Fifth Sunday of Easter

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 11:1-18 Psalm 148 Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35

Today’s Reflection: “Everything old is new again.” My profession is one in particular that runs through cycles. Many of the trends that were popular when I began 22 years ago are coming back into the profession. Today’s scriptures present follow that theme as they explain the return to the original creation as directed by God. Each of the scriptures either describe the creation as it was intended or laws that were put in place/removed to help mankind in their relationship with God and one another. Peter’s experience with the revocation of the food laws, Jesus boiling all the law down to “love one another,” showed that it was not about the letter of the law, but about the intent. God never intended the law to be a barrier between people and himself or between people and each other. By the time of Jesus, that is exactly what happened, so God gave the Holy Spirit to all who believe. Instead of limiting the “chosen ones” to a genealogy, the believers in Christ became the chosen ones. Peter testified to the Spirit as the leader of the Church by explaining how the Spirit was present even with the Gentiles. The Spirit became the direct connection to God for people: God with the people. Peter’s experience with the sheet and voice ending the dietary restrictions symbolized the change to a Spirit led faith instead of a law driven one. Psalm 148 and Revelation describe the creation as God intended it – and as it will be: God’s design will be. Sin and mankind interrupted that plan, but as it is with God’s plan – his will be done. The central idea behind it all is the relationship between God and humankind. Through Christ and the Holy Spirit the relationship became direct again. By the Holy Spirit, we have a personal encounter with God. Recreating the creation to operate as it was intended brings to life the saying “everything old is new again!” What a joy that we can proclaim this good news!

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 9:36-43 Psalm 23 Revelation 7:9-17 John 10:22-30

Today’s Reflection: It is amazing how many times I sit through a lengthy policy meeting only to find that when I talk to colleagues about that meeting a few days later, they heard completely different things than I heard. We all enter into the meeting with our own lens and perspective – and find it validated or under fire immediately. Things have not changed from the days of Jesus and his interactions with the people: they heard what they wanted to hear. The passages today continue the themes of the past few weeks, salvation, resurrection, and God’s direction – whether it is what we want or not. I always refer to Psalm 23 as the “funeral Psalm” because it is recited at almost every service I attend. It is used for good reason as it provides a great deal of comfort in a time of so much grief. I like to keep it handy in times of stress. At times when I am tired. For those days when I am just frustrated. I just like it. In the John passage Jesus is confronted with a group of Jews who want a straight forward “yes” or “no” answer rather than listening to the depth of Jesus teaching: make it simple. As this was in the temple, the group was likely sent by the Pharisees in an attempt to trap Jesus into saying something they could call blasphemy. Rather than succumb to the quest for simple faith, Jesus challenged them to listen to his teachings and consider his acts. He uses the symbol of a shepherd who controls his herd in the hills and in the sty with verbal commands. He affirmed the promise of God for eternal connection. The Revelation passage tells of the completion of the promises found in John and Psalm 23. The saints are gathered together before God. All their cares are handled by the Lord, “the Lamb at the center of the throne….” Those who recognized Jesus as the savior and called on him (washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb) whether in good times or coming through persecution are gathered around the throne in such numbers that “no one could count.” The prophecy describes the fulfillment of the statement Jesus made in John that those who God called and gave to him could not be taken away. In Acts we see the transformed Peter – from firebrand to gentle pastor – as Jesus commanded in the passages last Sunday. Upon being called to a nearby city where one of the stalwarts of the church has passed away, he restores her to life and health. Based on evidence from the passage, she had been a powerful member of the church who had done much to care for others in the community: a Christian who lived by her beliefs. In caring for the church and being the new pastor that he became, he “shows her to be alive” which follows the language describing the resurrected Christ appearing to the disciples. As a Christian, it is easy to follow the direction God has for me when it is something I naturally agree with, but when challenged to do something or understand God in a way with which I am not comfortable makes it much harder for me to “do” his will. The Jews in his time, the disciples, and others all experienced what they wanted to experience: some got it right and some did not. We need to get it right by opening our eyes to see and our ears to hear the will of God for our lives.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

Third Sunday of Easter April 14

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 9:1-20 Psalm 30 Revelation 5:11-14 John 21:1-19

Today’s Reflection: Far too often in life, we find ourselves convinced that the long-range plans we have developed are flawless and beyond reproach - only to find our best laid plans collapsing around us as we observe, mouths agape, the carnage of our ideas. I cannot help but think of Robert Burn’s poem, “To a Mouse” with its line “the best laid schemes o’ mice and men.....” The more confidence we gain in ourselves, the more likely that confidence is to fail us. Today’s scriptures focus on two of the most powerful men in the Bible as they receive new directions from Jesus about the direction their life is to go. Acts 9 picks up the story of Saul, the sworn enemy of the Way and a Jew among Jews, as he heads from Jerusalem to Damascus with special directions for the purpose of persecuting anyone he finds who is following Jesus. His hatred of the Way was so deep he “breathed threats and murder.” I can only imagine that his companions struggled to keep up with him as the headed to Damascus at a brisk pace in order to get right into the hunt for those he could bind and return to Jerusalem for trial. In John 21 we see some of the disciples doing what they did before the arrival of Jesus - fishing. Jesus calls them to shore and they share a meal together. Peter, the strong, fiery, impulsive member of the Apostles finds himself challenged three times by Jesus (the same number of times he denied knowing Jesus) whether he loved him. Of course, being the fiery one, at the third time, he responded in his frustration. Saul’s march to Damascus was halted by a blinding light and the voice of Christ challenging his purpose. The ONE who fueled his passion suddenly called him to account for his actions and give him a new purpose in life. Instead of persecuting the fledgling church, he became the mouthpiece that took the church into places it would not have soon reached. Each time Peter answered that he did love Jesus, Jesus followed that assurance with a pastoral command. Peter’s personality was not best suited for that kind of pastoral care, yet Jesus explicitly directed him to “feed,” “tend,” “feed” - gentle, quiet care of the flock. Both Saul and Peter had different visions for themselves than were in the plans of Christ. As strong and powerful as they were, their lives were redirected by the transformative power of Christ. Whether motivated by hatred (fear) or passionate love God has in mind the ministry for each of us. We just have to watch, listen, and obey.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

Second Sunday of Easter - April 7

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 5:27-32 Psalm 118:14-29 Psalm 150 Revelation 1:4-8 John 20:19-31

Today’s Reflection: Following the weeks of Lent and then Holy Week, our lives have a way of returning to normal after Easter. After Easter services we collectively release a sigh of contentment, comment on how nice everyone looked in their Easter finery and how beautiful the Easter lilies were – oh, and the ham was especially good. Then Monday comes and we resume our pre-Lenten habits and routine. It is as easy to drop the spiritual disciplines we took up as it is to drop the latest diet (it can start right after this dessert). The apostles did not have that luxury as they were given a new command by Jesus when he first met with them in the upper room a week later. The disciples hiding behind locked doors fearing that they were the next targets of the Jews represented the powerlessness the believers must have felt during that time. In his ministry, Jesus talked about and demonstrated much power (as did the disciples when they were sent out in groups) through God. Yet, now that he had been crucified, did the power still exist? The removal of the leader did so much to shake the confidence of the believers. Faith may be strong, but when physical events demonstrate an (apparent) mastery over the message the faith proclaimed, it becomes increasingly harder to maintain the faith. In a flash it all changes. Despite the locked doors, Jesus is standing in their midst, showing them the wounds in his hands and on his side. THEN the disciples rejoiced. He blessed them and gave them the Holy Spirit with the command to go into the world preaching the Gospel. He gave them the authority of forgiving sins. This authority empowered the believers to defy the persecution and commands to stop preaching. The Acts passage has Peter and others called before the council which is reproaching them for their continued teaching. Between the resurrection of Christ and the time before the council, the apostles went from being powerless believers whose faith was shaken to the core to being the powerful believers who challenged the authorities who sought to persecute them. The strength that came to them from the Holy Spirit continues with us today. As Christians we have the authority to speak up for what is right and wrong and to resist persecution for the belief we have in Christ Jesus. We have to be careful about the Thomas story in the John passage. Before we stop to scapegoat Thomas for his lack of faith, we need to remember just a few verses before that Jesus appeared in the room and showed the disciples his wounds. They had all seen and THEN rejoiced.  When Jesus comments about not seeing and believing, he is talking about us, not singling Thomas out from the other disciples. We are blessed because we continue to believe though the wounded Christ has never been in our presence. We are equally blessed to continue to receive the Holy Spirit and work out the will of God in the world around us. As we move out of the Lenten and Easter times let us remember the gift and power that comes though the Holy Spirit and consider how quickly we want to give up the practices we grew during the last months.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

Easter - Resurrection of the Lord

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 10:34-43 Isaiah 65:17-25 Psalm 118 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 John 20:1-18 Luke 24:1-12

Today’s Reflection: He is risen. He is risen indeed! Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and the final victory over death. As important as this is for us, the scriptures today help us to see the full meaning of a resurrected Lord and the beauty that comes from a restored creation. On Easter Sunday we find it very easy to focus on the rising, but the day is truly about so much more: what comes after the resurrection is what matters! Isaiah first mentions the new order of things to come. The new heaven and new earth come with a new set of rules which sound much like the original rules of creation before sin interrupted natural order of the world: all of creation functioning in harmony with the rest of creation. Acts and Corinthians reaffirm those ideas and extend the salvation to all mankind. We sometimes forget that in the garden, God created mankind as a companion. It was only after sin separated mankind from God that some were separated from him. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ restored that connection between humanity and God. Overcoming death and sin restored the vision God had for his creation in its entirety. The resurrection means much more than Christ overcoming death. It brought us back together with God. It gives us the vision of what is to come. God’s plan is for the perfect balance of all creation. Easter moves us toward that more perfect world. Today we remember the resurrection and look forward to the promises it makes possible.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

Holy Saturday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Job 14:1-14 Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24 Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16 1 Peter 4:1-8 Matthew 27:57-66

Today’s Reflection: Every now and then I get caught up in a science fiction series. A well-crafted alternate world offers so many options that are normal for that universe but unimaginable in ours. Jesus’s teaching that he would rise from the dead on the third day did not pass the religious and political leaders unnoticed. While none of them likely believed in any type of resurrection life, they certainly did not want any of Jesus’s disciples to be able to claim it. They insisted that the crucified Jesus stay dead. The Jewish faith has not always endorsed a life in Heaven following death. The passage in Job hints at that belief. Dead is dead. Living a long-life to influence people in the community and descendants were the legacy that kept one alive after death. Between the time of Job and Jesus, while those ideas continued, the belief in an eternity entered the faith. The passage in 1 Peter reinforces the teaching of an ultimate judgment for all those living and dead. Through that judgment all will face the spiritual eternity. Following the crucifixion, the religious and political leaders wanted to limit the damage that could come from Jesus, dead and alive again. If he did return and people saw him it would remove all of their authority. Fearing this, they were happy to turn his body over to a wealthy man with a secure tomb in the hills. It was a sealed tomb, more to keep wild animals and grave robbers out than to keep the dead in, that well served the function of keeping Jesus dead and buried. Beyond putting the stone over the entrance, the guard of soldiers sealed the stone in place. It was the exclamation to their actions of the week, “and STAY dead!” I cannot help but wonder how much they actually believed Jesus’s teaching. They better than most knew the prophecies. They also had the most to lose in the fulfillment of those prophesies. They faced the same challenges we face today: we know what God wants, but it does not always work in our self-interest. At the end of Holy Week, after learning much more about who Christ is, we are compelled to consider which choice we would make.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

Holy Week - Holy Friday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12 Psalm 22 Hebrews 10:16-25 John 18:1 – 19:42

Today’s Reflection: A few months ago a friend of mine was mugged and assaulted as he walked through his neighborhood. When I arrived at the emergency room to be with him, I was shocked to see the swelling and bruises on his face. Despite this my discomfort at seeing his wounds, I recognized him and felt great sympathy for his situation. I never want to get beat and kicked the way he was; seeing his wounds proved quite enough for me. Today we remember the abuse and execution of Christ. Through the hours leading to his death, Jesus continues to teach lessons and demonstrate who he is. Through the interrogations and torture he resisted using the full power of his “Godness.” At a word he could have called down forces and an angelic response that would have made atomic explosions look modest. Jesus’s final lessons reinforced the condition that he was the ultimate sacrifice that bridges the gap between all humanity and God. He lived love in a way that very few ever do. While we remember this sacrificial love, we too are challenged to love so completely.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

Holy Week - Maundy Thursday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Exodus 12:1-14 Psalm 116 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-17, 31-35

Today’s Reflection: Recently a friend of mine announced the beginning of his “birthday week” on Facebook with “opportunities” for his friends to celebrate with him. For many people I know their birthday is the biggest celebration of the year: it is one day that is all about them (and the millions of other people born on that date). For me, Maunday Thursday is the best day of the year. We get to celebrate essential ministry of Christ as demonstrated by the exchanges in the upper room. There is no gift to give but service to those around us. The greatest lesson for me lies in realizing that sometimes I have to let others serve and minister to my needs. As is usual on Maundy Thursday, the passages include the Exodus history of the Passover meal which is what Christ celebrated with his apostles in the upper room. The Passover reminded the Jews of God’s loving care for them and his power over the enemies as he spared the lives of those protected by the blood of the lamb. The plagues of Egypt had been severe and annoying to that point, but nothing like the deaths of firstborn to strike at the heart of those who held the Israelites as slaves. The passage in Corinthians provides the directions most churches follow in offering Communion or the Last Supper In the John passage, Jesus takes the final moments with those closest to him to share final essentials to his ministry. In his actions and lessons, he demonstrates the servant leadership aspect of being Christ. All through the week we have seen different expectations of what it means to be Christ, but as Jesus washes the feet of the apostles and breaks the bread and shares the wine with them, Christ the servant leader emerges as the expectation for all Christians. While sometimes wet caught up in the theology of complex interpretations of what the words of Christ meant. Debates rage between faith and works advocates. In the upper room, Jesus condenses it all into the theology of the washrag. We are not greater than anyone around us (neither are we lesser) and serving one another demonstrates (works) the love we have through Christ (faith). We are often taught that leadership comes by dominating others. As believers, we know from Christ that meaningful leadership comes by serving and being an example. For Christ to spend his last night teaching and practicing such humility, I know that I too, must practice that same humility. It is how the world will know I am a Christian.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

Holy Week - Wednesday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Isaiah 50:4-9 Psalm 70 Hebrews 12:1-3 John 13:21-32

Today’s Reflection: If I were to ask believers about the things God does for them, protection from shame would probably not make the survey. The passages today make reference to worldly shame and dishonor God’s followers have faced since the beginning of time. God’s ways are not the ways of the world. Though the world subjects the faithful to punishment/persecution it considers shameful, the people who are truly faithful experience reward rather than shame. Such persecution continues, as often as not, from within the Church as believers challenge others who do not believe exactly the same way. Just as the perfection of our faith and the end of our ministry does not come until we reach Heaven, the rewards that overcome the persecution we face during life come as a part of eternity. In this life, we will continue to be tormented for our faith, but as Christ and the cloud of witnesses attest, we possess the strength to survive until that time.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

Holy Week - Tuesday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 71 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 John 12:20-36

Today’s Reflection: One of the common expectations for the Messiah in the time of Jesus was as a warrior who would rescue the nation from the occupying Romans. Isaiah, Psalm 71 and John all reflect this belief among the Jews across different periods. Jesus disappoints those who were gathered around him as he explained the Heavenly order for the events to come by using a wheat grain to illustrate his point. As a people oppressed, they sought someone who would bring relief in their lifetime. They did not want to wait for eternal rewards and they most certainly did not want a sacrifice. Nevertheless, Jesus continued under the direction of God and gave the people what they needed rather than what they wanted. The Corinthians passage argues that God’s order does not need a warrior to succeed. In fact, it would not have succeeded as a military action. During Lent, a similar Isaiah passage explained God’s knowledge over humanity’s knowledge. 1 Corinthians 1 brings that argument to salvation through Christ. The salvation through Christ changes people at the core of who they are, something that would not have happened if Jesus come with a military force. Military conquest does not change the heart. The permanence of spiritual salvation far exceeds the short term relief provided by military victory. With the weakness of human understanding, we can be thankful for a God who provides for our needs rather than our wants.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org