Sunday at our churches

We were very happy to welcome Revd Stephen Everard and his wife Jane back to St Stephen’s! Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. Today’s readings were not random, but chosen to for this day. The Acts reading is about the early church, with no structure but describing how the Christians lived. The Peter reading talks about suffering and enduring it, bringing us back to the Good Shepherd. In the Gospel reading in John, Jesus calls himself both the Good Shepherd and the gate to the sheepfold (which would have meant literally laying across the entry to protect the sheep). How do we respond to these readings? We should learn to recognise Jesus’ voice, by living much like the early Christians: gathering together in His name, listening to God’s word, breaking bread together and being generous and openhearted.