Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for May 8, 2016

First Reading: Acts 16:16-34

Paul casts out a very irritating demon from a slave girl, but this angers her owners, who had made money from her “fortune-telling.” The owners have Paul and Silas flogged and thrown in jail, but a surely God-sent earthquake frees them. They reassure the jailer, who gratefully accepts baptism with his family. Now, think about how this echoes Jesus’ first sermon: Through Paul and the Spirit, captives are released, the oppressed go free, and the good news is proclaimed.

Psalm 97

This ancient song of praise envisions God as a mighty king who commands clouds and darkness, lightning and fire; a ruler so powerful that the earth itself is afraid. Recalling the history of the chosen people in warlike terms, it proclaims a righteous Lord who defeats the false gods of graven images, bringing joy to the cities and people of Judah.

Second Reading: Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20-21

Our quick tour through Revelation brings us to the book’s final verses. Jesus is coming back soon, prepared to enter the holy city, the New Jerusalem, where he will invite all those who have followed Jesus’ way. “Come. … let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.”

Gospel: John 17:20-26

As Jesus’ long final conversation with his apostles at the Last Supper concludes, his words become so poetic that it may seem hard to follow them at first. A deep connection of love unites the Father and Son, and, Jesus prays, is given also to the people of God: As Jesus and the Father are one, so will we all be one in God. As Jesus told us to love one another as he has loved us; now he asks the Father to love us as the Father has loved Jesus.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for May 1, 2016

First Reading: Acts 16:9-15

As we move into the final weeks of Eastertide, our readings remind us that God’s love is for everyone, all earth’s nations and all earth’s people: Jesus did not come for only a chosen few. In our reading from Acts, we find Paul taking Jesus’ message into pagan Greece for the first time. He sees a man in a vision but, arriving in Macedonia, encounters a woman, Lydia, a wealthy and influential member of her community. Baptizing Lydia and her household, Paul begins the community that will become the church at Philippi, extending the Christian movement into Europe.

Psalm 67

This short but exuberant hymn shouts praise for God and all of God’s works, and asks for God’s blessing. All the earth knows God’s ways, the psalmist sings. Let all the world’s people praise God. God judges all the people fairly, and guides all the world’s nations. “May all the ends of the earth stand in awe of God.”

Second Reading: Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

As we read into the final chapters of Revelation, we suddenly recognize that the New Testament is ending with a vivid description of the author’s vision of life at the end of time. The final judgement has come, and all God’s people from all nations have come together in peace. Even earthly kings now worship a higher king in a city that needs no temple, for God is its temple; the New Jerusalem is so brilliant in the graceful glow of the Lamb that it needs no other light.

Gospel: John 14:23-29

John’s account of Jesus’ Last Supper with his apostles extends through five full chapters. He tells them that must leave them, but tells them not to be afraid, assuring them that God the Father will come to them and Father and Son will be with them even when Jesus has gone away. The words that Jesus uttered just before his passion and crucifixion resonate with us again as the Ascension and Pentecost draw near: Jesus is going back to the Father, but they will send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to guide the people in Jesus’ name. The people of God show our love by keeping Jesus’ word.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for April 24, 2016

First Reading: Acts 11:1-18

God’s love is for everyone, not just a few. This is the generous message that we hear throughout today’s readings. First we hear Peter explaining how a vision from God showed him that Christ’s message was not intended for his fellow Jewish believers alone, but for Gentiles as well. Sharing the gift of the Spirit through baptism without requiring conversion to Judaism must have seemed new and strange to these believers formed by tradition, but God’s message to Peter is clear, and God’s words overcome Peter’s prejudice.

Psalm 148

Like a symphony with a resounding final coda, the Psalms end in a series of hymns of praise that shout out God’s glory with ringing exultation. In this Psalm we behold all creation praising God. All the angels and the universe, the sun and moon, stars and heavens, all praise the Lord, as do fire and hail, snow and fog; domestic animals, wild animals – even sea monsters! All humanity, too, praises the Lord, old and young people, kings and their subjects, men and women: God’s glory is universal, and God gives us all strength.

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6

In the remaining weeks of Eastertide we move on to the closing chapters of Revelation. Heaven and Earth have passed away in this apocalyptic vision. Everything has changed! Earth and sea, creation as we knew it, is no more. Now God is coming to earth to live with mortals, as Jesus Christ had done; all humanity will be God’s people, and God will be with them in a world where all things are new. God will wipe away tears and banish mourning, crying and pain; God will quench all thirst with the water of life. Death will be no more!

Gospel: John 13:31-35

Jesus and the apostles are gathered at the Last Supper. Judas has just sneaked out to go betray Jesus, and we know that Jesus’ passion and death lie just ahead; yet Jesus begins his last words to his friends by reminding them all to love. In loving one another, loving our neighbors, loving even our enemies, Jesus has given us clear instructions to love all of God’s people, and through this abundant, universal love to show the world how Jesus loves us all. “They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love … Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for April 17, 2016

First Reading: Acts 9:36-43

Even in the midst of difficulty, we always have hope in God. This encouraging theme resonates through today’s readings, reminding us that God protects us, feeds us, washes away our tears and offers us life. The sudden death of Tabitha must have hit the infant church hard, as this hard-working disciple was known for her works of charity and made clothes for the group. Then Peter, filled with the Spirit, brings her back to life with a prayer and a command, just as Jesus had done with Lazarus and others.

Psalm 23

These comforting verses comprise what is surely the most familiar Psalm of all. It expresses our trust in God as a kindly, protecting shepherd, an image that Christians eagerly adopt for Jesus, the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Its comforting words offer us confident hope even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Although it turns darker momentarily as we envision our joy at dining sumptuously at God’s table while our enemies must only stand by and watch, it ends as full of hope as it began, accompanied by God’s goodness and mercy as we reside with God forever.

Second Reading: Revelation 7:9-17

Since last week’s reading we have skipped over a chapter filled with striking, frightening symbols and allegories, and now we stand again with a vast crowd dressed in white, representing all nations, races and people; all united in worshiping the Lamb, Christ, our King. These are the ones who have come through “the great ordeal,” facing persecution for Jesus’ sake. Now they know joy with the Lamb, who has become their Shepherd and gives them the water of life, protects them and wipes away their tears.

Gospel: John 10:22-30

Is Jesus the Messiah? In the verses of John’s Gospel just before this, Jesus has declared himself the Good Shepherd. Now the group of Pharisees that has been quizzing Jesus becomes insistent, demanding that he end the suspense and tell them plainly if this is his claim. Jesus tells them not to ask for his words but to look at his works, the things that he has done in the name of God, his Father. His followers – his sheep – follow him willingly; and through their faith they will gain eternal life.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for April 10, 2016

First Reading: Acts 9:1-20

Saul was mean, and Saul was scary. He persecuted the early Christians with all his strength. But when Jesus confronted Saul in a blinding vision on the road to Damascus, everything changed. Matthew told us that Jesus said, “just as you did to the least of these … you did it to me.” Jesus tells Saul that by persecuting those who follow Jesus, he was persecuting Jesus. When Saul gets this – with help from a rather wary Ananias – his hatred for Christ and Christians falls away. Saul becomes Paul, who will go on to take the infant church to the world.

Psalm: Psalm 30

Today’s Psalm offers praise and thanksgiving to God in a specific context: It expresses the singer’s gratitude for having been restored to good health and rescued from an immediate threat to life. When God’s face is hidden from us, we live in fear; but God’s restorative mercy turns our wailing into dancing and makes our hearts sing. Think about this Psalm in the context of today’s other readings: Paul’s conversion turns his enmity to new life in Christ. Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus is wiped away as Jesus calls Peter three times to love him and to feed Christ’s sheep.

Second Reading: Revelation 5:11-14

All the people of all the world’s nations, and all the animals of land and air and ocean, too, gather around the throne to worship the Lamb in this beautiful, metaphorical vision. In contrast with the bloody, frightening images of dragons and war-horses that fill the pages of Revelation, Christ, the king, is not pictured as a mighty emperor or a roaring lion but as a vulnerable lamb: a symbol of the Passover, a slaughtered victim that is now raised and glorified for us.

Gospel: John 21:1-19

In a narrative similar to Luke’s account of Jesus meeting two disciples on the road to Emmaus, John tells us that the seven disciples in their fishing boat didn’t recognize Jesus at first. Only when the stranger on the beach shows them how to fill their nets to bulging with a heavy catch does Peter recognize Jesus. Then Jesus, recalling the awful night when Peter denied him three times, asks three times whether Peter loves him, then commands him three times to feed Jesus’ lambs and sheep.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for April 3, 2016

Acts 5:27-32

Jesus has died, Christ has risen! Jesus’ friends, filled with the Holy Spirit, are leading a movement. The apostles teach, they preach, and they perform miraculous healings, just as Jesus had done. The authorities, fearful that all this might attract unwanted Roman attention, aren’t any happier about this than they had been with Jesus. The high priest summons Peter and others for questioning, but Peter stands strong: God’s word, through Jesus – the one whom they had killed but who lives on at God’s right hand – overpowers mere human authority.

Psalm 150

We chant, sing or read a Psalm just about every time we gather to worship. The 150 Psalms cover a range of emotions, from pleas for help to calls for God’s blessing to anguished songs of lamentation. Psalms beg forgiveness, express hope, even call down God’s wrath. But the most joyful Psalms sing God’s praise, and Psalm 150, the hymn of joy that ends the book, musters a virtual orchestra to proclaim God’s glory with flutes and harp, strings and cymbals. Sing out loud as we celebrate the resurrection today.

Psalm 118:14-29

A week after Easter, we repeat much of last Sunday’s Psalm, underscoring its theme of joyful thanksgiving to God who protects us, brings us victory and becomes our salvation. Today we continue through the final verses, which turn from talking about God’s goodness to address God with loud hosannas, giving thanks for God’s favor and mercy. “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,” we sing, in words that we will repeat when we sing the Sanctus in the Great Thanksgiving.

Second Reading: Revelation 1:4-8

Many Christians find Revelation hard to understand, even weird and scary, with its visions of lakes of fire, dragons, horsemen riding through rivers of blood … the number of the Beast! Today’s opening verses, however, give only a hint of the allegorical imagery to come. Originally addressed to the persecuted Christians of seven cities in what is now Turkey, it assures them that all are loved by Christ, “the ruler of the kings of the earth,” who will come and set us free.

Gospel: John 20:19-31

It’s easy to mock Thomas with the nickname, “Doubting Thomas,” that has stuck to him for 2,000 years. But remember that the other apostles doubted the women, too, when they came running back to report that Jesus had risen. Look at Thomas’ perspective: All his friends got to see Jesus and rejoice as he gave them the power of the Holy Spirit and empowered them to forgive sins. We don’t know why Thomas wasn’t there, but wouldn’t you be a little jealous and cranky, too, if you had missed out? Take note too that Jesus wasn’t angry with Thomas. Doubters or no, we all have life in Jesus’ name.