Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 30, 2023
This page has links to information used or encountered in preparing this online service. Topics for Today
Wikipedia is a frequent source
for information in these articles. National Day of Prayer
National Day of Prayer
National Day of Prayer Task Force
Other Days of Prayer
Good Shepherd
Psalm 23
Good Shepherd
Who Is the Good Shepherd?
Why Was Jesus Called the Good Shepherd?
Bethel Worship Planning Documents
2023 Monthly Worship Calendar
2023 RCL 2 page Summary
Bethel Weekly Worship Planning worksheet
2023 Annual Program Planning worksheet
Guidance from UMC Discipleship Ministries
Weekly Worship Planning Series
This is the Fourth service of a Worship Series from the Discipleship Ministries
for the 7 Sundays of the Easter Season.
The graphics at the top of this page list the topics for the services of the Series.
Note: This material from UDM is not the basis for today's message
but is provided here for your personal study and reflection. Click here for suggestions about how to use this material.
for the 7 Sundays of the Easter Season.
The graphics at the top of this page list the topics for the services of the Series.
Note: This material from UDM is not the basis for today's message
but is provided here for your personal study and reflection. Click here for suggestions about how to use this material.
Worship Series: "A Living Hope"
from umcdiscipleship.org
The Easter season is about living into the new reality of the resurrected Christ. The shocking
news that death is not the end of the human story takes some reorientation to begin to understand
the implications of such a profound truth. So, Eastertide is where we let this knowledge wash over
us, and we begin, with joy, to embrace this new way of living. I Peter says it this way: “By his
great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3 NRSV). This series allows us to explore this hope and to know it well
enough to recognize it when we encounter it in our own communities. We paired the epistle texts
with the psalm for each week to give us a flavor of both the understanding and the experience of
hope. Join us for this journey into the new world of a living hope that is ours in the resurrection
as we give thanks to God.
This Service's Theme: "Guardian of the Soul"Liturgical Resources
How many ways can we present the 23rd Psalm? Let’s sing it; let’s pray it; let’s read it; let’s
recite it together. So many know this psalm and love it; it is a heart song for many of us. Lean
into it. Ask the youth to rewrite it; ask the older adults to reinterpret it. Find different ways
of living into this psalm.
Worship Planning NotesPreaching Notes
Lectionary Scriptures:
Psalm 23; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10
Suggested Hymns . Music Notes . DM Accompaniments Sources of Music for the following hymns are:
- UMH CD.....UDM - DM Accompaniment.....
MM/DD/YY - Recorded Service
Hymns Considered For this week: