Talk based on Acts 2 42 to end, John 10 1 to 10

What would be your vision of heaven?

Scripture talks about a heavenly banquet, a paradise garden, room for everyone, worship, love, joy, peace, no more disease, suffering and death.

In our reading from the book of Acts we read how in the first few weeks after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the first believers were together in Jerusalem, caring, sharing meals, praising God. A people who knew the saving grace of Jesus Christ, living for God in ways that were very different from that which had gone before (with all the rules and regulations that they had had to follow).

Their living out joyful loving faith both in the Temple and in their homes was attractive and Luke comments that ‘day by day the Lord was adding to their number those who were being saved.’ It is a good vision – and one that I am sure we would aim for.

Of course, it didn’t take long for the Temple authorities to decide to clamp down on the ‘followers of the way’ and start persecuting them because the status quo was being challenged and the high priest had decreed that followers of Jesus would be caught, tried and executed for calling Jesus the Son of God. Within months of the resurrection being a follower of Jesus meant living out their faith in secret and fear of being betrayed.

We will be recalling soon in our readings how Stephen was martyred for speaking boldly about the resurrection of Jesus, and Saul (who had voted for Stephen’s killing) was then sent by the Temple Authorities to Damascus to arrest those who were followers.

But God was not going to let the baby church be snuffed out. Saul was met by the resurrected Jesus on the Damascus road and he turned into one of the most effective evangelists that the church has ever known.

The temple authorities and the Pharisees could not destroy the church. Our meeting week by week is testament to the on-going or continuing story of the saving grace of God in peoples’ lives.

And be in no doubt, God is still very much working in peoples’ lives here and across Mickleover. I was very encouraged to hear about the JACK service at St Johns last Sunday and the baptism that took place within it. Breakfast Church (AS), Morning Worship/Morning Praise and Jack (SJ) all provide places for people to come, hear and experience welcome, love and friendship along with teaching as to why we come week by week to sing, to pray and to learn.

We live in turbulent times. But God’s spirit is still working. We are experiencing ‘the quiet revival’ along with churches across the country. Young people are coming to us, wanting to have the real deal. Before Easter Karen and I hosted the Bible Society Bible course in the Vicarage over 8 sessions with four very enthusiastic young adults who really wanted to learn. It was wonderful for us to be able to share what following Jesus means and for them to gain an overview of the Bible story of Salvation at the start of their Christian lives.

In our Gospel reading, John records Jesus’ teaching which used a picture that referred back to the old testament image of King David as Shepherd. When the prophet Samuel came to Jesse’s house, he chose the youngest, David who was guarding sheep and fending off the wild animals, to be king after Saul. Jesus applies the Shepherd image to himself and expands it. for Jesus is both the gate: ‘No-one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6) and gatekeeper.

Shepherds would build stone enclosures in the wilderness to keep the sheep safe at night and they would usually lie down across the opening and act as a gate to protect the sheep. When daybreak came, they would lead their sheep out of the pen and lead them to good pasture.

Very often several flocks would be herded in together for the night but at daybreak the sheep would head their own shepherd’s call and follow him. As Jesus put it, they wouldn’t follow a stranger. So, our gospel reading gives us deep reassurance.

Jesus’ role is to be shepherd. He calls, he leads, he guides, he cares for his sheep. He looks out for our welfare. He protects us from harm if we let him.

Jesus is clear, there are shepherds around who do not have the best interests of the sheep at heart. As he puts it, they come to steal and destroy. We are in a spiritual battle. We as the sheep need to decide, are we going to throw in our lot with the Good Shepherd or are we going to turn our backs on him and follow another. The choice is ours.

Every blessing, Peter