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(The readings for All Saints Day may be moved to the following Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021.)

First Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9

We are an Easter people. All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.”

The Raising of Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus (1304-1306), fresco by Giotto di Bondone (c.1266-1337). Cappella degli Scrovegni nell’Arena, Padua, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

On All Saints Day, as when we bury our dead, we dress the altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return; yet we celebrate the communion of saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas all come together in the Lectionary readings for All Saints Day, beginning with Wisdom’s promise that peace, love and joy with God await God’s faithful people.

Alternate First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9

On All Saints Day we dress our altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. On this day we celebrate the communion of all the saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas are all knit together in today’s readings, beginning with the Prophet Isaiah’s vision of a banquet table that will welcome all the people of all the nations, a delicious feast of rich food and aged, clear wines for a people united at last in a kingdom where where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting. It is no coincidence that these verses are also often chosen for our burial liturgy.

Psalm: Psalm 24

The psalm designated for All Saints Day, like the first readings, celebrates the rewards for those who live as God would have us live. Originally it was an ancient liturgy, a responsive chant sung by priests and people as they approached the Temple for worship. The priest calls out, “Who can stand in his holy place?” The crowd roars back, “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts!” The priest responds, “Who is the king of glory?” “The Lord of hosts,” the crowd shouts back with joy.

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a

Our second reading is also frequently read at funerals, as one of the readings used in the liturgy for celebration of a life. Continuing the All Saints Day theme of a glorious life after death for those who love God, it describes a holy city coming down out of heaven, a new Jerusalem. This shining city stands in stark contrast to the dark and demonic earthly city of Rome, portrayed in Revelation as Babylon. We hear that death and pain will be no more in this heavenly city, for God will be with us every day, wiping the tears from our eyes.

Gospel: John 11:32-44

Lazarus has died, and Jesus weeps. Jesus knew his friend was dead, so he took his time getting to Bethany, which angered Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Maybe he could have done something, if only he had hurried. So often death in the family brings not only sadness but anger and rage. And then, whispering a quiet prayer to God, Jesus calls out and Lazarus answers. Jesus says “No” to the death of Lazarus, just as God will say “No” to death for Jesus and for us all on Easter Day. Death does not have the last word.

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 4, 2018

The Raising of Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus (1304-1306), fresco by Giotto di Bondone (c.1266-1337). Cappella degli Scrovegni nell’Arena, Padua, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9

We are an Easter people. All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. On All Saints Day, as when we bury our dead, we dress the altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return; yet we celebrate the communion of saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas all come together in Sunday’s readings, beginning with Wisdom’s promise that peace, love and joy with God await God’s faithful people.

First Reading (Alternate): Isaiah 25:6-9

On All Saints Day we dress our altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. On this day we celebrate the communion of all the saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas are all knit together in today’s readings, beginning with the Prophet Isaiah’s vision of a banquet table that will welcome all the people of all the nations, a delicious feast of rich food and aged, clear wines for a people united at last in a kingdom where where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting. It is no coincidence that these verses are also often chosen for our burial liturgy.

Psalm: Psalm 24

Today’s psalm, like both alternative first readings, celebrates the rewards for those who live as God would have us live. Originally it was an ancient liturgy, a responsive chant sung by priests and people as they approached the Temple for worship. The priest calls out, “Who can stand in his holy place?” The crowd roars back, “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts!” The priest responds, “Who is the king of glory?” “The Lord of hosts,” the crowd shouts back with joy.

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a

Our second reading is also frequently heard at funerals, as one of the readings used in the liturgy for celebration of a life. Continuing the All Saints Day theme of a glorious life after death for those who love God, it describes a holy city coming down out of heaven, a new Jerusalem that stands in stark contrast to the dark and demonic earthly city of Rome, portrayed in Revelation as Babylon. We hear that death and pain will be no more in the heavenly city, for God will be with us every day, wiping the tears from our eyes.

Gospel: John 11:32-44

Lazarus has died, and Jesus weeps. Jesus knew his friend was dead, so he took his time getting to Bethany, which angered Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Maybe he could have done something, if only he had hurried. So often death in the family brings not only sadness but anger and rage. And then, whispering a quiet prayer to God, Jesus calls out and Lazarus answers. Jesus says “No” to the death of Lazarus, just as God will say “No” to death for Jesus and for us all on Easter Day. Death does not have the last word.

What are “Track 1” and “Track 2”?
During the long green season after Pentecost, there are two tracks (or strands) each week for Old Testament readings. Within each track, there is a Psalm chosen to accompany the particular lesson.
The Revised Common Lectionary allows us to make use of either of these tracks, but once a track has been selected, it should be followed through to the end of the Pentecost season, rather than jumping back and forth between the two strands.
For more information from LectionaryPage.net, click here.

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons forNov. 1, 2015

The Raising of Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus, a medieval illumination (Folio 171r) in Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 1413-1489.

First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9

It is All Saints Day! We dress the altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return; yet we celebrate the communion of saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas are all knit together in today’s readings, beginning with the Prophet Isaiah’s vision of a delicious feast of rich food and aged, clear wines at a banquet table that will welcome all the people of all the nations, united at last in a kingdom where death and tears are no more.

First Reading (Alternate): Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9

It is All Saints Day! We dress the altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return; yet we celebrate the communion of saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. Today’s Preface and Collect remind us that God’s saints surround us with a great cloud of witnesses that gives us joy and inspires us in life and in the Body of Christ. These ideas are all knit together in today’s readings, beginning with Wisdom’s promise that peace, love and joy with God await God’s faithful people.

Psalm: Psalm 24

Bible scholars find hints of ancient liturgy in this Psalm, perhaps a hymn to be sung in procession toward the Temple, rhetorically asking how one earns the right to come in and worship. Hearing this Psalm with modern ears, perhaps we can take joy from the assurance that all who come “with clean hands and pure hearts” can count on the protection of God, the King of Glory.

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a

Do these verses seem familiar? We frequently hear them at funerals, as one of the readings used in the liturgy for celebration of a life. It is a worthy choice, with its phrases of hope for all God’s people in a new Jerusalem: a new heaven and new earth where God is with us, wiping away our tears, and banishing crying and pain in a place of joy, where death and mourning will be no more.

Gospel: John 11:32-44

We may have faith in the hope of an eternal life of joy and peace with God, but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel sorry when a friend or loved one dies. Even Jesus wept when he learned that his friend Lazarus had died. But then, in this touching story, Jesus prays, Jesus calls out, and Lazarus rises! Jesus says “No” to the death of Lazarus, just as God will say “No” to death for Jesus and for us all on Easter Day.

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012.

LazarusFirst Reading: The Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9
(If you can’t find this book of Wisdom, look in the Apocrypha, also known as the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books at the end of the Old Testament. They are not in every Bible.)
As we celebrate with the readings of All Saints Day today, Wisdom reminds us of God’s promise of eternal life. This ancient text warns that “the foolish” face only the darkness of death, while promising that those who keep God’s ways and live good lives will “abide with God in love” forever.

Psalm 24
Today’s psalm, too, celebrates the rewards for those who live as God would have us live. Originally it might have been a responsive chant sung by priests and people as they approached the Temple for worship. The priest calls, “And who shall stand in his holy place?” The crowd roars back, “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts!” “Who is the king of glory?” How would you respond?

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a
Continuing the All Saints Day theme of a glorious life after death for those who love God, Revelation describes a holy city coming down out of heaven, standing in stark contrast to what the writer, John of Patmos, saw as the dark and demonic earthly city of the time: Rome, portrayed as Babylon. Death and pain will be no more in the New Jerusalem, for God will be with us every day, wiping the tears from our eyes.

Gospel: John 11:32-44
Lazarus has died, and Jesus weeps. Jesus knew his friend was dead, so he took his time getting to Bethany, which angered Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Maybe he could have done something, if only he had hurried. So often death in the family brings not only sadness but anger and rage. And then, whispering a quiet prayer to God, Jesus calls out and Lazarus answers. Death does not have the last word, and for us this offers hope.