Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for May 17, 2020

First Reading: Acts 17:22-31


Even after the resurrected Jesus returns to the Creator, God remains in the world. The Holy Spirit is with us. This is the reassuring message of Sunday’s readings: The God who made us all is with us always, watches over us and hears our prayers.

Saint Paul preaching at the Areopagus in Athens (1515), painting by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, known as Raphael (1483-1520). The Victoria and Albert Museum, London. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our first reading find Paul in Athens, trying to persuade skeptical Greeks that their altar “to an unknown god” actually celebrates our God, who made the world and everything in it, who gave us life and breath, and who remains so near to us that in God we live and move and have our being.

Psalm: Psalm 66:7-18

Why do bad things happen to good people? The Psalmist ponders this eternal question in the portion of Psalm 66 that we read on this Sunday. Sometimes it seems as if God is testing us when we face burdens that seem too heavy to bear, the psalm reminds us. But God keeps watch over all the people of the Earth and ultimately brings us out to a place of refreshment, a spacious place of relief. God hears our prayers and does not reject them; at the end, God’s loving kindness is not withheld.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-22


This passage from the first letter of Peter mirrors the theme of hope amid burdens and difficulties that we heard in Psalm 66. It assures us that when we suffer for doing the right thing we earn blessing, a promise that may have brought some comfort to an early church community facing persecution. Just as Noah and his family endured the flood so that humanity could survive, the author of 1 Peter writes, Jesus suffered on the cross, died and was resurrected so that we too may be brought to God through baptism.

Gospel: John 14:15-21


As Eastertide turns toward the Ascension and Pentecost, we continue where last Sunday’s Gospel left off in John’s Gospel. Jesus reassures the apostles that, although he will leave soon to return to the Creator, he will not leave them orphaned. God will give them an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to remain with them forever. Then, emphasizing the intimate connection among this Trinity of Creator, Son and Spirit and those who believe, Jesus goes on: “If you love me, keep my commandments … They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for May 10, 2020

First Reading: Acts 7:55-60


We are now midway through the 50 days of Eastertide, and our Sunday readings turn from the resurrection of Jesus to our own hope of new life and resurrection through Christ.

The Stoning of St Stephen (c.1435), fresco by Paolo Uccello (1397-1475). Prato Cathedral, Tuscany, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we hear of the death of Stephen, the first martyr of the church, at the hands of an angry mob. This reading also introduces Saul, a Pharisee who, we are told in these verses, approved of this violent, brutal killing. Later in Acts, Saul will undergo a startling conversion experience and become Paul, a great evangelist for Christ. Why did Stephen suffer such a horrific death at the hands of his fellow worshippers? According to Acts (which was written not long after first century Christians and Jews had divided amid hard feelings), Stephen stood up in synagogue and declared his fellow Jews “betrayers and murderers” for their role in Jesus’ death.

Psalm: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16

“Into your hands I commit my spirit.” Both Jesus, dying on the cross, and Stephen, dying under stones thrown by his community, uttered this same verse from Psalm 31. Even in the painful moment of death by violence, they confessed their faith. The Psalmist, too, seeking refuge and rescue, trusts in the loving-kindness and protection that comes with placing one’s self in God’s hands. Begging God to hear his call, to be his stronghold, his rock and castle, the Psalmist asks God to listen and to save him.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:2-10


The author of the first letter of Peter turns to the Hebrew Bible to find inspiration for a suffering people. Writing for the persecuted church in Asia Minor a few generations after the crucifixion, the author draws from the Psalms and the prophets: Do not stumble and fall on a stone as Isaiah’s people had done, but to grow into salvation like infants nourished on pure, spiritual milk.

Gospel: John 14:1-14


Have you ever wondered why so many of the collects in the Book of Common Prayer conclude, “through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever”? This is where that doxology begins: As told by John in his version of Jesus’ last talk with the apostles at the Last Supper, no one comes to God except through Jesus. Jesus is the Way. To know Jesus is to know God. This is not just a dream of a heavenly life beyond the Pearly Gates; it is a promise that God is with us in God’s Kingdom on Earth.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for May 3, 2020

First Reading: Acts 2:42-47


The fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally called “Good Shepherd Sunday,” as the readings for the day draw our attention to sheep and shepherds as metaphors for God’s protective love.

The Good Shepherd (Fifth century CE), mosaic in the mausoleum of Galla Placidia, a UNESCO World heritage site in Ravenna, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our first reading continues the Acts of the Apostles’ narrative of the spirit-filled church after the first Pentecost. It tells us how that infant flock lived in loving, sharing community, selling all their possessions and distributing the proceeds to any who had need. Following the example set by Jesus, they recognized the joy and challenge of taking the good news of the Gospel to the world.

Psalm: Psalm 23

If you’re scratching your head and thinking that we just recently read the 23rd Psalm, there’s a reason: It was the Psalm we heard on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, just six weeks ago. In time of trouble and of fear, the 23rd offers comfort. To view it in a new way, try reading it in context with the psalm just before it, Psalm 22, one of the most desperate hymns of lament among all the psalms. In the 22nd Psalm the poet utters the hopeless words that Jesus will later repeat on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Still, he calls on God in trust and hope. Then we turn the page and find comfort in the 23rd’s assurance that our loving shepherd will watch over us and protect us all the days of our lives.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:19-25


Prepare for a troubling surprise if you turn back and look at the verses just before this reading: This portion of this letter written in Peter’s name was addressed to slaves. It demanded that they accept the authority of their masters, even if those masters treated them harshly. Nowadays we struggle with the idea of Bible verses that seem to support slavery (not to mention other latter-day hot-button issues). Indeed, these and similar verses were once used to justify slavery as acceptable to God. Perhaps it’s more useful for us to take this as general advice to all who suffer, remembering that Jesus suffered and died unfairly, having done no wrong. Like lost sheep, we suffer, but we know joy when we return to Christ, our shepherd and guardian.

Gospel: John 10:1-10


In the verses just before these in John’s previous chapter, Jesus had been arguing with a group of Pharisees who were angry because he restored a blind man’s sight on the Sabbath. As the new chapter begins here, Jesus seems to be continuing that conversation with the Pharisees as he draws a clear distinction between the good shepherd who cares for the sheep and thieves who break in to steal the sheep. Jesus himself is the gate to the sheepfold itself, he tells them; and he is the gatekeeper too, the protective guardian whose familiar voice reassures the sheep and calls each sheep by name. The gate opens to allow the protected ones to enter, then closes to bar those who would steal, kill, and destroy the beloved sheep. In the next verse after today’s reading, Jesus will declare, “‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 26, 2020

First Reading: Acts 2:14a,36-41


We continue hearing themes of resurrection in our Eastertide readings this week.

Supper at Emmaus (1618), oil painting on canvas by Diego Velázquez (1599-1660). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading, after repeating the same introductory sentence that we heard last week, Peter has harsh words for his audience. He blames “the entire house of Israel” for crucifying Jesus, the Christ whom God has now made Lord and Messiah. Like the angry references to the Jews in the Passion Gospels, modern Christians must read this kind of accusation, which recurs throughout Acts, in its historical and cultural context. At the time of this writing, there was extreme tension between early Christians and Jews after the destruction of the Temple. In our time, we must erase any echoes of anti-Judaism, and hear instead in this passage God’s gracious promise that forgiveness through the gift of the Holy Spirit is available to all.

Psalm: Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17

Consider this during this time of pandemic fear: This Psalm of thanksgiving expresses the Psalmist’s gratitude for recovery from illness. It is vivid in its description of the anguish of severe sickness and the fear of death; but then it turns and portrays the transforming joy that comes with recovery. We hear a theme of resurrection here, too, the joy that comes with escaping the darkness of the underworld to win the bounty of salvation. In the joy of restored life, we thank God for loosing us from the snares of death.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 1:17-23


In the first of the two letters written in Peter’s name, we can glean some insight into the efforts of the church around the end of the first century to discern the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection in our lives. In these verses the author is working out the significance of Jesus’ death as ransom for our sins, a theological quest that has continued from the early church through the Middle Ages and even to modern times. The question remains theologically unresolved, but one point is clear: Through Christ we trust in God. Through Christ we love one another. And through Christ we gain life in the enduring word of God.

Gospel: Luke 24:13-35


What a confusing time the first Easter must have been for those who loved Jesus! This Gospel passage, like last Sunday’s reading about Jesus entering the locked room where the disciples were hiding, suggests that they remained uncertain, uneasy, even scared. “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel,” two of them told the stranger on the road to Emmaus, their phraseology suggesting that this hope, once alive, now was gone. Nor does it seem that they believed the women, any more than Thomas had believed the others, until they saw for themselves. But the traveler, Jesus, revealed himself in the breaking of the bread, just as we discover Jesus when we gather at the Eucharistic table.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 19, 2020

First Reading: Acts 2:14a,22-32


Happy Easter! Alleluia! Christ is risen, and we move forward with joy into the 50 days of Eastertide, a liturgical season that continues through Pentecost Sunday.

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (c.1600), oil painting on canvas by Michele Angelo Merigi da Caravaggio (1571-1610). Sanssouci Picture Gallery, Potsdam, Germany. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the readings for the season we will hear about the apostles in the early church following Jesus’ way; mysterious appearances of the resurrected Christ, and Jesus’ words about God’s promise of eternal life. Today’s readings offer us insights into the meaning of resurrection in our lives. Throughout the Easter season, we replace our usual Old Testament reading with selections from Acts, the apostle Luke’s stories of the early church and how it grew. In Sunday’s first reading, Peter, touched by the Holy Spirit, addresses the amazed crowd with a fluent sermon declaring the resurrected Christ as Messiah, fulfilling the prophecy attributed to King David in Psalm 16, and assuring us of our hope for eternal life through Jesus.

Psalm: Psalm 16

Here is the full Psalm from which Peter quoted four verses in the first reading. If you’re paying close attention, you will notice that the words are similar but different here. That’s because Peter was using the Greek bible (called the Septuagint) that was standard in his time; today’s Psalm is translated from the older Hebrew bible. It can be fascinating to explore the similarities and differences, but both versions, of course, convey the same promise: God teaches us, God watches over us; God protects us, and God gives us joy and “pleasures for evermore.”

Second Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9


Our second readings through Eastertide will draw from the First Book of Peter, the first of two letters written in Peter’s name to the church in Asia Minor. Appropriately for the season, this short letter shows us the evolving theology of resurrection and salvation in the early church around the end of the first century. Observing that the people are suffering “various trials” – perhaps persecution for their faith – the author assures them that even amid trials, God offers the faithful the joy of a lasting inheritance of salvation through Christ’s resurrection and life.

Gospel: John 20:19-31

The apostles knew that Jesus had risen, but this wonderful news was apparently not enough to keep them from being afraid of the Temple leaders who had worked with the Romans to arrest and execute Jesus. They’re hiding in a locked room, yet suddenly Jesus appears among them, twice telling them, “Peace be with you.” Jesus bears the visible scars of his crucifixion but is very much alive. He sends his friends, no longer fearful, out into the world in peace, empowered with the Holy Spirit through Jesus’ breath. A week later, Thomas, who had missed this first meeting, wins his reputation as “Doubting Thomas” by refusing to believe that Jesus had truly risen unless he could touch the wounds. Jesus invites Thomas to touch his wounds, and then he blesses all who believe through faith alone.