Looking into the Lectionary - Welcoming neurodiversity in worship

Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10 Fourth Sunday of Easter April 26, 2026 This Sunday offers preachers a rare opportunity to put texts that are often cherry-picked or selectively used into their full context: 1 Peter 2:24: “By his wounds, you have been healed…” John 10:10: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly…” Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…” I’ve preached Psalm 23 dozens of times, almost always at funerals. What most people hear in that context are its opening and closing reassurances in the face of grief and death. On “Good Shepherd Sunday,” however, the preacher may be delighted by the opportunity to direct the congregation’s attention to richer, deeper meanings of Psalm 23 as a whole. One such overarching theme is God’s abundance and providence. For a tangible example of the metaphors of green pastures and still waters, look no further than the testimony of Acts 2 about the life of the early Christian community. The idyllic imagery of the earliest Christians sharing their material possessions with “glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46) and living out the angelic promise of “good news of great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10) is a lovely portrait that nicely complements the familiar, comforting landscape in Psalm 23. This theme carries into the Gospel reading as well. In John 10:9-10, Jesus says, “Whoever enters by me … will find pasture,” and “have life abundantly.” Many commentators note that zoē, the Greek word for “life” used here, carries a more “spiritual” or “theological” meaning than bios, the other Greek word for life used in the New Testament. When we read Psalm 23 alongside Acts 2 and John 10, we can see how the resurrected life we celebrated at Easter can (and indeed must!) spring forth in the midst of our everyday living. ... Thank you to this week's writer, Aaron Pratt Shepherd. Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Want the worship resources for April 19, 2026? You can find them here.

Order of worship — April 26, 2026 by Aaron Pratt Shepherd General Assembly 227 to consider several health-related topics by Gregg Brekke Welcoming neurodiversity in worship by Jen Bluestein   A cosmic case for empathy by Brendan McLean

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