Prayer of Approach

Lord Jesus, great shepherd of the sheep, we have heard your voice, have come forward to follow you, to be part of your flock. We are here this morning to hear your word sing your praise in in a sincere desire to know you better. We have heard your voice, calling each of our names. We have felt your strong claim upon our lives.  Fill us with your presence in this time of worship 

    The same thing happens at times in writing something. Read it back in head sounds find read it out loud soundly there are words missing Mind anticipates and looks and sees what it wants to see.

The same happens with your ears as well. The unresolved chord.

We search for what is missing in our lives. Some people spend their entire lives searching for what is lost or missing and never find it. Other resign themselves to the fact that there will all ways be an emptiness, while others identify what is missing and then go after it. Why one person will look and not find, or One Accepts what is not there or states their need and then gets it is a mystery. 

It is the same in our faith. Why are some able to believe and others not?

Perhaps those that believe have realized that there is something missing in their lives and have identified what it is and understand what it will take to keep it.

 While others do not believe because believing takes hard work, takes thinking, time and devotion. 

Those that believe have had something happen in their lives, perhaps their upbringing or a spiritual experience or an encounter and suddenly realize that they are loved. This has committed them to want to follow. 

Today is what is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. All the lessons have to do with Jesus as the shepherd and us the Sheep. 

      Sheep are followers.

  Sheep require a shepherd. Does this mean that they are directionally challenged which is not a lack of intelligence but a deficiency in navigation skills?

 No, they are not dumb but rather they are smart enough to know they can’t go it alone. They need someone to lead and to guide them. 

Know Cattle are driven. From the rear by hooting and cracking whips.   You do this to a sheep and try to drive them all you get are the sheep trying to get around behind you. They want to be lead.  They will not go anywhere that someone else does not go first. Namely their shepherd who goes ahead of them to show them that everything is all right.

Now that is smart. Send the human first. Why risk my fleece. Why did the sheep look over the cliff? To see if humans bounce. 

I think that shows a certain amount of intelligence. Or at least wisdom. You know the old saying look before you leap. Well that’s what sheep do. 

They trust and know the shepherds voice. And so they believe in the shepherd and follow. 

Jesus is the shepherd and we are the sheep. 

This is a wonderful little passage because Jesus is a bit attitudedy

Jesus says to his critics, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; ²⁶but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. ²⁷My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.  See what Jesus is saying.

Jesus doesn’t say that you are admitted into the flock if you believe or that you are kicked out of flock if you don’t believe. No, he says that, if your in the flock you’re one of his. You hear his voice, and know him and he knows you and won’t let you go. 

 I don’ know why you believe in God. But I know you do. I know that we are a part of the same flock. That we gathered here today having known that within us there is something that needs to be filled and that comes in our faith and our believe.

The need has been filled by the sound of God’s voice his presence in our lives.

We are accepted because we believe. We don’t have to pass a test. It’s not even like Jesus expects complete understanding of all that is part of the faith. 

Jesus knows that at times we will stray, he even knows at times that we will doubt and be confused. But we will still know his voice.

 No matter what doubts, questions, or reservations you may harbour about all of our affirmations. There you sit in the fold. You may not have your head straight on every article of the basis of union, you may not even or heard of them, you, may not understand the creeds of the church, You may not know what to think about the doctrine of the trinity or the sacraments or even that whole immaculate conception thing, or even more so that Easter event. 

But you still belong to the fold, to flock because you believe.

No one will say get out you can’t sit down here because you don’t understand the whole thing.  Jesus doesn’t say anything like that here. He just says his sheep hear his voice and he knows them and they know him. They’re in the fold just on the basis of hearing his voice.

 Our lives are a journey and in that journey we will struggle up steep mountains and we will stand on the summit and see clearly,  There will be easy roads  green fields and pastures and harsh roads through the valley of the shadow of death . We will have those who will love us and those that will hate us. Sometimes we will know the difference and other times not. We will know joy and sorrow and not always in equal measure and through it all as we search for what may or may not be missing we will hear one voice always clearly, calling us. Today’s gospel promises that he will keep his sheep in the fold. Nobody, and nothing will snatch his God’s sheep those that know his voice those that simply believe.

Prayers of the people 

Hear our prayer we humbly offer

Grant to us your peace O God

Hear our prayer we humbly offer

Grant to us your peace O God. 

Blessed God who walks with us you are truly our shepherd and each day we cannot but marvel at all that you have done for us. When the world seems so over whelming, when it feels like the storms of all that we may be facing may drag us down, you remind us to breath and feel the calm of a green field and still the waters that buffet us.

When we are discouraged or feeling broken your presence restores our soul. You speak to our hearts and help us to see the way that we may travel.

We remember all those that are in need of your presence today. Those that long for hope those that long for healing those see a brokenness in their lives, for even as we pass through the shadows of this life your light shines before us.  We name those that are a part of our lives that need to know that you are with them and long for your strength.

 In all of our journey may we see the blessings that have may we know that your goodness and mercy are always with us and that we are part of a family of faith Lord here our personal prayers of petition and thanks giving.

We offer you the great prayer that binds us as one saying Our Father….

Offering

 One: We rejoice in remembering this day  God has given us the gift of eternal life. Let us bring our offering to God in Joy and thanks giving in gratitude for what we have received.

Offering received

Offering  (tune 122)

All glory , laud and honour

to you redeemer king.

To you we bring our gifts, 

our voices join and sing

The multitude of blessings

 you give us each new day

Our praise and prayer and offerings

before you we present.

Offering Prayer

  For sight when we are blind, hearing when we are deaf, and the assurance of your touch when we have ceased to feel, we give thanks, Sovereign God. We would extend to others all that we have received from your hand. Use these offerings of gratitude in our midst and far beyond the reach of our imagination. Amen