Lectionary citations
Acts 1:6-14
Ps 68:1-10, 32-35
1 Pet 4:12-14; 5:6-11
John 17:1-11
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Sermon Seeds
Focus Scripture:
John 17:1-11
Weekly Theme:
Community of Prayer
Reflection:
There are subtle shifts here at the beginning of the 17th chapter of John's Gospel: Jesus' farewell speech, now more than four chapters long, becomes a closing prayer, a move that would have been familiar to the first-century Christian hearers of the story. That's what farewell speeches did in those days: it was as familiar to them as, for example, the prayer before the sermon is to many in the church today. It would have sounded "right" to John's audience, and they listened in on the prayer just as the disciples did that night, and just as we listen in today. It's true that the gospel is something we "overhear."
Another change is the very different picture Jesus' words paint of his disciples, not as their usual clueless selves (as they seemed, earlier in the evening). Charles Cousar writes that Jesus describes them instead "as God's possession, given to Jesus, people who have kept the word taught them and have understood that Jesus has come from God." This hushed little group gathered at table are precious in Jesus' eyes, and he entrusts them to God, Cousar says: "They belong to God, and God is enjoined to protect them as they live out their calling in the world, to enable them to maintain their unity. Jesus' stance toward his followers is not one of condescension or pity. He describes them as they are seen by God" (Texts for Preaching Year A).
There is much to be said for seeing Christ in each other; there is also something to be said for seeing ourselves as God sees us, with steadfast love and compassion, but with hope, too, for the future and what is yet to be. The disciples that night are a band with great promise, and Jesus sees that promise within them, but he also knows that they will carry the gospel, embody its message, in a hostile and curiously unwelcoming world (a world that doesn't seem to know what it needs most – then, or now!). In such a world full of challenges to people of faith, "it is critical that the church remind itself that it is the recipient of Jesus' prayer…that God will be present in the life and mission of the faith community," Gail R. O'Day writes. O'Day wonders, then, how the church's "self-definition would be changed if it took as its beginning point, 'We are a community for whom Jesus prays'" (John, New Interpreter's Bible). How would such an understanding affect the way your church sees itself, its strength, its possibilities, and its mission in the world?
The prayer itself is beautiful, "with an elegance surpassed in John only by its prologue" (Lois Malcolm, The Lectionary Commentary). Like the Our Father, this text provides the occasion to reflect on prayer itself. According to John J. Pilch, "Prayer is a socially meaningful act of communication directed to persons perceived to be in control of the life situation of the one praying and performed for the purpose of getting results" (The Cultural World of Jesus). As we overhear Jesus' prayer, we understand several things a little better: "The message of the prayer," Pilch writes, "reveals how the persons praying perceive themselves and God…that is, how and what we pray reveal what we believe about the one to whom we pray." If you listen carefully to our prayers on Sunday morning, what sort of things do we reveal about our beliefs about God? About our sense of the relationship we have with God?
Interestingly, Pilch observes that Jesus is praying, in a sense, publicly, not "in secret" as he instructed them in the Gospel of Matthew (6:5-6). But Pilch places the prayer in the context of Mediterranean culture, which held honor as a core value: "honor is a claim to worth and a public acknowledgement of that claim." We might compare and contrast this prayer of Jesus with the way we pray today: Pilch wonders if our prayers today "are composed with greater concern to impress or edify the human listeners than to stir God to action." Can we imagine a God who is "stirred to action" by our prayers? Would that enliven our worship together and our quiet times of personal prayer? "Westerners," Pilch writes, "are convinced that they are masters of their own destiny and are expected to look out for themselves. No one else will. Our Middle Eastern ancestors in the faith believed that they had no control over their lives. Only God did, and public prayer stirred God to act because it put God's honor on the line." Do we think that God's honor is at stake when we pray?
The New Proclamation Commentary on the Gospels draws a parallel between this prayer and the first three petitions in the Our Father: both call God "Father," each one an intimate and "affectionate prayer of Son to Father." While John doesn't use "kingdom of God" language found in the other Gospels, he does speak of "the eternal life which Jesus came to bring," eternal life not equated with heaven after death but with the knowledge of God, as Jesus prays, and "such knowledge transforms both the disciples and the world." Finally, the theme of "Thy will be done" runs through this prayer, because the hour has come for Jesus to fulfill God's will, and he does so, obediently (NTPCG).
On the other hand, this prayer is very different from that of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, as Mark tells the story of this night in his Gospel. Lois Malcolm contrasts the "grieved" Jesus who wouldn't mind "passing" on the cup he was about to drink, with the Jesus who sits at table speaking of glory that he shared with God the Father from the beginning of time (Lectionary Commentary). But that's because John is putting this prayer in the context not just of impending death but of the bigger picture of Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension, with plenty of glory for the little faith community to tap into. Gail R. O'Day again: "Jesus' farewell is not the conventional prayer of a dying man.…not a death-bed prayer, but the prayer of the One on the verge of willingly laying down his life and thus completing God's work…not a universal and timeless prayer of Jesus but one decisively grounded in and shaped by Jesus' hour" (John, NIB). This prayer, then, is for all of us, but it was a one-time experience for Jesus to face this hour and place everything, the events in the coming days and his disciples two thousand years later, in the hands of God.
Several commentators have written eloquently on this passage, translated so beautifully by Eugene Peterson: "Display the bright splendor of your Son so the Son in turn may show your bright splendor. You put him in charge of everything human so he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge...Everything mine is yours, and yours mine, and my life is on display in them" (The Message). This tells us something about our call, our mission today: the life of Jesus is "on display" in us.
Charles Cousar describes this moment reassuringly: "The disciples are not to be left with the best of human possibilities, but with the very reality of God. They have a name and a basis for confronting the riddles of human existence, even though they live without the physical companionship of Jesus." Just as Pilch wonders about our praying, Cousar prompts reflection on our sense of dependence (or not) on God, in a world confident of its progress and power. Is it indeed up to us, or might we "stir God to act" if we realize our limitations? But Cousar also paints a dramatic picture of this moment: "Something earth-shaking, life-changing is at stake in this act of glorifying, this revelation of the Father. It is not merely the datum of another religion, but the giving of life – not just breathing, eating, moving, but the life of the age to come…a change in the aeons, a movement in the world's clock, the dawning of a new day, so that the life of eternity can be experienced now" (Texts for Preaching Year A).
The day that has dawned, however, is not here in its fullness. Dianne Bergant calls the days since that hushed night "a liminal time, a time 'in-between'…Time has been radically changed for us. We are now living in God's time, when future fulfillment has already come to pass….we always live in the tension of the 'already, but not yet.'" However, our hope lies in the sure knowledge that "'Already, but not yet' is the way we live out our lives in God, not the way God lives in us. The tension is ours, not God's. This tension is at the core of much of our frustration and suffering. We think we have made some progress in reforming our lives only to realize that with each step forward we discover more steps that need to be taken…While in this liminal state we must remember that even if we become frustrated God does not. God is always on our side" (Preaching the New Lectionary). We are a strange mix of over-confidence and anxiety; yet this quiet but powerful prayer of Jesus offers an antidote that both comforts and challenges.
Bergant claims that we need one another in this liminal time, and her "case" for the church is persuasive: "the radical nature of this in-between living requires the support of a community…not only for help in the ordinary experiences of life…a community of believers with whom we can pray, who will understand our spiritual aspirations, who will support us in our Christian commitment, who will challenge us when we stray from the right path…who are companions with us on our journey through this in-between time, who experience the same struggle to be faithful in a world that does not share our values or our insights. We need a community of believers through whom shines the glory of the exalted Lord." Does this describe your church? Does it describe the way you think of church itself?
The world is still an often hostile place, and the cross makes no sense to many "optimists," any more than the resurrection does, but our reassurance rests in the knowledge that Jesus has left us in God's care. We are not alone. As Fred Craddock puts it: "The Evangelist leaves no one in doubt: the church is not an orphan in the world, an accident of history, a thing dislodged, the frightened child of huddled rumors and superstitions. The pedigree of truth is established and unbroken: from God, to Christ, to the apostles, to the church (Preaching through the Christian Year A).
Finally, O. Wesley Allen, Jr. clarifies again what Jesus means by “eternal life”: “In a day when outside the church people try to attain eternal life with success, possessions, or power and inside the church we focus on achieving a reward in heaven after we die, it is important to hear what John really means by eternal life…Without denying an eschatological aspect to John’s theology, the primary emphasis is eternal life as the quality of current existence….It is not that knowledge of God and Christ leads to eternal life; knowledge of God and Christ is eternal life itself “ (New Proclamation 2008). In your heart and mind and soul, what is the “eternal life” you long for?
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Lectionary texts
Acts 1:6-14
So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35
Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
let the wicked perish before God.
But let the righteous be joyful;
let them exult before God;
let them be jubilant with joy.
Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—
his name is the Lord—
be exultant before him.
Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
God gives the desolate a home to live in;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.
O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness,
Selah
the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;
you restored your heritage when it languished;
your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord,
Selah
O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel;
and whose power is in the skies.
Awesome is God in his sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
1 Pet 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
John 17:1-11
After Jesus had spoken these words, he 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.
Sunday bulletin back page
Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 4, 2008
John 17:1-11
"THAT THEY MAY KNOW...JESUS CHRIST" (John 17:3)
Although Jesus never traveled to Antioch, no doubt he had heard of it. In his day, Antioch was not only the capital of the Roman province of Syria, but the third largest city in the whole Empire. A commercial crossroads, Antioch had a diverse population of Macedonians, Greeks, Syrians, and Jews.
Antioch did not hear of Jesus, however, until after the martyrdom of Stephen, when the disciples scattered for fear of persecution. Luke tells us in the Acts of the Apostles that when some of the believers arrived in Antioch they not only preached to the Jews, as was their custom, but also to the Greeks, "and a great number became believers." When news of the conversions reached the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas the Levite to Antioch, where "he rejoiced, and exhorted the people to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion." (Acts 11:23) Indeed, so many people responded to his preaching that Barnabas summoned the Apostle Paul to his side, and so it was, Luke says, "that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called 'Christians.'" (11:26)
What the Holy Spirit accomplished through Barnabas and Paul at Antioch has never been surpassed. From that congregation--the first Gentile church--Paul was inspired to launch his miraculous ministry to the Greeks throughout Asia Minor. Is it any wonder, then, that the missionaries who have followed in his footsteps ever since have so often felt inadequate?
But wait a minute. Try to find Antioch on any map today. It's not there. In its place is the Turkish city of Antakya. What happened? With the fall of the Roman Empire, Antioch went into decline. Later, Christians and Muslims fought over the city for centuries until it fell to the Ottomans in 1516.
The Apostle Paul was only human: even he could not expect the church at Antioch to last forever. Or could he? To be sure, Paul wouldn't recognize the city he knew almost two thousand years ago. Its population is less than half of what it was. Long ago earthquakes, fires, and wars destroyed most of what the Romans built. And, of course, there were no mosques or minarets when Paul lived there.
But on the main street of Antakya there stands today a Roman Catholic church, and near-by an Orthodox church. The gospel is inextinguishable after all. Praise be to the stillspeaking triune God.
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Liturgical notes on the Readings
In ecumenical liturgical practice, there are normally three readings and one psalm at each Sunday service, in this order:
First Reading: Hebrew Scripture
Response: Psalm (or Canticle) from the Bible
Second Reading: Epistle (or Acts or Revelation)
Third Reading: Gospel
The first two lessons are normally read by laypeople, the Gospel by a Minister of the Word or a layperson. In Roman Catholic, Anglican and liturgical Protestant churches, it is uncommon for an ordained minister to read all of the lessons.
The psalm is not a reading but a congregational response following the lesson from Hebrew Scripture: it is normally sung with a refrain or recited by the congregation as poetry. Occasionally, a canticle is appointed in place of a psalm; it is sung or recited in the same way. The New Century Hymnal provides a complete liturgical psalter with refrains and music.
A hymn may be sung as an introduction to the proclamation of the Gospel.
During Ordinary Time (seasons after Epiphany and Pentecost) two alternative sets of OT readings with responsorial psalms are provided. The first option is a semi-continuous reading through a book of Hebrew Scripture; the second is thematically related to the other readings.
Notes on the Lectionary and Liturgical Colors
Advent and Christmas
The Violet color for Advent is traditionally connected with royalty and penitence. Blue is symbolic of expectation and hope, not only for the birth of Christ, but also for Christ's return at the end of history. Rose on the third Sunday of Advent, which was Gaudete (Joy), provided a little relief from the somberness of Advent in earlier times. Some Advent wreath sets include a rose candle. White first appears on Christmas Eve and may be continued through the Sunday after Christmas, Epiphany, and the Sunday after Epiphany (celebrated by many as the Baptism of Christ) to show that all of these events are related in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. White is also used for Easter and Sundays following. (Some traditions use Gold or both for Christmas and Easter.)
Lent and Easter
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent. Violet throughout Lent is in wide use, but some churches have begun instead to use browns, beiges, and grays (burlaps and unbleached fabrics, for example) to reflect the mood of penitence.
There are many variations in the use of vestments and color during Holy Week. Some common practices: Red, the color of martyrs, for Palm/Passion Sunday up to Maundy Thursday, when White is used for Holy Communion; stripping of all chancel paraments at the conclusion of the Maundy Thursday service, with no adornment until the appearance of White and/or Gold at Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday; the use of Black, Red or no color for Good Friday; the use of Scarlet during Holy Week instead of the "fire" Red of Pentecost.
Pentecost
Red is sometimes used in the Church year as a reminder of martyrdom, but in the case of the day of Pentecost, it is traditionally thought to represent the tongues of fire. This burst of color is followed by the long season of Ordinary Time during which the color Green is displayed and worn to symbolize life, growth, and the church in mission. (Where Trinity Sunday is observed, White is often used.)
Ordinary Time
Outside the large seasons of Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter (which concludes with Pentecost), Sundays are numbered, or "ordered," as Sundays in Ordinary Time (as in 11th, 12th, or 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time). Ordinary Time begins with the Sundays following the Epiphany. In this calendar, they are also listed a Sundays after the Epiphany. The variable date of Easter results in years in which all the Ordinary Time readings are not used. This may cause a gap in numbering Ordinary Time when it resumes after Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. This calendar lists these as Sundays in Ordinary Time (even though they may still be counted as Sundays after Pentecost). The color Green is displayed during Sundays of Ordinary Time to symbolize life and growth and the church in mission.
Lectionary Readings following Trinity Sunday
The Revised Common Lectionary offers two options for Old Testament and Psalm readings on the Sundays in Ordinary Time following Trinity Sunday. The first (semi-continuous) option follows a series of Old Testament readings for several weeks. The second (paired) option (following OR) relates the Old Testament and Psalm readings to New Testament themes. It is suggested that a congregation choose one option and follow it.
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