<HTML><HEAD></HEAD>
<BODY dir=ltr>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">
<DIV>The following are the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 7,
according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic,
Canadian BAS, and the Church of England (Common Worship) lectionaries. All
readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible.
Unless noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries are
identical to the RCL for this day.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>FIRST READING: Acts 2: 42 - 47 (RCL) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Acts 2:42 (NRSV) They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. </DIV>
<DIV>43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done
by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common;
45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to
all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the
temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous
hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by
day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Acts 2: 14a, 36 - 41 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Acts 2:14 (NRSV) [On the day of Pentecost] Peter, standing with the eleven,
raised his voice and addressed them, </DIV>
<DIV>36 [L]et the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made
him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified." </DIV>
<DIV>37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter
and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" 38 Peter said to them,
"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that
your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39
For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away,
everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." 40 And he testified with many
other arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation." 41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day
about three thousand persons were added. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Genesis 7 (alt. for C of E) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Gene 7:1 (NRSV) Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all
your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this
generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its
mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; 3 and
seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind
alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the
earth for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I
will blot out from the face of the ground." 5 And Noah did all that the LORD had
commanded him. </DIV>
<DIV>6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the
earth. 7 And Noah with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives went into the
ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of animals that
are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two
and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded
Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came on the earth. </DIV>
<DIV>11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the
seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep
burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 The rain fell on the
earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah with his sons,
Shem and Ham and Ja'pheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons
entered the ark, 14 they and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic
animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and
every bird of every kind--every bird, every winged creature. 15 They went into
the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of
life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God
had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. </DIV>
<DIV>17 The flood continued forty days on the earth; and the waters increased,
and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters swelled and
increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters.
19 The waters swelled so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under
the whole heaven were covered; 20 the waters swelled above the mountains,
covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the
earth, birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all swarming creatures that swarm
on the earth, and all human beings; 22 everything on dry land in whose nostrils
was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on
the face of the ground, human beings and animals and creeping things and birds
of the air; they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those
that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters swelled on the earth for one
hundred fifty days. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>PSALM 23 (all) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 23:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. </DIV>
<DIV>2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; </DIV>
<DIV>he leads me beside still waters; </DIV>
<DIV>3 he restores my soul. </DIV>
<DIV>He leads me in right paths </DIV>
<DIV>for his name's sake. </DIV>
<DIV>4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, </DIV>
<DIV>I fear no evil; </DIV>
<DIV>for you are with me; </DIV>
<DIV>your rod and your staff-- </DIV>
<DIV>they comfort me. </DIV>
<DIV>5 You prepare a table before me </DIV>
<DIV>in the presence of my enemies; </DIV>
<DIV>you anoint my head with oil; </DIV>
<DIV>my cup overflows. </DIV>
<DIV>6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me </DIV>
<DIV>all the days of my life, </DIV>
<DIV>and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD </DIV>
<DIV>my whole life long. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>SECOND READING: 1 Peter 2: 19 - 25 (RCL) </DIV>
<DIV>
1 Peter 2: 20b - 25 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1Pet 2:19 (NRSV) For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you
endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are beaten for
doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer
for it, you have God's approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because
Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow
in his steps. </DIV>
<DIV>22 "He committed no sin, </DIV>
<DIV>and no deceit was found in his mouth." </DIV>
<DIV>23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did
not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He
himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we
might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you
were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and
guardian of your souls. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Note: If the Old Testament alternatives for C of E were used as the first
reading, the Acts reading above should be used here. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>GOSPEL: John 10: 1 - 10 (all)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>John 10:1 (NRSV) "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the
sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2
The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper
opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by
name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of
them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not
follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice
of strangers." 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not
understand what he was saying to them. </DIV>
<DIV>7 So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for
the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did
not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and
will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Chad
Wohlers<BR>Woodbury, VT
USA<BR>chadwohl@satucket.com<BR></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>