By Deacon Timothy Siburg
Revised Common Lectionary reflection, Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A
April 26, 2026
Key Verse: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” -John 10:10
The Hallelujahs continue to sing. The bells and chimes continue to ring. The Easter season is in full swing. I promise, I am done rhyming. But there is a rhythm to this time of year. Having journeyed through the midst of Holy Week and the abundance that is often Easter Sunday, the season of Easter continues.
The stories we hear for this week often connote the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. In fact, some call this Sunday, “Good Shepherd Sunday.” It’s a fitting image to reflect on, especially in a world that might not seem to care for shepherding, or for truly caring for the life and well-being of our neighbors.
This week’s Gospel reading hints that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, though it seems to focus more on the image of Jesus as the gate or the door. But I am drawn to a couple images. We read that, “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (John 10:3). God knows our names. God wants to be with us. And God in Christ not only calls us, but he also leads us. Jesus says, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture” (10:9). In leading us, Jesus provides hope and promise of life – both now and not yet – and pasture, where we can find provision and safety.
Connected to this promise, Jesus describes the kind of life Christ has come to provide. Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (10:10). Counter to the ways of the world, those in power for themselves, and the lies, sin and brokenness that can weigh one down, Jesus offers another way. He comes “that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Abundant life. Abundance. Abundantly. This idea is a deep one when it comes to thinking about stewardship. This week might provide an opportunity to ponder what this abundant life really might mean, look and feel like. What might abundant life mean for you?
In the familiar words of Psalm 23, which we always hear on Good Shepherd Sunday, we are reminded that “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Some translations translate this as “be in want.” Either way, there is a nuance. God as our shepherd, we will not want. We will have all we need.
Notice that Jesus promises that “they” may have this abundant life. Not just you. Not just me. It’s for the whole people of God. It’s a promise for one and all. We enjoy this abundant life together.
The psalmist echoes the theme of God as provider, but hints that abundance in God may even exceed our needs. He joyfully observes, “my cup overflows” (23:5). The psalmist also provides another dimension of abundant life – that God is not only provider but also our protector: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me” (23:4). Abundance, for the psalmist, might be summed up best as life with God.
Counter to the ways of the world around us, the reading from Acts also illustrates what abundance looks like. Acts 2:42-47 describes life in abundance as doing God’s work, being in community and having what is needed for daily life together. God’s people have “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). It sounds simple, but isn’t this what the church is called to do and to be? No wonder “Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles” (2:43). God’s work being done is surely a sign of abundance in action.
But what follows might be the most counter-cultural piece yet. We read, “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need” (2:44-45). Can you imagine this today? Some might cry socialism or communism to discredit this way of being. But isn’t this who we are called to be as God’s beloved people – reconciled to, with, and in relationship with one another? Possessing “glad and generous hearts” (2:46), they responded to God’s abundance by praising God and joining God’s work by caring for neighbors. No wonder “the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (2:47). In thinking about abundance, this could be a central story for what abundance means in relationship as God’s people together.
The writer of 1 Peter grounds his idea of abundance in God’s salvific work. Jesus “bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds” we have been healed (1 Peter 2:24). God does the work. And as stewards and disciples we get to respond to it. God does the life saving and life-giving work, but also God in Christ does the work of bringing life abundant for one and for all.
What might this abundant life look and feel like for you? What might it mean to you? Exploring questions like these might make for timely and powerful preaching.
Previous reflections for Easter 4A”
2023 – Abundant life in and with the Good Shepherd
2020 – The real deal shepherd!
2017 – Day by day, with glad and generous hearts
2014 – Stewards of the promise (Part 1)
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