Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, May 11, 2025)
This Sunday, the second Sunday of May, is celebrated as Mother’s Day in the United States. a day on which all who have been a mother of a family or individual, motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society are honored. While it was originally begun as a service of worship and celebration at a Methodist Episcopal church, it has increasingly become a secular celebration albeit it is the third most popular day to attend church next to Christmas and Easter.
The topic of this Sunday’s message is Jesus as a shepherd to his people.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Mark Hayes’ prelude on CHRIST ALONE for piano.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Isaac Watt’s “Before the Lord’s Eternal Throne.”
1 Before the Lord's eternal throne,
ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
know that the Lord is God alone;
he can create, and he destroy.
2 His sovereign power without our aid
formed us of clay and gave us breath;
and when like wandering sheep we strayed,
he saved us from the power of death.
3 We are his people, we his care,
our souls, and all our mortal frame:
what lasting honors shall we rear,
almighty Maker, to thy Name?
4 We'll crowd thy gates with thankful songs,
high as the heavens our voices raise;
and earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
shall fill thy courts with sounding praise.
5 Wide as the world is thy command,
vast as eternity thy love;
firm as a rock thy truth must stand,
when rolling years shall cease to move.
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel:
The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love
your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment
greater than these." Mark 12:29-31
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins
through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all
goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us
in eternal life. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Christopher Idle’s “Glory in the Highest.”
1 Glory in the highest to the God of heaven!
Peace to all your people through the earth be given!
Mighty God and Father, thanks and praise we bring,
singing Hallelujah to our heavenly king.
2 Jesus Christ is risen, God the Father's Son!
With the Holy Spirit you are Lord alone!
Lamb once killed for sinners, all our guilt to bear,
show us now your mercy, now receive our prayer.
3 Christ the world's true Saviour, high and holy One,
seated now and reigning from your Father's throne:
Lord and God, we praise you! Highest heaven adores:
in the Father's glory, all the praise be yours!
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Silence
O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people;
Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who
calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with
you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
Acts: 9: 36-43
Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Francis Rous’ metrical version of Psalm 23, “The Lord’s My Shepherd.”
1 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.
He leadeth me, he leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
2 My soul He doth restore again;
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of blessedness,
E’en for His own name’s sake.
Within the paths of blessedness,
E’en for His own name’s sake.
3 Yea, though I walk through
Shadowed vale,
Yet will I fear no ill;
For Thou art with me; and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.
Thy rod and staff me comfort still;
Me comfort still.
4 My table Thou hast furnishèd
In presence of my foes;
My head with oil Thou dost anoint,
And my cup overflows.
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows.
5 Goodness and mercy all my days
Will surely follow me;
And in my Father’s house always
My dwelling place shall be.
And in thy house for evermore
My dwelling place shall be.
A reading from the Revelation to John.
Revelation 7:9-17
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’
And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, singing,
‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honour
and power and might
be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Clement of Alexandria and F. Bland Tucker’s “Jesus, Our Might Lord.”
1 Jesus, our mighty Lord,
our strength in sadness,
the father's conquering Word,
true source of gladness;
your Name we glorify,
O Jesus, throned on high;
you gave yourself
to die for our salvation.
2 Good shepherd of your sheep,
your own defending,
in love your children
keep to life unending.
You are yourself the Way:
lead us then day by day
in your own steps, we pray,
O Lord most holy.
3 Glorious their life who sing,
with glad thanksgiving,
true hymns to Christ the King
in all their living:
all who confess his Name,
come then with hearts aflame;
the God of peace acclaim
as Lord and Savior
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
John 10:22-30
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus, the Shepherd of Our Souls
In the Mid-East, in ancient times, a shepherd, staff held in his hand, sling hanging from his belt, a flocking of sheep trailing behind him, the lambs following their dams, was not an uncommon sight. It is not an uncommon sight even today.
Sheep can recognize the voice of their shepherd and distinguish it from other human voices, especially if they have heard his voice from birth. A shepherd would give names to his sheep and the sheep would respond to their names when the shepherd called them. This was common knowledge to both Jesus and the people to whom he was speaking in this Sunday’s Gospel reading. The point Jesus was making was that they would not need to ask him if he was the Messiah, God’s Anointed One, if they were sheep of his flock. They would recognize him right off. They would not need to keep questioning his credentials.
God as a shepherd and his people as his flock is a recurring them throughout the Bible. Jesus as the good shepherd is a recurring theme In the New Testament. In this Sunday’s second lesson from the Revelation to John, he is the shepherd of the redeemed who will guide them to springs of the water of life.
Jesus, the good shepherd who loved little children and wo was their guide and protector was my earliest understanding of Jesus, an understanding that was informed in part by the illustrations in Joan Gale Thomas’ children’s books and in part by a version of Jane Eliza Leeson’s children’s hymn, “Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep.”
1 Loving Shepherd of thy sheep,
keep me, Lord, in safety keep;
nothing can thy pow'r withstand,
none can pluck me from thy hand.
2 Loving Shepherd, thou didst give
thine own life that I might live;
may I love thee day by day,
gladly thy sweet will obey.
3 Loving Shepherd, ever near,
teach me till thy voice to hear;
suffer not my steps to stray
from the straight and narrow way.
4 Where thou leadest I would go,
walking in thy steps below;
then, before my Father's throne,
Jesu, claim me for thine own.
Note how this hymn echoes Jesus’ words in this Sunday’s Gospel reading.
(Later in life I was delighted to discover that Joan Gale Thomas whose married name was Joan Gale Robinson wrote the young adult novel, When Marnie Was There. Hayao Miyazaki selected Marnie as one of his fifty recommended children's books, and Studio Ghibli adapted it into a film of the same name. It is a story of a grandmother’s love for her granddaughter, a love that transcended death.)
As I have grown older, my understanding of Jesus has grown, and it has deepened. Luke’s account of Peter’s restoring the seamstress Tabetha to life after she died in a way has helped to inform that understanding.
God as a shepherd and his people as his flock is a recurring them throughout the Bible. Jesus as the good shepherd is a recurring theme In the New Testament. In this Sunday’s second lesson from the Revelation to John, he is the shepherd of the redeemed who will guide them to springs of the water of life.
Jesus, the good shepherd who loved little children and wo was their guide and protector was my earliest understanding of Jesus, an understanding that was informed in part by the illustrations in Joan Gale Thomas’ children’s books and in part by a version of Jane Eliza Leeson’s children’s hymn, “Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep.”
1 Loving Shepherd of thy sheep,
keep me, Lord, in safety keep;
nothing can thy pow'r withstand,
none can pluck me from thy hand.
2 Loving Shepherd, thou didst give
thine own life that I might live;
may I love thee day by day,
gladly thy sweet will obey.
3 Loving Shepherd, ever near,
teach me till thy voice to hear;
suffer not my steps to stray
from the straight and narrow way.
4 Where thou leadest I would go,
walking in thy steps below;
then, before my Father's throne,
Jesu, claim me for thine own.
Note how this hymn echoes Jesus’ words in this Sunday’s Gospel reading.
(Later in life I was delighted to discover that Joan Gale Thomas whose married name was Joan Gale Robinson wrote the young adult novel, When Marnie Was There. Hayao Miyazaki selected Marnie as one of his fifty recommended children's books, and Studio Ghibli adapted it into a film of the same name. It is a story of a grandmother’s love for her granddaughter, a love that transcended death.)
As I have grown older, my understanding of Jesus has grown, and it has deepened. Luke’s account of Peter’s restoring the seamstress Tabetha to life after she died in a way has helped to inform that understanding.
In last Sunday’s Gospel reading Jesus restored Peter as one of his apostles after Peter denied him three times and instructed Peter to care for his sheep and to follow him. Jesus did not give up on Peter because Peter denied him.
As Jesus points out in this Sunday’s Gospel reading, “The Father and I are one.” Elsewhere in John’s Gospel he tells Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Jesus’ words and his actions therefore can be understood to embody God’s. God is a God of second chances. And third chances. And so on. This is evident from what Luke’s account of Peter’s life and ministry after his restoration and Peter’s own writings.
Now Peter had no extraordinary powers of his own. It was the Holy Spirit working through him who actually raised Tabitha from the dead, just as it was the Holy Spirit that empowered Peter’s preaching. It was God’s grace which enabled Peter to do what he did, what William Willimon, retired United Methodist theologian and bishop, Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Duke Divinity School, describes as the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.
Now Peter had no extraordinary powers of his own. It was the Holy Spirit working through him who actually raised Tabitha from the dead, just as it was the Holy Spirit that empowered Peter’s preaching. It was God’s grace which enabled Peter to do what he did, what William Willimon, retired United Methodist theologian and bishop, Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Duke Divinity School, describes as the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.
It is the Holy Spirit which gives us the ability to hear Jesus’ voice and to follow him. We are not able to do that on our own any more than Tabitha was able to start breathing again on her own. It is God who arouses and awakens faith in us and who gives us new life as it was God who restored Tabitha to life again.
To borrow the words from a verse of Cecil Frances Alexander’s hymn, “Jesus Calls O’er the Tumult,” it is by Jesus’ mercies, we are able to hear his call, to give our hearts to his obedience, and to serve and love him best of all. It is by grace and grace alone we are saved, and being put right with God, are transformed into the likeness of our Savior and Lord.
Silence
[Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed]
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
[Let us pray for the Church and for the world.]
Particular intentions may be mentioned before this litany, or petitions added at appropriate points.
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may
be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the
ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and
bring them the joy of your salvation.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will
for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in
the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we
pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our
sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Dorothy A. Thrupp and Henry F. Lyte’s “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us (Blessed Jesus).”
1 Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare:
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
2 We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
Be the guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray:
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Hear, O hear us when we pray;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Hear, O hear us when we pray.
3 Thou hast promised to receive us,
Poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
Grace to cleanse, and pow'r to free:
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee.
4 Early let us seek Thy favor,
Early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Savior,
With Thy love our bosoms fill:
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, love us still;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, love us still.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
[Let us pray in the words our Savior Christ has taught us.]
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, the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us. Amen.
or
The peace of the Lord be with you.
And also with you.
All greet one another in the name of the Lord.
Silence
[Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed]
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
[Let us pray for the Church and for the world.]
Particular intentions may be mentioned before this litany, or petitions added at appropriate points.
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may
be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the
ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and
bring them the joy of your salvation.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will
for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in
the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we
pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our
sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Dorothy A. Thrupp and Henry F. Lyte’s “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us (Blessed Jesus).”
1 Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare:
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
2 We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
Be the guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray:
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Hear, O hear us when we pray;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Hear, O hear us when we pray.
3 Thou hast promised to receive us,
Poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
Grace to cleanse, and pow'r to free:
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee.
4 Early let us seek Thy favor,
Early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Savior,
With Thy love our bosoms fill:
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, love us still;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, love us still.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
[Let us pray in the words our Savior Christ has taught us.]
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, the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us. Amen.
or
The peace of the Lord be with you.
And also with you.
All greet one another in the name of the Lord.
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