. Last week's text was the Parable of the Sower who went out to sow the seed (Matthew 13:1-9 [10-23]). This week's appointed text is the parable of the one who sowed good seed in his field along with Jesus' explanation of the parable of the weeds (vv. 36-43). A few of the omitted verses (vv. 31-33) are appointed for next week.

Special Occasion