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THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTERApril 21, 2024Pastor Tom SteersChrist the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto OPENING HYMNN: 666 ”O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mIu4H6pO3APastor: Halleluiah, Christ is risen!Congregation: He is risen indeed. Halleluiah! Confession and Absolution Page 184-185 of our HymnalThe Verse (from Romans 6:9; John 10:14)Alleluia. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. Alleluia. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. Alleluia.The Kyrie (Lord Have Mercy) Lord, have mercy upon us.Christ, have mercy upon us.Lord, have mercy upon us. The Salutation – Pastor: The Lord be with you. Congregation: And also with you. Collect Prayer: Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.Our Bible Readings: First Reading Acts 4:1-12And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”P: This is the Word of the Lord.C: Thanks be to God Psalm 23 (antiphon: v.6)The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul.He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Glory be to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning,is now, and will be forever. Amen. Epistle Reading 1st John 3:16-2416 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. P: This is the Word of the Lord.C: Thanks be to GodOur Gospel Reading John 10:1-18“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.C: Praise be to Thee, O Christ. THE APOSTLES’ CREED Page 192HYMN OF THE DAY: 709 “The King of Love My Shepherd Is”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jzTQhW4WbcTHE SERMON‘Christ, Our Good Shepheard’ –Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, and although I grew up in a city and live in one, I love open space and a chance to see more of what God creates, rather than what man does.Not having had much experience with farms animals, I thought, at first, it was only a compliment when Jesus called us His sheep. But having had the chance to speak with people over the years that actually raise sheep, I’ve lost the illusion that this comparison was just a compliment.So, let’s consider what sheep are actually like, in Biblical times, or today.Farmers have told me that sheep will take every opportunity to get lost, and get into trouble if you let them.One farmer told me he had a ram, a male sheep, that liked to butt its head up against things all day long. The farmer cut large bulk containers in half, and set them up in the pasture so the sheep could have some shelter. The ram would butt the shelters until the doors became wedged against a fence, trapping the ram inside. At times, the sheep would become curious and squeeze themselves into the container with the ram and they’d all have to be rescued. We think of this as funny, until we remember that Jesus is comparing us to this species. A second thing about sheep is that they’re about the most helpless creatures on the farm. Under the right conditions a lamb can get turned over on its back and not be able to get up. This can be fatal. If the shepherd doesn't help the sheep, it may die. Sheep are trouble on the hoof. They need constant supervision. And without a shepherd they are simply lost, and vulnerable to wolves.So, the natural question becomes: is Jesus being too harsh when He says we’re like sheep? Well, let’s look at the human race. If we all worked together, we could probably solve many of the problems we face. Instead, we war against one other, individually or in groups. We try to make ourselves look good, by making others look bad. Personal rivalries and conflicts threaten our families and workplaces.The more we consider the human race, the more obvious it is that our everyday problems are usually those of our own making.And what about our helplessness? Well, there are times when we’re laid off from work, or a bad test score comes back. There are times when a husband or wife will say, "I want a divorce." Or maybe the doctor reveals a serious, even fatal disease.You get the idea. These are the moments in our lives when we realize just how genuinely helpless we are, like a lamb on its back.So, what is the problem? Why do human beings behave the way we do? The problem is sin. We inherited the condition from our first parents. Sin has been with us since the serpent tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. When we doubt this the Ten Commandments and our daily newscasts remind us it’s true.And we would be lost forever unless some power outside us, delivered us from sin, death, and eternal separation from God. Just as sheep need a shepherd, we need a Saviour.But many around us wants us to think that any ‘god,’ even those of our own making, can protect and care for us. Yet contrary to what the world tells us, Jesus said, "He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep." Here our English translations of the Bible aren’t harsh enough in describing the “hired hand.” The original Greek of the Gospel of John says the hired hand actually ‘offers up’ the sheep in the hope the wolf will attack the sheep, and leave him alone. The hired hand will sacrifice the sheep to save himself. There are many hired hands, false teachers, in the world today who want us to follow them. Some deny the Bible is the true Word of God.Others question the divinity of Jesus. Many talk about Christ, but see Him as a life coach or emotional therapist.One sign of these hired hands is that they only speak of what we should do.And that’s because in the end, they expect us to save ourselves. But when sin, death, and the devil come for us as wolves come for sheep, we don't need a therapist or life coach. We need a Saviour. The true Jesus is the One who laid down His life for you, and me. The true Christ is the risen Saviour who says to Thomas in John 20:27: "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." The marks of the true Christ are the marks of the cross. Any other Messiah is false. The Good Shepherd doesn’t tell us, "Do your best, and I’ll do the rest." Jesus doesn’t say that salvation is a ‘joint,’ collaborative effort.Luckily, for us, Jesus did it all with His innocent suffering and death at Calvary. He made the complete and final payment for sin we could not.Any teacher who doesn’t point to Christ, the cross and the empty tomb, is a hired hand, who will sacrifice the sheep to his master, the wolf. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day didn’t like being called sheep, no less wolves.When we look around, not much has changed. The danger of false teachers and bad theology remains. The wolves are still out there. Yet we know the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and we know that in John 14, verse 6 Jesus told us:“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”As Lutheran Christians we know that both God’s Law and the saving Gospel apply to us, yet each with a different purpose. The Law is a curb on evil, and a mirror that shows us our sins. It’s a guide to how God would like us to live.But the Gospel shows us our Saviour. The law convicts, and convinces us we can’t save ourselves. The Gospel gives us the merciful assurance of salvation through Christ who clearly tells us:“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”Christ is the one Shepherd and the one gate to Heaven.In the time of Jesus, shepherds led their flocks rather than drive them from behind.Sheep would recognize the voice of the shepherd and respond to his call.Today, Christ calls us by His Word.As sheep follow their shepherd, so those drawn to Jesus by the Father follow our Saviour.Jesus, who was both true God, and true man, laid down His life when He allowed mortal, sinful men to nail Him to a cross to pay for our sins, the sins of each and every one of us. On that cross, He cried out in victory, "It is finished!" And it is.Salvation for believers is sealed, because the Good Shepherd suffered the punishment we deserved.And we receive this precious gift by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.Not only did He lay His life down, but, when the time was right, He took it up again. Christ promises eternal salvation to those who believe that, who trust in Him.And faith, itself, is a free gift from God, worked within us by the Holy Spirit, using the means of grace, God’s Word and His Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.So, when you feel lost, and helpless, when you’re on your back and the wolves are circling, remember you are not alone, you have a protector, a Good Shepherd. His name is Jesus Christ.He knows and calls you by name with a heart full of mercy and love for you, His sheep.Amen. THE OFFFERING PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH THE SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT P: Blessed are You O Lord, our God, king of the universe, for you have had mercy on us and given Your only-begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. C: We give You thanks Father for the redemption You have prepared for us through Jesus Christ. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may faithfully take communion and receive the blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation that come from the body and blood of Christ. P: Father, hear us as we pray as Jesus taught us. THE LORD’S PRAYERC: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.Preface P: The Lord be with you.C: And also with you.P: Lift up your hearts.C: We lift them to the Lord.P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.C: It is right to give Him thanks and praise.P: It is truly meet, right, and salutary, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks to you, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Everlasting God.For in the mystery of the Word made flesh, You have given us a new revelation of Your glory; that seeing You in the Person of Your Son, we may be drawn to the love of those things which are not seen.THE WORDS OF OUR SAVIOURINSTITUTING THE LORD’S SUPPER P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.C: Amen.Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)P: Lamb of God You take away the sin of the world,C: Have mercy on us.P: Lamb of God You take away the sin of the world,C: Have mercy on us.P: Lamb of God You take away the sin of the world,C: Grant us peace. The Distribution(Our hymn during distribution is 636 “Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness”)Post Communion Collect (Left-hand column) Page 218 of our Hymnal Benedicamus and Benediction (stand) Page 218OUR CLOSING HYMN: 846 “Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqmoNJJz5OQ