Fourth Sunday of Easter; A Sunday within the COVID -19 Pandemic.

A psalm to calm and strengthen: Psalm 147:1-11

1 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.

5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

6 The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!

8 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.

9 He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.

10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Life Quotes - “No more strangers or foreigners, in Christ we can be members of the family of God. Hear God’s Word, then, to you today no matter your present circumstance. Your life matters to Him. With faith rooted in Jesus, we are part of His family, and that means your life and mine are valuable not just to each other, but to Him. And that changes everything.” Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, former speaker of “The Lutheran Hour” and Executive Director of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty

Easter IV – Abortion views a little one’s weakness as reason to exclude her. Assisted suicide sees a patient’s need as an occasion for discarding him. The first Christians welcomed their weak and needy as opportunities for community (Acts 2:44-45). They learned from Jesus that a neighbor who lacked meant an invitation to lean in and share life. Are we too far gone to engage in the same with the least of these?

For those who have made an abortion decision, there is a Word of Hope, Lutherans For Life’s post-abortion healing ministry. Call 888.217.8679 or email info@word-of-hope.org

We Witness –​John 10:1-10: On this day, we remember with gratitude the gift of our risen Good Shepherd. King David, as a Psalmist, penned the words praising God for “tending” him through every detail of life. What details need attending in your life and the lives of those around you who need the Word of the Good Shepherd? Can you paint a picture of a sheep and a Shepherd, a person loving something precious to them, and share the truth that this is how God loves them? That’s the privilege we have in sharing the Good Shepherd and His love.