Music Notes for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday

April 26, 2026

Dr. John Michniewicz

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The Gospel reading from John 10 gives the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the one whose voice the sheep know and follow. Jesus identifies himself as both the gate for the sheep and the Good Shepherd.

The First Reading, from the book of Acts 2:42-47, shows the earliest Christian community in the days immediately following Pentecost. Luke describes a people transformed: they devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the breaking of bread, to prayer, and to fellowship. The community holds all things in common, meeting daily in the temple and in one another’s homes, breaking bread with joy and generous hearts.

The Responsorial Psalm is one of the most well-known of the Psalms, Psalm 23. As the former shepherd boy who became King of Israel, David is thought to have written this beautifully written depiction of the Good Shepherd. In the text, David writes of God’s care and guidance through life’s challenges. He begins the Psalm with the text “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want,” which is used as the responsive refrain. The psalm’s imagery of being led through dark valleys, of a table prepared in the “sight of my foes” and that “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” can itself be seen as a spiritual journey. The rod and staff are both instruments of the shepherd’s craft: the rod for defense against predators, the staff for guiding and rescuing wandering sheep. The Psalm emphasizes the ultimate promise of the Good Shepherd: that all may have life and have it abundantly.

The Second Reading, 1 Peter 2:19-25, shows Peter writing to communities under pressure. Slaves are unjustly treated, Christians are suffering for doing good. Peter holds before them the example of Christ, who, when he suffered, did not retaliate, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. The letter uses the language of Isaiah 53, the Suffering Servant: 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. Peter writes: “For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” Peter takes the suffering of the cross and reveals it as the act of the Shepherd himself, the one who lays down his life for the sheep.

In the Gospel Reading, John 10:1-10, Jesus speaks of the shepherd who enters the sheepfold by the gate, whose voice the sheep know and follow, who calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. The one who enters in another way is a thief and a bandit. Here, we see that the sheep do not follow strangers, because they do not know the stranger’s voice. Jesus then identifies himself not only as the shepherd but as the gate itself, saying: “I am the gate for the sheep…whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” The passage concludes with Jesus’ promise, echoing the promise proclaimed in Psalm 23: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Sunday’s Entrance Hymn: Good Shepherd, You Know Us (Worship Hymnal No. 681) was written by Christopher Martin Idle (b. 1938), an Anglican minister who studied at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, and Clifton Theological College. Idle has been associated with the Jubilate Group, a British hymn-writing collective that has produced carefully crafted hymns of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries that closely mirror and are based on scripture. Idle himself has written over one hundred hymns and paraphrases and his work is characterized by its precise fidelity to the biblical text.

The text of Good Shepherd, You Know Us is a perfect entrance hymn, in that it is a direct meditation on John 10, and highlights Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Each verse addresses Jesus, as the known and familiar Good Shepherd in personal terms: “you know us,” “you call us by name,” and “you lead us.” The second verse states: “you warn us of robbers and thieves,” drawing directly from the Gospel reading. The third verse moves to the Cross: “you lay down your life for the sheep.” The fourth verse closes with the Shepherd’s unity with the Father, and the grace by which the sheep hear and respond.

Good Shepherd, You Know Us

1. Good Shepherd, you know us, you call us by name, you lead us; we gladly acknowledge your claim. Your voice has compelled us; we come at your call, and non your have chosen will finally fall.

1. Good Shepherd, you warn us of robbers and thieves; the hireling, the wolf, who destroys and deceives:

all praise for your promise on which we shall stand, that no-one can snatch us from out of your hand.

1. Good Shepherd, you lay down your life for the sheep; your love is not fickle, your gift is not cheap.

You spend your life freely, you take it again;

you died, so we live – we are healed by your pain.

1. At one with the Father, you made yourself known:

‘I am the Good Shepherd’, at one with your own. You loved us before we had heeded or heard;

by grace we respond to your life-giving word.

Here is: Good Shepherd, You Know Us as sung at Mass by the Notre Dame Liturgical Choir and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVO2Wyq1zQ4

Sunday’s Presentation hymn is All People That on Earth Do Dwell (Worship Hymnal No. 837) with its hymn tune known as OLD HUNDREDTH. At the 11:30 Mass, the choir will sing the majestic arrangement by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The text for All People That on Earth Do Dwell is a metrical paraphrase of Psalm 100 written by the Scottish Clergyman William Kethe in 1561. Escaping

persecution, Kethe took refuge in Geneva, Switzerland, in the circle of John Calvin. Calvin promoted the exclusive use of Psalms and other scriptural songs for worship. Kethe contributed twenty-five metrical psalm settings to the Genevan Psalter published in 1562. Kethe’s celebrated paraphrase of Psalm 100 is a jubilant declaration of universal praise: all people are summoned to acknowledge that the Lord is God, that “we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.”

The hymn tune itself, known as OLD HUNDREDTH, is attributed to the French composer Loys Bourgeois (c. 1510–1560), who served as music director in Geneva. He wrote straightforward, accessible melodies that could be paired with the metrical Psalm paraphrases. This melody became permanently associated with Psalm 100 when Kethe’s translation was paired with it, and it has remained one of the most universally recognized hymn tunes. This hymn is considered one of the oldest hymns still in continuous use in North America. In fact, it is generally believed that this song made its way across the Atlantic and was among the first psalms sung by the Pilgrims landing on the American coast. Below is an image of All People That on Earth Do Dwell in the Genevan Psalter as printed in 1561 and the title page from the 1618 edition.

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) composed his celebrated arrangement for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953. Scored originally for full orchestra, organ, choir, and brass fanfares. In fact, the anthem still has instructions inscribed to use “all available trumpets.” The arrangement is, as one commentator has described it, gloriously majestic. Vaughan Williams incorporates a harmonization of the tune by John Dowland (1563–1626), linking the arrangement to the earlier Elizabethan era and to the golden age of English polyphony. Poignantly, it was sung at Vaughan Williams’s own funeral at Westminster Abbey in 1958, and it has since been traditionally performed at major British state occasions. The text’s second verse: “Know that the Lord is God indeed; without our aid he did us make; we are his flock, he doth us feed, and for his sheep he doth us take,” highlights the imagery found in the readings on Good Shepherd Sunday from the Gospel of John chapter 10.

Ralph Vaughan Williams was trained at the Royal College of Music, and studied with Parry, Stanford, and later the French composer Maurice Ravel in Paris, where he refined his use of orchestral color. Vaughan Williams’ setting of the OLD HUNDREDTH certainly reflects a work fitting for a grand ceremonial occasion. The brass fanfares introduce a medieval sounding, heraldic quality, introducing the sense of history and tradition. The fourth verse, quoting English Renaissance madrigal composer, John Dowland also ties into English tradition, before the Brass fanfares return, giving a triumphal interlude before the celebratory final verse, a Doxology written by English clergyman and Bishop, Thomas Ken (1637-1711).

All People That on Earth Do Dwell

1. All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;

Him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell; Come we before him and rejoice.

1. Know that the Lord is God indeed; Without our aid he did us make.

We are his folk, he does us feed, And for his sheep he does us take.

1. O enter then his gates with praise; Approach with joy his courts unto; Praise, laud, and bless his Name always, For it is seemly so to do.

1. For why? The Lord our God is good: His mercy is for ever sure;

His truth at all times firmly stood, And shall from age to age endure.

1. To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

The God whom heav’n and earth adore, From us and from the angel host

Be praise and glory evermore.

Here is a performance of All People That On Earth Do Dwell as sung at St. Paul’s Cathedral The National Service of Thanksgiving to Celebrate The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us2O62TTqYA

Sunday’s Communion Hymn You Satisfy the Hungry Heart (Worship Hymnal No. 939) is one of the most well-known and recognized Eucharistic hymns. The text was written by Omer Westendorf (1916–1997), a prolific Catholic hymn text writer. The hymn tune named BICENTENNIAL was composed by Robert E. Kreutz (1922-1996) in 1976. The hymn was among approximately two hundred texts submitted for possible use at the 41st International Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia in 1976, and it was selected as the official hymn of that gathering. The hymn has since become known and loved across many Christian denominations. The first verse also reflects the theme of Good Shepherd Sunday, stating: “As when the shepherd calls his sheep, they know and heed his voice; so when you call your family, Lord, we follow and rejoice.” The refrain “You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat,” draws from Psalm 81:17: “[Israel] I would feed with the finest wheat, with honey from the rock I would satisfy them,” and Psalm 147:14 “He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat.” The hymn verses reflect on the mystery of Christ’s presence, the call to selfless service, and the unity of the community gathered around one table and one Lord. Musically, the tune BICENTENNIAL features a text that flows very naturally, mirroring speech patterns and inflections. The hymn’s pairing of the Good Shepherd image with the Eucharistic table echoes both John 10 and Psalm 23. It is the Good Shepherd, Jesus, who “prepares a table before me.”

Refrain: You satisfy the hungry heart With gift of finest wheat;

Come give to us, O saving Lord, The bread of life to eat.

1. As when the shepherd calls his sheep, They know and heed his voice;

So when you call your fam’ly, Lord, We follow and rejoice.

1. With joyful lips we sing to you Our praise and gratitude,

That you should count us worthy, Lord, To share this heav’nly food.

1. Is not the cup we bless and share The blood of Christ outpoured?

Do not one cup, one loaf, declare Our oneness in the Lord?

1. The myst’ry of your presence, Lord, No mortal tongue can tell:

Whom all the world cannot contain Comes in our hearts to dwell.

1. You give yourself to us, O Lord; Then selfless let us be,

To serve each other in your name In truth and charity.

Here is a heartfelt version of You Satisfy the Hungry Heart as sung at the Newman University Church in Dublin, Ireland in 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drw7iwTk4IQ

At the 11:30 Mass, during the Communion Meditation, the choir will sing an anthem entitled: Brother James’ Air. It has been said to be among the most loved pieces of sacred music in the English choral tradition.

The melody was composed by James Leith Macbeth Bain (c. 1840–1925), a Scottish healer, mystic, and religious writer who was known as Brother James. He spent time in London and Liverpool, working among the poor in his later years. He founded the Brotherhood of Healers, and he and fellow healers would hum or sing this tune to patients. The melody first appeared in his collection The Great Peace, published in 1915, at the outbreak of World War I. Bain was not a trained musician in any formal sense; a neighbor reportedly recalled that she did not think he played any instrument, but he was often heard humming or as she stated: “he was aye hummin.” Commentators have noted that the simplicity of the melody, with its gentle modal quality and natural vocal rise and fall, could be explained by stating that it is music that comes from within, from humming rather than composing at a

keyboard. The words sung to Brother James’ Air are the Scottish Psalter version of Psalm 23, by Francis Rous (1579–1659), which begins “The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want.” This arrangement was composed in 1934 by Dr. Gordon Jacob

(1895-1984). Jacob was a prolific English composer and arranger credited with over seven hundred compositions, who studied under Vaughan Williams and Stanford at the Royal College of Music. Jacob’s arrangement of Brother James’ Air adds a descant and an accompaniment that preserves and frames the melody’s simplicity without overwhelming it.

Brother James’ Air

The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie

In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by.

My soul He doth restore again; And me to walk doth make

Within the paths of righteousness, E’en for His own Name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale, Yet will I fear no ill;

For Thou art with me; and Thy rod And staff me comfort still.

My table Thou hast furnished In presence of my foes;

My head Thou dost with oil anoint, And my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life Shall surely follow me;

And in God’s house for evermore

My dwelling place shall be.

Here is a performance of Brother James’ Air as sung by the choir of the University of Pittsburgh’s Heinz Chapel Choir, which by tradition has sung the anthem every year since 1938. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mab6VxmWVs

Sunday’s final Hymn is Jesus, Lead the Way (Worship Hymnal No. 657). This hymn text was penned by Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700–1760). He was a German Pietist nobleman, and leader in the Moravian Church. He established the community of Herrnhut for religious refugees on his estate and founded Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1741. He authored more than 2,000 hymns and championed a “heart-centered” faith. Jesus, Lead the Way echoes the themes of Good Shepherd Sunday, focussing on discipleship, guidance, and following Christ. It directly reflects the Gospel reading where Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd who guides his sheep. The lyrics in the fourth verse show Christ guiding believers through “rough places” to a “promised land,” mirroring the leading of the Good Shepherd. The hymn specifically echoes the 23rd Psalm’s depiction of the “valley of the shadow of death,” the reference to “heaven’s door” mirrors Jesus’ speaking of the gate. The mention of “heaven’s door” also echoes the conclusion of Psalm 23: “In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for length of days unending.”

Jesus Lead The Way

1. Jesus, lead the way Through our life’s long day.

When at times the way is cheerless, Help us follow, calm and fearless.

Guide us by your hand To the promised land.

1. Jesus be our light

In the midst of night.

Let not faithless fear o’ertake us; Let not faith and hope forsake us. May we feel you near

As we worship here.

1. When we seek relief From a long-felt grief;

When temptations come alluring, Make us patient and enduring.

Lord we seek your grace In this holy place.

1. Jesus, still lead on Till our rest be won.

If you lead us through rough places, Grant us your redeeming graces.

When our course is o’er, Open heaven’s door.

Here is an arranged version of Jesus Lead the Way by the St. John’s Cathedral Choir,

Denver, Colorado https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79ReyOONzd8

Catholic Lectionary — United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Daily Readings. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042626.cfm. April 26, 2026: Acts

2:14a, 36–41 (Catholic); Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:20b–25; John 10:1–10.

Good Shepherd, You Know Us — Christopher M. Idle (b. 1938). Text © 2001, revised 2002 and 2005 by The Jubilate Group. Published in Worship (4th ed.), No. 681 (GIA Publications). Hope Publishing Company, Hymn Item No. HW4421. CCLI Number: 6274698. Source: Hymnary.org, https://hymnary.org/text/good_shepherd_you_know_us; Hope Publishing, https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw4421.aspx.

Old Hundredth / All People That on Earth Do Dwell — Text: William Kethe (ca. 1530–ca. 1594), in the Anglo-Genevan Psalter, 1561. Tune: Louis Bourgeois (ca. 1510–ca. 1560), Genevan Psalter, 1551 (Psalm 134). Arrangement: Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), composed for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, June 2,

1953. Published by Oxford University Press. Sources: United Methodist Discipleship Ministries, History of Hymns, https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-all-people-that-o  n-earth-do-dwell; Hyperion Records, https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk; Oxford

University Press,

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/old-hundredth-psalm-tune-978019337 5314; Patrick Comerford,

https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2015/03/through-lent-with-vaughan-william s-37.html.

You Satisfy the Hungry Heart (Gift of Finest Wheat) — Text: Omer Westendorf (1916–1997). Tune: BICENTENNIAL (also FINEST WHEAT), composed by Robert E. Kreutz (1922–1996), Denver, Colorado, 1976. Official hymn of the 41st International Eucharistic Congress, Philadelphia, 1976. First published in We Celebrate with Song (1979). Published by GIA Publications. Sources: Hymnary.org, https://hymnary.org/text/as_when_the_shepherd_calls_his_sheep;   Starke Kirchenlieder,

http://starkekirchenlieder.blogspot.com/2009/02/you-satisfy-hungry-heart.html; GIA Publications, https://giamusic.com.

Brother James’ Air — Melody: James Leith Macbeth Bain (ca. 1840–1925), first published in The Great Peace (1915). Words: Psalm 23 in the Scottish Psalter version by Francis Rous (1579–1659). Arrangement: Gordon Jacob (1895–1984), published 1934. Sources: Hymnary.org, https://hymnary.org/tune/brother_james_air; Holy Trinity Choir Malvern,

https://holytrinitychoirsmalvern.wordpress.com/anthem-for-the-week-1/brother

-jamess-air/; Peter Medhurst, https://petermedhurst.com/recordings/brother-james-air/; Gordon Jacob website, https://gordonjacob.net/w_brother_james_air.html.

The Church’s One Foundation — Text: Samuel John Stone (1839–1900), in Lyra Fidelium: Twelve Hymns on the Twelve Articles of the Apostles’ Creed (London: Parker & Company, 1866). Tune: AURELIA, Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876), in A Selection of Psalms and Hymns (London: John F. Shaw, 1864). Sources: Hymnary.org, https://hymnary.org/text/the_churchs_one_foundation; Hymnology Archive, https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/the-churchs-one-foundation; The Falls Church Anglican,

https://www.tfcanglican.org/consider-this/2019/10/16/the-churchs-one-foundat  ion; St. John’s Lutheran,

https://stjohns-salisbury.org/2020/10/19/the-churchs-one-foundation-a-hymn-f or-the-reformation.

Worship (Fourth Edition) — GIA Publications, Chicago. Hymnal containing all Worship hymnal numbers cited above. https://hymnswelove.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-story-behind-all-people-that-on

.html

https://happyhymnody.wordpress.com/2023/05/31/all-people-that-on-earth-do-dwell-summer-of-psalms/#:~:text=While%20we%20don’t%20know%20much%20a bout%20William,Calvin%20in%20Frankfurt%2C%20Germany%20and%20Geneva% 2C%20Switzerland. https://www.google.com/search?q=is+the+hymn+jesus+lead+the+way+a+good+fit+ for+the+fourth+sunday+of+easter+year+a&oq=jesus+lead+the+way https://www.google.com/search?q=who+was+brother+james+of+brother+james%2 7+air

https://openlibrary.org/books/OL24799352M/The_brotherhood_of_healers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Leith_Macbeth_Bain