Fourth Sunday of EasterThe Lord--shepherd, cornerstone, and example |
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| Scripture | Theme | Hymns |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 4:5-12 | Our Lord, the cornerstone | 289: Ah, Holy Jesus 559: Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation |
| Psalm 23 | Our Lord, the shepherd | 138: The King of Love My Shepherd
Is 407: Close to Thee |
| 1 John 3:16-24 | Following the Lord's example | 573: O Zion, Haste 650: Give Me the Faith Which Can Remove |
| John 10:11-18 | Christ, the good shepherd | 381: Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead
Us 338: Where He Leads Me |
The Lord blesses everyone with gifts. Sometimes they are gifts that we receive and are called to share. Sometimes they are gifts from others that are shared with us. We are blessed both ways.
For the past several years I have been blessed by Christian communities on several continents. My home church is in North America. I had wonderful fellowship in Africa attending the international services at the Luanda Central United Methodist Church. My wife and I have been deeply blessed through our visit at the Hinde Street Methodist Church in London, and had the very good fortune of subscribing to their publication of Wesley Hymns. I was ministered to by the clergy of the Bangladesh Methodist Church in Dhaka, and was able to attend regular worship services with the Dhaka Internation Assembly which meets in the Baridhara diplomatic district. Gifts upon gifts upon gifts.
In every one of these venues, the Spirit of the Lord was present. In every hemisphere. In every time zone. In every sanctuary, chapel, basement, and conference room. And that Spirit was Love. And that Love was a gift. And that gift was freely shared.
Know that you are blessed. Know that you are gifted. Share your blessings and share your gifts.
May we all be good stewards of the gifts we have received from God.
God bless you--
Lection at HymnSite.com
God bless you!
| Passages suggested are from The Revised Common Lectionary: Consultation on Common Texts (Abingdon Press, 1992) copyright © by the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT), P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville TN 37203-0003. Reprinted with permission of CCT. |
| Materials on Spiritual Gifts Copyright © 2000 by CARadke. All rights reserved. Individual, personal use online is authorized and encouraged. For information about other uses or signing up a group for the course write to GiftSurvey@HymnSite.com. |