11 May 2025 - Easter 4, Year C

Theme

The theme of a shepherd caring for their sheep runs through our readings this week. This speaks to God’s awesome saving and protective power. In Acts, we read a powerful story of Peter praying and raising Tabitha from the dead. In Revelation, John explains how the Shepherd will protect and provide for His sheep. In John’s gospel, Jesus expressed God’s power to protect God’s sheep. The Psalm is probably the most beautiful poem expressing trust in God’s protective and nurturing hand.

Scripture Readings

• Acts 9:36-43 - Peter raises a woman named Tabitha from the dead in Joppa after praying for her.

• Psalm 23 - Famous Psalm of trust in God. Often used at funerals and times of hardship.

• Revelation 7:9-17 - A vision of people from every tribe and nation praising God before the throne in heaven. The people are identified as those who washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

• John 10:22-30 - Jesus claims to be the Son of God. The people do not believe him because they are not his sheep and do not listen to his voice.

The Context

The Gospel reading for this week breaks the pattern of reflecting on Jesus’ resurrection appearances. However, Jesus’ claim to being the Messiah speaks to his role as the risen Christ and Saviour of the world.

Personal Application

This week’s readings speak to God’s nature and characteristics. God is powerful, protective, nurturing and worthy of praise. The question for us then, is how do we relate to this God? The Psalm is a good example of trusting in God. Perhaps this is why it is such a popular Psalm for people to memorize. It reminds us of God’s loving, caring nature, even in the midst of struggles and hard times.

How do these characteristics of God make you feel? Does God’s power put you off of having a relationship with God? Do you resonate with the words of the Psalmist who claims: “even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”

Communal Application

In Revelation, John receives a vision of the heavenly realm where all heavenly and earthly beings are praising the Lamb in unity. Whether this vision is precisely what our eternal future will look like or not, it begs the question: how do we best prepare ourselve now so that we will feel right at home when our souls enter the eternal realm?

Some have taken a literal reading of this passage and determined that singing songs of praise to God is all that matters. While I agree that worshiping God is a good thing, I believe Jesus’ call is more expansive than that. If we believe heaven to be a place of perfect love, inclusion and joy, then these are the characteristics that we need to learn to encompass in our lives today.

I once heard it put like this: If someone is a racist today, how will they feel when they find themselves in heaven next to someone of a different race? Or if someone hates gay people today, how will they feel situated next to a homosexual person in heaven? Or if someone if violent and hateful, how will they feel in a place of perfect peace and love? How we live our lives today will best prepare us to feel at home in God’s Kingdom, both today and for the rest of eternity.