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The Village Shepherd

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Children's Liturgy and Story

The Village Shepherd

Lucy Leaf's Fear -- Luke 21:25-36 -- Janice B. Scott -- First Sunday of Advent - C
Call to Worship:
The Great Run -- Luke 9:51-62 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C
Call to Worship:
The Ladder -- John 6:51-58 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
Call to Worship: Jesus is the living bread, and those who eat this bread will live
The Advent Candle -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Janice B. Scott -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Call to Worship: With John the Baptist, in our worship today let us prepare the way
Little Lester -- Luke 2:22-40 -- Janice B. Scott -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C
Call to worship:

Children's sermon

Children's Story

The Village Shepherd

Stella Martin's 'second Sight' -- Matthew 4:1-11 -- Janice B. Scott -- First Sunday in Lent - A
Stella Martin first became aware of her unusual gifts when she was quite small.
The Show -- John 6:1-21 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B
It was nearly the week of the show and Christopher's heart was beating very fast.
Basil's Journey -- Luke 14:25-33 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - C
Basil was lonely and cold and very, very tired.
Jack's Hen -- Matthew 28:1-10 -- Janice B. Scott -- Easter Day - A
Jack was grief stricken. His favourite hen had died.
St. Peter's Pool -- John 10:22-30 -- Janice B. Scott -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Sarah was on holiday in Malta with her parents.
The Search For Kingship -- Luke 19:28-40 -- Janice B. Scott -- Passion Sunday - C
Jesus was an unusual king, with none of the pomp and ceremony generally associated with kingship.
Barbie Five -- Mark 8:31-38 -- Janice B. Scott -- Second Sunday in Lent - B
"Have you seen it?" whispered the Barbie doll to her next door neighbour.
I Will If I Want -- Luke 18:9-14 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - C
Mrs Bushman sighed. "Don't pick up such large walnuts, Will," she scolded.
St Mark's Mission -- Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A
St Marks were a lively, go-ahead crowd. At least, some of them were.
The Scientist -- Mark 8:27-38 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B
John Jones knew he wanted to be a scientist from the age of four.
Awkward Jennifer -- Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A
Nobody liked Jennifer.
'i'm Not Afraid.....' -- Mark 6:14-29 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B
Andrew was hanging about on the age of the group, as usual.
Simon's Shoes -- John 6:35, 41-51 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - B
For his tenth birthday, Simon's uncle George gave him a pair of shoes. Simon was quite excited.

Intercession

The Village Shepherd

God Of Mystery -- Mark 13:24-37 -- Janice B. Scott -- First Sunday of Advent - B
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:
God Of The Heart As Well As The Mind... -- Luke 23:33-43 -- Janice B. Scott -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:
Almighty God Our Heavenly Father... -- Mark 2:1-12 -- Janice B. Scott -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - B
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:
God Of Fire And Earth And Sea... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- Janice B. Scott -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:
Wilderness God... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Janice B. Scott -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:
A Prayer By Cardinal Mercier... -- John 20:19-23 -- Janice B. Scott -- Day of Pentecost - A
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

Prayer

Preaching

Sermon

The Village Shepherd

Indiscriminate Generosity - It's Hard To Take -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
Recently I noticed in the media that the government are planning to give each teenager in Englan
A New Year's Resolution? -- John 1:10-18 -- Janice B. Scott -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B
So it's all over bar the shouting and we've survived!
Where Is God? -- Genesis 28:10-19 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A
When the first astronauts went into space, they were awestruck by the strange beauty of all they saw
Arise, Shine; For Your Light Has Come -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Janice B. Scott -- Epiphany of the Lord - B
We generally have a family outing to the cinema over the Christmas period. There
The Cost Of Caring -- John 12:1-8 -- Janice B. Scott -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - C
There have been a number of terrible tragedies at US Schools over recent years, which have left th
Loving The Unlovely -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Janice B. Scott -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B
When our eldest daughter was four, she crazed us to have a dog.
Be Sincere In Love... -- Romans 12:9-21 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Many years ago at the age of eighteen, when I started training as a physiotherapist, we had to s
Encountering The Risen Christ -- Luke 24:13-35 -- Janice B. Scott -- Third Sunday of Easter - A
The story of the road to Emmaus is perhaps one of the strangest of the resurrection appearances,
The Nature Of Temptation -- Luke 4:1-13 -- Janice B. Scott -- First Sunday in Lent - C
I've never been very clear about the difference between temptation and sin.
Pilgrimage -- Genesis 12:1-9 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - A
Our churches have been on a number of pilgrimages.
Floating On The Flood -- Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13 -- Janice B. Scott -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
"It never rains," said the old lady, "but it pours." She wasn't referring to the weather.
The Spirit Of Wisdom -- Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 -- Janice B. Scott -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - C
I'm not what you might describe as an inveterate traveller, but whenever I've visited other countrie
Harsh Words -- 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C
I watched my very first horror film at the age of sixteen.
Visions -- Acts 7:55-60 -- Janice B. Scott -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A
In "Valley of Bones", a thriller by Michael Gruber, one of the main characters is an intriguing mix
Remembering Simple Basics -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
When three of us from our benefice here in South Norfolk went to London on an Alpha training cours
If Jesus Conquered Death, Why Do We Die? -- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - A
You may have seen on television a while ago, those heart-rending adverts for Cancer Relief .
Where Are You Going? -- Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - C
I like to be well organised when preparing for a trip, especially when going on holiday.
Identifying God -- 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) -- Janice B. Scott -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B
I used to be quite good
The Coming -- Luke 21:25-36 -- Janice B. Scott -- First Sunday of Advent - C
Today, as well as being Advent Sunday is also the first day of year 3 of the Revised Common Lectio
Love -- 1 John 4:7-21 -- Janice B. Scott -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B
Some years ago I baptised a beautiful child.
Baptism Of Fire -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- Janice B. Scott -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Many years ago, when Ian and I were first married, we lived in a house without central heating.
Eternal Life -- For The Childish, Or The Childlike? -- Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A
Here in England we're now well into the wedding season, in which many young couples will follow
The Spread Of The Kingdom Can't Be Stopped -- Mark 4:26-34 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B
I remember watching a television documentary on BBC 2, on St Paul's Cathedral.
The Marriage Covenant -- Isaiah 62:1-5 -- Janice B. Scott -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C
Britney Spears can now claim the shortest marriage on record.
Pie-In-The-Sky When We Die? -- Revelation 5:11-14 -- Janice B. Scott -- Third Sunday of Easter - C
There's a section in the Church Times for people to write in and ask any questions they might have

Worship

UPCOMING WEEKS
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Easter 4
28 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 5
33 – Sermons
140+ – Illustrations / Stories
34 – Children's Sermons / Resources
30 – Worship Resources
35 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 6
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
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New & Featured This Week

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the sometimes-tiresome debate over science and scripture with respect to creation, it’s easy to become distracted. While the argument typically requires a focus on the how, we may lose sight of the what. And so, for just a moment, let me invite us to think for a moment about what God created.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Acts 8:26-40
As a local church pastor, I was often asked if I would baptize a child whose family were not members of the church. Some churches rebelled against this, but I remember this scripture — the hunger for understanding and inclusion of the Eunuch and Philp’s response — to teach and share and baptize in the name of our God. How could we turn anyone away from the rite of baptism?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Dad, I think you worked a miracle.” Rolf slowly walked around the tree. “After that windstorm, I assumed this tree was as good as gone.”

“We just needed to give the branches time to heal and come back,” Michael replied.

 “I know, but so many of them were battered and broken I figured that it couldn’t recover. Now though it looks just like it did before the storm.” Rolf paused. “Do you think it will bear any fruit this summer?”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Dean Feldmeyer
Quantisha Mason-Doll
For April 28, 2024:
  • On The Way To Gaza by Chris Keating based on Acts 8:26-40. On the way to Gaza, Philip discovers the startling ways the Spirit of God moves across borders, boundaries, customs, and traditions.
  • Second Thoughts: Abiding by Katy Stenta based on John 15:1-8.
  • Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. In our service today, let us absorb from the vine all the nourishment we need.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our branches become cut off from the vine.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes our branches are withered.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to produce good fruit.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
We will meet Psalm 22 in its entirety on Good Friday, but here the lectionary designates just verses 23-31. The lectionary psalms generally illuminate the week's First Lesson, which in this case is about the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. The nine verses from this psalm, while not inappropriate, nonetheless leave us looking for an obvious connection with the First Lesson.

John S. Smylie
I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, the corridor between New York City and Washington DC.
Ron Lavin
A pastor in Indiana went to visit an 87-year-old man named Ermil, who was a hospital patient. A member of his church told the pastor about this old man who was an acquaintance. "He's not a believer, but he is really in need," the church member said. "I met him at the county home for the elderly. He's a lonely old man with no family and no money."

Paul E. Robinson
"Love is a many splendored thing...." Or so we heard Don Cornwall and the Four Aces sing time and again. Of course you or I might have other words to describe love, depending on our situation.

Love. "I love you." "I love to play golf." "I just love pistachio lush!" "It's tough to love some people." "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Love.

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