Second Sunday after Easter

For the Second Sunday after Easter, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer composed a new Collect for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer based upon 1 Peter 2:19, which is the opening verse of the Epistle reading for the day. I used the Archbishop’s Collect in the AIC’s program, In the Cross of Christ I Glory, a multi-part series for Good Friday. The series is available in both video and podcast formats with the parts of the program linked from the Digital Library page, with podcasts of all the sections linked from the Podcast Archive page. The Second Sunday after Easter is commonly known as Good Shepherd Sunday, based on the Gospel reading for the day.

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given thine only Son to be unto us both
a sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample of godly life;
Give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his
inestimable benefit, and also daily endeavour ourselves to follow
his most holy life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle reading, 1 Peter 2:19-25, is another essay by St. Peter which goes beyond the simple message of the oral tradition known as the kerygma, based on the Greek word meaning “proclamation.” The great evangelist warns that Christians can expect earthly suffering for their faithfulness to Christian doctrine and that they ought to “patiently” accept that risk. He refers to our Saviour’s lack of “guile” (or “deceit” in the NKJV translation) and refers to the Cross as a “tree.” He advises the faithful to live a righteous life following Christ’s holy example. He paraphrases Isaiah 53:5,6, commonly known as the “Suffering Servant” prophecy in granting Christ the two titles: “Shepherd and Overseer” of souls. The phrase provides an excellent transition into the text of the Gospel reading.

The Gospel reading, John 10:11-16, includes one of the great “I AM” declarations that are unique to the Gospel of John: “I AM the good shepherd.” The ten “Great “I AM” declarations, allusions to the declaration of God to Moses in Exodus 3:14, 15, are explored and illustrated in the AIC Bible Study Video series, New Testament: The Gospel of John, in Chapters Twenty-nine to Thirty-five. Episodes are linked from the Bible Study: New Testament: Gospels pages with MP3 podcast versions linked from the Podcast Archive page. In verse 16a, Jesus alludes to the expansion of His Church to include the Gentiles: “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold,” promising that “they will hear my voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” The image above appears as Illustration No. 53, one of three “Good Shepherd” images in Chapter 10, in the AIC Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of John: Annotated & Illustrated, available through my Amazon Author Central page, with cover image and summary information on the AIC Bookstore page. A Christ the Good Shepherd icon, similar to an older example from the now-closed Skete.com, is available for under $10 from Legacy icons (Legacyicons.com, item X-178). The Legacy icon uses an English language legend “The Good Shepherd” instead of the Russian “O Poimen, O Kalos” in the older product.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things.