Scripture11 ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care 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 I have other sheep that do not belong to 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 in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’ (John 10:11-18)ReflectionThe picture that Jesus paints is vivid. The wolf comes, the hired hand runs away, the sheep are snatched and scattered. We can feel the violence, the fear of the hired hand and the sheep, the destructive force of the wolf. Who is the wolf for you? Is it the devil? Is it your own fear? Is it outside forces over which we have no control? Whoever, or whatever is scaring you and sending you to flight, learn to listen instead to the voice of your good shepherd, Jesus Christ. He knows you, and he loves you. He has laid down his life for you, that’s how much he loves you! He lays down his life for his sheep, but he does so willingly, without compulsion or coercion. And this is how we recognise his love. It is free and freely given, and it sets us free. Free to give ourselves to love, to one another and to life itself. Revd Ylva
Scripture & Reflection - Sunday 14th April - The Third Sunday of Easter Scripture'Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself.’' (Luke 24.36b-39)Reflection[Adapted from the Roots resource.]Jesus appears to his disciples after his resurrection – the incredible event we celebrated together two weeks ago. Perhaps, even though we know more of the story and the outcome, we are slow learners like the disciples. After the Last Supper, Jesus exclaims to Philip: ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?’ (John 14:9) And the same is true of the disciple’s reaction to the resurrection. Doubt and fear are their initial reactions to the women’s testimony; to the empty tomb on the Easter morning; to the “Road to Emmaus” story; and to the appearance of Jesus when the disciples were gathered in the locked upper-room. This was despite Jesus’ foretelling what was going to happen! Even in this piece above, Jesus had to demonstrate that he was not a ghost!What about us? How does God teach us? Or, more pertinently, how do you learn what God wants to teach you?! Is it by repetition? Is it through reading Scripture? Or learning from your mistakes? Or the experience of other Christians?Maybe a good starting point is just to hear Jesus saying to you, “Peace be with you”….and then wait and see what happens.Revd David Commander
