Good Shepherd Episcopal Church

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church We are friends and neighbors who love God and our church and are learning to love as Christ loves us.

Like most Floridians, we have arrived from other parts of our country and Canada.

09/06/2026

Live from Good Shepherd.

Join the Good Shepherd Parish Family to celebrate the Holy Eucharist on the 15th Sunday After Pentecost at 8 a.m. (Rite ...
09/06/2026

Join the Good Shepherd Parish Family to celebrate the Holy Eucharist on the 15th Sunday After Pentecost at 8 a.m. (Rite I) or 10 a.m. (Rite II). Or, you may join the live streamed service beginning at approximately 9:50a.m. by clicking the links found here: https://mailchi.mp/2e421fc8bcc6/pentecost-15-09062026-14768698

09/03/2026

Gospel Reflection
In the beginning of this week’s Morning Prayer Gospels Jesus gives us the ultimate promise of being a disciple of Christ:
“On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As* the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart* shall flow rivers of living water.’ Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit,* because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Here is the promise of Pentecost, Jesus calling His disciples to spread the Good News to the “ends of the earth” – a mission that can only be undertaken by the power of the Holy Spirit.
But in this Gospel Jesus is bogged down in the Jewish Temple Courts at Jerusalem.
The chief priests and Pharisees send the temple police to arrest Jesus but they come back empty handed.
The next day Jesus speaks to Jews again:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
Jesus is now literally in the treasury of the temple, “but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.”
Then Jesus speaks directly to the Jews who believed in Him:
“If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
The Jews take great umbrage at Jesus’ language: ““We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?”
Jesus silences them…
“Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’* Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Jesus is the eternal God incarnate.
For saying this perceived blasphemy, the Jews pick up stones to execute Him. But Jesus escapes…
Let us pray about that. Please join me on page 79 in the Book of Common Prayer.

Join the Good Shepherd Parish Family to celebrate the Holy Eucharist on the 14th Sunday After Pentecost at 8 a.m. (Rite ...
08/30/2026

Join the Good Shepherd Parish Family to celebrate the Holy Eucharist on the 14th Sunday After Pentecost at 8 a.m. (Rite I) or 10 a.m. (Rite II). Or you may join our live streamed service beginning at approximately 9:50 a.m. by clicking the links found here: https://mailchi.mp/9bf03ffd496b/pentecost-14-08302026-14768584

08/27/2026

• From the earliest memories of my childhood I believed in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in communion.
• My mother took me to mass every Sunday, I saw her receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and waited until I could do the same.
• At 7 years, old the Roman Catholic Church believed I had reached the “age of reason” – of course I had not – and I did make my first communion…and I really did believe.
• Of course I had it far easier than the followers of Jesus did 2,000 plus years ago.
• The priest, Fr. Francis J. O’Hara, told me what I “had” to believe about receiving communion, and I believed it, easy peasy – as much as any 7 year old could believe.
• I don’t know what I would have done if a man I knew from the neighborhood who called Himself Jesus had walked into our First Communion class and said:
o “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”
• It was one thing for Fr. O’Hara to tell me what the Church and my mom believed – that bread and wine truly had become the body and blood of Jesus Christ; and that if I wanted to receive communion – which I did – I had to believe like everyone else. Again, easy peasy.
• It would have been an entirely different thing if a strange man named Jesus, a man the religious authorities like Fr. O’Hara were trying to kill, walked into our classroom and told us that receiving communion meant I had to eat His flesh and drink His blood.
• Of course over the years, Fr. O’Hara, and a succession of religious authorities and teachers, have taught, and are teaching me what it truly means to receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ. At 73 I not only still believe, it is the foundation of my walk with Christ.
• But, I can certainly understand how Jesus’ followers 2,000 years ago struggled with, and even left Jesus when, an itinerate Rabbi told them that the only way to eternal life was to eat His flesh and drink His blood.
• And this is exactly where we find Jesus in today’s Gospel. Many of His followers have left Him, the religious authorities are trying to kill Him, and Jesus is still fighting the good fight.
• Let’s pray about that. Please join me on page 79 in the Book of Common Prayer.

Address

1115 Center Road
Venice, FL
34292

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 1pm
Tuesday 9am - 1pm
Wednesday 9am - 1pm
Thursday 9am - 1pm
Friday 9am - 1pm
Sunday 8am - 1pm

Telephone

+19414977286

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Good Shepherd Episcopal Church posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Good Shepherd Episcopal Church:

Shortcuts

Share

Category