Good Shepherd Sunday: Belonging, the Creed, and the Peace

Mother Paige opens with her sermon prayer—asking that God’s word be spoken and heard—and reflects on preaching with humility and trust in the Holy Spirit. On Good Shepherd Sunday she connects John 10 to the healing of the man born blind in John 9, describing how the expelled man is offered belonging as Jesus speaks of being the gate into beloved community where the shepherd calls sheep by name. She links this belonging to Acts’ devotion to apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayers, echoed in the baptismal covenant, as life in the Body of Christ and abundant life. She then explains the Nicene Creed as a communal “we” shaped by fourth-century Trinity debates after Constantine, allowing grace for doubt and ongoing questions. She outlines the Prayers of the People, confession and absolution (including private confession and seasonal omission), and the ancient practice of the Peace as reconciliation before communion.00:00 Sermon Prayer01:23 Breaking Open Scripture01:49 Good Shepherd Context03:33 Belonging and the Gate04:40 Acts and Baptismal Vow05:41 Why We Say the Creed07:29 We Believe Together08:55 Prayers of the People10:17 Confession and Absolution10:47 The Peace Is Ancient12:20 Forgiveness Before Communion