Lessons and Sermons
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Lessons for March 26, 2023 – Fifth Sunday in Lent
Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 Romans 8:6-11 ~ John 11:1-45 ~ Jesus is moved to sorrow when his friend Lazarus falls ill and dies. Then, in a dramatic scene, he calls his friend out of the tomb and restores him to life. 1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” 11After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” 28When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 19, 2023 – Fourth Sunday in Lent 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 ~ John 9:1-41 ~ Jesus heals a man born blind, provoking a hostile reaction that he regards as spiritual blindness to the things of God. 1As [Jesus] walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” 13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” 18The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. 35Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 12, 2023 – Third Sunday in Lent Exodus 17:1-7 Psalm 95 Romans 5:1-11 ~ John 4:5-42 ~ Jesus defies convention to engage a Samaritan woman in conversation. Her testimony, in turn, leads many others to faith. 5[Jesus] came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.6Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 13Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” 17The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” 19The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” 26Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” 27Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” 28Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29“Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” 30They left the city and were on their way to him. 31Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” 34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” 39Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41And many more believed because of his word. 42They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 5, 2023 – Second Sunday in Lent Genesis 12:1-4a Psalm 121 Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 ~ John 3:1-17 ~ A curious Pharisee visits Jesus by night to learn from the teacher his friends reject. Jesus speaks to him about life in the Spirit and the kingdom of God. 1Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 26, 2023 – First Sunday in Lent Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Psalm 32 Romans 5:12-19 ~ Matthew 4:1-11 ~ After being filled with the Holy Spirit at his baptism, Jesus is led in the wilderness. Through his responses to the temptations of the devil he defines what it means to be called “the Son of God.” 1Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ” 11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 19, 2023 – Transfiguration of Our Lord Exodus 24:12-18 Psalm 2 *Psalm 99 (alternate) 2 Peter 1:16-21 ~ Matthew 17:1-9 ~ Shortly before he enters Jerusalem, where he will be crucified, Jesus is revealed to Peter, James, and John in a mountaintop experience of divine glory called the transfiguration. 1Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 12, 2023 – 6th Sunday after Epiphany Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 119:1-8 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 ~ Matthew 5:21-37 ~ In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus exhorts his followers to embrace standards of righteousness that exceed legal requirements and traditional expectations. [Jesus said to the disciples:] 21“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. 27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. 31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 33“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 5, 2023 – 5th Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 58:1-9a [9b-12] Psalm 112:1-9 [10] 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 [13-16] ~ Matthew 5:13-20 ~ In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages his followers to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, doing good works and keeping God’s commandments. [Jesus said:] 13“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 29, 2023 – Fourth Sunday after Epiphany Micah 6:1-8 Psalm 15 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 ~ Matthew 5:1-12 ~ Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount by naming those who are blessed in the reign of God. 1When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 22nd, 2023 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 9:1-4 Psalm 27:1, 4-9 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-23 Jesus begins his public ministry shortly after John the Baptist is imprisoned by Herod. He proclaims the nearness of God’s reign and calls four fishermen to be his first disciples. 12Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- 16the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” 17From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. 23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 15th, 2023 Baptism of Our Lord Isaiah 42:1-9 Psalm 29 Acts 10:34-43 ~ Matthew 3:13-17 ~ Before Jesus begins his ministry, he is baptized by John, touched by the Spirit, and identified publicly as God’s child. 13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 1st, 2023 - Name of Jesus. Numbers 6:22-27 Psalm 8 Philippians 2:5-11 ~ Luke 2:15-21 ~ Eight days after his birth, Jesus is circumcised according to Jewish law and given the name announced by the angel before his conception. 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for Christmas Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 ~ Luke 2:1-14 [15-20] ~ God’s greatest gift comes as a baby in a manger. Angels announce the “good news of great joy” and proclaim God’s blessing of peace. 1In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” [15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for Sunday, December 18th, 2022 - 4th Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 Romans 1:1-7 ~Matthew 1:18-25 ~ Matthew’s story of Jesus’ birth focuses on the role of Joseph, who adopts the divinely-begotten child into the family of David and obediently gives him the name Jesus, which means “God saves.” 18Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”24When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for December 11, 2022 – 3rd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 35:1-10 Luke 1:46b-55 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 John the Baptist expects the Messiah to bring God’s judgment upon the earth (Matt. 3:11-12). From a prison cell, he wonders whether Jesus is the one who will do this. Jesus’ response indicates that God’s reign is indeed being fulfilled already through healing and restoration. 2When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” 7As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for December 4, 2022 – 2nd Sunday Advent Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 Romans 15:4-13 ~ Matthew 3:1-12 ~ Just before Jesus begins his public ministry, John the Baptist appears, calling people to mend their ways and speaking of a powerful one who is to come. 1In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ ” 4Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for November 27th, 2022 – First Sunday of Advent Isaiah 2:1-5 Psalm 122 Romans 13:11-14 ~ Matthew 24:36-44 ~ Jesus describes his second coming as a sudden, turbulent event that will bring about deep change to our normal, day-to-day lives. Therefore, he urges people to stay awake, be aware, and wait expectantly, because the Son of Man will come unannounced. [Jesus said to the disciples,] 36“About that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************* Lessons for November 20 2022 – Christ the King Sunday Jeremiah 23:1-6 Psalm 46 Colossians 1:11-20 Luke 23:33-43 Amid scoffing and slander from those who sarcastically call him Messiah and king, Jesus reveals that to be Messiah and king is to give one’s life for others. Here he uses his power to welcome a despised sinner to paradise but puts his own death into God’s hands. 33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34⟦Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”⟧ And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Lessons for November 13, 2022 - 23rd Sunday after Pentecost Malachi 4:1-2a Psalm 98 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 ~ Luke 21:5-19 ~ As history moves toward God’s fulfillment there will be frightening signs and events. Before the end, believers will draw strength from their relationship to God and will be given the words they need to testify and to endure without fear. 5When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, [Jesus] said, 6“As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” 7They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. 9“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. 12“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17You will be hated by all because of my name. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By your endurance you will gain your souls.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for November 6th, 2022 – All Saints’ Sunday Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Psalm 149 Ephesians 1:11-23 ~ Luke 6:20-31 ~ In echoes of the prophet Isaiah and Mary’s song of praise, Jesus reveals surprising things about who enjoys blessing and who endures woe. He invites his disciples to shower radical love, blessing, forgiveness, generosity, and trust even on enemies and outsiders. 20Then [Jesus] looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. 27“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 23rd – 20th Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22 Psalm 84:1-7 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 ~ Luke 18:9-14 ~ The coming reign of God will involve unexpected reversals of fortune with judgment rooted in mercy. Jesus tells a parable in which the one who humbles himself is exalted and the one who exalts his own righteousness is humbled. [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 16, 2022 - 19th Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 32:22-31 Psalm 121 2 Timothy 3:14--4:5 ~ Luke 18:1-8 ~ Jesus tells a parable of an unjust judge who is worn down by a widow’s pleas. Jesus is calling God’s people to cry out for justice and deliverance. For if an unethical judge will ultimately grant the plea of a persistent widow, how much more will God respond to those who call. Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 9th, 2002 ~ 18th Sunday after Pentecost 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c Psalm 111 2 Timothy 2:8-15 ~ Luke 17:11-19 ~ Jesus’ mission includes making people clean again. Unexpectedly, a Samaritan healed of leprosy becomes a model for those who would praise and worship God and give thanks for God’s mercy. On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 2nd, 2022 - 17th Sunday after Pentecost Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 Psalm 37:1-9 2 Timothy 1:1-14 ~ Luke 17:5-10 ~ On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus instructs his followers about the power of faith and the duties of discipleship. He calls his disciples to adopt the attitude of servants whose actions are responses to their identity rather than works seeking reward. The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 25, 2022 - 16th Sunday after Pentecost Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Psalm 146 1 Timothy 6:6-19 ~ Luke 16:19-31 ~ Jesus tells a parable in which the poor one is “lifted up” and the rich one is “sent away empty.” Jesus makes it clear that this ethic of merciful reversal is not new but is as old as Moses and the prophets. [Jesus said:] 19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house--28for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 18th, 2022 15th Sunday after Pentecost Amos 8:4-7 Psalm 113 1 Timothy 2:1-7 ~ Luke 16:1-13 ~ Jesus tells the curious story of a dishonest manager who cheats his employer and then is commended by him for having acted so shrewdly. Jesus wonders why his own followers are less creative and diligent in their stewardship given that they are managers of a far more valuable household. 1Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ 5So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ 7Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ 8And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. 10“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 11th, 2022 - 14th Sunday after Pentecost Exodus 32:7-14 Psalm 51:1-10 1 Timothy 1:12-17 ~ Luke 15:1-10 ~ Jesus tells two stories that suggest a curious connection between the lost being found and sinners repenting. God takes the initiative to find sinners, each of whom is so precious to God that their recovery brings joy in heaven. 1Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to [Jesus.] 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3So he told them this parable: 4“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 8“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 4th, 2022 - 13th Sunday after Pentecost Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 1 Philemon 1-21 ~ Luke 14:25-33 ~ Jesus speaks frankly about the costs of discipleship. Those who follow him should know from the outset that completing the course of discipleship will finally mean renouncing all other allegiances. 25Now large crowds were traveling with [Jesus;] and he turned and said to them, 26“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 28, 2022 - 12th Sunday after Pentecost Proverbs 25:6-7 Psalm 112 Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 ~ Luke 14:1, 7-14 ~ Jesus observes guests jockeying for position at the table. He uses the opportunity to teach his hearers to choose humility rather than self-exaltation. Jesus also makes an appeal for hosts to imitate God’s gracious hospitality to those in need. 1On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. 7When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 8“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 12He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 21, 2022 11th Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 58:9b-14 Psalm 103:1-8 Hebrews 12:18-29 ~ Luke 13:10-17 ~ Jesus heals a woman on the sabbath, offering her a new beginning for her life. When challenged by a narrow reading of the sabbath command, Jesus responds by expanding “sabbath work” to include setting people free from bondage. Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 14, 2022 10th Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 23:23-29 Psalm 82 Hebrews 11:29--12:2 ~ Luke 12:49-56 ~ Jesus delivers harsh words about the purifying and potentially divisive effects of obedience to God’s call. The way of the cross often leads followers to encounter hostility and rejection, even from those they love. [Jesus said:] “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 7, 2022 9th Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 15:1-6 Psalm 33:12-22 Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 ~ Luke 12:32-40 ~ Jesus encourages disciples to invest their hearts and live fully into God’s reign. Instead of facing life with fear, those who know God’s generosity are always ready to receive from God and to give to others. [Jesus said:] 32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 35“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 24th, 2022 7th Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 18:20-32 Psalm 138 Colossians 2:6-15 [16-19] ~ Gospel: Luke 11:1-13 ~ In teaching his disciples this prayer, Jesus also reminds them to focus on God’s coming reign, God’s mercy, and the strengthening of the community. Jesus encourages his disciples to childlike trust and persistence in prayer. 1[Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”2He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” 5And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. 9“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 17th, 2022 7th Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 18:1-10a Psalm 15 Colossians 1:15-28 ~ Luke 10:38-42 ~ During his visit to the home of Mary and Martha, Jesus reminds Martha that her concern for her many tasks distracts from the one thing that precedes all else: abiding in the presence of God. Now as [Jesus and his disciples] went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 10th, 2022 5th Sunday after Pentecost Deuteronomy 30:9-14 Psalm 25:1-10 Colossians 1:1-14 ~ Luke 10:25-37 ~ Jesus is challenged to explain what is involved in obeying the greatest commandment. He tells a parable rich in surprises: those expected to show pity display hard hearts while the lowly give and receive unexpected and lavish mercy. Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 3rd, 2022 4th Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 66:10-14 Psalm 66:1-9 Galatians 6:[1-6] 7-16 ~ Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 ~ Jesus commissions harvesters and laborers to go where he would go and do what he would do. Risking hardship and danger in exchange for the experience of great joy, they offer peace and healing as signs that the reign of God is near. After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ ” “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 26, 2022 3rd Sunday after Pentecost 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 Psalm 16 Galatians 5:1, 13-25 ~Luke 9:51-62~ Jesus is unwavering in his commitment to his mission in Jerusalem and will not be swayed by pettiness. In a series of striking cases in point, he calls his disciples to a similar single-mindedness. When the days drew near for [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 19th, 2022 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 65:1-9 Psalm 22:19-28 Galatians 3:23-29 ~ Luke 8:26-39 ~ Jesus’ mission includes foreigners and his authority extends to the casting out of demons. Some who witness Jesus’ work are seized with confusion and fear, but the man who was healed is commissioned to give testimony to God’s mercy and power. 26Then [Jesus and his disciples] arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”—29for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 30Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. 31They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. 32Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 35Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 12, 2022 Holy Trinity Sunday Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 Psalm 8 Romans 5:1-5 ~John 16:12-15~ Jesus’ ongoing presence with the disciples will be made known through the coming Spirit who will guide them and communicate to them Jesus’ will and glory. [Jesus said,] 12“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 5th, 2022 Day of Pentecost Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Romans 8:14-17 John 14:8-17 [25-27] Though the disciples struggle with Jesus’ nature and identity, they receive the promise that they too will be identified with God and God’s mission. Though he must leave them now, Jesus promises the coming of the Advocate whom God will send to comfort and enlighten them. 8Philip said to [Jesus,] “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. 15“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. [25“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 29, 2022 7th Sunday of Easter Acts 16:16-34 Psalm 97 Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 ~ John 17:20-26 ~ Jesus prays that the life of his followers will be characterized by an intimate unity of identity with God. To be so identified with God means also to share in God’s mission: to proclaim the word that will bring others into this same unity. [Jesus prayed:] 20“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 22nd, 2022 Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 16:9-15 Psalm 67 Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5 John 14:23-29 As Jesus talks of returning to the Father, he promises to send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will teach Jesus’ followers and remind them of all that Jesus taught. Even more, those in whom God makes a home will experience a peace that overcomes fear. 23Jesus answered [Judas (not Iscariot),] “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. 25“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 15, 2022 Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 11:1-18 Psalm 148 Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35 After washing the disciples’ feet, predicting his betrayal, and then revealing his betrayer, Jesus speaks of his glorification on the cross. This deep complicated love of Jesus, even to death on the cross, will be the distinctive mark of Jesus’ community. 31When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 8th, 2022 4th Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday Acts 9:36-43 Psalm 23 Revelation 7:9-17 ~ John 10:22-30 ~ Jesus responds to questions about his identity with the remarkable claim that he and the Father are one. Those who understand this are his sheep; they hear his voice, follow, and will never be snatched from his hand. 22At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30The Father and I are one.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 1st, 2022 3rd Sunday of Easter Acts 9:1-6 [7-20] Psalm 30 Revelation 5:11-14 ~ John 21:1-19 ~ The risen Christ appears again to his disciples by the sea where they were first called. After echoes of the fishing and feeding miracles, he gives a final reminder of the cost of a disciple’s love and obedience. 1After [he appeared to his followers in Jerusalem,] Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. 9When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 24, 2022 Second Sunday of Easter Acts 5:27-32 Psalm 150 Revelation 1:4-8 ~ John 20:19-31 ~ The unprecedented events of the day of resurrection continue as the risen Jesus appears to his fearful disciples. A week later, after Thomas worships Jesus, Jesus pronounces that the blessings of the resurrection are also for those who “have not seen and yet believe.” When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lesson for April 17, 2022 Resurrection of Our Lord/Easter Sunday Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 Luke 24:1-12 Evidently expecting to find Jesus’ corpse, some of the women among his followers go to the tomb with embalming spices. After a perplexing encounter with the empty tomb and angelic visitors, the women become the first to proclaim the amazing news of resurrection. 1On the first day of the week, at early dawn, [the women] came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 14, 2022 ~ Maundy Thursday Exodus 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14 Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ~ John 13:1-17, 31b-35 ~ The story of the last supper in John’s gospel recalls a remarkable event not mentioned elsewhere: Jesus performs the duty of a slave, washing the feet of his disciples and urging them to do the same for one other. 1Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” 11For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” 31b“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 10, 2022 Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday Processional Gospel ~ Luke 19:28-40 Entrance into the final days 28After he had said this, [Jesus] went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” 39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” Readings and Psalm Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 31:9-16 Philippians 2:5-11 ~ Luke 22:14--23:56 ~ Through the teachings and events of the passion story we see and hear the great contradictions that characterize the coming of God’s reign. The leader serves the followers, proud Peter is revealed in his cowardice, and Jesus—the innocent bringer of life—is arrested, beaten, executed, and buried. 14When the hour came, [Jesus] took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. 22For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!” 23Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this. 24A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28“You are those who have stood by me in my trials; 29and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31“Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, 32but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33And he said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!” 34Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.” 35He said to them, “When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “No, not a thing.” 36He said to them, “But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. 37For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was counted among the lawless’; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.” 38They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” He replied, “It is enough.” 39He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. 40When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” 41Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 42“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” 43⟦Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. 44In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.⟧ 45When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, 46and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” 47While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; 48but Jesus said to him, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?” 49When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” 50Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? 53When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!” 54Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. 55When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” 57But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59Then about an hour later still another kept insisting, “Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.” 60But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. 61The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62And he went out and wept bitterly. 63Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him; 64they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65They kept heaping many other insults on him. 66When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. 67They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” He replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe; 68and if I question you, you will not answer. 69But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70All of them asked, “Are you, then, the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say that I am.” 71Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!” 23: 1 Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. 2They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.” 3Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.” 4Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this man.” 5But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.” 6When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. 9He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. 12That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies. 13Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, 14and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16I will therefore have him flogged and release him.” 18Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” 19(This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) 20Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; 21but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” 22A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” 23But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. 24So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. 25He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished. 26As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. 28But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” 32Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34⟦Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”⟧ And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” 44It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. 47When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” 48And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. 49But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. 50Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, 51had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. 52This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. 54It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. 55The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 3, 2022 5th Sunday in Lent Isaiah 43:16-21 Psalm 126 Philippians 3:4b-14 ~ John 12:1-8 ~ Judas willfully misinterprets as waste Mary’s extravagant act of anointing Jesus’ feet with costly perfume. Jesus recognizes that her lavish gift is both an expression of love and an anticipation of his burial. Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 27, 2022 4th Sunday in Lent Joshua 5:9-12 Psalm 32 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 ~ Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 ~ Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to [Jesus.] And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ’ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 20th, 2022 3rd Sunday in Lent Isaiah 55:1-9 Psalm 63:1-8 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 ~ Luke 13:1-9 ~ At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.[Jesus] asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 13, 2022 2nd Sunday in Lent Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 Psalm 27 Philippians 3:17--4:1 ~ Luke 13:31-35 ~ At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to [Jesus,] “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 6th, 2022 First Sunday in Lent Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 Romans 10:8b-13 ~ Luke 4:1-13 ~ Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 27, 2022 Transfiguration of Our Lord/Last Sunday after Epiphany Exodus 34:29-35 Psalm 99 2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2 ~ Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a] ~ 28Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. [ 37On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43aAnd all were astounded at the greatness of God.] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 20, 2022 7th Sunday after Epiphany Genesis 45:3-11, 15 Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50 ~ Luke 6:27-38 ~ [Jesus said:] “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 13, 2022 6th Sunday after Epiphany Jeremiah 17:5-10 Psalm 1 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 ~ Luke 6:17-26 ~ 17[Jesus] came down with [the twelve] and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.18They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. 20Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 6, 2022 5th Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 6:1-8 [9-13] Psalm 138 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 ~ Luke 5:1-11 ~ Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 30, 2022 4th Sunday after Epiphany Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 ~ Luke 4:21-30 ~ Then [Jesus] began to say to [all in the synagogue in Nazareth,] “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ ” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 23, 2022 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21 14Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 16, 2022 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 36:5-10 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. *********************************************************************************************** Lessons for January 9, 2022 Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3:1-12 ~ Matthew 2:1-12 ~ In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 2, 2022 II Christmas Jeremiah 31:7-14 Psalm 147:12-20 Ephesians 1:3-14 ~ John 1:1-18 ~ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ” From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for December 26, 2021 1st Sunday of Christmas 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Psalm 148 Colossians 3:12-17 ~ Luke 2:41-52 ~ 41Now every year [Jesus’] parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” 49He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50But they did not understand what he said to them. 51Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for Christmas Eve Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 ~ Luke 2:1-20 ~ 1In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for December 19, 2021 Fourth Sunday of Advent Micah 5:2-5a Canticle 15 (or 3) or Psalm 80:1-7 Hebrews 10:5-10 ~ Luke 1:39-45, (46-55) ~ In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." [And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for December 12, 2021 Third Sunday in Advent Zephaniah 3:14-20 Canticle 9 Philippians 4:4-7 ~ Luke 3:7-18 ~ John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for December 5, 2021 Second Sunday in Advent Baruch 5:1-9 or Malachi 3:1-4 Canticle 4 or 16 Philippians 1:3-11 ~ Luke 3:1-6 ~ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for November 28, 2021 First Sunday of Advent Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25:1-9 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 ~ Luke 21:25-36 ~ Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for November 14, 2021 25th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 28 Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16 Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25 ~ Mark 13:1-8 ~ As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for November 7, 2021 All Saints’ Sunday Isaiah 25:6-9 Psalm 24 Revelation 21:1-6a ~ John 11:32-44 ~ When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 31, 2021 Reformation Sunday 23rd Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 26 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 46 Romans 3:19-28 ~ John 8:31-36 ~ 31Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” 34Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 24, 2021 22nd Sunday after Pentecost / Proper 25 Jeremiah 31:7-9 Psalm 126 Hebrews 7:23-28 ~ Mark 10:46-52 ~ Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 17, 2021 21st Sunday after Pentecost / Proper 24 Isaiah 53:4-12 Psalm 91:9-16 Hebrews 5:1-10 ~ Mark 10:35-45 ~ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 10th, 2021 20th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 23 Amos 5:6-7,10-15 Psalm 90:12-17 Hebrews 4:12-16 ~ Mark 10:17-31 ~ As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 3, 2021 Feast of St. Francis of Assisi Job 39:1–18 Psalm 121 ~ Matthew 11:25–30 ~ Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 26, 2021 18th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 21 Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29 Psalm 19:7-14 James 5:13-20 ~ Mark 9:38-50 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 19, 2021 17th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 20 Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22 Psalm 54 James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a ~ Mark 9:30-37 ~ Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 12, 2021 16th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 19 Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 116:1-8 James 3:1-12 ~ Mark 8:27-38 ~ Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 5, 2021 15th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 18 Isaiah 35:4-7a Psalm 146 James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17 ~ Mark 7:24-37 ~ Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 22nd, 2021 13th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 16 Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18 Psalm 34:15-22 Ephesians 6:10-20 ~ John 6:56-69 ~ Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.” Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 15, 2021 12th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 15 Proverbs 9:1-6 Psalm 34:9-14 Ephesians 5:15-20 ~ John 6:51-58 ~ Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 8, 2021 11th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 14 1 Kings 19:4-8 Psalm 34:1-8 Ephesians 4:25-5:2 ~ John 6:35, 41-51 ~ Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 1, 2021 10th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 13 Exodus 16:2-4,9-15 Psalm 78:23-29 Ephesians 4:1-16 ~ John 6:24-35 ~ The next day, when the people who remained after the feeding of the five thousand saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 25th, 2021 9th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 12 2 Kings 4:42-44 Psalm 145:10-19 Ephesians 3:14-21 ~ John 6:1-21 ~ Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 18, 2021 8th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 11 Jeremiah 23:1-6 Psalm 23 Ephesians 2:11-22 ~ Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 ~ The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 11, 2021 7th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 10 Amos 7:7-15 Psalm 85:8-13 Ephesians 1:3-14 ~ Mark 6:14-29 ~ King Herod heard of Jesus and his disciples, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 4, 2021 6th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 9 Ezekiel 2:1-5 Psalm 123 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 ~ Mark 6:1-13 ~ Jesus came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 27, 2021 5th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 8 Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15; 2:23-24 Psalm 30 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 ~ Mark 5:21-43 ~ When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 20th, 2021 4th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 7 Job 38:1-11 Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 ~ Mark 4:35-41 ~ When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 13, 2021 3rd Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 6 Ezekiel 17:22-24 Psalm 92:1-4,11-14 2 Corinthians 5:6-10,[11-13],14-17 ~ Mark 4:26-34 ~ Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.” He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 6, 2021 2nd Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 5 Genesis 3:8-15 Psalm 130 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 ~ Mark 3:20-35 ~ The crowd came together again, so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 30, 2021 Holy Trinity Sunday Isaiah 6:1-8 Psalm 29 Romans 8:12-17 ~ John 3:1-17 ~ There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 23, 2021 Day of Pentecost Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 Romans 8:22-27 ~ John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 ~ Jesus said to his disciples, ”When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 16, 2021 7th Sunday of Easter Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 Psalm 1 1 John 5:9-13 ~ John 17:6-19 ~ Jesus prayed for his disciples, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 9th, 2021 6th Sunday of Easter Acts 10:44-48 Psalm 98 1 John 5:1-6 ~ John 15:9-17 ~ Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 2, 2021 5th Sunday of Easter Acts 8:26-40 Psalm 22:24-30 1 John 4:7-21 ~ John 15:1-8 ~ Jesus said to his disciples, ”I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 25, 2021 Fourth Sunday of Easter/ Good Shepherd Sunday Acts 4:5-12 Psalm 23 1 John 3:16-24 ~ John 10:11-18 ~ Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 18, 2021 Third Sunday of Easter Acts 3:12-19 Psalm 4 1 John 3:1-7 ~ Luke 24:36b-48 ~ Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 11, 2021 Second Sunday of Easter Acts 4:32-35 Psalm 133 ~ John 20:19-31~ When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 4, 2021 Resurrection of Our Lord/Easter Sunday Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Mark 16:1-8 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 2, 2021 Good Friday Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Psalm 22 Hebrews 10:16-25 + John 18:1-19:42 + Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus replied, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go." This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, "I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me." Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?" So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said." When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" Jesus answered, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, "You are not also one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" They answered, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law." The Jews replied, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death." (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." Pilate asked him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" They shouted in reply, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a bandit. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God." Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor." When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, "Here is your King!" They cried out, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it." This was to fulfill what the scripture says, "They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots." And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, "None of his bones shall be broken." And again another passage of scripture says, "They will look on the one whom they have pierced." After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for Maundy Thursday April 1, 2021 Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 Psalm 116:1, 10-17 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ~ John 13:1-17, 31b-35 ~ Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you." For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, "Not all of you are clean." After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord--and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, `Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 28th, 2021 Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Philippians 2:5-11 **( Gospel *See also: Mark 14:1-15:47 or Mark 15:1-39, [40-47] ) ~ Mark 11:1-11 ~ When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 21, 2021 5th Sunday of Lent Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 51:1-13 Hebrews 5:5-10 ~ John 12:20-33 ~ Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 14, 2021 4th Sunday of Lent Numbers 21:4-9 Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 Ephesians 2:1-10 ~ John 3:14-21 ~ Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for March 7, 2021 3rd Sunday of Lent Exodus 20:1-17 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 ~ John 2:13-22 ~ The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 28, 2021 2nd Sunday in Lent Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Psalm 22:22-30 Romans 4:13-25 ~ Mark 8:31-38 ~ Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 21, 2021 First Sunday in Lent Genesis 9:8-17 Psalm 25:1-9 1 Peter 3:18-22 ~ Mark 1:9-15 ~ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for Sunday February 14, 2021 Transfiguration of Our Lord 2 Kings 2:1-12 Psalm 50:1-6 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 ~ Mark 9:2-9 ~ Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for February 7, 2021 5th Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 40:21-31 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Psalm 147:1-12, 21c ~ Mark 1:29-39 ~ After Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 31, 2021 4th Sunday after Epiphany Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalm 111 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 ~ Mark 1:21-28 ~ Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 24, 2021 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany Jonah 3:1-5, 10 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. Psalm 62:6-14 6 For God alone my soul in silence waits; * truly, my hope is in him. 7 He alone is my rock and my salvation, * my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken. 8 In God is my safety and my honor; * God is my strong rock and my refuge. 9 Put your trust in him always, O people, * pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge. 10 Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath, * even those of low estate cannot be trusted. 11 On the scales they are lighter than a breath, * all of them together. 12 Put no trust in extortion; in robbery take no empty pride; * though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it. 13 God has spoken once, twice have I heard it, * that power belongs to God. 14 Steadfast love is yours, O Lord, * for you repay everyone according to his deeds. 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. ~ Mark 1:14-20 ~ After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 17th, 2021 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany 1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20) Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 ~ John 1:43-51 ~ Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 10, 2021 Baptism of Our Lord Genesis 1:1-5 Psalm 29 Acts 19:1-7 ~ Mark 1:4-11 ~ 4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for January 3, 2021 The Epiphany of Our Lord Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3:1-12 ~ Matthew 2:1-12 ~ 1In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. ********************************************************************************************************************************** Lessons for December 27, 2020 I Christmas Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 Psalm 147 or 147:13-21 ~ John 1:1-18 ~ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known. ********************************************************************************************************************************** Lessons for Christmas Eve 2020 Isaiah 9:2-7 Titus 2:11-14 Psalm 96 ~ Luke 2:1-14(15-20) ~ In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" [When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for December 20, 2020 4th Sunday of Advent 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 Canticle 15 Romans 16:25-27 ~ Luke 1:26-38 ~ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for December 13, 2020 3rd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 Psalm 126 ~ John 1:6-8,19-28 ~ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for December 6th, 2020 Second Sunday of Advent Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 2 Peter 3:8-15a ~ Mark 1:1-8 ~ The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for November 29, 2020 First Sunday of Advent Isaiah 64:1-9 Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 ~ Mark 13:24-37 ~ Jesus said, “In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for November 22, 2020 Christ the King Sunday / Last Sunday after Pentecost Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 Psalm 95:1-7a Ephesians 1:15-23 ~ Matthew 25:31-46 ~ Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for November 15th, 2020 24th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 28 Zephaniah 1:7,12-18 Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 ~ Matthew 25:14-30 ~ Jesus said, “It is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for November 8, 2020 23rd Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 27 Amos 5:18-24 Psalm 70 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ~ Matthew 25:1-13 ~ Jesus said, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for November 1, 2020 All Saints’ Sunday Revelation 7:9-17 Psalm 34:1-10, 22 1 John 3:1-3 ~ Matthew 5:1-12 ~ When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 25th, 2020 Reformation Sunday Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 46 Romans 3:19-28 ~ John 8:31-36 ~ 31 Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 18, 2020 20th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 24 Isaiah 45:1-7 Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13) 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 ~ Matthew 22:15-22 ~ The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 11th, 2020 19th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 23 Isaiah 25:1-9 Psalm 23 Philippians 4:1-9 ~ Matthew 22:1-14 ~ Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for October 4, 2020 18th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 22 Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80:7-14 Philippians 3:4b-14 ~ Matthew 21:33-46 ~ Jesus said, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 27, 2020 17th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 21 Ezekiel 18:1-4,25-32 Psalm 25:1-8 OR Psalm 84 Philippians 2:1-13 ~ Matthew 21:23-32 ~ When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him. Psalm 84 1 How dear to me is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! * My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. 2 The sparrow has found her a house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; * by the side of your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. 3 Happy are they who dwell in your house! * they will always be praising you. 4 Happy are the people whose strength is in you! * whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way. 5 Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, * for the early rains have covered it with pools of water. 6 They will climb from height to height, * and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion. 7 LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; * hearken, O God of Jacob. 8 Behold our defender, O God; * and look upon the face of your Anointed. 9 For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, * and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked. 10 For the LORD God is both sun and shield; * he will give grace and glory; 11 No good thing will the LORD withhold * from those who walk with integrity. 12 O LORD of hosts, * happy are they who put their trust in you! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 20, 2020 16th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 20 Jonah 3:10-4:11 Psalm 145:1-8 Philippians 1:21-30 ~ Matthew 20:1-16 ~ Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 13, 2020 15th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 19 Genesis 50:15-21 Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13 Romans 14:1-12 ~ Matthew 18:21-35 ~ Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for September 6, 2020 14th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 18 Ezekiel 33:7-11 Psalm 119:33-40 Romans 13:8-14 ~ Matthew 18:15-20 ~ Jesus said, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 30, 2020 13th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 17 Jeremiah 15:15-21 Psalm 26:1-8 Romans 12:9-21 ~ Matthew 16:21-28 ~ Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 23rd, 2020 12th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 16 Isaiah 51:1-6 Psalm 138 Romans 12:1-8 ~ Matthew 16:13-20 ~ When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 16, 2020 11th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 15 Isaiah 56:1,6-8 Psalm 67 Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 ~ Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28 ~ [Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”] Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 9th, 2020 10th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 14 1 Kings 19:9-18 Psalm 85:8-13 Romans 10:5-15 ~ Matthew 14:22-33 ~ Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for August 2, 2020 9th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 13 Isaiah 55:1-5 Psalm 145: 8-9, 15-22 Romans 9:1-5 ~ Matthew 14:13-21 ~ Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 26, 2020 8th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 12 1 Kings 3:5-12 Psalm 119:129-136 Romans 8:26-39 ~ Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 ~ Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 19, 2020 7th Sunday of Pentecost; Proper 11 Isaiah 44:6-8 Psalm 86:11-17 Romans 8:12-25 ~ Matthew 13:24-30,36-43 ~ Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 12, 2020 6th Sunday of Pentecost; Proper 10 Isaiah 55:10-13 Psalm 65: (1-8), 9-14 Romans 8:1-11 ~ Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 ~ Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for July 5, 2020 5 Pent; Prop 9 Zechariah 9:9-12 Psalm 145:8-15 Romans 7:15-25a ~ Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 ~ Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 28, 2020 4th Sunday of Pentecost; Proper 8 Jeremiah 28:5-9 Psalm 89:1-4,15-18 Romans 6:12-23 ~ Matthew 10:40-42 ~ Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 21, 2020 3rd Sunday of Pentecost; Proper 7 Jeremiah 20:7-13 Psalm 69: 8-11, (12-17), 18-20 Romans 6:1b-11 ~ Matthew 10:24-39 ~ Jesus said to the twelve disciples, “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 14, 2020 2nd Sunday of Pentecost/Proper 6 Exodus 19:2-8a Psalm 100 Romans 5:1-8 ~ Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23) ~ Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. [Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for June 7th, 2020 Holy Trinity Sunday Genesis 1:1-2:4a Psalm 8 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 ~ Matthew 28:16-20 ~ The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 31, 2020 Day of Pentecost Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 ~ John 20:19-23 ~ When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 24th, 2020 7th Sunday of Easter Acts 1:6-14 Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 ~ John 17:1-11 ~ Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. ”I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 17, 2020 6th Sunday of Easter Psalm 66:7-18 Acts 17:22-31 1 Peter 3:13-22 ~ John 14:15-21 ~ Jesus said, ”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. ”I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 10, 2020 5th Sunday of Easter- Mother's Day Acts 7:55-60 Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 1 Peter 2:2-10 ~ John 14:1-14 ~ Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for May 3, 2020 4th Sunday of Easter- Good Shepherd Sunday Acts 2:42-47 Psalm 23 1 Peter 2:19-25 ~ John 10:1-10 ~ Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 26, 2020 Third Sunday of Easter Acts 2:14a,36-41 Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17 1 Peter 1:17-23 ~ Luke 24:13-35 ~ Now on that same day two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 19, 2020 Second Sunday of Easter Acts 2:14a,22-32 Psalm 16 1 Peter 1:3-9 ~ John 20:19-31 ~ When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ He is Risen! He is Risen! He IS Risen, INDEED!! ALLELUIA!! Lessons for April 12, 2020 The Resurrection of Our Lord/Easter Sunday Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 Colossians 3:1-4 ~ John 20:1-18 ~ Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 10, 2020 Good Friday Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Psalm 22 Gospel John 18:1 - 19:42 The holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you, Lord Christ. 1[Jesus] went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.2Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. 11Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” 12So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish authorities that it was better to have one person die for the people. 15Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. 19Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” 24Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. 28Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32(This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) 33Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. 39But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 40They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit. 19:1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” 7The crowd answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” 8Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” 13When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; 17and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20Many of the people read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” 22Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 25And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 28After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jewish authorities did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” 37And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.” 38After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the authorities, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Christ. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 9, 2020 Maundy Thursday Exodus 12:1–14 Psalm 116 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 23For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God. GOSPEL: John 13:1–17, 31b–35 The Holy Gospel according to John. Glory to you, O Lord. Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." 9Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" 10Jesus said to him, "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you." 11For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, "Not all of you are clean.” 12After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord — and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 31b"Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lessons for April 9, 2020 Maundy Thursday Exodus 12:1–14 Psalm 116 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 23For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God. GOSPEL: John 13:1–17, 31b–35 The Holy Gospel according to John. Glory to you, O Lord. Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." 9Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" 10Jesus said to him, "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you." 11For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, "Not all of you are clean.” 12After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord — and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 31b"Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lessons for April 5, 2020 Palm Sunday Philippians 2:5-11 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; * his mercy endures for ever. 2 Let Israel now proclaim, * "His mercy endures for ever." 19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; * I will enter them; I will offer thanks to the Lord. 20 "This is the gate of the Lord; * he who is righteous may enter." 21 I will give thanks to you, for you answered me * and have become my salvation. 22 The same stone which the builders rejected * has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord's doing, * and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 On this day the Lord has acted; * we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! * Lord, send us now success. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; * we bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 God is the Lord; he has shined upon us; * form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar. 28 "You are my God, and I will thank you; * you are my God, and I will exalt you." 29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; * his mercy endures for ever. ~ Matthew 21:1-11 ~ When Jesus and his disciples had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, `The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately." This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 29, 2020 - Fifth Sunday in Lent Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 Romans 8:6-11 ~ John 11:1-45 ~ Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. =================================================================================================================== March 22nd, 2020 Fourth Sunday in Lent/Mothering Sunday 10:00am LiveStream from Union/St.Luke’s Union Episcopal's “FaceBook Page” https://facebook.com/unionepiscopalchurch Psalm 23 (Read Responsively by Whole Verse) 1 The Lord is my shepherd; * I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures * and leads me beside still waters. 3 He revives my soul * and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake. 4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; * for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; * you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over. 6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, * and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Canticle 20: Gloria in Excelsis Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Epistle/Second Lesson: Ephesians 5:8-14 Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Canticle 15 The Song of Mary Magnificat Luke 1:46-55 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; * for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: * the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him * in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, * he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, * and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, * and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, * for he has remembered his promise of mercy, The promise he made to our fathers, * to Abraham and his children for ever. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: * as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Gospel John 9:1-41 The holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you, O Lord. As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” The Gospel of Our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lessons for March 15, 2020 Third Sunday in Lent The Collect Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament/First Lesson Exodus 17:1-7 From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested theLord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Psalm 95 1 Come, let us sing to the Lord; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is a great God, * and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands have molded the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! 8 Harden not your hearts, as your forebears did in the wilderness, * at Meribah, and on that day at Massah, when they tempted me. 9 They put me to the test, * though they had seen my works. 10 Forty years long I detested that generation and said, * "This people are wayward in their hearts; they do not know my ways." 11 So I swore in my wrath, * "They shall not enter into my rest." The Epistle/Second Lesson Romans 5:1-11 Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person-- though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. The Gospel John 4:5-42 Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lessons for March 8, 2020 Second Sunday in Lent Genesis 12:1-4a Psalm 121 Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 ~ John 3:1-17 ~ There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lessons for March 1, 2020 1st Sunday in Lent Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Psalm 32 Romans 5:12-19 ~ Matthew 4:1-11 ~ Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lessons for February 26, 2020 Ash Wednesday Isaiah 58:1-12 Psalm 103:8-14 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 ~ Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 ~ Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lessons for February 23, 2020 Transfiguration of Our Lord/Last Sunday after Epiphany Exodus 24:12-18 Psalm 2 2 Peter 1:16-21 ~ Matthew 17:1-9 ~ Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lessons for February 16, 2020 6th Sunday after Epiphany Deuteronomy 30:15-20 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Psalm 119:1-8 ~ Matthew 5:21-37 ~ Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lessons for February 9, 2020 5th Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 58:1-9a, [9b-12] Psalm 112:1-9, (10) 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, [13-16] ~ Matthew 5:13-20~ Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Lessons for January 26, 2020 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany Isaiah 9:1-4 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Psalm 27:1, 5-13 ~ Matthew 4:12-23 ~ When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo on her last Sunday as our Interim Priest/Pastor, December 17, 2017 III Advent Trinity Episcopal/Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH Who are you they ask of John, Who are you? John clearly knows who he is, he is not the Messiah, he is not Elijah, he is not a prophet. John is the voice of one crying in the wilderness. I have been with you for 2 years and 10 months. Sometimes I have felt a bit like a voice crying in the wilderness. Knowing who you are is critical for the life and success of this church. Knowing who you are and who you are not is critical for a healthy congregation. I have been your interim and I think I have been very clear about that. We have done some hard work together and now you are ready to start on a new chapter. My parting words to you as a faith community is to remember who you are. Remember first and foremost you are a community of faith gathering each week to worship God, to hear the call of scripture and to support each other on your journey. You are not a family, you are a community of faith. Family is a dangerous word for communities of faith. There are only a few ways into a family; birth, adoption and marriage. And only two ways out; divorce and death. You as a community of faith want to be more open, you want to welcome people in without them having to make a big commitment. You want to focus on the purpose of your faith, serving God and the community, learning how to be a better Christian and stretching each other, encouraging each other to be stronger in faith and belief. As a community of faith, you have a unique role in this community, to serve others, to bring the light of Christ out into the world. You do this with your backpack ministry, you do this in offering free suppers. Serving others is not about raising money for yourselves or this building, serving others is about giving with no expectation of a return. In the purest sense it is giving a gift in love not wanting, needing or expecting anything in return. Many of you do this when you give of your time, talent and treasure to the work of this community. Giving is often hard because it is selfless act of love, some of us are better at it than others. The point here is to know who you are and who you are not. You will not fix everything in Claremont and you should not try to. You need to know where God calls you as a community of faith and be clear about your mission, individually and corporately. You cannot do it all. Just as John would not say he was all those things that people hoped he was, you too, need to know where you are called. As a community, you cannot do it all and as individuals you are not responsible for it all. One of your challenges as a community is to trust each other to do, to let people do what they say they will do. This includes your clergy. I have gotten lots of advice on how to do my job, as have other people here. It is not helpful; it speaks to a lack of trust. If someone says they will do something, let them. If they don’t get it done then ask how you can help them. Failure is a learning opportunity, it is better to let something fail then to always be checking up on someone. John was clear about his role, he was clear about his responsibilities and he knew when and how to step back. Stepping back can be really hard, stepping back means that you trust someone else to step forward, trust God to lead the way. John stepped back, it must have been hard to trust God, to trust that Jesus would pick up where he left off. You have to remember Jesus was new, untested but John still stepped back. It’s hard to trust someone else to pick up where you left off. I firmly believe that my work here is done. That Richard will pick up where I left off. Richard will do things differently and that is good. Because I know you want to know, I am not sure what I will do next but I do trust that God will call me to something new, maybe something unexpected, maybe just like all of you. I will continue to pray for all of you and for this community of Claremont. I ask for your prayers as I start my next adventure. I will not be in contact with you, not because I don’t want to but because I don’t want to interfere with the work Richard will do. It has been my privilege to walk with you on this part of the journey and you will always be a part of my ministry. I want to especially thank the Lutherans, you have clearly been a bright spot in my ministry here and have stretched me to embrace new liturgies, I will miss that. I also want to thank the choir particularly Ginny and Karen. I have loved watching you two choose the music from both traditions keeping a balance, yet willing to be flexible. It is my belief that the choir will grow this church, you all do a remarkable job! Thank You! I want to thank the vestry. I have really seen a growth in your leadership this past year. This vestry will continue as is for another year. The vestry felt and the Bishop agreed it is best not to change leadership in the midst of this transition. I end with our reading from 1 Thessalonians: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. Amen. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo Christ the King Sunday - November 26, 2017 Trinity/Prince of Peace, Claremont, NH
Some of you know I am a Scuba Diver. I really like finding small things when I dive. One of my favorites is the lettuce leaf sea slug. Lettuce leaf sea slugs are tiny creatures in the underwater world, they are about 2 inches long and about a half an inch wide. They blend in amazing well with their environment and can be hard to spot. Lettuce slugs look like a little lettuce garden; their top is covered in ruffles or lettuce leaves. I am entranced by them. I am entranced that something so small can exist in a very harsh environment and when they move they look like a miniature moving garden. Most people would never notice them. They are hard to spot and may seem insignificant to most. In some places, they come in 3 different colors; a bright blue, a bright white and a light green. At first I didn’t find any even though people told me they were there. I knew I liked them so I was determined to find them. So, I started to look for Lettuce slugs. The underwater world is much like the above water world, there are lots of things to see which is complicated by the fact that you are looking through the water to see them. Another complication is that the environment is constantly shifting as the water surges in and out. In some ways, it is a miracle to see anything at all under the sea. My quest for lettuce slugs was well rewarded. What appeared to be lettuce slug free zones were teaming with them. On each successive dive, I would see more and more lettuce slugs. The blue ones were the easiest for me to find and then the white, the green were harder to spot. Hence, I became the expert of the lettuce slug, showing everyone in my group the tiny little creatures. People were amazed how I could spot them everywhere. It seemed to me that once I found them they seemed to pop out everywhere. The more I saw the better I was at finding them. Now, I saw other things too but lettuce slugs are still one of my favorites. It was fascinating to me how easy it was for me to spot them and how difficult it was for others to see them even when I was pointing them out. They never would have seen them on their own. It strikes me that life is a lot like finding lettuce slugs; it is just as easy to walk right by and not notice the people and things right under our noses. I think we do a particularly good job of walking right by the people who need us, the poor in our midst, the helpless, the hurting, people who are different from us. We have our blinders on and walk right by. Jesus in this morning’s gospel calls us to pay attention. Pay attention to those who need our help, those who need our care. When we pay attention to those who are hungry, who are thirsty, who are sick, those who are different from us, we pay attention to Jesus. When we pay attention to the stranger in our midst and welcome them we also welcome Jesus. To do this we need to be alert, be awake, live in the moment. We will never see what God calls us to if we are zooming by and not living in the present moment. We also need guides to see the needs of the world. We need people who are good at seeing a need and let them show us that need so that we too, can help. We also need to be guides showing Jesus to others. We often forget that not everyone knows Jesus, knows God like we do. It is our job to invite them to come and see. See what God is doing here. See where God is calling this community. We are the guides, guides that can show others another way to live and love. Next week we begin the season of Advent. Advent is a time to see with new eyes the gifts and blessings God has given us. These may be hard to see, given the glitz and glamour our culture focuses on for the holidays, but we need to see, we need to see clearly the surprises God has planned for us, the true gifts that are hidden under all that silver and gold. Take time this Advent to open your eyes and see the gifts that God is giving you. Pay attention because when you look closely, Gods gifts can be found around every turn. I pray that each of us will see those very things that are right before us, that our eyes will be opened and that our hearts will rejoice as God leads us into a season of preparing for the greatest gift of all. Find some time this Advent to see with new eyes God’s blessings and God’s calling to each of us. Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo November 19, 2017 –24th Sunday after Pentecost Trinity Episcopal/Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH
Fear is a powerful emotion. For most of us when we are fearful we are frozen in inaction, we are afraid to move. I find fear to be paralyzing. I can’t act because I am afraid I will get it wrong. I am stuck in a state of paralysis. When I am unafraid I can act with enthusiasm, I can take out my gifts and let them shine but if I am afraid I just want to hide. Has this ever happened to you? I think Jesus is telling us today not to live our lives in fear. This is easier said than done. The Gospel story is about our ability to act boldly and confidently for the Gospel. Fear is pervasive in our culture. Do this, take that or this or that will happen. Vote for so and so or we will all self destruct. We have lost our ability to trust each other, to trust ourselves. So we need to get better at trusting God. We don’t want to be like the poor steward who was so afraid that he buried all that he could be, for fear of losing it, for fear of failure. Trusting in God takes a risk, takes a leap. We don’t always know how things will work out or how things will be. Trusting in God means we don’t have all the answers, or the final destination, but we trust that if we start walking the spirit will get us there. This happens in communities too. We are packing bags for kids to take home. How will this work out, will we have enough resources, enough help? Sometimes you just have to start doing and figure it out as you go. We as the people of God need to set the example for our community, the example of generosity and faith. The example that God’s love is big enough for all. We as a people hate to look foolish, hate to be shamed. Yet stepping out as a disciple of Jesus involves risk. Stepping out means you might be rejected, might lose face. Stepping out for God involves risk. When we step out we may experience failure, rejection or loss but these things help us to grow into stronger disciples for Jesus. Failure, rejection or loss help us to stretch ourselves and learn new ways of being God’s hands in the world. Prince of Peace did this when they sold their building and moved in with Trinity. Trinity, you have experienced this in the change of leadership. You all will experience this as I leave and Richard comes. Yet it is through this loss that you will see new ways to be God’s agents in the world, new ways to be God’s community in this place. Stepping out in faith involves risk, using your gifts to bring about God’s kingdom is scary. Yet it is only when we take that step, when we set aside our fear that we will see the multiplication of our efforts, the transformation of our souls. Today’s gospel talks about living your life without fear. When we are fearful we bury our treasures underground where no one can see them or take them. When we are fearless our lives open in new and unexpected directions. We live with our gifts in full view, we live with a sense of abundance and we live with gratitude and generosity. That is how I want to live, to live fully, to live into who God calls me to be, without fears. I want to live grateful for all that I have been given, I want to live sharing those gifts with others. I want to remember each and every day the great abundance of blessings that God has given us. I want to live without fear, defying the constraints of our culture. Free to fully be the person God has called me to be. This is a work in progress, this is “counter cultural” work. But I know that in doing this, I will discover new joys, to live my life without fear, trusting in the One who loves me and you more than we can imagine. How about you? Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo on October 29th, 2017 Reformation Sunday ~ Trinity/Prince of Peace, Claremont, NH Reformation definition: 1. the action or process of reforming an institution or practice. 2. a 16th-century movement for the reform of abuses in the Roman Catholic Church ending in the establishment of the Reformed and Protestant Churches. Reformation Sunday, commemorates Martin Luther nailing of his 95 theses to the door of the church, and the beginning of the reformation in Europe. Luther, “Committed to the idea that salvation could be reached through faith and by divine grace only,” Luther vigorously objected to the corrupt practice of selling indulgences common in the Catholic Church. Acting on this belief, he wrote the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” also known as “The 95 Theses,” a list of questions and propositions for debate. Popular legend has it that on October 31, 1517 Luther defiantly nailed a copy of his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church. The reality was probably not so dramatic; Luther more likely hung the document on the door of the church matter-of-factly to announce the ensuing academic discussion around it that he was organizing. The 95 Theses, which would later become the foundation of the Protestant Reformation, were written in a remarkably humble and academic tone, questioning rather than accusing. The overall thrust of the document was nonetheless quite provocative. The first two of the theses contained Luther’s central idea, that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation. The other 93 theses, a number of them directly criticizing the practice of indulgences, supported these first two. In addition to his criticisms of indulgences, Luther also reflected popular sentiment about the “St. Peter’s scandal” in the 95 Theses: “Why does not the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?” Luther, refusing to recant, was eventually excommunicated from the Catholic Church. As Luther was doing this in Germany, the reformation was also occurring in England around the same time. Although the straws that broke the camel’s back were different in each place, the reformation was against the power and wealth that was held by the Catholic Church. So here we are 500 years later, an Episcopal congregation and a Lutheran one, joining together; I think Luther and the other reformers would be proud. Their frustration was not with each other but with the corruption in the Catholic Church. The question I want to ask is what needs reforming today? What in our system is broken and corrupt? We no longer have a pope to lead us but a similar question could be asked of the billionaires that run our country, of the very wealthy who do not look out for those in need. We need reformation, we need to look at ourselves the institutional church and see how we like Luther can stand up for what is right, stand up for those who are unable to stand up for themselves. Luther fought for the poor, the indulgences were a hardship for them. The rich had the money for them, Luther fought for those without a voice against the powerful. Our Gospel this morning talks about how truth brings you freedom and it made me ponder our state motto “Live Free or die”. Freedom is an essential part of our democracy. Freedom is based on truth and trust. How do we live into our truth as Luther did at the time of the Reformation? Luther stood up to the injustices of power, Luther named the truth. How do we follow his example? How do we see clearly that which is put before us in our lives? What is the truth of your life? What do you want to do differently? Jesus calls us to look at the truth in our lives in our world and through that truth we will know the true freedom that only God can give. How can you live your life differently trusting in God and the freedom that comes with that. Jesus calls us this morning to open our eyes, just like Martin Luther and see things for how they really are. Find the truth and hold it so that your life may be reflective of your faith, knowing that God alone can save us and give us the freedom we most desire. Today is a call to action; 500 years and there is still so much work to be done; 500 years; how does the church have to adapt to meet the NEXT 500 years, how do we need to take part in this new reformation? Luther started it now it is up to us to continue in his footsteps. Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo Trinity Episcopal/Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH July 23, 2017 - 7th Sunday after Pentecost
Words have meaning. Every word we use has the potential to build someone up or tear them down. Words matter, what we say really does matter. Just look at our President and how his tweets are interpreted, words matter. The problem these days is we often just have the words to go on. So much of our communication is words in black and white. We can temper them a bit by emoji’s or smiley faces or short abbreviations that mean we are joking, but often words take on a life of their own, often different than the original intent. This happens most often in emails, texts or tweets but it also happens in face to face. Someone says something meaning X and we hear it thinking they mean Y. How does this happen? It happens because we bring our own bias to every conversation that we participate in. It’s often amazing to me and maybe you too, the different ways that our words or actions can be interpreted or better misinterpreted. These misinterpretations are less likely to occur face to face because we get so much information by looking at someone and listening to the tone of their voice. We get so much when we understand the context of their experience and the context in which the words are spoken. But sadly, we often don’t take the time or effort to truly understand one another. I see this most often in relationships. One partner says something that the other perceives as hurtful and maybe the words were hurtful but the other partner did not mean it in that way. I see it in communities, where things are said and misinterpreted and many suffer for it. I think the problem is that we are always in a hurry. We don’t pause to ask the other “what did you mean by that” or “can you explain it further.” We are quicker to rush to judgement rather than spending the time to sort out exactly what was meant to be said. Words are tricky like that, they often have a life of their own. On the other side, some people often say offensive things and communities write it off as, “that’s just so and so, they are always like that”. Instead of really listening to so and so and find out what exactly they are trying to say, then telling them clearly what attitude or behaviors will be tolerated in our community. We do this with children all the time, we tell them what we will accept and what we will not accept and what is appropriate behavior. Right, but we fail to help the adults in our midst to see that words do in fact matter. Our Gospel story this morning is about judgement, evil and transformation. Judgement in that we often decide who is a ‘wheat’ and who is a ‘weed’. We make judgements about people lumping them in the bad pile without truly knowing what was their intention or who they are deep down. After all, we all have our weedy moments. All of us are made of wheat and weed. We cast judgement often believing the worst about people, the worst about ourselves. I think what Jesus is telling us this morning is to stop and take a deep breath. Not everything has to be decided in an instant. Not everything has to be done right now. Think how your life might be different if instead of reacting you paused and took a deep breath. I mean a deep breath all the way down into your diaphragm. A deep breath does two things it reduces our stress and it gives us a moment to think, to pause. You see if you are breathing in you are not talking. If you take a deep breath you are less likely to pull out the wheat with the weeds. Our lives, our culture has become very reactive. We have lost the art of breathing. When we know how to breathe we allow a space for God to work, a space for transformation. That is our story this morning, let us see how the spirit can work, changing the weeds to wheat, changing us deep in our hearts. Take a breath, a really deep breath and let the love of God hold and strengthen you. Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo May 14th, 2017 - 5th Sunday of Easter/ Mother’s Day Trinity Episcopal/Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me”. I have moved many times in my life, big moves, moves across the country. I have lived on the West Coast, the South, the East Coast and New England. Moving always comes with its own sets of challenges. Big moves are more disorienting than moves across town or within a geographic area. I have moved across the country on 4 different occasions. There is something exciting about moving but it is hard. It’s hard to say good-bye to the friends you have made or even the places you like to visit. Moving involves an enormous amount of energy and a fair bit of stress. The hardest part often was saying good-bye to friends, yet I also knew that I would carry a piece of them with me for the rest of my life. My good friend Mary and Judy from my time in San Francisco, my church friends and Gail from Georgia, Susan and Paulette from Washington, D.C., Linda and Judy from Tacoma. These people were significant to me at certain periods of my life and they always will be. For me my friendships with them will always be tied to a particular place and period of my life. I bring this history up because I think we forget that Jesus too had personal relationships with the people in his life. This morning as Jesus knows he is about to leave them, he tries to give them/us some perspective, some hope. Relationships are the foundation of our faith. Our relationship with Jesus, Jesus’ relationship with us. How we negotiate our lives living into and out of our relationship with God. Our relationships with each other, how we strengthen each other in faith, how we work together as a community living into God’s calling to us. Like all things, we sometimes get off track and need a course correction. Systems are slow to change, slow to correct but it is essential for us to do that if we want to survive. Just like in your own lives, when things are off kilter sometimes strong measures are needed to right the ship. Setting a new course like moving can be disorienting at first, it can be scary and you may not have faith in the new direction working out. Like moving to a new place the fastest way to acclimate is to dive in, accept the changes and work to find your footing. Some of us do this easier than others. The disciples are faced with a course correction this week. Jesus tries to prepare them that although they will no longer see them He will be with them. Jesus has shown them the way to be, the way to act; Jesus has shown them God. They should not fear they should not be troubled. These are strong and powerful words “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me”. Jesus is telling them it will be okay, God is with them, God is with us. Never in my life have these words had more context in our culture. So many are troubled today by politics, by drugs, by racism, by immigration status; so many are fearful of what tomorrow holds. Jesus says: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” How can we hear that and apply it to our lives? How can we hear that and know that it is true? It’s really hard to give up our illusion of control, it’s hard to let go of all our worries and trust in God. This has been most clear to me with my children. I am a Mother and Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who are mothers, we as mothers and fathers worry about our children. Maybe we worry less as they get older, maybe it depends on the child. Some children need more worrying about than others but it also depends on us. How are we willing to believe in God and Jesus? How are we willing to trust our children to be who God created them to be without our constant interference? God walks with us on this journey of life, Jesus is by our side. We need to believe in that and trust that God will provide, more likely in ways we had not thought of, in ways we could not imagine. Belief is about trust, trust that we will find our footing, that God is with us, no matter where we go or how our life may change. This is what Jesus was telling the disciples, this is what Jesus is telling us. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo May 7th, 2017 - 4th Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday Trinity Episcopal/Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH
In my family growing up I was the navigator. I was the one who would read the map and tell my Father where to go. My Mother and sister were not interested in this job. I was good at it. I got my bearings and sense of place by looking at a map and visually seeing how the world was laid out. This skill has served me well over many moves and different locations. When arriving in a new place one of the first things I would do is get a map and discover how the area is laid out and what I needed to know to get from one place to another. Maps have been critical for me to really learn a new place and understand how it is laid out. Without studying a map, I often feel confused and lost in a new place. Maps are harder and harder to come by these days. You see our phones and GPS systems have become our maps and they will direct us to get anywhere we want to go. This was very hard for me to accept in the beginning, because it was hard to trust that a device would take me where I needed to go. I still have what I would call a healthy sense of mistrust for these devices and I have had them lead me astray from time to time, but they are getting better and better. With their improvements, I find I trust them more and more. Yet I don’t trust them blindly, in other words I am unlikely to drive myself into a lake just because they say so, but others have not been as discerning! We have all heard the stories of people following their GPS blindly into very challenging and sometimes life threatening situations. Even though I am more comfortable using my GPS I still like to check a map to really know a place. I say this every time I visit my daughter in California, her area is set on a grid system around a curvy coast line, there are a few key roads but I have a hard time placing them in context. I am learning them slowing by looking at the map on my phone, not as good as the old paper maps but it is working. I still would like a paper map but as I said they are not so easy to find these days! I feel like maps are becoming a product of a bygone era, I have read that many children these days don’t know how to read them, that our reliance on technology has just about made them obsolete. I remember fondly our many trips across this country relying on our Triple A trip tix and a map for every state! So, you may be wondering what this has to do with our readings. Today is Good Shepherd Sunday and I think we have lost our way, not just us individually but our society and culture as a whole. Jesus is our shepherd and our map. As a shepherd leads the sheep, Jesus leads us. I think one of our problems is that we have lost the map. We have crowded that map out with all sorts of other distractions. It used to be you could come to church to get your directions for the week; less and less of us find that helpful. It used to be you could use the bible stories to make sense of your life but they are less and less known. We need to find new ways to share the map we have found in Jesus. It’s up to us. We are the holders of the map and the ones to share how helpful it has been in our lives. Faith and belief in God and Jesus are timeless, they have survived throughout the centuries but how that gets transmitted has changed throughout the centuries. In the beginning people gathered in small communities, house churches, in some places they did this in fear, hiding their community and faith. Maybe that’s where we are today, hiding, fearful to share our beliefs with a larger culture who doesn’t understand or believe. Over the years, the church gained more power and prestige, but not without challenges and misdirection. Just look at the power given to popes and clergy, just look at the crusades, killing innocent people who believed differently than us. We have always had a problem with people who thought differently or acted differently than us. Look at the witch trials held in our neighboring state. People burned at the stake in the name of Jesus. Then we have the worship of these big beautiful buildings, maybe 100 years from now that will be our crime, we couldn’t sacrifice our buildings for the sake of Jesus. Please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t have the answers, nor am I truly sure what is wrong, but I do know that something is wrong. I do know that individually and collectively we have lost our way and that our old maps are not working. I know we want the old paper maps and they have value but we need to figure out how God is calling us out in new ways. How we are to respond in new ways to the Gospel, new ways to follow our Shepherd. Throughout the centuries, the church has reinvented itself to follow God’s calling, we are living in that time, a time of reinvention. We cannot continue doing things as they have always been done, it’s not working and it is unlikely to work in our world. Jesus is still our Shepherd, that has never changed but we the sheep need to listen carefully for how our Savior is calling us through the gate, how we need to respond in a new way, how God calls us to share our stories and our faith, how God calls us to minister to each other and those we don’t yet know. How is the Shepherd calling you? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo April 30th, 2017 - 3rd Sunday of Easter Trinity Episcopal/Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH
Sometimes I like to go incognito. I find it very interesting to hide my vocation; sometimes I like to be a regular person and not an Episcopal Priest. Now I know I can never truly hide my vocation, and most conversations get around to what do you do? When I tell people, depending where I am, they are shocked, impressed or afraid. Shocked because they don’t expect clergy to be regular people, impressed because they may be religious themselves and have a great respect for clergy or afraid, and I get this most often, gee I hope I haven’t said anything offensive; that talking with a clergy person requires a certain decorum, that they may not always use. I always find this interesting, since I, maybe even more than you, have heard every human predicament that you can imagine. I have even heard bad language and on rare occasion have used it myself. Some of my best conversations have been with people who have no idea who I am, maybe because they can hear me not as a religious expert but as a regular person. This is the gift of the gospel story this morning. Jesus appears to his disciples as a regular person and they engage in a meaningful conversation. He opens the scriptures for them in new and exciting ways. Jesus was content to just carry on his way, but his new friends insist that he stay. They invite him into their lives. Here is where the miraculous happens, and they see Jesus for who he truly is. How do we invite Jesus into our lives? Do we miss opportunities to invite Jesus into our hearts? Of course, we do, how can we not, but what is most important is that we see Jesus for who he really is. Today’s story is about the importance of sharing our faith, sharing our faith to say this faith that I have has made my life better. This faith that I have has made the bad times bearable and the good times more joyous. Our faith is not meant to be a secret, it should shine out from our very being. The story this morning also offers us hope that in our darkest hour Jesus walks with us, that when we least expect it the Son of God will break into our life and give us renewed hope, renewed strength and courage. It also gives us an example of how we might be the presence of God for someone else; that we don’t need to be ordained, and maybe it’s better if we’re not, to share our faith to help someone else to see things in a new light. God calls us to walk the journey to Emmaus repeatedly, to hear the stories of our salvation and to find new understandings and insights. I am so grateful for those that shared their faith with me, for without them I would not be standing here today. Who are you called to share your faith with? Who do you need to meet on your journey? Jesus calls each of us maybe in disguise but each of us are called, it is up to us to invite Jesus in. So, pay attention, you never know who you might be talking to, and how they might enrich your journey or how you might enrich theirs. We have a received a powerful gift that is revealed in the breaking of the bread, and just as the breaking of the bread opened the disciple’s eyes, Jesus comes to you each and every Sunday morning in the breaking of the bread. Don’t miss it. God is alive and well in our midst. It is up to us to invite God in and it is up to us to be God’s presence in this world. It is time for us to stop going incognito through our lives. We are Christians and it is time for us to come out of hiding, to share the love and faith that has been given to us and that we share in the breaking of the bread. Life with God is better than life without God and each of us has a story to share. Go and tell! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Janet Lombardo 1st Sunday in Lent, March 5, 2017 Trinity Episcopal/Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH
It seems to me that we spend a large part of our lives wishing for something different. We often focus on this difference as if it would make all the difference in our lives. Let’s use the church as an example, if only the pews were filled, if only we had the perfect priest, if only we had a bigger endowment, if only people pledged more, if only we had more children in the church. None of these things are bad but they miss the point of why we are here. They are temptations in a way a seduction of how things used to be or how we think things should be. Maybe you do this in your own life. If only we had saved more money, if only our kids were more successful, it only we had kids, if only we didn’t have kids, if only we had more kids. You really could fill in any topic; things always seem like they could be better somehow. It’s our culture really, we always want to be better than we are, always striving to relive the glory days or find the glory days. Our gospel reading and the reading from Genesis are about having enough. About knowing that we are enough. Adam and Eve, right from the get go, wanted more. All the trees and fruits were not enough; they wanted the one tree they were not suppose to have. Sound familiar? It’s in our DNA and I’m not really sure we can help it, but we can choose to live differently. We can choose to live not with this desire to always want more but with the satisfaction that we are enough. Jesus understood this most clearly by saying no to the temptations of the world and understanding that what he had was enough. What he had by our standards was very little, but it wasn’t about stuff was it? Jesus understood deep into his core that He was God’s beloved and everything else was just stuff. How do we live more fully into this reality? You see we are God’s beloved, you are, I am, we all are the beloved of God. How can we act more like God’s beloved and less like the reality TV that pervades our culture? Facebook is full of it people living lives out loud, look at me isn’t my life great, don’t you wish you were me? Advertisements if only you had this, your life would be complete. The examples go on and on. When we live like that we miss the very life that we are having now. We stop living in the present and we live in the “someday.” Living in the present is what God calls us to do. On Ash Wednesday we get ashes to remind us of our mortality, to remind us that everything in this life eventually turns to ash. God reminds us to live for today, today is what is before you. Now this doesn’t mean not to plan for a future, but more to appreciate what you have now. Accept that what you have been given is enough. Sometimes the simplest things can shift our perspectives. On Ash Wednesday I left the church door unlocked between the services, I was in my office and suddenly I heard the crying of a young child. I went to investigate and there was a pregnant woman with her 2 year old child. She told me that she had tried a few churches and this was the only one that was open. She was looking for a priest to receive ashes, get a blessing for the baby in her womb and also to make a connection, to know that there was more than her complicated life and that someone cared. She and her children had recently been homeless. Yet she was grateful, grateful that God loved her and that God would take care of her. She arrived here simply because the door wasn’t locked. An open door, a listening ear, God’s blessing, that is the essence of who we are. It wasn’t fancy or sophisticated, it wasn’t a big program…it was an unlocked door. What are the doors in your heart that need to be unlocked? What are the doors in this community that need to be unlocked? I can promise you that everything we need and have is enough. I can promise you that the spirit will show up. God is always sending us signs if only we can pay attention. God is always steering us to what is most important if only we take the time to listen. We have so many distractions, maybe that’s why Jesus went to the wilderness. We need time away to see things clearly, we need time set apart to find our center, to know God’s presence. We need time away from the temptations in our lives to re-center and refocus on God’s calling and love for us. Can you find the time? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon Preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo 5th Sunday after Epiphany, February 5, 2017 Trinity Episcopal/ Prince of Peace Lutheran
Many years ago, when we lived in Georgia, I was the chair of the Newcomers Committee. While I was chair we started baking small loaves of bread to be delivered to every newcomer each Sunday. To do this I taught a group how to bake bread. Then I was asked to teach bread baking at the community college. I was surprised but agreed. The time frame for a class at the community college was short so I had to adapt my recipes from regular yeast to quick rise yeast. If you are a bread baker you would know that this is not a simple substitute. The recipes have to be reworked to accommodate the quick rise yeast. I tried out the reworked recipes at home and made a beautiful loaf of bread that looked fabulous. The texture was perfect, it baked evenly with a great crust. In fact I thought I had never baked such a consistent loaf of bread; it was amazing! So I slice it up and take a bite. It was awful; I mean really awful. It was immediately obvious what was missing – Salt! I had forgotten to write the salt into the new recipe. Salt hinders the rising process so that is how my bread looked so perfect, but bread is meant to be eaten and this bread was almost inedible. I never realized how critical salt was to bread, after all, you don’t put all that much in, until I inadvertently left it out. I always think about that when I read the gospel for this morning. How critical salt is not only for flavor but also as a necessary nutrient. We forget that today, that our bodies need salt and in Jesus’ time it was sometimes hard to get. In fact salt was so essential that Roman soldiers were paid in salt rations, the origin of our word salary. Salt was needed not just for flavor but to sustain life. Jesus reminds us this morning how essential we are to God’s work in this world. Each of us are the salt and light to the world. Each of us does something each and every day that provides something critical to the people we love or in the work we do that makes a real difference in the world. How are we to be the salt and light to the Claremont community? How is it that the community sees you? How do you see yourselves? How do you get fed? What spiritual nourishment do you need to continue to reach out to the larger community? Who are we, and who do we hope to be? Jesus needs us to be the salt and light to the world. Jesus is our salt and light. We need to make sure we are nurtured and fed so that we can feed the world. It is not enough to look good, we must more importantly taste good. It is not enough to know the light of God but we must shine it out. It is not enough to share it here with each other; light and salt is meant to be shared with all. I want you this week to think about how you are the salt and light in the world. How you touch other lives with God’s love. How God’s love nourishes you. We have something amazing to offer the world but we need to let them know. No hiding under a bushel basket, no hiding behind our Yankee reserve. Jesus reminds us that growing God’s kingdom is up to us. We have to be out there offering God’s love to all and then we have to invite them to come and see for themselves. People come to church because they are asked, I learned that when I chaired the Newcomers committee. When was the last time you invited someone to church? It is not enough to help people we must also invite them to come and see for themselves; to come and be fed by Christ’s body and blood. This is about helping others to find the Spirit we have found here. It is about sharing God’s salt and light. So, salt of the earth and light of the world, it is time we act on it. It is time we set out trusting in the spirit to guide us, trusting in God’s love to sustain us. It is time for us to live into our Baptismal promises and help others to find their way in this lost and broken world. It is time to help others find their way here to be welcomed into God’s loving embrace to know that they, too, are the salt and light of this world. Amen. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon Preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo January 22, 2017 – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany – Trinity/Prince of Peace – Claremont, NH
Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose his disciples from fishermen? After all Jesus was a carpenter, why not invite some of them. Why choose fishermen? It is interesting to think about the qualities that make up fishermen. Each and every day they go out in a boat to find fish. They don’t see the fish they want to catch but they go out trusting that they are there, dropping their nets hoping they have found the right spot, hoping to catch the fish. Day after day they do this, sometimes successfully sometimes not. It takes real perseverance to go out each and every day trusting that the fish are there and hoping to catch some. Is this not the perfect temperament for a disciple? Seeking after what others cannot see, trusting that what they need will be provided for. Disciples trust that who they are is enough; they trust that their faith is enough, that God will give them what thy need to share their faith with others, that God will help them change the world. Disciples believe that their faith is enough to encourage faith in others, they believe that God works in the world and that by trusting in God others will see how Jesus lights their life, how Jesus can light everyone’s life. Disciples who happen to be fishermen is who Jesus calls this morning. Disciples who are not fishermen is who Jesus calls this morning. You are who Jesus calls this morning. It is not easy to be a fisherman; it takes patience, perseverance and faith the same for Disciples. For fishermen faith that the fish are indeed there even when they can’t see them, for us faith that God’s light can and will shine through us and in us even when we are not sure that it is there. I envy the commitment that the fishermen show in our story today dropping all that they knew to embark on a new adventure, a new call to follow Jesus. This did not come without sacrifice, this did not come without loss, but they sensed their greater mission and left all to follow Jesus. How can we follow the example of the first disciples, how can we be better disciples? Discipleship is hard work. Nothing makes this clearer than Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Already the Corinthian’s are fighting over who is the best, who is in charge, who has it right, who is wrong. How quickly they have lost sight of their overall purpose how quickly they get pushed into taking sides. Paul reminds them this is not what it is about, Paul reminds them that they need to be united with the same mind and purpose, that there be no divisions among them. Paul reminds them that their mission is to proclaim the gospel so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. They had lost sight of their primary purpose, fishing for people. They had gotten caught up in struggles for power and importance. Sound familiar? We often lose sight of the overall mission and struggle with the unimportant things we get stuck on. We lose sight of our primary mission as fishermen, as disciples, having faith that the fish are there, having faith that inside everyone is God’s love, God’s light. Jesus calls his disciples this morning Jesus calls us. Jesus calls us to be the light to the world, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned” Jesus is our light and it is our job as disciples of Jesus to shine that light in all the dark corners of the world. Everywhere people are persecuted, everywhere there is oppression, and everywhere justice is not served. We are to be the fishermen, finding God’s light everywhere. Looking for that light in each other, strengthening and nourishing that light in all whom we meet. Discipleship is hard work, but each step of the way we have Jesus shining God’s light so that we can have faith and find our way. Find our way even in the dark and on a stormy sea. God’s light cannot be extinguished, God’s light is for us and for all the world to see. May we have faith like the fishermen and clarity of purpose like the first disciples so that we will not get caught up in the distractions of this world and use our gifts, our light to proclaim the gospel to everyone we meet. This is what Jesus calls us to this morning, this is who God needs us to be. Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo Trinity Episcopal and Prince of Peace Lutheran Churches, Claremont, NH January 15, 2017 – Epiphany 2A – This weekend we honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King as you all know worked for racial justice; he became the leader of the civil rights movement; he empowered many to live and act differently. He was not elected to any office but worked out of a passion for justice and Jesus. He was a minister first and saw the oppressions inflicted because of the color of one’s skin and could not be silent. He changed the way this country looks at race and was targeted and assassinated because others could not see his vision. Jonathan Daniels a native of Keene, NH, inspired by this movement went to stand against injustice in the South and was killed protecting a young black girl. The Episcopal Church has honored his life and his witness is celebrated in Lessor feasts and fasts, a daily reading of Saints and others who have lived their faith in remarkable ways. How we live our faith is the question I ask you this morning. How are you living your faith? Our Gospel reading this morning is about John the Baptist relinquishing his authority to Jesus. Telling his disciples that Jesus is the one they should be following. Jesus tells the disciples to Come and See. Jesus offers a simple invitation – Come and See. There was no doctrine presented, no requirements set forth, just simply Come and See. So much of our faith journey is about showing up. Showing up to be present, showing up to be counted. We underestimate the power of presence, the power of just showing up. Jesus invites us to Come and See, just as Jesus invited Andrew and Simon Peter, but here is your warning - showing up means you might be changed. Jesus is about changing our lives, helping us to see in new ways the world all around us. Helping us to see where we are called to be God’s agents in the world, where we are called to transform the world in new and maybe unexpected ways. Simon Peter and Andrew went and saw, but their lives were never the same. Simon was given a new name almost immediately. He was now to be called Peter. I wonder what he thought about that and it got me to thinking about how taking on a new role or a new name changes you in ways you might not expect. I changed my name when I got married over thirty years ago. That day and the subsequent years changed me in ways I could never have anticipated. I added to my name when I was ordained, I was now The Rev., even more powerfully than changing my name to Lombardo, the day I was ordained shifted something within me that I could never have predicted. You see I thought I had this God thing all figured out but God surprised me that day by touching me in a new way right to my very core. When we are called by our name we are changed in ways that we can never anticipate. When we are invited to Come and See we are moved in a way that defies logic. Jesus invites you this morning to Come and See. Jesus empowers you to invite your friends to Come and See. Just as Martin Luther King invited many, Jesus calls us to invite others. Not to increase church attendance, but to change their lives, to change them and you in ways we could not imagine. Our faith is about transformation and that often comes about in a way and a time that we could not predict. Just as Simon did not expect to be called Peter, just as Jonathan did not expect to give his life to save another, God calls us to Come and See. Come and See where I need you to work, Come and See where I need you to be. Most of life is about showing up, most of life is about being present. Where is God calling you to Come and See, where is Jesus leading you to ask another to Come and See. Our faith is essential to this world, our presence is critical to its success, we can not afford to be complacent we must with our whole being Come and See and I know that our lives will be changed in ways we could never predict or expect. This is the witness of Dr. Martin Luther King and Jonathan Merrick Daniels. This is the witness of Simon now called Peter, this is who God created us to be, Come and See. Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo Trinity Episcopal and Prince of Peace Lutheran Churches, Claremont, NH LESSONS for Sunday, October 2nd, 2016 – 20th Sunday after Pentecost
Fear is a powerful emotion. Fear for our safety, fear of not having enough, and fear of not being enough; fear, we have so many fears. Our society announces our fears at every corner; fear of a terrorist attack, fear of the wrong candidate being elected president, whichever one that might be for you. We are fearful that we don’t have enough money, that we don’t have the right skills, that we don’t have enough faith. We are living in a culture and climate that magnifies our fears and our own sense of inadequacy. Did you know that our brains have a preference for negative thoughts and behaviors, that we remember negative things better than the positive? You can see how that may have been useful one thousand years ago, remembering where the dangers were, but now the whole world’s dangers are brought into our living rooms, every night and we are taught to fear those things that may never effect us. We are bombarded by these fearful images. This year seems worst to me than most. I think the presidential campaign has magnified these fears to make us vote for one candidate or another. It has also played on our fears of who may be elected and how they would lead the country to ruin. Both sides are fearful if the other candidate wins. I don’t ever remember feeling this way. I may have in the past liked one candidate over another and had a strong preference but I don’t ever remember feeling afraid of what might happen if the wrong candidate got elected. How did we get to such a state of fear? I have read some articles that talk about how politics has been magnifying our fears so that we would vote for one side or another. Fear can be a strong motivator and that motivation turns into votes. The political parties have been using this so much that we don’t even know what is truth and what has been manufactured to make us fearful. So how do we start to change the culture and climate that we live in? Jesus gives us the answer this morning. We need to be about planting mustard seeds of hope and love. We need to be about planting mustard seeds of tolerance and acceptance. We need to be about planting mustard seeds of safety and pride. We need to be about planting mustard seeds of positivity! We can start right here in church and we can branch that out to our communities. Let’s stop the negativity and embrace the positivity, the love, the joy, and the hope that Jesus offers us this morning. We are all guilty of spreading the negativity and we need to stop, as a church, as a community, as a country, as a world. Jesus offers us this morning a parable of hope, a parable of love, a parable of light. You only need the tiniest of seed, the smallest amount to be who God calls us to be, to be the change agents in this community. Jesus’ disciples are afraid, afraid that they don’t have enough, that they aren’t enough to do the job set before them and Jesus tells them you have everything you need, just look inside. It’s all there, everything you need to do what God calls you to do. The tiniest of seeds is enough, we are enough to do and be what God calls us to. The disciples are fed by Jesus words and go on to bring God’s message of hope and love to all people. In fact we sit here today because the disciples believed that they were enough, that God would help and that Jesus taught them what they needed to know. They were only 12 and they started a worldwide movement. How much more we can do, there are so many more of us! Trinity/Prince of Peace you are enough, we have everything we need to do the work God has called us to. It starts with us accepting the love that God has for each of us and then we take that love and give it away. Give it to the guy that cuts you off or cuts in line, give it to each other when someone hurts your feelings, give it to the people at work, those you love at home. That’s how we will move mountains, that’s how we will live into God’s call to us. Jesus tells us this morning we don’t have to see the whole picture or know with certainty that we can do it, we just have to hold onto the tiniest of seeds within ourselves and nurture that seed by using it over and over. Through love, joy and hope we will indeed move things in ways we never expected, big things and small things. God has given us everything we need. Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo Trinity Episcopal and Prince of Peace Lutheran Churches, Claremont, NH LESSONS for September 25th, 2016 19th Sunday after Pentecost
The Gospel reading this week is hard for us to grab a hold of. First of all none of us are wealthy enough to have poor people sitting at our gates, second the concept of heaven and hell are hard to grasp. I don’t think we often think in the imagery or way the Gospel offers this morning. Some of this imagery has to do with the assumptions and beliefs of Jesus’ time. To be rich was seen as being granted God’s favor, you were rich because God deemed it so. To be poor meant that you were paying for sins that either you or your family did. God decided who was rich and poor. We still think this way somewhat today. The prosperity gospel touted by some evangelicals states that if you believe enough, God will reward you. God will reward you with material wealth. This cause and effect relationship with wealth is still with us today. Today’s gospel turns that upside down. God is not deciding who goes to heaven or hell because of their wealth but how they treat each other. Being rich is not a ticket to hell just as being poor is not a ticket to heaven. How we treat one another, how we see one another is key to how we embody our faith. Seeing is probably the harder concept to work on. Seeing each other as children of God is especially hard. Seeing everyone as equally valued, being compassionate to all, really seeing those who surround us, is a big challenge. Just like the rich man barely noticed Lazarus we often overlook the poor in our midst. We don’t have to look far to see the poor in our community. We don’t have to look far to see someone who needs compassion and tenderness. How do we treat everyone with love and compassion? This is not as easy as we might think. The biggest barrier I find for treating people with love and compassion is our assumptions. We make assumptions about people all the time. Someone told me a story just this week of seeking medical help for her husband a large man with a couple of tattoos and the first thing out of the doctors mouth was we don’t give pain medications here. Compassion was sorely lacking in this approach, but that Doctor made some assumptions about the man’s appearance. How do we check our assumptions? How do we recognize that we are making them and work on thinking in a different way? We have become so full of our own assumptions that we have lost the ability to communicate with each other in a respectful way. Look at our politics Republicans and Democrats can’t even talk to one another without resorting to name calling or disrespect. Black people can’t even have their car break down without coming under suspicion from the police. Or how about the 15-year-old black girl handcuffed and pepper sprayed for riding her bike into a car. In each of these cases there was a failure to communicate in a respectful and rational way because of assumptions. This was the rich man’s problem he made assumptions about the poor, assumptions that he held so strongly that even in death he refused to talk directly to Lazarus. Lazarus was so different from him that even in the after-life he addresses Abraham another rich man instead of Lazarus. We are losing our ability to have respectful and meaningful conversations to resolve differences and to see another point of view. We are becoming or maybe we are as polarized as the rich and poor were in Jesus day. Maybe we should substitute Republican and Democrat or Black and white for the rich and poor analogy, or maybe refugee and native or Muslim and Christian. We are all the children of God and I would say we are all doing our best to live into our faith in the best way we know how, but we need stories like this to show us how we are making assumptions about people, we need a faith community to help us see another point of view. We need to practice meaningful and respectful dialogue not just with those who share our point of view but also with those who don’t. I think that is what Jesus is saying to us today that we are more alike than different and we need to open our gates and our hearts to see each person as God’s beloved and maybe then we will be able to accept God’s love for ourselves. We are God’s beloved every single one of us, without exception. Thanks be to God. Amen. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo - July 3rd, 2016 , 7th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 9C – Trinity Episcopal & Prince of Peace Lutheran
Many of you will remember the song “Looking for Love in all the wrong places”, how often have we watched others and maybe even ourselves look for love in all the wrong places. How often have we distracted ourselves with possessions or bad habits not to face our deepest needs or desires. It’s very much like looking for love in all the wrong places. It’s how you could define addictions - a seeking for wholeness in all the wrong places. We are a culture and society that believes in looking for things in all the wrong places, including our quest for the Holy. Finding God could be a title of a book, maybe it is. Much can be written on how to find God in our culture today. Some will say you only have to hike a mountain to find God, others say a walk in the woods, some might say a trip to the casino, others a walk on the beach and even some might say go to church. Finding God is a 21st century quest for some, others would say that’s old school and find spiritual meaning in nature or the newest form of yoga. I want to say finding God is not the issue; it is recognizing God that we don’t understand. We have become so focused on the nature of spirituality as an individual pursuit that we have lost or misunderstood the need for community to find and recognize God. Community helps us to see God where we may not have seen God before. Community helps us to recognize the false idols of our lives and how to replace them with the one God found in our lives as Christians. Community is so important that even Jesus surrounded himself with one and even Jesus sent out his disciples in pairs. All of us need a community to help us see God in the most unlikely places. In our readings today we have the story of Naaman a great leader and important person. Naaman has leprosy, but it is his wife’s servant girl that tells her how he can be healed. Naaman goes to his king with this plan – then to the king of Israel who thinks it is a plan to start a war. Finally Naaman is sent to Elisha, the prophet to receive his healing. Naaman arrives with his gold and silver and lots of gifts to meet with Elisha. Elisha doesn’t even grant him an audience instead he sends out his servant to tell Naaman what to do. Go wash in the Jordan seven times. Naaman is incensed and is planning to storm home, but his servant convinces him otherwise and Naaman is healed. Do you see that the powerful in this story are useless, but that the servants announce all the changes. The servants are the ones who make the healing happen. Not at all how Naaman expected it to occur, not how any who held power expected it to come about. The servants taught the powerful how to see God in some seemingly everyday events, like washing in a river. Without a community Naaman would not have been healed. Community takes people. Community is people gathered and when gathered as a community new things are revealed in new ways. We to a large extent have lost the understanding of the importance of community. We don’t seem to value the importance of being part of a community not just for ourselves but for the health of the community as well as our own spiritual well being. Coming to church is one way of forming Christian community. It is a tested way and has served well through the generations yet many people today find it unimportant. Somehow gathering as Christians for worship has lost its soul; now not everywhere or in every place, but many churches are more empty than full. I think its because we have forgotten how to recognize God. We look for God in all sorts of places but we have forgotten how to recognize God in a community gathered in faith and worship. We need each other to take back our souls. We need to be that community in which people who enter recognize God in us and through us. That community of deep and mature faith willing to teach others how to find the peace that only God can give. Jesus sent out his disciples with very clear instructions if a community welcomes you stay if not wipe the dust off your feet and move on. How do we Trinity and Prince of Peace become that community in which others can find and recognize God? How do we become a place where all are welcomed and receive God’s love? I don’t have the answers but I know for sure that it is only through the work of this community that we will find God and learn how to recognize God more and more. Each of you are needed for this place to be a community of faith. Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo – June 26th, 2016 – 6th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 8C - Trinity Episcopal & Prince of Peace Lutheran
As many of you know I am a scuba diver. When I go scuba diving one of my favorite things to look for is a Lettuce Leaf Sea Slug. The lettuce leaf sea slug is pretty small about one inch wide and 2-3 inches long. It hangs out on the reef and comes in a variety of colors. They look like a miniature lettuce gardens on the move. When I am focused on looking for sea slugs I often miss the other things that are going on around me. I’m so focused in looking for these tiny slugs that I miss the other sea creatures all around me. Its easy for us to do that, focus on one thing or get stuck in thinking a particular way that we lose sight of other things and ways of thinking going on around us. Sometimes being focused is really useful but we can be too focused on our way of seeing or doing. Life is about integrating many opinions and ideas and integrating them into our lives in new and interesting ways. In today’s gospel reading Jesus has his sights set on Jerusalem and the events that will happen there. He is focused and determined, nothing will distract him and he is demanding the same of his disciples. Jesus is helping us to see what is most important; how following Jesus must be a priority in our life and it won’t always be easy; how sometimes the things we feel are important must be let go of and we will need to refocus on where God is calling us. By virtue of our Baptism we are a follower of Jesus, but how we incorporate this into our lives varies. Some of the saints have devoted their whole lives toward living as a disciple of Jesus. Many have made great sacrifices to do this. Others of us have tried to do our best, living our lives and reminding each other of God’s love for us. Many of us have given up Sunday mornings to come to church, a sacrifice of sorts. Many of us contribute financially to the church and other charitable causes, another sacrifice. Others of us give generously of our time and talents. All are gifts that we give freely to support this community in this place. This community is essential for us to be disciples of Jesus. Every Christian needs a community to remind them to whom they belong and whom they serve. This is an important starting point. Now we take it to the next level. Here is my counter cultural argument. It seems the more we sacrifice as a follower of Jesus the more we receive in return. The more we give of ourselves the more we are given. It takes some maturity to appreciate this. When I was young getting presents was much better than giving them, but as I got older and had children of my own giving gifts became better than getting them. My joy was greatest when giving joy to others. It seems our faith journey is a lot like that. We start out needing to receive and as we mature we have a stronger and stronger need to give. Our wants and desires though still important, become secondary to others needs. How strongly we accept this call is up to us. This is what Jesus is calling us to. To understand that to follow God takes a radical change in heart; to let go of our wants and desires and to live more and more into God’s love. How we do this is up to us. Paul, in today’s reading from Galatians, talks about the fruit of the spirit being “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” This world can use some more of that and I believe it is up to us to do that. Our society has become more and more competitive, there is more and more pressure for results, for profits, for action. We all play a part in this cycle and we all have a responsibility to it. Jesus came to change the world and it is our job to bring about that change, to focus on where God is calling us to be agents of change. In everything we do let us be loving, kind, generous, gentle and patient, let us live each day more fully into God’s calling to us, let us live each day knowing more and more God’s love for us. When we live by the spirit our lives will fill with God’s love and our reward will be much more than we can imagine. So practice patience, kindness and generosity and there is no telling how we might change the world. Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo - June 19th, 2016 - 5th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 7C - Trinity Episcopal & Prince of Peace Lutheran
Finding Silence and Peace in a broken World Our first reading this morning from 1 Kings is one of my favorite passages in all of scripture. Elijah hears the voice of God, not in the wind, fire or earthquake but in the sound of sheer silence. In the Hebrew Scriptures we hear about God’s bold acts, stories filled with action and purpose, but in this story Elijah finally hears God not in the wind, fire or earthquake but in the silence. I love this passage so much because in our high-tech, crazy world we rarely find time for silence and yet it is in the silence that God gives Elijah peace and purpose. How do we hear God’s voice in the noises of our world? How do we find the time to listen to God’s still small voice of peace and love in this hate filled and scary world? Hate and fear are such powerful emotions that it is so easy for us to get stuck there, it is so easy to trigger our fear response and so hard to reverse it. I have the sense that everything today is urgent. Emails need to be responded to right away, news is almost instantaneous, there is face-book, insta-gram, snap chat in which pictures and events can be broadcast almost immediately. Thoughts and pictures fly across the world in seconds. How does one find a moment of peace never mind the time for silence? How can we maintain an equilibrium in this frantic pace? I think the gospel story this morning gives us some clues. The man possessed by demons in this morning’s reading from Luke lives a frantic existence, he is held captive by his demons and lives at the edges of society. He can’t find peace and he can’t find rest. Jesus releases him of his fears and demons, the demons head off into a herd of pigs and they run off the cliff and drown in the sea. Now the man possessed seeks to be a disciple. The people who knew this man are afraid. They are fearful because they don’t understand, they are fearful because their world has changed and they send Jesus away. The very person who could calm their fears they send away. Jesus offers us a place of peace and rest in this very stormy world. Jesus offers us a way of hope and love. Prayer is what we are called to, and through that we will gain new understanding and peace. This past week we have been bombarded with the tragic killings in Orlando Florida, our hearts break for those families, our minds can’t absorb the breadth of the tragedy. Terrorism has found its way to Florida, and it puts everyone on edge. Finding peace in this world is not easy but as Christians it is our calling. It is our calling to love all, heal the sick, comfort the grieving, strengthen the brokenhearted and pray. Find time each day to pray and then find time to listen. Listen to the still small voice and listen to where God is calling you. You won’t have an earthquake or fire but when you listen you will hear God’s still small voice calling you to wholeness and peace. This world desperately needs us to listen, this world needs us not to fear, this world needs us to offer a voice of peace and love. We have to stop isolating ourselves and open ourselves to a fuller understanding of what it means to love and to live in this world; how everyone, and I mean everyone is welcome in God’s arms. There is a Children’s book called There’s a Nightmare in My Closet (N. Y.: E. P. Dutton, Inc., 1968), by Mercer Mayer; the child in the story is afraid to fall asleep at night because of the nightmares he might have. In the story, the child decides to face the nightmares, the fears and armed with his pop-gun stays awake. To the child’s surprise a monster comes out of the closet but is so terrified of the child that the monster begins to cry. The story ends with the monster and the child asleep together in the bed. This story is a good reminder that facing our fears may turn out differently than we expect. So we mustn’t live in fear, but with love and hope. The world is changing maybe faster than we can keep up, but it is love that will save us, it is love and hope that will lead us. We must not be afraid because Jesus walks with us, the Jesus who calmed the storm and healed the man with many demons, walks with us to lead us and guide us each and every day. So, THANKS be to God. Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo - June 5th, 2016 - 3rd Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 5 – Trinity Episcopal & Prince of Peace Lutheran
Fear - a dictionary definition - an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. Our culture abounds in images to be fearful of. Just watch any news station, the threats from all over the world enter into our living rooms. We have this belief that the world is a fearful place that at any time we or our loved ones can be under attack. This is not a rational belief. The world is in many ways much safer today than it was 50 years ago, but fear is not a rational emotion. It is a universal emotion, deep seated in our human psyche. At one time it was very useful; it warned us of real and present danger, but now it just seems to keep some of us in a perpetual state of anxiety. There are so many things for us to be afraid of and yet most of these things happen to a very small number of us. Terrorism is all over every news cycle and yet a very small percentage of the human population has been killed by terrorism. Many more people have died from Cancer and yet that does not elicit the same fear response that terrorism does. Or take super bugs, infections that are resistant to antibiotics, we hardly give them a thought but scientifically they maybe something we should be doing more to stop. They very well may have a bigger impact on our lives than terrorism. Fear is a funny thing, because it is not often based in reality but more in perception and our perceptions can be manipulated, by what we see and hear. When we focus on fear it saps our energy for other more creative and life giving things. Right? You all know this, when you have been particularly worried about something it has taken over your life. The other odd thing about fear is it rarely saves us from pain or dangerous situations, unless of course you are a teenager. Otherwise most of us know what situations to avoid to keep our bodies safe. The riskiest thing I do from an outsider’s perspective is to go Scuba Diving. Everyone thinks that is dangerous or scary but in my experience downhill skiing is much more dangerous to my body than scuba diving, but most people don’t see it that way. Again fear or the perception of danger is different depending on your perspective. I have been thinking a lot about fear this week. How our politicians have heightened our sense of fear by manipulating our beliefs and perceptions. I have thought about how I attended a Donald Trump rally right here in Claremont, without feeling afraid and how I would not do that today, given what has happened in California. Violence is never a good response. I also attended a Bernie Sanders rally in Claremont and a Hillary Clinton event in Concord. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves about our political candidates and not let fear dictate our decisions. When we feel afraid we give up our power and give others power over us. Operating out of fear is never a good way to live. The Bible knows this, because over and over in our Biblical stories we are told not to be afraid, not to fear. In 1 Kings the widow is preparing to die and Elijah says: Do not be afraid, go and do as I said……. God will provide. Do not be afraid the jar of meal and oil will not run out; how can this be when there is a famine in the land? And yet it was so. In our gospel story this morning we are told “Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God”. The people were afraid because Jesus raised a child from the dead but their reaction was not to run away but instead they glorified God. That is a very different response to fear than we do today. Fear can be motivating but it can also incapacitate. Our problem today is that we are fearful when we are told to be, even when that has no basis in our experience. The chance of terrorism coming to Claremont, NH I would say is pretty small and yet we seem to have this collective fear of terrorism. The chance of a super-bug coming here is more likely and yet very few talk about that. Some responses to fear is to build walls or close boarders to keep us safe, but again how practical or rational is that. Do we want to live in a world where we are walled in or everyone around us thinks and believes just like us? Believe me I don’t have the answers; we live in a complicated world, but I don’t want to live my life mired in fear. God doesn’t want us to live our lives consumed by fears. We are told over and over again in our readings do not be afraid. How can we live our lives with less fear and more compassion and kindness? Jesus had compassion on the Mother and raised her only son. Let us try to treat each other with more compassion and kindness and not let our fears consume us. Amen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon Preached by the Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo to the people of Trinity Episcopal and Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH Sunday, May 8th, 2016; the 7th Sunday of Easter
This Sunday between the ascension of Jesus and before the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost is about prayer. In this morning’s gospel from John, Jesus prays for us. Jesus prays for us, not just his disciples, but for us. Prayer is a powerful thing; most of us pray, many of us would not miss our evening or morning prayers, others pray throughout the day. Many of us were taught as a child a going to bed prayer, mine was: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Not really very cheery if you think about it! Some of us don’t think about praying until something terrible happens or is about to happen. We pray a prayer of intervention “Please God stop this from happening.” Some prayers come from deep within us and others are said almost automatically, but all of them shape us in ways we can’t even imagine. I met a woman on Hospice who had lived in England during World War II and she told me about going into the bomb shelters each night and saying this prayer: “Lord keep us safe this night, Secure from all our fears, May angels guard us while we sleep, Till morning light appears.” She continued to say this prayer every night of her life. Talk about a prayer shaping your life. This prayer was the road map to her life. What is the prayer that has shaped your life? How has this prayer changed over the years? As Christians we have a prayer that Jesus gave us that we all hold in common, the Lord’s Prayer. And we don’t like it changed do we? We are convinced Jesus said it just the way we do, even if it was in Aramaic. There is a modernized version of the Lord’s Prayer, but I don’t think it is used much. We like our prayers to stay the same. The prayer that I say most often is the Doxology: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God above ye heavenly hosts, Praise God all creatures here below, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.” This is not a prayer of intervention or intersession but a prayer of praise. This prayer helps me to remember to whom I belong and helps to de-stress my life, remembering there are bigger things in life then my current concerns. I know this prayer/song well because I have sung it most Sundays in church - my whole life. Prayers shape us in ways we can’t even imagine. What is your prayer? In our gospel reading this morning Jesus leaves us by praying for us. Jesus begins by hoping that we all may be one, and that we will understand that Jesus is in us. To be one, like God and Jesus are one, to understand that our relationship with God and Jesus is the most important. That the things we use to separate ourselves from each other and God are truly not important. Jesus wants us to show the world what is most important about our faith, how Jesus abides in us and we in Him. Next Jesus talks about Love. Jesus uses the word Love five times in these six verses. Love is what defines Jesus’ relationship with God and our relationship with Jesus and God. This is a self-giving love. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, it is love that will meet all our needs and conquer all our fears. There is a real freedom in this unconditional love, a freedom that reminds us that we don’t have to be held captive by the things of this world, that God’s love for us is much bigger than that. It is through this Love that we will find our way to God’s loving embrace. It is not an easy journey, this world has many things that want to hold us captive, so we need to be reminded again and again, God’s love is most important, God’s love is shown to us by Jesus, God’s love is known to us in the coming of the Holy Spirit. God’s love is there for us, when we can let go of the things that hold us so tightly, when we can let go of our fears and let Gods light shine in our darkest places. This is Jesus’ prayer for us. What are the things that hold you captive? What are the things you are most afraid of? God’s love can help us let go of our fears, to trust that God is there for us. Maybe our prayer can be, “Lord keep us safe this day, Secure from all our fears, May angels guard us while we live, until your great light appears.” Prayer is a powerful thing and may we continue to be shaped by Jesus’ prayer for us and our prayers for each other. Amen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo 2nd Sunday of Easter - April 3rd, 2016 – Trinity/Prince of Peace – Claremont, NH
What is truth? Do any of us know the whole truth? We only know our truth, our particular perspective, and our particular way of looking at things. None of us has an understanding of the whole truth. Do you realize that we could each watch the exact same event and each of us would describe it differently? Each of us would see and remember different parts, different things. Together we might be able to put together an accurate account but we would still look at things through our own perspective. Today in the age of recording everything, we think we have a better understanding of truth but even then we see things through our particular lenses, or in our particular way. Experiences are much more nuanced than a short recording can explain. Oh, we think we are seeing the whole picture, which makes it very difficult to understand when someone else sees it differently. This happens all the time in our lives; we think we have all the information and we make a decision about what happened, that may or may not be based in reality. It may be our reality but not everyone else’s. It is often very hard to sort this out, because we are convinced that we have all the information. We can only see it our way. One of my jobs as an interim is to help you see things differently. To see things in a new way, this can be a very challenging task. Sometimes churches do things because it has always been done that way, maybe for so long that it is hard to remember how or why it started. God is not about doing things the way they have always been done. God is about us finding new life and new understandings as we continue to work to see Jesus in our lives. It is hard work finding Jesus, because our lives are so full of many other things. If you have ever seen the children’s books – Where’s Waldo – you may have a good idea of how hard it is to find Jesus in our day to day existence. Just like in finding Waldo, the more you look for Jesus the easier it will be to find Him. In today’s Gospel reading Thomas is looking for Jesus. Thomas will not believe the disciples that they have seen Jesus, Thomas does not believe they got it right. Thomas must see Jesus himself, no one else’s account is going to be sufficient for Thomas. Given what we know about truth, I can’t blame Thomas for thinking the other disciples got it all wrong. After all Jesus is dead how could they have seen Him? And if you remember the story, the disciples did not believe Mary when she told them she had seen the Lord. Truth; it is so hard to find the truth. Jesus risen from the dead – this can’t be right or can it? I wonder what we would think in this day and age, if someone recorded Jesus being alive. Would we think it was photo-shopped, would we trust the one telling, or would we need, like Thomas, to see it for ourselves. Finding the truth is about faith, and faith is about trust. Trust in your own experience of Jesus; trust in other’s experiences of Jesus. Sometimes where we have thought God was at work was an illusion of our own perception, and other times when we thought God was absent we were mistaken. Churches, faith communities are about finding God and telling others where to go and see. Faith communities are always pointing the way to show others where God is. Sometimes we do that well and sometimes we do it poorly, but I think our test for every endeavor should be how is this pointing to God, how will doing this show others where Jesus is. It won’t be easy because we are so easily swayed by our own agendas, but finding and sharing God is what we are called to do. We are called to help show God to the world and everything we do should be a reflection of that. We are all like Thomas wanting to see things for ourselves, but together we will see more clearly, together we will understand more fully, where God is in our lives and the life of this community. Let us open our minds and hearts to see God in new and life-giving ways. Amen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo Easter Day – March 27th, 2016 - Trinity/ Prince of Peace – Claremont, NH
Here we are Easter Day! Today we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. Jesus who died on the cross on Friday is alive again today – somehow God has turned a very bad event into a new and life giving one. Today is a new beginning for all of us. Today we celebrate the Baptism of Katelyn and Carter; it is also a chance for us to renew our own Baptismal Promises. What does it mean when we say we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior? How does it change our life? Being Easter, there are some here who don’t make it to church very often and then there are others who are here each week. The question I want to ask those who are here every Sunday is, why do you come? I mean really, why is it that you set aside time each and every Sunday morning to come to church? For me, before I was ordained, it was my time each week to find my center, to be in community with others seeking the same. Sometimes I went to church because others needed me to be there. Sometimes I had a bad week and I needed to regroup. Sometimes I just went because it was a habit and those weeks were usually the weeks something special happened. It was always surprising to me that the weeks I least wanted to be in church were the weeks that meant the most to me spiritually. God has a way of surprising us in ways we never suspect. I am asking those of you who come here each week to figure out why you come and to share it with those you love. Everyone’s answer may be a bit different, for some it may be a sense of peace in a pretty chaotic world, some may find comfort amidst the terrors of this world, some may come because they believe it is what you do to be a good person, some may come to see friends, be part of a community, some may believe in the work of the church and come to support that or participate in it, some come for the music, the sermon or communion. All of these reasons are great reasons to come to church, but until we fully understand that we are God’s hands in this world and that through this community, we try to figure out how to do that, we are missing a big piece of what it means to be a Christian. God calls us, each of us to be a part of bringing about the kingdom of God. We do this by our walk in the world, we do this by knowing God’s love for us and sharing that love in every way we can imagine. In this mornings readings Jesus calls Mary by name and in calling her name, Mary recognizes Jesus. This morning we call Katelyn and Carter by name, and baptize them into our Christian Community, but this is only the first step. Unless we walk with them and teach them they will not understand who Jesus is. Unless we are willing to share our stories and what Jesus has meant to us they will not understand why they should, in a few years, put aside the Sunday paper and show up here in church. It is time for we who show up here each week, to share our story. To give the world a different narrative, than the one of hatred and bigotry, the narrative that only money matters, the narrative of materialism and entitlement. We have something to offer the world, we have something to offer this community and it is Jesus. Jesus offers us a new way to be, a new way to love, a new way to live in community. As we reaffirm our baptismal promises listen to what we are promising, really hear what we are saying and think about where God is calling you by name. It is a powerful thing to be called and each of us has an opportunity to answer, what will your answer be? There is much work to be done and through the sharing of our stories, the sharing of Jesus’ story we will step by step make the world a very different place. That indeed would be an Easter Miracle! Amen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by the The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo Good Friday – March 25th, 2016
I have always hated waiting. Maybe we all do. We often go through extraordinary means to avoid waiting. Today we have no choice. Jesus is dead and to his disciples this is it, this is the end. How many times have we thought that in our own lives. How many times have we lost our hope, lost our way, lost our faith. We may think we will never smile again, never laugh, never be happy. It is our Good Friday moment. What we have a hard time remembering in that moment is that in a few days time everything will be different. Everything will be new… but that is not today. Today we are waiting. Waiting is hard. I think of the loved ones of the Brussels’ bombing victims of how they waited for a word from their loved ones. I think of those waiting for test results from a serious illness. I think of those waiting to die, wondering how their family will survive. I think of our life transitions and how scary they can be not sure how they will turn out. I think of the world waiting to see how far this terrorism will go, when will it end, when will we learn to honor each other. Today we remember how people in power killed an innocent man and I remember all the other innocents who have died at the hands of those we have given power to. Today I wonder how things would have been different if we didn’t crucify Jesus, if we chose instead to follow Him and be a new people. I wonder how many more will die before we can see the errors of our ways. Today is about waiting and despair, today is about recognizing who we are crucifying in our own time in our own way. Today is also about love. The love of John for Mary the mother of Jesus. Jesus’ love for us, that he would be crucified to help us see God’s glory. Today is about love, how the disciples gathered to share their grief, how we gather to share ours. We know today is not the end, but still we must wait, because we so often forget that love, that God always has the last word. So no matter what our burdens God invites us to leave them here today, at the foot of the cross, at the foot of that symbol of torture and death. Leave your burdens here because God knows what it is like to wait and love. Amen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached by the Rev. Dr. Janet V. Lombardo – Maundy Thursday – March 24, 2016
We will fail, I will fail, and you will fail. These are not words that are spoken in our culture. We are all about success! There is no room for failure. Oh, people talk about their failures but only in light of their successes. Rarely does someone talk about his or her inability to be successful. 12 step programs may be the exception where one must acknowledge their powerlessness to their addiction. So why when we know failure is inevitable do we try to deny that it could happen to us? Why don’t we acknowledge and talk about our failures more? In today’s Gospel reading Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, all of his disciples, including Judas who will betray him and Peter who will deny him. You could see the betrayal as a failure on Jesus’ part; you could even see Jesus’ crucifixion in that way. It seems to me that the standards of failure are different in God’s terms. Jesus does not blame Judas or Peter for their failures; he acknowledges them in a way that makes it seems that it’s inevitable. Failure is sometimes just the way it has to be. It’s not about God’s punishment, it’s not about us being good or bad, it just happens. When stuff happens I often want to blame something for it. I want to find a reason for it so that it doesn’t happen again, or maybe because it’s suppose to mean something or be a part of God’s plan but it just happens, stuff happens, life happens. In the grand scheme of things many things are no big deal, but denying Jesus, that sounds like a much bigger deal, right? You and I, we deny Jesus each and every day. Sometimes we don’t even know we have done it. Jesus forgives Peter even before he does it. Peter forgives himself and goes on to start the church. We deny Jesus each time we focus on our failures and beat ourselves up about them. We deny Jesus when we don’t invite Him to part of our lives each and every day. Today is Maundy Thursday and Jesus gives us a commandment to love one another, but we can’t do that if we don’t first love ourselves and we can’t do that if we don’t know that God loves us. Sometimes letting ourselves be loved is the hardest part, letting our feet be washed, letting God’s care and love wash over us. So let your feet be washed today, let your heart be cleansed, let God’s hands wash your feet in a new way so that you too, will know the love of Jesus for his disciples, know the love of God for you. So whether you take off your shoes, or just let yourself be embraced, may you know this day that you will fail, we all do, but that Jesus will be there to hold you and love you. That failure is so different in the arms of a loving God. Amen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ash Wednesday Homily – Given by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo Trinity Church/Prince of Peace, Claremont, NH Masks…we all spend our lives wearing many different masks. The mask of self-confidence, mask of beauty, mask of competence – when deep inside we may not feel so self-assured. We wear a mask because we often feel we are not good enough, not worthy enough. Today is the start of Lent and all God asks of us is to be ourselves, to be the person who God created us to be, to live into the fullness that God has created for us. We often feel in this day and age that to do that we must work really hard. We work really hard but I think to focus on work may miss a key part of who God calls us to be. God calls us to play. To revel in God’s creation, to joyfully live into the world that God has created. We are really good at working but we have a much harder time playing. So my challenge to you this Lent is to spend 10 minutes each day in play. Do something that brings you joy, do something creative, do something that allows you to have fun. To play allows us to move deeper into our relationship with God, to move deeper into our true self. This may be one of the harder Lenten disciplines but I am hoping it will move you in ways you never expected. That is my Lenten challenge to you to spend 10 minutes a day in play. I would like to close with a quote from Joan Chittister that helps me to see Lent in a new way: “Lent is a call to weep for what we could have been and are not. Lent is the grace to grieve for what we should have done and did not. Lent is the opportunity to change what we ought to change but have not. Lent is not about penance. Lent is about becoming, doing and changing whatever it is that is blocking the fullness of life in us right now. Lent is a summons to live life anew.” ~ Joan Chittister May you have a holy and grace filled Lent. Amen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon Preached by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo to the people of Trinity Episcopal and Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH Sunday, February 7th, 2016 ; the Last Sunday after Epiphany
On this last Sunday of the Epiphany we have the reading of Jesus’ transfiguration. Most of us have heard the story before; it is an important story. Jesus and a couple of his disciples journey up a high mountain; on top of this mountain Jesus’ appearance changes, as if he was lit from within. Then Moses and Elijah begin talking with Him and before the disciples knew what was happening a cloud comes over them and the voice of God is heard, “This is my son… listen to him.” It is no wonder the disciples fell to the ground overcome with fear. This pivotal moment occurs right before Jesus’ march to Jerusalem and the cross. Jesus’ true nature is revealed for all to see for those few moments. The light of God within Him shines out in such radiance that it is hard to imagine. This was to give the disciples hope and courage in the days ahead, this was to help them understand exactly what has been going on. I think we lose the importance of this moment because we look back at these events knowing the outcome. Knowing that Jesus is the savior and the messiah, and that he will be crucified, and resurrected. The disciples did not understand this yet. How is the transfiguration to affect us today? How are we to make sense of a seemingly impossible event? How does this event give us hope in our times of despair, in our times of great need? The disciples were about to embark on a very difficult road with Jesus, it would not be a road they expected, and just like us bad things often come as a shock. They could not have possibly guessed that their Jesus would be tortured and crucified. But they will have this mountain top moment, this time of revelation, this time of transformation to hold on to, when all else seems to go wrong. This is God’s promise to us, that no matter what happens God will be present with us. No matter what life brings our way our God, our incarnate God is there with us. Now our temptation is like Peter’s to build a booth for our God to keep everyone safe, but this too, is not to be. We cannot keep the people we love safe, we cannot lock them in a tower, we cannot build a monument to hold on to them. Jesus could not be kept safe anymore than we can hold on to the people we love. Yet the promise is that no matter how dark the moment, how deep the despair, God is with us. God transfigured on the mountaintop is present to us even when it seems impossible, even when we are not expecting it, even when we don’t want it. God’s promise is to be there for us. This is the reason for the transfiguration, so that we will know as the disciples knew, that all things are possible with God. The transfiguration offers us a glimpse of the Kingdom of God, a glimpse of how things could be, if we could open our eyes to the glory of God around us. Immanuel, God with us, the transfiguration is here to remind us of that fact, to remind us as we walk into Lent and Holy week, that we need not be afraid, for God is with us; to remind us that whatever we face in life, that God is with us, in our joys and most especially in our sorrows. Thank God for these mountain top experiences, and although we can’t stay in them, they give us much comfort and support for the journey, they give us light in the darkness and hope in a sometimes pretty hopeless world. This is why the church puts this reading right before the season of Lent, this is why this reading closes out the season of Epiphany, a season of Jesus incarnate, a season of hope and promise of what is yet to come. So with renewed strength let us forge ahead, knowing that no matter what happens God is with us, always and forever. Amen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Sermon preached to the people of Trinity Episcopal and Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH on January 31, 2016, the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany by The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo Truth. What is truth? Why is the truth always so hard to hear? In today’s reading from Jeremiah, Jeremiah says “I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." God says "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you; Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord." Truth - Jeremiah is told to speak the truth and not to be afraid. “Boy” in this passage could also be translated as servant, “I am only a servant”. Jeremiah is already a servant and can’t imagine doing anything more. Do you know how that feels? How can I possibly do any more God? You can’t ask anything more of me? Then the Lord touches Jeremiah and emboldens him to speak the truth, to speak God’s truth to all that can hear. God emboldens us to do the same. Speaking the truth is a hard thing to do. Fast forward to Jesus’ time. Jesus speaks the truth to the people of Nazareth. At first they like it, they are amazed, but then he says some things they don’t want to hear and they try to kill him. Speaking the truth almost gets Jesus killed and in three years time Jesus will indeed die for speaking the truth. What is our truth? What is it that God is calling us to speak? Fast forward again to Corinthians and this famous passage about love that we read at many weddings. Paul writes this piece because the Corinthians were arguing about who had the best spiritual gifts. Can you imagine people arguing about who was better than the other? Of course you can, we do it all the time especially in this primary season. Paul speaks the truth to them in saying your gifts mean nothing without love and compassion for one another. In other words, you can be the best at something but without love it is meaningless. Love is the foundation of all of our gifts, love is what makes it all work. Speaking the truth is a dangerous business but when the truth is spoken in love it can be a transformational experience. Sometimes we have a hard time with the truth like the people of Nazareth, they did not want to hear that Jesus was sent to all people; they thought God should send the Messiah for them. Not those heathens over there but for the good and faithful of Israel. They couldn’t see the bigger picture, they were only concerned about their own self-interests. It’s normal for us to worry about ourselves first but we can only be transformed when we set aside our own interests and broaden our view. This is very hard to do when we believe that what we feel is the truth, the whole truth. Just because we see things a certain way doesn’t make it the truth. It may be our truth but often not the truth of others. We get so stuck in our way of thinking that it becomes inconceivable for us to believe there might be another way to think, another side to the story. So how do we seek the truth - we seek it through community. We seek it by testing what we believe with others, by listening to another viewpoint with respect and love. We have a bad habit in this culture of ours to make sweeping generalizations, just look at the political sound bites, but life is more nuanced than that. Life is more complicated than that. There are no simple fixes just a continual movement to seek the truth, to seek God’s calling to us. This has been an amazing year at Trinity and Prince of Peace; I don’t think there is one person here who could have predicted last January that this is where we would be today. So where do we go from here? I don’t know… but I do know that if we continue to listen to God’s calling to us, if we continue to speak the truth in love, if we continue to listen to each other with love and respect, we will have another amazing year. There is power in community, there is power in the truth and there is amazing power in love. May we continue our journey together, seeking the truth, seeking God’s call and speaking in love, both here in this community and in all that we do. Amen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sermon preached on Sunday, January 24, 2016 – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany – to the people of Trinity Episcopal/ Prince of Peace Lutheran, Claremont, NH By The Rev. Dr. Janet Lombardo
Today is your lucky day. No you did not win the lottery, no I am not giving anything away, but today is your lucky day. Today Jesus says: “He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." That means you. Jesus says to you today that he releases you from all that holds you captive, today Jesus will help you to see all that you refuse to face, today Jesus tells you that you are free of everything that oppresses you and on top of that it is a year of the Lord’s favor, a year when all that keeps you from loving yourself, loving each other is redeemed. Today is your lucky day. How do we let go of the things that hold us captive? What are the things that are keeping you from living your best life? What is it that stops you from living more and more into God’s love? Jesus says to you today that he is releasing you from those doubts that say you are not good enough, not smart enough, not whatever enough, Jesus is releasing you today. Releasing you from what has happened in the past, what has shaped you in the wrong ways, Jesus is releasing you. Today is a new day. We are so blind, blind to how we act, blind to the needs of others, blind to all that God offers us in Jesus. Today you receive your sight. Today Jesus will help you see your life with new clarity, will help you see how you can reorient your priorities, how you can live into God’s love for you. What are the things that are pulling you away from God, what are the things that prevent you from seeing the truth. Today you receive your sight. Today all who are oppressed are free. God offers us freedom from all that oppresses us, all that makes us feel less than, less than who we are created to be. Oppression takes many forms, sometimes it is a subtle putting down of someone, sometimes it is a feeling of victimization, we are not victims… we are children of God. Jesus offers us today freedom from our oppression, Jesus asks us to help others to be free from their oppression. Finally Jesus proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor, a time of forgiveness and reorientation. A time when debts were forgiven and slaves were set free. A year in which the poor received preferential treatment, and the rich redistributed their wealth. Why is it so hard for us to accept this? We have such a hard time trusting this. Trusting that God offers us a better way to be, a better way to see. We don’t like it… we like being stuck in our old ways of doing things, our old ways of thinking. We don’t like to be uncomfortable; when something makes us uncomfortable we want to go back to the way things were. We don’t like change and we want to keep things the same. This is not the way of the spirit. The spirit moves us to see things in new ways, to be a bit uncomfortable until we live into a new way to see. It’s not easy living into the freedom that Jesus offers us this morning. How will we live without our old rules, without our blinders on, without our hierarchy of how things should be. Today is your lucky day, but only if you choose to live into Jesus statement to us. Only if we let go of how things always have been and see things in new ways. The people of Jesus’ time could not do it, they crucified Him… I’m not sure we are doing a whole lot better. Just look at our politics, the name-calling, the mean spiritedness, the pointing of fingers, the blaming of someone else. Where do we have an opportunity to show love and compassion to each other, to our families, to ourselves? When I worked for Hospice I used to talk to dying people about what makes their heart sing. What makes your heart sing? Its time we start doing more of that and less of the things that drag us down, hold us back. Find your priorities, find the things that make you feel most alive and you will find the work of the spirit. Jesus offers us a new way, promises us a new way. We are all part of it, we are all important. Today is the year of the Lord’s favor. Will you accept all that God offers to you? Amen |
