Bulletin with readings and notices, 11 May 2025, Good Shepherd Sunday
BULLETIN
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
11th May 2025
Good Shepherd Sunday
Hymns
365 - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
655 - Loving Shepherd of your sheep
644 - Faithful Shepherd, feed me
528 - The Church's one foundation
Collect
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life:
Raise us, who trust in him, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness,
that we may seek those things which are above, where he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The First Reading Acts 9: 36-43
A reading from the Book of Acts, chapter 9, beginning at verse 36:
Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
The Psalm Psalm 23
The Second Reading Revelation 7: 9-17
A reading from the Book ‘Revelation’, chapter 7, beginning at verse 9:
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The Gospel Reading John 10: 22-30
At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’
Post Communion Prayer
Merciful Father, you gave your Son Jesus Christ to be the good shepherd,
and in his love for us to lay down his life and rise again. Keep us always under his protection, and give us grace to follow in his steps; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Collect Of The Word
Gracious God, you sent Jesus, the good shepherd, to gather us together:
may we not wander from his flock, but follow wherever he leads us, listening for his voice and staying near him, until we are safely in your fold, to live with you for ever;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Notices
Fundraising concert:
‘Illumination’, Fri, 30 May, 20:00, in St Mary’s Church, Westport.
This exquisite piece, a sacred opus for choir and orchestra, was composed by Kathy herself and we are grateful to her for bringing it to Westport in order to support our Holy Trinity Westport congregation and its efforts towards repairs and restoration of the church. Guests include Anne Marie Gibbons. Tickets available on Eventbrite.
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Select Vestry Meetings
Westport-Dugort Select – Tues 20 May, 8pm in Carrowbeg House
Turlough – Sat 24 May, 8pm (following the 7pm service) in the church
Youth and Children
Sat 21 June – Children’s Holiday Club, half day event – details to follow. Planning meeting – Thurs 5 June, 7.30pm, in the home of Steffi and Paul, 3 Ashbrook, Turlough Road, Castlebar.
Weekly Service Pattern for the Aughaval Group
Saturdays:7pm, Turlough Parish Church
- Evening Prayer on the eve of the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month
- Holy Communion on the eve of the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month
Sundays:
10am, Christ Church Castlebar
- Holy Communion on 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month
- Morning Prayer on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month
12 noon, Holy Communion, Westport congregation (in St Mary's Church, South Mall), followed by tea in Carrowbeg House
3pm, St Thomas's Dugort, Achill – Evening Prayer or Holy Communion
Wednesdays:
Midweek Holy Communion in Westport, 10.30am in St Mary’s, followed by coffee in Clew Bay Hotel from 11.15am. All welcome!
Online Prayer, 8pm: Link on request and to follow
Scared Space
You can find a gentle prayer guide and reflection on the gospel of the day here:
https://sacredspace.com/daily-prayer/2025-05-11/
Story videos for young children:
Pastoral Care and Enquiries
Revd Suzanne Cousins
