Scriptures for April 29

Here are the scripture readings for this upcoming Sunday.

Suggestion: Print this and read a different passage each day and think about it
(some questions are offered to help stimulate your reflection).

You'll find your experience of worship on Sunday will be intensified.


April 29, 2007
4th Sunday of Easter, Year C
Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary

The Collect
O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people:
Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who
calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with
you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.

The Scriptures

Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30

Acts 9:36-43
Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which
in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of
charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had
washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was
near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent
two men to him with the request, "Please come to us without
delay." So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived,
they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside
him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas
had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside,
and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and
said, "Tabitha, get up." Then she opened her eyes, and seeing
Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then
calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This
became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon,
a tanner.
______________________

Have you ever known someone who recovered from death or near death?
Have you or someone you know ever recovered from something that felt threatening to their way of being?
____________________________________________________

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.

3 He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those
who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.

6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
______________________

Why do you think this has become the most beloved of psalms?
What does this psalm mean to you?
___________________________________________________

Revelation 7:9-17
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one
could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and
languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed
in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a
loud voice, saying,
"Salvation belongs to our God
who is seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb!"
And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders
and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the
throne and worshiped God, singing,
"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these,
robed in white, and where have they come from?" I said to
him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me,
"These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
______________________

How would you imagine life in the presence of God?
What is your deepest hope?
____________________________________________________

John 10:22-30
At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in
Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in
the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said
to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the
Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have told you, and
you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name
testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong
to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow
me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one
will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is
greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the
Father's hand. The Father and I are one."
______________________

What does the voice of Jesus sound like to you?
What does it mean to you that no one can snatch out of the Father's hand whatever the Father has given Jesus?
What does it mean when Jesus says "the Father and I are one."
___________________________________________________________

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Lowell

The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR

The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

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