This post offers visual resources for the Revised Common Lectionary and the Narrative Lectionary for April 30, 2023. This is the fourth Sunday of Easter (third Sunday after Easter) and often called Good Shepherd Sunday. Therfore, all the texts in the RCL point to the divine shepherd. The Narrative Lectionary jumps farther in Acts and takes us all the way to the story of Paul and Barnabus’ journey into Asia Minor in Acts 13-14. 

Jump to Narrative Lectionary resources.

Revised Common Lectionary

Here are quick links to all the texts for this week:

We come to the end of the scene on the Day of Pentecost. There is a summarizing statement in Acts 2:42-47 that paints a glorious picture of what the church could be as they devoted themselves to God and to one another. This is the Shepherd’s hope for the flock.

CLICK HERE for an introduction and overview of Acts.

Gospel Reading John 10:1-10. Jesus claims that he is the Good Shepherd.

This image comes from page 11 in A Cartoonist’s Guide to John.

It is common practice to preach from John 10:1-10 on Good Shepherd Sunday. That’s wonderful. However, the metaphor of the Good Shepherd jumps into a much fuller image when we place the metaphor in the context of the story and the debate Jesus is having with the religious leaders of Jerusalem.

Preview PowerPoint

Feel free to use any or all of these slides and images in your own preaching and teaching.

Narrative Lectionary

These images comes from page 6 in A Cartoonist’s Guide to Acts.

The branches of the tree begin to spread out across the Mediterranean Sea. The seed was planted in Jerusalem. The strong trunk of a unified Israel grew as the barriers between Hebraic Jews, Grecian Jews, and Samaritans were torn down in the power of the Holy Spirit. The seed of the Kingdom crossed the great divide of nations as the Holy Spirit came upon a Roman household. Now, with a new base camp in Antioch, under the leadership of a multicultural dream team, the church launches its campaign to bring the good news of Jesus and the invitation to the Kingdom of God to the rest of the world.

This first recorded missionary journey is one that is full of intrigue, adventure, and inspiration. On the island of Cypress, Paul and Barnabas tear down the enemy’s stronghold as they confront Elymas and open the door for the good news of Jesus. Then, on the mainland, in the regions of Pisidia and Galatia, Paul and Barnabas plant the first churches for Gentile nations. In this maiden voyage, we are given examples of how to confront the enemy in spiritual battle, present the gospel in culturally relevant ways, proclaim the truth, heal the sick, and keep an eternal perspective in the face of cruel opposition. These are all the essential components of any missionary endeavor, both then and now.

Preview PowerPoint

This image is the the final section of the Holy Week presentation. Feel free to use any or all of these slides and images in your own preaching and teaching.

Acts of the Apostles: Learn How the First Church Spread to the World

This study was originally written in the spring of 2005 for a network of house churches called Hart Haus. Each week the members of the community would commit to spend 5 days studying the designated passage of scripture and then share what they learned with the group when they gathered in the various homes on Sunday.

Originally, this was designed to be a 12-week study, with 60 daily lessons. You may choose to follow the fast-paced, 12-week study, or you may choose to slow down and spread it out over a longer period of time. To facilitate a more flexible format, this version is structured around Sessions, and Lessons rather than Weeks and Days. Feel free to use whatever method fits best with your group’s needs.