Skip to main content

Lectionary Notes for Third Sunday of Easter, Year A

Readings for Third Sunday of Easter, 5/4/14:
Acts 2:14a, 36-41, Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19, 1 Peter 1:17-23, Luke 24:13-35

Acts 2:14a, 36-41:
  • This, like last week's reading from Acts, continues as an account of the reaction of the crowds to Peter's speaking at the festival of Pentecost.
  • "God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified." This is interesting phrasing by Peter - does he believe that Jesus was not innately the Messiah, but only chosen to take on that identity? Hmm...
  • "cut to the heart" from the Greek, katenugĂȘsan tĂȘn kardian, literally means "to be sorely pricked" - as far as I can see, this is the only place this words occurs in the Bible, and occurs rarely in other classical Greek texts. 
Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19:
  • This text was just in our lectionary cycle for Maundy Thursday - hopefully it looks a little familiar to you! What makes it different to read this Psalm during Holy Week, and then during the days of Easter?
  • "I love the Lord, because he had heard my voice." I wish I knew Hebrew - I'm curious about the "because" word here. Do we love people "because" of something? Or does our love, even for God, go deeper and beyond a "because."
  • "I will pay my vows to the Lord" This phrase is repeated in this Psalm. It seems the Psalmist feels he must pay God back for hearing his voice, his supplications. Does God need to be paid back? Want to be paid back? I don't think God wants to feel "owed" as much as loved.
  • "loosed my bonds" - what has you bound up?
1 Peter 1:17-23:
  • "purified your souls by your obedience to the truth" - what does it mean to be obedient to truth? Does it mean to always tell the truth? To go out of your way to share truth? To act on the truth that you know?
  • "genuine mutual love" is literally philadelphian, in Greek, "brotherly love".
  • "love one another deeply from the heart" - the word 'deeply' is from the Greek ektene^s, literally, "intensely," "zealously," or "instantly." I prefer all of those translations to 'deeply'!
Luke 24:13-35:
  • "how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread" I like this phrase. There's so many accounts in the scriptures of Jesus sharing meals with people - isn't it appropriate that it is over a meal that these two recognize him after the resurrection? Methodists have a reputation for always having food at get-togethers - we love our potluck suppers! But it's not the food - it really is the community, the fellowship, being the body of Christ together.
  • "beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures." Ah, if only that conversation had been recorded into the scriptures, eh?
  • I always wonder, in texts like this, and in Mary's seeing Jesus at the resurrection, and the disciples seeing Jesus walking on water - how can they not recognize one around whom they have centered their lives? What keeps them from seeing and knowing Jesus for who he is? Arguably, Cleopas and his friend may not have been as close to Jesus as Mary and the twelve, but still... I guess that Jesus is always showing up for them in unexpected ways and places, and that's why they never realize who he is. A theological happening, no doubt!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sermon for First Sunday in Lent, Year B, "Jesus in the Wilderness," Mark 1:1-4, 9-15

Sermon 2/18/18 Mark 1:1-4, 9-15 Jesus in the Wilderness             You’ve heard me say before that the gospel of Mark is my favorite gospel. Part of the reason I love it is because of Mark’s brevity. I don’t love that he’s short on details, exactly. I love that he seems practically breathless in getting the good news of Jesus to us, and that he seems to believe that the news is so good it isn’t even going to take very many words to convince you of his message! His frantic style strikes me as showing both how important and how convincing he believes Jesus’s message to be.             But, then we arrive at a Sunday like today, and I find myself a little frustrated perhaps, or at least a little challenged by Mark. In the lectionary, the series of the first Sunday in the season of Lent always focuses on the temptation of Jesus – his time in the wilderness, where he confronts Satan, and commits to God’s path rather than the flashy alternative Satan presents. This is the fo

Sermon for the First Sunday in Advent, "Hope: A Thrill of Hope," Mark 1:1-8

Sermon 11/26/17 Mark 1:1-8 Hope: A Thrill of Hope             Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Is the glass of life half empty, or half full? My mom and I have gone back and forth about this a bit over the years. She’s wildly optimistic about most things, and sometimes I would say her optimism, her hopefulness borders on the irrational. If the weather forecast says there’s a 70% chance of a snowstorm coming, my mom will focus very seriously on that 30% chance that it is going to be a nice day after all. I, meanwhile, will begin adjusting my travel plans and making a backup plan for the day. My mom says I’m a pessimist, but I would argue that I’m simply a realist , trying to prepare for the thing that is most likely to happen, whether I like that thing or not. My mom, however, says she doesn’t want to be disappointed twice, both by thinking something bad is going to happen, and then by having the bad thing actually happen. She’d rather be hopeful, and enjoy her state of

Sermon for Second Sunday in Advent, "Peace: All Is Calm, All Is Bright," Isaiah 11:1-10, Mark 13:24-37

Sermon 12/3/17 Mark 13:24-37, Isaiah 11:1-10 Peace: All Is Calm, All Is Bright             “Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright. Round yon’ virgin mother and child. Holy infant, so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.”             This week, I read news stories about North Korea testing a missile that perhaps could reach across the whole of the United States.             This week, I spoke with a colleague in ministry who had, like all churches in our conference, received from our church insurance company information about how to respond in an active shooter situation. She was trying to figure out how to respond to anxious parishioners and yet not get caught up in spending all of their ministry time on creating safety plans.             This week, we’ve continued to hear stories from people who have experienced sexual assault and harassment, as the actions, sometimes over decades, of men in positions of power have been