Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 6, 2025 (Lent 5C)

Mary Magdalene anoints the feet of Jesus (early 16th century), oil painting on oak panel by the Master of the Legend of the Magdalene, possibly Jan Mostaert (c.1475–c.1552). Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

As Lent turns toward Palm Sunday and Holy Week, this Sunday’s readings direct our imagination toward seeking our goals with God’s help. In our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah remembers the time when the people were in exile in Babylon, defeated and hopeless, unable to get up: “extinguished, quenched like a wick.” Nevertheless, the prophet declares, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.” In God there is hope for new ways, Isaiah tells us. God will make a path in the wilderness and create rivers in the desert, protecting God’s people and bringing them home..

Psalm: Psalm 126

Psalm 126 echoes the feelings of hope that we heard in the Isaiah passage. The Psalmist envisions a future joyous day when all things old have been made new again. God will have restored Israel’s fortunes, filling the people with laughter and shouts of joy. Those who left the holy city weeping under burdens that seemed too great to bear now return with shouts of joy, bringing in a bountiful harvest.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

Writing to the Christian community of Philippi, a Gentile community of retired Roman soldiers in Greece, Paul tells them how he had been a zealous Pharisee, believing that he had much to be proud of. He had felt strong in his faith as he angrily persecuted Christians, regarding them as dangerous radicals. But then, he says, he discovered Jesus and everything changed: In words consistent with the reading from Isaiah, he urges the people to press on, as he does, toward the goal of resurrection and life.

Gospel: Gospel: John 12:1-8

To grasp the powerful context of this familiar narrative, re-read John’s verses just before and just after the story of Mary weeping as she anoints Jesus’s feet with expensive perfume. Jesus has just raised Lazarus from the dead, causing such an uproar that the chief priests and Pharisees decided to kill Jesus to keep the Romans from stepping in. Just after these verses, the temple authorities decide to kill Lazarus, too, because his miraculous return from the dead is inspiring people to follow Jesus. Jesus is at risk of death. He warns his friends that they won’t always have him with them. But don’t mistake the meaning of Jesus’s words, “You always have the poor with you.” This is not an argument against helping the poor. On the contrary, it is a direct quote from Torah, God’s explicit commandment that we must always open our hands to the poor and needy neighbors in our land.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 30, 2025 (Lent 4C)

The Prodigal Son (1622), oil painting on panel by Gerard van Honthorst (1592-1656). Alte Pinakothek, Munich. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Joshua 5:9-12

Fresh starts and new beginnings: These themes resonate in Sunday’s readings as we reach the midpoint of Lent. From the Israelites’ arrival at the Promised Land in the first reading to the Prodigal Son’s joyful return home in the Gospel, we remember that God stays with us through transition and change. In the first reading from Joshua, we see a people filled with joy. They have reached Canaan, the land of milk and honey. No longer reliant on manna for sustenance, they celebrate the end of 40 years in the desert with fresh bread made from the produce of the promised land.

Psalm: Psalm 32

Who hasn’t known the anguish of doing something wrong that hurt a loved one? An angry word flares. A careless act happens. And then we see that look of pain, a sob, and a burst of tears, and we feel anguish and guilt. At that point, there is just one thing to say: “I’m sorry.” When this simple response brings a smile and forgiveness, everything feels better. This is the reward of repentance: When we sin and step away from God, it hurts. But then, as we chant in this Psalm, God’s forgiveness and steadfast love can make us shout for joy.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

There is tension in Paul’s second letter to the people of Corinth. The people of this Greek Christian community have been arguing with Paul and with each other. Paul, loving them in spite of it all, entreats them to be reconciled to God on behalf of Christ. Our new direction as Christians, Paul tells them, comes when we recognize Jesus not only as human but as Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah. In Christ, everything old has passed away. Everything has become new! Through Christ, God forgives all our trespasses and reconciles the world to God.

Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

The story of the Prodigal Son is surely one of the most beloved parables, and it’s easy to grasp its meaning: God forgives us when we stray and then return. Even if we have been prodigally sinful, God welcomes us home with a father’s joy and abundant celebration. But there’s more to this textured story: Consider the older brother: Hurt because his good and faithful behavior earned him no reward, he is consoled by his father’s loyal, long-standing love. It’s also easy to forget the setting for this familiar story: Jesus told it in response to a crowd of scribes and Pharisees who were upset because Jesus welcomed tax collectors and sinners at his table.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 23, 2025 (Lent 3C)

Moses and the Burning Bush (1642-45), oil painting on canvas by Sébastien Bourdon (1616-1671). The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Exodus 3:1-15

As the theologian Marcus Borg famously wrote, God is both right here and out there: as near as our thoughts and as far as the stars. Sunday’s readings stretch our imagination with ideas of a transcendent God of mighty power. In our first reading from Exodus, we recall the ancestral story of God addressing a startled Moses from a flaming bush that burned but was never consumed. The people have suffered in slavery in Egypt long enough, God tells Moses, calling Moses – despite his protests of inadequacy – to lead the people out of Egypt and bring them to a promised land flowing with milk and honey.

Psalm: Psalm 63:1-8

We began Lent by recalling the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, defying temptation and preparing for his ministry on Earth. Psalm 63 is set in a similar arid wilderness, a barren and dry land where there is no water. The Psalmist seeks God with a thirsty soul, aching not only for liquid refreshment but for God, whose lovingkindness is better than life itself. Through prayer, the Psalmist’s hunger is satisfied. Upheld by God’s strong hand, the poet sings for joy under the shadow of God’s wings.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Paul, writing to the people of Corinth in a time when early Christians were still working out their relationship with Judaism, recalls Hebrew Bible stories in which Israelites were struck down for failing to keep God’s ways. Paul holds up these Israelites who strayed from their commitments as examples for the early Christians to consider when they felt that God was testing them with hard times. Learn from those ancestors, Paul urges. Be faithful, don’t stray, and know that when hard times test us, God will provide us strength.

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

A group of people came to Jesus, worried about a group of Galileans whom Pilate had killed and 18 others who died when a tower at Siloam fell on them. Did these bad things happen because the victims had sinned? Absolutely not, Jesus tells them. God does not punish sin with suffering, Jesus declares, perhaps recalling the wisdom of Job. But, Jesus goes on, repentance defeats death, bringing forgiveness and eternal life. Like the gardener who defers cutting down a barren fig tree to nurture it in hope it will eventually bear fruit, we are to hope for forgiveness and another chance.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 16, 2025 (Lent 2C)

Christ and the Pharisees, from Das Plenarium (1517), hand-colored woodcut by Hans Leonhard Schäufelein (1480-1540). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Even in times of darkness and fear, hold on to hope and trust in God: This optimistic idea illuminates Sunday’s readings. In Sunday’s first reading, Abram is worried because he and his wife Sarai remain childless in old age. Will they have to adopt a slave child to receive the inheritance that God has promised? But God guides Abram through a dark and terrifying night and, in the new day, assures him that he and Sarai – who we will know as Abraham and Sarah – will begin a family that will inherit the promised land; a family as countless as the stars.

Psalm: Psalm 27

Psalm 27 resonates with the Genesis account of God’s covenant with Abraham: Even when we feel under attack, beset with dangers and real-life fears, we can place our confidence in God and ask for God’s protection. We sing of our trust in God, our light and salvation, whose strength is so great that nothing can stand against it. Yes, bad things sometimes do happen to good people. That is the way of our lives. But we ask God’s to show us the way and lead us on a level path, and we trust that God will be with us both in bad times and good.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1

The people of the church in Philippi in northern Greece had endured much to embrace the Christian way. They wrestled with fear as they faced persecution by their enemies. But Paul – himself writing from prison in Rome – reassures them pastorally in words that might remind us of the Psalmist’s wisdom: Look to God, through Christ, for our salvation. Stand firm in our faith and find meaning in our lives by making every effort to live as Christ would have us live. Christ is the one who will transform us.

Gospel: Luke 13:31-35

Several friendly Pharisees warn Jesus that King Herod wants to kill him, and urge him to protect himself. But Jesus, calling Herod “that fox,” won’t change his chosen course, even if it will lead to death in the “city that kills the prophets.” But then this dark and foreboding passage turns comforting as Jesus describes himself as a mother hen protecting her brood under her wings. This nurturing, feminine image invites us to reflect on Jesus as a source of gentle motherly love, expanding our vision of a Christ for all humankind.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 9, 2025 (Lent 1C)

Christ Tempted by the Devil (1818), oil painting on panel by John Ritto Penniman (1782-1841). Smithsonian American Art Museum. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

During Lent, as we read in the Book of Common Prayer, Christians are invited “to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” Sunday’s Lectionary readings gently guide us into this season with reminders from Scripture that God loves us, protects us, and calls us to follow God’s way. Our first reading recalls an ancient harvest liturgy, when the people would tithe the land’s bounty in thanksgiving to God who led them out of slavery in Egypt and brought them to a rich and fruitful land.

Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

These verses that we chant in Sunday’s Psalm set the scene for the day’s Gospel: “He will command his angels concerning you … On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” This promise underscores the hopeful message of Psalm 91, and by extension the Gospel according to Matthew: Even when bad things happen – plague, injury, even attacks by lions and venomous serpents – we live in God’s shadow. God is with us when we are in trouble. God will answer when we call.

Second Reading: Romans 10:8b-13

Paul’s pastoral advice to the early Christian community in Rome, a mixed body of Jewish and pagan Christians, continues the theme of Sunday’s readings. In the Psalm, we acknowledged our trust in God’s protection. Here, Paul reminds the people of the infant Roman church that the pathway to salvation opens when we accept Jesus and the Resurrection. In the first reading, we recalled that our spiritual ancestors were foreigners in a strange land, held as slaves in Egypt. Now Paul makes it clear that there is no Jew or Greek, no insider or outsider in the way of Jesus: We are all together in one God for all.

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

Immediately following his baptism by John in the Jordan, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to fast and pray for 40 days, a period that is reflected in the 40 days of Lent. Famished at the end of his long fast, Jesus meets the devil, who tests him with the suggestion that if he is the Son of God, he could turn stones into food. Failing that, the devil tempts Jesus again with visions of power and glory if only he would turn from God. Jesus resists each temptations, warning the devil not to put God to the test. The devil then leaves him “until an opportune time.” In the verses that follow this passage, Jesus goes directly to his hometown synagogue where he will proclaim good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed.