Easter Sunday C – Principal Service

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Robin Garr

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for April 17, 2022 (Easter Sunday C – Principal Service)

First Reading or alternate Second Reading: Acts 10:34-43

Alleluia. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! This Sunday is Easter, the day when we remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (c.1499[1502), Raphael oil painting on wood by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Rafael, 1483-1520). São Paulo Museum of Art, Brazil. (Click image to enlarge.)

All of the Lectionary readings for the principal Easter service remind us of resurrection and life. Our first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles, the evangelist Luke’s story about the life of the early church as it grew from Jerusalem across the Mediterranean. In this passage, Peter is giving religious instruction in the household of the centurion Cornelius, a Roman army officer. Peter tells them about the Christian way: Jesus was crucified but raised from the dead, and now God’s saving grace is given through Jesus to Jew and Gentile, to all the nations. Jesus is Lord of all!

Alternate First Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25

In the closing pages of Isaiah’s great book of prophecy, the people have returned home to Jerusalem from their long exile in Babylon. Much work remains to be done to restore the demolished city and its temple, but this is a time for celebration. God promises through the prophet to make Jerusalem a virtual heaven on earth, where everyone will enjoy abundance and happiness, peace and joy; even the wolf and the lamb shall feed peacefully together! As Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, we too imagine a new kingdom where all will be physically and spiritually fed.

Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

In this ancient hymn we remember Israel’s joyful thanks to God for its return from exile. While the prophetic words, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” spoke of the temple in Jerusalem, Christians have long borrowed this verse of Psalm 118 as a metaphor for Jesus. The words shout out the hope of an Easter people: “I shall not die, but I shall live … The Lord … did not give me over to death. … you have answered me and have become my salvation.”

Second Reading: I Corinthians 15:19-26

In his pastoral words to the early Christians of Corinth – who were puzzled by the theology of resurrection and probably arguing about it – Paul tries to express the resurrection and its significance in simple terms: Reminding the Corinthians of Adam’s fall and the ancient tradition of offering the first fruits of the harvest to God, Paul tells them that Christ’s resurrection makes him the first fruit of everlasting life, and this changes everything. The resurrection promises the arrival of God’s kingdom on earth and of eternal life. If Christ has risen, Paul says, then all who believe in him will also rise again.

Gospel: John 20:1-18

Each of the four Gospel accounts of the resurrection is slightly different, reflecting the traditions of its community of origin. In John’s Passion we walk this road with Mary Magdalene, seeing her in tender verses as the only one who stayed behind at the empty tomb after the others had left. John portrays her as the first person to meet and speak with the risen Christ, and the one sent to proclaim the good news of his resurrection to the others. As in many other Gospel accounts of the risen Christ encountering his friends in unexpected ways, Mary did not recognize Jesus at first. But when he calls her name, we can feel the joy in her delighted response, “Rabbouni!”

Alternate Gospel: Luke 24:1-12

Eyewitness accounts of any great account often differ on the details, and the Gospels’ resurrection narratives are certainly no exception. Only Luke, for example, tells us that the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee were the first to learn that Jesus was risen; and he even tells us the names of three of them: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. When they ran back to tell the men this wonderful news, though, the men thought they were only telling “an idle tale,” until Peter ran to the empty tomb to see for himself.

Easter Sunday – Evening Service

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Robin Garr

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for April 17, 2022 (Easter Sunday – Evening Service)

The Disciples at Emmaus (1622), oil painting on panel by Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651).
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. (Click image to enlarge.)

Isaiah 25:6-9 [Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces]

Psalm 114 [Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord]

1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 [A little yeast leavens the whole batch]

Luke 24:13-49 [He showed them his hands and his feet]

The Great Vigil of Easter

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Robin Garr

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for April 16, 2022 (The Great Vigil of Easter)

At The Liturgy of the Word

At least two of the following Lessons are read, of which one is always the Lesson from Exodus. After each Lesson, the Psalm or Canticle listed, or some other suitable psalm, canticle, or hymn, may be sung. A period of silence may be kept; and the Collects provided on pages 288-91, or some other suitable Collect, may be said. It is recommended that the first Collect on page 290 be used after the Lesson from Baruch or Proverbs. (pp 893, BCP)

The Holy Women at Christ’ s Tomb (1590s), oil painting on canvas by Annibale Carracci (1560-1609). Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg, Russia. (Click image to enlarge.)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a [The Story of Creation]

Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13 [The Flood]

Genesis 22:1-18 [Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac]

Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 [Israel’s deliverance at the Red Sea]

Isaiah 55:1-11 [Salvation offered freely to all]

Baruch 3:9-15, 3:32-4:4 [Learn wisdom and live]

Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 [Does not wisdom call]

Ezekiel 36:24-28 [A new heart and a new spirit]

Ezekiel 37:1-14 [The valley of dry bones]

Zephaniah 3:14-20 [The gathering of God’s people]

At The Eucharist

Romans 6:3-11 [Death no longer has dominion over him.]

Psalm 114 [Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord]

Luke 24:1-12 [He is not here, but has risen]

Good Friday

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Robin Garr

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for April 15, 2022 (Good Friday)

Calvarieberg (“Calvary,” 1475), painting on panel by Antonello da Messina (1430-1479). Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium. (Click image to enlarge.)

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 [See, my servant shall prosper]

Psalm 22 [My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?]

Hebrews 10:16-25 [He who has promised is faithful]

Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 [He became the source of eternal salvation]

John 18:1-19:42 [“It is finished.”]

Maundy Thursday

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Robin Garr

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for April 14, 2022 (Maundy Thursday)

Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet (1548-1549), oil painting on canvas by Tintoretto (1519-1594). Museo del Prado, Madrid. (Click image to enlarge.)

Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 [The first Passover]

Psalm 116:1, 10-17 [O Lord, I am your servant]

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 [This is my body that is for you]

John 13:1-17, 31b-35 [Jesus knew that his hour had come]

Palm / Passion Sunday C

Posted on April 4, 2022 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 10, 2022 (Palm / Passion Sunday C)

The Liturgy of the Palms C

Gospel: Luke 19:28-40

Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday fall on the same day in modern times, prompting us to watch in shock and surprise as the crowds who cheered for Jesus upon his arrival in Jerusalem quickly turn to mocking him and calling for his crucifixion.

Entry of Christ into Jerusalem (c.1530), oil painting on panel by Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502-1550). Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht, Netherlands. (Click image to enlarge.)

First, in the Liturgy of the Palms, we celebrate and wave our palms as Jesus rides a colt into Jerusalem while the crowd chants the words of the prophet Zechariah celebrating the arrival of Israel’s king: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey!” Then Luke shows the crowd responding with a song of joy that we’ll hear again in Psalm 118: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

This resounding ancient hymn, a song in celebration of victory, rings out in harmony with the first reading’s verses of celebration of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. Imagine a joyful crowd at the gates to the ancient Temple, clapping hands and loudly singing, praising the Lord, our God, whose mercy and steadfast love endure forever. “On this day the Lord has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

The Liturgy of the Passion C

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a

Now our readings turn darker and more painful as Holy Week draws near. But even as shadows and twilight fall, the hope that rests in faith and trust remains. The Prophet Isaiah surely meant the “Suffering Servant” figure as a metaphor for Israel under the iron foot of exile, hoping some day to return home with God’s help. Christians must respect this tradition, but the Servant’s pain may make us think of Jesus too, particularly in its clear call to turn the other cheek against our enemies, knowing that God is with us.

Psalm: Psalm 31:9-16

The darkness deepens as we hear this Psalm. These verses that echo the pain of the Suffering Servant remind us that numbing anguish can sap the strength of body, mind and soul. But even in the darkest depths, hope remains! Even when life seems full of pain and void of hope, we trust in God and pray: “Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.”

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

When Paul wrote this letter from a prison cell in Rome, he may have had Isaiah’s Suffering Servant in mind. In poetic verses that historians believe may have been taken from an early Christian hymn, Paul tells us that Jesus “emptied himself” as a human, even a slave, becoming one with us even in suffering. Jesus took on human frailty as he bore the gruesome pain of crucifixion. With this as our model, Paul shows that all are called to serve God and our neighbor humbly and obediently, becoming “more” through being “less.”

Gospel: Luke 22:14-23:49

Now the joy and celebration of the procession with the palms is fully turned. We see Jesus and his friends at the Last Supper, and now the crowds who had cheered for Jesus are mocking him and calling for his crucifixion. Before long we listen in horror to the familiar account of Jesus’ torture and gruesome death. In the midst of it all, though, take a moment to reflect on a brief passage at the Last Supper when Jesus turns the disciples’ bold ideas upside down after they started arguing about which of them was to be the greatest: “The greatest among you must become like the youngest,” Jesus tells them, “and the leader like one who serves.” What direction might we take from this? How are we called to serve?

Lent 5C

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 3, 2022 (Lent 5C)

First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

The whole world, it seems, is divided into Marthas and Marys, and most of us know which one we are. In Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the familiar story of these two friends of Jesus and their differing ways of showing their love, as Jesus progresses toward Jerusalem and the Cross.

Christ in the House of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (c.1577). Oil painting on canvas by Jacopo Bassano (1510-1592). Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Click image to enlarge.)

Each of Sunday’s readings touches on the idea of progress toward a goal. In the first reading, Isaiah envisions the people in exile, defeated and hopeless, unable to get up; “extinguished, quenched like a wick.” But in God there is hope for new ways, the prophet assures us. God will make a path in the wilderness and create rivers in the desert, protecting God’s chosen people and bringing them home.

Psalm: Psalm 126

Psalm 126 is one of a series of hymns known as “Songs of Ascent” that may have been sung as the people approached the Temple in ritual procession. Celebrating the people’s return to Jerusalem from exile, the Psalm echoes the Isaiah passage: It reminds us that God’s redemption can turn our tears into shouts of joy even though life’s burdens once seemed to be more than we could bear.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

Once a proud Pharisee and persecutor of Christians, Paul thought he had a lot to boast about. But once he felt that he knew Christ, everything changed. He has lost everything that he had before, and all that is now rubbish to him, he says in his letter to this Greek convert community in Philippi. Having gained righteousness from God through faith in Jesus, his new hope rests in the resurrection. As Isaiah advised Israel, so Paul urges the Philippians: Forget what lies behind you. Press on toward the goal of resurrection and life through God’s call in Jesus.

Gospel: Gospel: John 12:1-8

Our journey through Lent with Jesus is nearing its end. In John’s Gospel, Jesus has just raised Lazarus from the dead, and now the high priests are worried. Jesus’s miracles are getting too much attention, and the clamor might upset the hated Roman rulers. They decide to kill him if he shows his face in Jerusalem during Passover. Of course, that’s just where Jesus is headed. But first, as told in Sunday’s Gospel, he stops in Bethany to visit Lazarus, Mary and Martha, and Martha shows her love by bathing his feet extravagantly with a costly perfumed oil. Profit-minded Judas objects, but Jesus says, “Leave her alone!” The oil is for his burial, Jesus says, reminding them, “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

Lent 4C

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Robin Garr

Parable of the Prodigal Son (1536) painting on oak wood by Jan Sanders van Hemessen (c.1500-c.1566). Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels. (Click image to enlarge.)Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 27, 2022 (Lent 4C)

First Reading: Joshua 5:9-12

Repentance – literally, turning back from a wrong path and changing to a right one – forms a consistent theme through Sunday’s readings.

Parable of the Prodigal Son (1536) painting on oak wood by Jan Sanders van Hemessen (c.1500-c.1566). Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels. (Click image to enlarge.)

From the people’s arrival at the Promised Land to the prodigal son’s joyous return home, we hear that God is with us through transition and change. In our first reading, the Israelites have come to Canaan, the land of milk and honey, after 40 years wandering in the desert. They celebrate with bread made from the produce of the promised land. Later in Joshua we will discover that people already live on the land. It will have to be taken by bloody force, a darker side of Scripture’s ancestral legends. In this passage, though, we simply share in the joy of completing a long journey.

Psalm: Psalm 32

Hear the message of Psalm 32: We don’t always do the right thing. In our hearts we know this, even as we feel the pain of knowing that we have wronged another, or hurt a loved one. When we step away from God, who loves us and who always stands ready to forgive, our guilt piles up and we groan in sorrow. When we repent – when we stop being stubborn and turn back from our wrongful ways to trust in God – we feel the comfort and joy of knowing God’s forgiveness.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Paul was dealing with an angry, troubled congregation as he wrote his second known letter to the people of Corinth. They are mad at him, and he’s not happy with them, either. But he loves them still and seeks their forgiveness. God gave us Christ to reconcile the world to God, Paul writes. Our new direction as Christians, he tells them, comes when we recognize Jesus not only as human but as the Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah. In Christ everything old has passed away, he says. Everything has become new!

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

It seems easy to grasp the meaning of the parable of the Prodigal Son: 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 wait! There’s more: Look at the rest of the story. At the end of this passage, the older brother, hurt because his consistent good behavior won him no such praise, hears of his father’s loyal, long-standing love. And at the beginning of this parable, we hear why Jesus told this story: It was a response to a group of grumbling Pharisees and scribes, showing them that a sinner’s return deserves as much celebration as the recovery of a lost sheep or a silver coin.

Lent 3C

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 20, 2022 (Lent 3C)

First Reading: Exodus 3:1-15

Scripture offers us scores of images and metaphors to help us visualize a God who is beyond our imagining. It is no surprise that its efforts to portray some small sense of God’s power sometimes stretch our imagination.

The Gardener and the Fig Tree from Luke 13:1-9; stained-glass window in St. Mary’s Church of Ireland in Dungarvan, Waterford County, Ireland. (Click image to enlarge.)

One such image is fire. God led the Israelites in the wilderness as a pillar of fire and column of smoke, and, as we hear in Sunday’s first reading, God surprises Moses by speaking out of a bush that burns and burns but is not consumed. The people have suffered enough in slavery in Egypt, God says. Moses receives God’s call to lead the people out of slavery to a promised land that flows with milk and honey.

Psalm: Psalm 63:1-8

The Psalmist creates the striking metaphor of a voice crying out in the wilderness. The one who speaks – traditionally said to be David in the Wilderness of Judah – is alone and thirsty, yet nevertheless they trust in God. Even in a barren and dry and probably scary place where there is no water, their souls thirst not for mere liquid refreshment but for God: God’s loving-kindness is better than life itself. Even in hard times we trust in God, finding comfort under the shadow of God’s wings, held in God’s strong right hand.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

In verses that draw together the themes of Sunday’s First Reading, Psalm and Gospel, Paul reminds his audience that many of the Israelites died in the wilderness. He argues that these bad things happened because God was not pleased with them. Recalling lessons from Exodus, Paul urges the people of Corinth not to practice idolatry, an issue that frequently arose among this community’s formerly pagan Christians. Don’t put Christ to the test, Paul warns. Don’t complain. These things happened to our ancestors to serve as an example to us, Paul wrote, reminding the people to be faithful during hard times: God will provide strength.

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

Pilate had murdered a group of Galileans in grisly fashion, and more people had died unexpectedly when a tower fell. A crowd clustered around Jesus, worried. Why did these bad things happen to good people, they asked. Were these people punished because they had sinned? God does not punish sin with suffering, Jesus told them. But repentance – turning away from bad behavior – brings forgiveness and eternal life. Then Jesus told them a parable about a gardener who allowed a barren fig tree one more year of nurturing in hope it would bear fruit. Like the fig tree in this story, Jesus tells the crowd, it’s best to repent and wait for God’s forgiveness and another chance.

Lent 2C

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 13, 2022 (Lent 2C)

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

Sunday’s Lectionary readings celebrate our hope in God, even in times of darkness. Last Sunday’s first reading from Deuteronomy about God’s covenant with the chosen people was easy to understand:

View of Jerusalem (1487), bookplate by Konrad Grünenberg (c.1415-1494), author and artist from Konstanz, Germany. (Click image to enlarge.)

Give thanks to God with the first fruits of the harvest, not just what’s left over after the feast. Be good to our neighbors and to the poor. The covenant with Abram from Genesis is a little harder to engage with modern ways of thinking, with its talk about sacrificing livestock and poultry to please the Holy One. Looking past the temple traditions of the Bronze Age in the ancient Near East, though, we see what endures: God’s promise stays with us always, even when the darkness seems deep and terrifying.

Psalm: Psalm 27

As we chant this Psalm, try to hear its pattern of trust, hope and petition. First it simply declares our trust in God, our light and salvation, whose strength is so great that nothing can stand against it to make us afraid. But then it takes a darker turn as we hear an earthly king – King David, according to tradition – imagining frightening possibilities, from flesh-eating evildoers to camps full of enemy warriors. Yes, terrible things might threaten us, but the Psalm carries on, trusting God, calling on God to have mercy and keep us safe. 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.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1

The people of the church in Philippi in northern Greece had endured much in order to embrace the Christian way. Like the people in Psalm 27, they worried about earthly fears and persecution by their enemies. But Paul reassures them with pastoral advice that might recall 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.

Gospel: Luke 13:31-35

Since the end of the ninth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus and his followers have been on a long journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, teaching and healing and arguing with opponents along the way. Now as they draw closer to their destination, some friendly Pharisees warn Jesus that King Herod wants to kill him. Jesus won’t alter his chosen course, though, even if it will lead to death in Jerusalem (which he calls the “city that kills the prophets”). His journey may threaten his life, yet he speaks of his love for the city in a nurturing, motherly image of a hen and her chicks.