Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for May 16, 2021

First Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

The Seventh Sunday after Easter marks a pause in time, a moment when the world is about to turn.

Altarpiece of Saints Thomas and Matthias (1510-1520), altarpiece by Bernard van Orley (c.1492-1542). Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the verses just before this first reading, we hear that Jesus was taken into heaven, lifted up into a cloud. In the verses that follow, which we’ll hear next Sunday, the Holy Spirit comes down upon the people on the first Pentecost with a rush of wind and tongues of fire. This event will inspire them to take the Gospel out to the world. But now there is business to be taken care of: Judas, the traitor, must be replaced. First the disciples discern two worthy candidates: Barsabbas and Matthias. Then, asking God to guide them, they cast lots; and Matthias joins the Twelve.

Psalm: Psalm 1

The book of Psalms opens with a promise of happiness for those who walk in the way of God. The Psalter runs an emotional gamut from praise to fear to anger, to sadness, to thanksgiving; but the joy of following God resonates throughout. Psalm 1 begins the genre that celebrates delight in God’s law, another recurring theme. Take care, however, not to weigh down this word with modern English context. The original sense of the Hebrew word “Torah” is not ‘law” but “teaching,” God showing us how to live in love of God and neighbor.

Second Reading: 1 John 5:9-13

We now conclude our six-week tour through the first Letter of John, a document thought to have been written in the spirit of John’s Gospel by later members of the John community. Its consistent, uplifting theme continues in Sunday’s reading from its final chapter. The author assures us that we gain eternal life through God’s love given us in Jesus. We give testimony to the world through our faith in this amazing gift.

Gospel: John 17:6-19

In the Gospel four weeks ago, John wrote about Jesus declaring himself the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. In this Sunday’s Gospel, as we approach the end of Jesus’ extended farewell conversation with his disciples at the Last Supper, those themes return. Having protected and guarded the apostles – losing only Judas from the flock – Jesus now asks God to protect them. Jesus sends his apostles out into the world, as God had sent Jesus out into the world.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for May 9, 2021

First Reading: Acts 10:44-48

Sunday’s Lectionary readings continue building on the theme that we heard last Sunday: God’s love pours out on all the world, and we are called to love each other as God loves us.

The Exhortation to the Apostles (1886-1894), opaque watercolor on graphite over gray wove paper by James Tissot (1836-1902). Brooklyn Museum. (Click image to enlarge.)

The first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, marks a key turning point in Luke’s account of the early church: The joyful reaction of a Gentile crowd to Peter’s teaching reveals to the apostles that the Holy Spirit comes to everyone: not only to Jewish Christians but to Gentiles too. Peter asks, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” The answer is clear: Baptism is for all. As we heard in last week’s reading about the Ethiopian eunuch, “Here is water. What is to prevent it?”

Psalm: Psalm 98

Psalm 98 – perhaps originally a song of praise for God’s support after a battle – abounds with triumphant spirit. Its verses ring out resounding faith in God’s power to win victory for Israel over all the earth. This is an occasion for rejoicing. Not only the people but all earth – the seas, the rivers and the hills – lift up their voices and sing. Consistent with the theme that runs through the readings for the day, it declares that God’s victory is not for Israel alone. God will judge not only Israel but all Earth’s people with mercy and equity.

Second Reading: 1 John 5:1-6

Both this reading and the Gospel assigned for Sunday continue where last week’s readings left off, and both continue with similar themes. Last week we were told to love one another as Jesus loves us. This week we are told in the First Letter of John that the way to love God – to become a child of God – is by obeying God’s commandments, a direction that follows the Jewish tradition of love for God’s law and teaching. In words that echo the triumphant sentiment of Psalm 98, we hear that our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God brings God’s victory into the world.

Gospel: John 15:9-17

The Gospels according to Mark, Matthew and Luke all tell us that Jesus taught – in the spirit of the essential Jewish prayer, the Shema – that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart and soul and strength and mind. Now in John’s Gospel Jesus shows us how to do that: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Through our faith, the Gospel tells us, we go out and bear fruit, like the branches of the vine that were pruned so they would bear more. Through our faith we love one another as God loves us.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for May 2, 2021

First Reading: Acts 8:26-40

The sweet, funny story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts carried a powerful message to the young church a few generations after Jesus: This church is open to all, no matter who you are. Joining the community through baptism is as easy as asking for it.

The Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch by the Deacon Philip (c.1545-1550), oil painting on canvas by Lambert Sustris (1515-1584). The Louvre, Paris. (Click image to enlarge.)

This assuring message carries through all of Sunday’s readings: God’s abiding love is open to all humankind. It showers on us as a free gift. In the Acts reading we see that even an Ethiopian – a foreigner from a strange land and a eunuch as well, barred from Judaism because his physical condition renders him biblically unclean – is welcome as an equal. So with joy, just like that, Philip baptizes him as one of us.

Psalm: Psalm 22:24-30

Sunday’s Psalm portion, the ending verses of the Psalm that immediately precedes the beloved 23rd, rings out as a traditional hymn of praise. Its clear message resonates with Philip’s warm welcome to the Ethiopian eunuch: God is the ruler of all nations, all the world, those already born and all those yet to come. We live for God, the Psalmist sings. We serve God, we praise God, and we fulfill our vow to God by making sure that the poor are cared for and the hungry are fed.

Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-21

These verses selected for Sunday’s second reading echo and expand upon John the Evangelist’s memorable words, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you … love one another as I have loved you.” Indeed, we will hear that passage in next week’s Gospel, showing the interconnected nature of the readings for Eastertide. It is tempting to bask in the warm assurance that God loves us, but bear in mind that we are called to action too: “Love one another” is not just a suggestion: It is a covenant. If we can’t love our brothers and sisters, how can we make room in our hearts for God?

Gospel: John 15:1-8

In a noteworthy aspect of John’s Gospel, he attributes seven “I am” quotes to Jesus in which, according to John, Jesus offers striking metaphors to explain his identity and mission: I am the bread of life, the light of the world, the door to salvation, the good shepherd, the resurrection and life, the way, the truth and the life, and now in Sunday’s Gospel, the true vine. Here we begin a series of Gospels from John’s account of Jesus’ long farewell to his disciples at the Last Supper. Jesus uses the vine and the vineyard as an extended metaphor. Describing vineyard practices that continues to this day, Jesus imagines God cutting out weak branches in order to make the vine strong and productive. If we do not abide in God as God abides in us, we risk being pruned and discarded like the weak vines. Abide in God through Jesus, though – live in God like a sturdy branch on a nurturing vine – and we will be strong and fruitful.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 25, 2021

First Reading: Acts 4:5-12

The Fourth Sunday after Easter is often called “Good Shepherd Sunday” because its readings focus on God’s protective love in the metaphor of shepherd.

The Good Shepherd Lays Down His Life for the Sheep (1616), oil painting on canvas by Pieter Breughel the Younger (1564-1638). Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our first reading, Peter has come a long way since having denied Jesus three times on the night of Jesus’ arrest. Peter and John have been arrested by the Temple authorities, who were alarmed because they healed a paralyzed man and took advantage of the attention to preach about the resurrected Christ. Peter responds to the authorities with bold confidence. He declares that the disciples are healing through Jesus – adding pointedly, “whom you crucified” – and whom God raised from the dead as the cornerstone of salvation. What changed Peter? Sent forth by the risen Christ to “feed my sheep,” he is filled with the Holy Spirit.

Psalm: Psalm 23

When Christians read these familiar verses, we tend to visualize the loving face of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who walks beside us. After all, Jesus declares himself the Good Shepherd in the verses of John’s Gospel that we hear today. Originally, however, the people sang this Psalm in the time of the Second Temple as a hymn of praise to the God who brought them out of exile and led them home. We enjoy with the original listeners its comforting hope of a shepherd who keeps us from want and guides us to rest comfortably, fearing no evil. There’s a hint of repressed anger at the one-time oppressors, too, as the Psalmist imagines reclining at a lavish banquet while their vanquished enemies can only look on.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:16-24

Jesus loved us so much that he laid down his life for us. This beloved idea from John’s Gospel – which we see reflected here in the first letter in John’s name – is just about as reassuring as the 23rd Psalm. But the rest of this reading becomes challenging when we hear that we are to lay down our lives for one another too. Just as God loves us, we are to love each other, to help our brothers and sisters in need, not just in what we say but in what we do. We are to be not only sheep, but shepherds, too. Filled with God’s love, we are called to be bold, just as Peter was bold, fired by the Holy Spirit just as Peter was inspired.

Gospel: John 10:11-18

In its context with the verses that came just before it in John’s Gospel, this seemingly simple “Good Shepherd” narrative resonates unexpectedly with Peter and John in Acts: The Pharisees are angry because Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath, and they are alarmed that many people, seeing these miraculous healings, are beginning to speak of Jesus as the Messiah. Seen in this light, it appears that Jesus is pushing back. He likens the people to helpless sheep, and the Pharisees to wolves who prey on them. In words that the writer of the later first letter of John will invoke, Jesus declares that he will lay down his life for the sheep – all the world’s sheep, “one flock, one shepherd” – and that he will live again.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 18, 2021

First Reading: Acts 3:12-19

Christ, the Messiah, has come for all the world: This promise resonates through Sunday’s readings.

Christ Appears to the Disciples at the Table after the Resurrection (1308-1311), panel from the Maesta Altarpiece of Siena by Duccio di Buoninsegna (c.1255-c.1319). Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, Peter and John, filled with the Holy Spirit, have healed a man who could not walk. This astounded all those who saw the once-lame beggar walking and praising God in the temple. In words that startle us now with their harsh anti-Judaism, Peter tells the crowd that the man was healed through the power of Jesus, the Messiah, whom they had rejected and had killed, but who will forgive them if they turn to him. Language like this, sadly, permeates Acts, which was written a generation after the destruction of the Temple, when Christians and Jews were angrily drawing apart.

Psalm: Psalm 4

The Psalmist sings for a people who face severe persecution from enemies, yet stand strong in confidence in a loving and faithful God. In contrast with more warlike Psalms that call on God to crush and destroy the foe, Psalm 4 holds up a more quiet and trusting confidence. We ask God to have mercy, to hear our prayers. We ask that the light of God’s countenance shine upon us, and we are grateful that we can sleep in peace, knowing that God is watching over us.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-7

In a message that resonates with Peter’s speech in Acts, the author of First John assures the people of the early church that we become the children of God through the gift of God’s love as revealed to us through Jesus. Although the world does not seem to know this yet, the writer assures his audience, the world will eventually come to do so. Meanwhile, doing what is right keeps us in right relationship with God through Jesus. Thus we are free from sin, this passage concludes, for there is surely no sin in Jesus.

Gospel: Luke 24:36b-48

This week we turn to Luke’s Gospel for another story about the resurrected Christ, having heard John’s account last Sunday. The disciples are together again, and Jesus is suddenly among them. Surprisingly, their first response is not joy but surprise and terror, as if a ghost had appeared! Much as he had done for Thomas in John’s Gospel, Jesus invites them all to examine and touch his wounds, Then he asks for something to eat, and takes a piece of fish, perhaps to show that he is no ghost but flesh and blood. He then announces that he is the Messiah foretold in the Scriptures, and declares that repentance and forgiveness of sins will go out in his name to all nations.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 11, 2021

First Reading: Acts 4:32-35

Christ is risen, and we move forward with joy into the 50 days of Eastertide.

Doubting Thomas (1613-1615), oil painting on panel by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium. (Click image to enlarge.)

Throughout this time, our First Readings will be taken from the Acts of the Apostles, the Evangelist Luke’s story of the life of the early church. In his Gospel, Luke consistently emphasizes Jesus’ command to shun riches and to serve the poor, the weak and the oppressed. It should be no surprise, then, that in Acts Luke presents the practice of sharing all possessions and caring for the poor as the customary lifestyle of the apostles. This practice would be a hard sell in 21st century politics, which might give us food for thought as we ponder Jesus’ promise of good news to the poor.

Psalm: Psalm 133

Sounding a theme that resonates with the sharing lifestyle that Luke presents in the early church, the Psalmist celebrates the joy of a community that lives in unity like brothers and sisters. The earthy image of anointing oil running down Aaron’s head, beard and robe may sound odd to our modern ears. But, also like the Gospel accounts of the woman anointing Jesus with expensive ointment – it reminds us that the most desirable luxuries are not to be hoarded but abundantly shared.

Second Reading: 1 John 1:1-2:2

Our second readings during Eastertide will take us through the First Letter of John. This letter was almost certainly not written by John the Evangelist. Its emphasis on love, and on Jesus as the Word and the Light, is consistent with the style of John’s Gospel, and hints that it may have come later on from the same early Christian community. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,” Sunday’s verses tell us, a phrase that the Book of Common Prayer adopts as a Lenten opening sentence for Morning Prayer. When we confess our sins, it continues, God will forgive us and restore our righteousness through Christ.

Gospel: John 20:19-31

Jesus has died. Christ has risen! And now Jesus begins appearing to the disciples, often in mysterious ways that defy imagining. The doors are locked, the apostles are terrified; and suddenly Jesus is there with them in the locked room, and fear is transformed to joy. Thomas, who missed Jesus’ first appearance, remains doubtful, and for this he is remembered forever as “Doubting Thomas.” Who wouldn’t doubt, though? Wouldn’t you? But Jesus surely understands. And Thomas, too, with all the rest, goes on to testify that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that we all have life in his name.