Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Sunday, May 11, 2025 – Good Shepherd Sunday
Prelude
Words of welcome, announcements
Lighting the Christ Candle
We light this candle as a symbol of the light of Christ, which shines in each one of us, and the darkness cannot overcome it. May the light of resurrection fill our lives with hope.
Introit
Call To worship
In a gracious spirit of love divine God opens wide the doors and welcomes us into the divine presence that is all around us. Saints and sinners alike are invited to share in a feast as God spreads a table before us, filled with the richest fare. You are invited to share in this feast of love and mercy that feeds both your body and your soul. We come with joy to gather here for a while, to taste and see God’s goodness, to celebrate the gift of grace and mercy in our lives. May the healing presence of the Holy Spirit inspire our praise and thanksgiving, as we worship God together. Amen.
Hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful VU 291
Refrain: All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful:
in love, God made them all.
- Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colours,
God made their tiny wings. Refrain
- The purpleheaded mountains,
the river running by,
the sunset and the morning
that brightens up the sky; Refrain
- The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden:
God made them every one. Refrain
- The rocky mountain splendour,
the lone wolf’s haunting call,
the great lakes and the prairies,
the forest in the fall; Refrain
- God gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God our maker,
who has made all things well. Refrain
Prayer of Approach
Loving God, you are the good shepherd who leads us in the paths of righteousness that leads to life in abundance. Forgive us when we follow those paths that do not lead to life. Instead of following Jesus, we have followed paths that lead to violence, hate and fear. We have wandered down the paths that lead to despair and death. Forgive us when we forget that you offer us life. Life that is abundant and eternal. Forgive us we pray. Like a good shepherd, turn us to the right path. May your goodness and mercy bless us this day. We pray in Jesus’ name and for his sake. Amen.
Scripture Reader: Barbara Moogk
Scripture: Acts 9:36-43
Gospel Reading: John 10:22-30
Hymn The Spring Has Come VU 187
- The spring has come, let all the church be part of it!
The world has changed, and God is at the heart of it!
New light, new day, new colour after winter grey.
New light, new day, the spring has come, let all the church be part of it!
- The sun is warm, let all God’s children play in it!
The world expands, let’s spread the Gospel way in it!
New leaf, new thrust, new greening for the love of Christ.
New leaf, new thrust, the sun is warm, let all God’s children play in it!
- The spring has come, new people are the flowers of it.
Through wind and rain, new life is in the showers of it.
New bud, new shoot, new hope will bear the Spirit’s fruit.
New bud, new shoot, the spring has come, new people are the flowers of it!
Homily “By the Shepherd’s Guiding”
Special Music
Offering Song Your Work, O God, Needs Many Hands VU 537
- Your work, O God, needs many hands
to help you everywhere,
and some there are who cannot serve
unless our gifts we share.
- Because we love you and your work,
our offering now we make:
be pleased to use it as your own,
we ask for Jesus’ sake.
The offering
We give thanks for everyone who continues to support TSA and our many ministries. Your gifts of support and encouragement mean a lot to us. You can get more information about making a donation by contacting the church office or by visiting our website. There are also many opportunities to volunteer in our different ministries. For all the gifts you share, for all the people you bless by your serving and giving as a disciple of Jesus, we give thanks.
Hymn The Lord’s My Shepherd VU 747
- The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want;
he makes me down to lie
in pastures green; he leadeth me,
the quiet waters by.
- My soul he doth restore again;
and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness,
even for his own name’s sake.
- Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale,
yet will I fear no ill;
for thou art with me; and thy rod
and staff me comfort still.
- My table thou has furnishèd
In presence of my foes;
My head thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.
- Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me,
and in God’s house for evermore
my dwelling-place shall be.
Pastoral Prayer,
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness VU 288
- Great is thy faithfulness, God our Creator;
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou has been thou forever wilt be.
Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand hath provided –
great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!
- Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. Refrain
- Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow –
wondrous the portion thy blessings provide. Refrain
Benediction
As you leave this time of sanctuary, may you trust in Jesus the good shepherd to guide you through the week that lies ahead. May the Holy Spirit shine in you and through you, not just in words, but in all you do. For God is always at your side, even in the darkest valleys of death. May God’s love and mercy abide with you all the days of your life. Go now in peace. AMEN.
Choral Amen “Amen, Amen, Hallelujah, Amen!” VU 974
Postlude
“By the Shepherd’s Guiding” Text: John 10:22-30
Preached by Rev. James Murray at Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church, Renfrew
Just after I graduated from university, I attended my cousin’s wedding where I had a great time seeing my cousins and aunts and uncles. I have a very small extended family, so it was a real delight to see them all in one place. At one point in the evening, one of my uncles asked me ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I pointed out to him that I had just graduated from university. I was all grown up in my opinion. He just smiled at me and asked again, “Yes, but what do you want to become?”
In a crazy kind of way, his question has stuck with me over the years. I was reminded of his question as many people are asking me what I’m going to do when I retire. And for the record, I don’t have a plan on what my next chapter is going to look like. But the question of what sort of person you want to be is one we should always be asking of ourselves because the answer does evolve over time. When we were teenagers we had many grand ideas of what the future would be like. As parents of small children, we had many dreams of what life would be like for our children as they grew. As empty nesters the dreams of how you will spend your free time also change. What was once a priority can fade over time, and what was once forgotten can come back later on in life.
So how often do you check in with yourself to see how your dreams are doing? Have you become the kind of person you dreamed of being at this time in your life? What is lacking in your life in order to fulfill your vision? The truth is there are many things we can be. There are many more things we still can become. It is never too late to try.
Our sense of self can be limited if our ideals are not big enough. This is why we must at every age be questioning who we are, and what we believe. Without a willingness to question and to grow, we will not create the fullest expression of who we can be. People often talk about the need to ‘find themselves’. The truth is the perfect you is not out there somewhere waiting to be discovered. The fullest sense of your potential is something you create through hard work.
All through the life of Jesus, there is a tension between what he feels called by God to be, and what people think he should become. Lots of people expected Jesus to be the Messiah who would reclaim the throne. They expected him to pull out a sword and raise an army. Even after his resurrection some of his disciples still wonder when the revolution is going to begin. (Acts 1: 6) Jesus keeps telling us what he is about is something new and different. That he will be more like a shepherd than a king to us.
So here we have two different symbols. The shepherd’s staff and a king’s sword. A king leads by the sword. The king sends people to fight and die for him. The king has the power of life and death over others. The king takes what he wants by force. The sword is a powerful tool. It takes a sword to build an empire. It takes a sword to defend borders. It takes a sword to get rich. The king relies upon the strength of sheer force to gain power over others.
Today we don’t have a lot of people running around the streets waving swords. But the same kind of behaviour that kings used to gain power in days gone by is still used today by those who seek their fortune in the world. If you want to make money, you must be willing to fight, to defend what you have, to take what you can. These behaviours have made us a very rich nation.
As powerful as it is, a sword is not always the best tool to use. If all you use is a sword, then everyone you look at starts to look like an enemy. In the same way, if all you ever use is a hammer, then every problem starts to look like a nail. If you have a sword in your hand, you can prevent the other person from attacking you. But you can’t make peace if are still pointing your sword at your enemy. You can’t make friends with a sword in your hand. The act of waving your open hand is a symbolic act that shows you are not carrying a sword.
The shepherd’s staff is a very different kind of tool. The shepherd uses the staff to guide his flock. He uses it to defend the sheep from attacking predators like wolves, lions and bears. He can use it to rescue a sheep which has gone astray. A shepherd can only guide their flock. The sheep do have to choose to follow. The shepherd’s job is to guide the flock to the places where there is food and water, and to the safe places to rest. Sheep do have a mind of their own. You cannot force a flock to anything. Sheep can be very stubborn. The shepherd has to lead by persuasion. A shepherd leads by example. A shepherd leads by the strength of the relationship they have with the sheep. A shepherd needs to have the trust of the sheep if they are to follow. A fearful flock will easily scatter. Sheep do know how to kick back.
If Jesus was looking for power and control over the world, all he had to do was pick up a sword. The people were willing to follow him. They were looking for a leader who would set them free. They were willing to fight to the death for his bid for power. Even today people want to put a sword in Jesus’ hand, so they can use him in their bid for power. But Jesus will not pick up a sword. Jesus very clearly rejects the way of the sword. He rejects it in the Garden of Gethsemane. He rejects it when he faces Pilate. He rejects it after he is risen. Jesus very clearly says that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. (Matthew 26:52)
The sword does not symbolize the kind of relationship Jesus is seeking with us. He does however invite us to pick up the shepherd’s staff. He does ask Peter to tend his flock. He invites us to be part of his flock. He wants to create a relationship built on the persuasive power of love. He is willing to protect and guide us, if we will trust him. He wants us to be the sheep in his flock. This may sound odd to us, especially in a post-modern society which celebrates the power of the individual to act without any external restrictions. Yet despite this heavy emphasis placed on being a unique individual, there is an enduring truth that our fullest sense of self comes from the relationships we build up through years of hard work and the trust we develop with others.
According to the Bible, the fullest expression of who we can be as individuals is when we learn how to become a sheep. Yes, a sheep. We tell people that when they grow up they should learn to be a sheep. I can’t think of an image that is further from the modern sense of self than that of a sheep. Telling someone they can become fully actualized by becoming ‘meek, bashful and timid’ almost sounds absurd. Why would anyone want to be a follower when they could be a leader. Why be a disciple when you can be your own guru. Why belong to someone else when you can be your own person.
As Christians, we need to own how odd we really are. We do see the world differently. We believe our fullest sense of self comes from belonging to a community. But to be part of the flock should never mean that you are expected to be weak, meek and mild. By his invitation and example, Jesus wants us to experience life in all its fullness and abundance. He fully expects us to do even greater things than what he has done. The reason the church uses this very odd sheep metaphor is really to help us picture the different kind of relationship we are to have with Jesus.
If you have ever watched Star Trek you will be familiar with The Borg. The Borg are a collective of people who have been assimilated into a state of mindless conformity. The Borg are a powerful force because they act as one. But there is no such thing as a free thinking individual member of the Borg. We are not like the Borg. Jesus does not call us to be mindless automatons. We are to be strong individuals who know how to act on our own. We are also people who know who they are as part of the collective whole. If what we do hurts the whole, are we really acting in our best interests? Only when we can see beyond ourselves do we get the fuller picture of who we really are. Only as a person alive in Christ can we see the possibility and consequences our actions can have on others.
When we see things from Jesus’ point of view, we can look at swords in a different way. You can do some important good with a sword. You can also do a lot of damage. You can do something very worthwhile with a shepherd’s staff. You can also do a lot of stupid things with the shepherd’s staff which can hurt people very deeply. Only as a whole person can we know how to use these tools for their fullest potential. We live in a material world which demands a lot of our energy. But life does also have a spiritual purpose which is more than what the material desires can ever satisfy. Jesus Christ wants us to be fully alive in both the material and spiritual worlds. To be a balanced and complete person who enjoys the fullness of all life. To be a complete individual who is also a meaningful part of a larger community.
By the shepherd’s example we can learn how to be such compassionate people.
By the shepherd’s guiding, we can learn how to become all we are capable of being.
For our good shepherd always wants to lead us to a beautiful place we can call home.
