Scripture Reflections for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
Year C, Lectionary 51
God calls us either in our prayers or through other disciples. Jesus is sending us to spread the Gospel to everyone but we have to remain attentive to God as Christ leads us in our lives. We are meant to respond and invite others to join into communion with God.
Hate feeling lost on Sundays at church? Searching for a better explanation of the Bible than what you hear from your pastor's sermon? Check out the following collection of audio, video, and text commentaries from various Christian experts for a better understanding of today's scripture that deal with: Abraham • Authority • Blasphemy • Call • Church • Comfort • Conscience • Conversion • Divinity • Evangelize • Faith • Fear • Focus • Follow • Gather • Gospel • Grace • Heaven • Hope • Identity • Inclusion • Joy • Lamb • Lead • Listen • Love • Martyr • Messiah • Mother • Obedience • Opportunity • Paul • Persecution • Pope • Poverty • Power • Prayer • Priority • Relationship • Resurrection • Revelation • Serve • Sheep • Shepherd • Suffering • Unity • Vocation • Voice • Welcome •
“What is happening here is that Paul is turning from the local Jewish synagogue to the pagans. What is not happening here is that Paul is turning his back on his Jewish brothers and sisters and refusing to bring the gospel to them. That's just not the case.”
“what John's seeing here is a vision of what we would call the saints, the saved in heaven. On the other hand, what he's seeing from a Jewish perspective is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, about his innumerable multitudes that would come from many nations”
“It’s important to note that to give God glory is not to impart something that God does not already have, but rather to acknowledge the honour that is God’s due. It entails acknowledging and extolling what is already a reality.”
“So, I must ask myself, 'do I listen to the voice of the Shepherd by making a regular, reflective and prayerful reading of the Scriptures an integral part of my spiritual life?'”
“before we even think about shepherding others, we must experience ourselves as the sheep of the Good Shepherd”
“Do you know that it is your divine parent who is calling you and are we willing to respond?”
“our job is to allow the light of our faith to become a part of us because God never lets go, God will never ever let go”
“Jesus isn't just revealing he's the Good Shepherd, he's revealing his divinity. That he's the divine shepherd of Israel who has now come in person to save his people.”
“This is the relationship that Jesus wants with you and me. This is the kind of Messiah that Jesus wants to be for you and me. Not a military commander but a relationship of love and intimacy.”
“I need a shepherd who will tower over my life so that I can rest knowing his mighty power will sustain me no matter what and through no matter what”
“Our Church at its best is a mother to all of us”
“Family, we need a Good Shepherd in our lives for survival, without a shepherd, if you're your own shepherd, you will not survive”
“God visits us in specific moments and through familiar and unlikely means but because of various forms of biases, especially against people and places, we miss the blessings of God”
“If we are blessed to be sheep in the care of a Good Shepherd, we can trust that shepherd to keep us safe. It’s not our job to patrol the boundaries and keep trespassers out. It’s not in our power to take anyone out of Jesus’s hands.”
“as we reflect on our roles as shepherds we must also remember that in order to become a good speaker we must first become good listeners. Before we become good teachers we must first become good students.”
“Jesus is risen. The Good News dwells among us. Despite times of great distress and division God has a vision for our world. It is a vision of a world in which every nation, race, people and tongue are united. It is a vision that is looking for a home in our hearts.”
“Always, the initiative is God's and ours is the response”
“God always guides us into God's presence in times of trouble”
