• 24 Saint Matthias the Apostle according to the Acts of the Apostles, was the apostle chosen by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas' betrayal of Jesus and suicide • 25 John Roberts, Priest, 1949 • 26 Emily Malbone Morgan, Prophetic Witness, 1937 • 27 George Herbert, priest, 1633 was a Welsh-born English poet, orator and Anglican priest. • 28 Anna Julia Haywood Cooper, 1964, and Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, 1904, Educators • 29 John Cassian, Abbot at Marseilles, 433 John the Ascetic, or John Cassian the Roman, was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern Churches for his mystical writing March • 1 David, Bishop of Menevia, Wales, c. 544 was a Welsh bishop of Menevia during the 6th century; he was later regarded as a saint and as the patron saint of Wales OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 15: 1 - 12, 17 - 18 (all) Gene 15:1 (NRSV) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Elie'zer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." 4 But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." 5 He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7 Then he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chalde'ans, to give you this land to possess." 8 But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, PSALM 27 (RCL) Psalm 27: 1, 7 - 9, 13 - 14 (Roman Catholic) Psal 27:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh-- my adversaries and foes-- they shall stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. 4 One thing I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. 6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! 8 "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, LORD, do I seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation! 10 If my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me up. 11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. 12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence. 13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above. 27 Dominus illuminatio (ECUSA BCP) 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? * the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, * it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army should encamp against me, * yet my heart shall not be afraid; 4 And though war should rise up against me, * yet will I put my trust in him. 5 One thing have I asked of the Lord; one thing I seek; * that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; 6 To behold the fair beauty of the Lord * and to seek him in his temple. 7 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe in his shelter; * he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling and set me high upon a rock. 8 Even now he lifts up my head * above my enemies round about me. 9 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation with sounds of great gladness; * I will sing and make music to the Lord. 10 Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call; * have mercy on me and answer me. 11 You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." * Your face, Lord, will I seek. 12 Hide not your face from me, * nor turn away your servant in displeasure. 13 You have been my helper; cast me not away; * do not forsake me, O God of my salvation. 14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, * the Lord will sustain me. 15 Show me your way, O Lord; * lead me on a level path, because of my enemies. 16 Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, * for false witnesses have risen up against me, and also those who speak malice. 17 What if I had not believed that I should see the goodness of the Lord * in the land of the living! 18 O tarry and await the Lord's pleasure; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; * wait patiently for the Lord. NEW TESTAMENT: Philippians 3: 17 - 4: 1 (all) Phil 3:17 (NRSV) Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. H/T Montreal Anglican Paul has written: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death” (3:10). He has not yet fully understood Christ, but he presses on (3:12) towards the goal of being with Christ when he comes again. This is how “mature” (3:15) Christians should think: they have not yet achieved full understanding. Now Paul offers himself as an example of centering oneself in Christ, in his sufferings. (At the time, Paul was in prison.) Observe those who follow his (our) example! He warns against “many” (3:18) who centre on other things: at the end of the age, sadly they will be destroyed. Who are they? Perhaps self-centred people, but more likely Christians who insist on keeping Jewish dietary laws (“belly”, 3:19) and on circumcision: to boast in this is to glory in an organ which should be modestly covered (“shame”). These are “earthly things”, made obsolete by Christ’s coming. Society looks to Rome for citizenship but we look to “heaven” (3:20). Our bodies, now mortal, will enter eternal life in a changed form, to achieve union with Christ (3:21). Per Psalm 8, the Messiah will be sovereign over all (“subject to himself”); Christ is the Messiah. Do not deviate from the true faith! (4:1). The abrupt change of tone and content at 3:1b suggests that this segment is from a later communication of Paul. [NJBC] 3:12-14: Though righteousness is God’s gift, Christians are not relieved of the obligation of serious effort towards being godly. [NOAB] 3:12-14: “goal ... prize ... heavenly”: Paul is thinking of Greek foot races; the “goal” is their finishing post. The word translated “heavenly” literally means upward. Winners were called to ascend a podium to receive a “prize”, i.e. a “crown” (4:1). [NOAB] [NJBC] 3:13: “Beloved”: literally brothers. 3:13: “forgetting what lies behind”: i.e. leaving behind past achievements. [NJBC] 3:14: “heavenly call”: Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “... the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever”, and in Romans 5:2: “... we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God”. 3:15: “mature”: In 1 Corinthians, Paul distinguishes between immature and mature Christians. In 1 Corinthians 2:6 he writes: “... among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age ...”. In 1 Corinthians 14:20, he urges members of the community to grow spiritually: “... do not be children in your thinking; rather, be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults”. See also Hebrews 5:13-14. [JBC] 3:17: “join in imitating me”: Paul also invites imitation of him in 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:7, 9; 1 Corinthians 4:16. He is able to do this because he himself is an imitator of Christ: he advises in 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ”. [JBC] 3:18: “enemies of the cross of Christ”: Comments uses the interpretation in NJBC. By preaching the necessity of circumcision, the “enemies” deny the efficacy of the Cross, thus voiding Christ’s costly self-sacrifice: Paul writes in Galatians 2:21: “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing”. However, NOAB does not consider these people to be those who expect Christians to adopt Judaic practices by being circumcised, “those who mutilate the flesh” (3:2). CAB says that the “enemies” are likely those who do not wish to make the Cross the centre of the Christian message. See also 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:2; 11:26. 3:19: “destruction”: In 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul presents the paradox of the Cross: “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”. [JBC] 3:19: “belly”: This refers to zeal for Jewish food laws or to selfishness in general. In Romans 16:18, Paul writes: “... such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites”. [NJBC] 3:19: “their glory is in their shame”: To boast in circumcision (vv. 2-3) is to glory in something which one modestly covers: Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:23: “those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect”. [NJBC] 3:19: “earthly things”: In Galatians 4:9, Paul asks those who are tempted to desert the faith and the Way: “Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again?”. [JBC] 3:19: It is also possible that the “many” see Paul’s imprisonment as a setback in their social status – in the context of the residents of Philippi. [CAB] 3:20: “our citizenship is in heaven”: We already have it! The Greek word translated “citizenship” carries with it the notion of being active as a citizen. See also Galatians 4:24-27 (the allegory of Hagar and Sarah) and Ephesians 2:19 (“... citizens with the saints ...”). [NJBC] To CAB, Paul’s use of the word “citizenship” indicates that his opponents see his imprisonment as a setback in terms of their status in society. 3:20: “it is from there ...”: In Acts 1:11, after the Ascension two messengers from God tell the disciples: “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven”. See also Acts 3:21; 2 Timothy 4:1. [CAB] 3:21: “that it may be ... glory”: In Romans 8:23, Paul speaks of waiting for “adoption, the redemption of our bodies”. 1 Corinthians 15:49 says “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven” and 15:51 “... we will all be changed”. See also Romans 8:19-21, 29-30; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; Colossians 3:1-4. [NOAB] 3:21: “make all things subject to himself”: An allusion to Psalm 8:6 (“You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet”), a verse that to Paul tells of the messianic reign of Christ. See also Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:6-9; 1 Peter 3:22. [NJBC] 4:1: “joy and crown”: Paul asks rhetorically in 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20: “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!”. [NOAB] GOSPEL: Luke 13: 31 - 35 (RCL) Luke 13:31 (NRSV) At that very hour some Phar'isees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Her'od wants to kill you." 32 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. 33 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.' 34 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! 35 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.'" Someone has asked: “Will only a few be saved?” (v. 23). Jesus has warned that few who have eaten with him will enter the Kingdom; many apparently pious people will be excluded. Many others, from across the world, will eat with him. Now “some Pharisees” (v. 31), in perhaps the only favourable mention of them in the gospels, advise him to leave Herod Antipas’ territory (“here”, i.e. Galilee and Perea). (Herod the Great died soon after Jesus was born.) To Jesus, Herod is “that fox” (v. 32): destructive, tricky, sly, politically motivated. Herod will not cut short Jesus’ earthly ministry. His journey to Jerusalem “must” (v. 33), in accord with the Father’s will, continue day-by-day; in and at his resurrection (“third day”, v. 32), he will complete, consummate, his mission of restoring mankind to the relationship God intended at creation. Jerusalem, not Herod, has first claim on God’s messengers! (v. 33b). This city is to be the place of, and the agent of, his murder. In vv. 34-35, Jesus laments over the city and (probably) its religious leaders (“house”). Perhaps v. 34b speaks of Jesus’ extensive effort to bring Judeans to him, of efforts not recorded in the gospels. The city’s residents, rejecting him now, will not see him again until they shout “Blessed ...” (v. 35) as he rides triumphantly into the city on the first Palm Sunday. Verses 31-32: “Herod ... that fox”: Herod Antipas is also mentioned in 3:1, 19-20 (the imprisonment of John the Baptizer); 9:7-9; 23:6-10 (Pilate sends Jesus to Herod and is questioned by him). He had already had John the Baptist put to death. Luke contains criticism of Roman social order. [NJBC] Verse 32: “today and tomorrow, and on the third day”: NOAB says that Jesus did not mean “third” literally; rather, he means a short and limited time. The NRSV translates the Greek literally, but BlkLk translates it as day by day, and one day soon. He says that there is an Aramaic idiom behind the Greek which does not refer to two actual days but to an indefinite short period followed by a still indefinite, but certain, event. This idiom is also at work in Hosea 6:2: “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him”. Verse 32: “finish”: The same Greek word is found in John 5:36 (“complete”); 17:4, 23; 19:28; Hebrews 2:10; 5:9. It signifies the perfection of Christ’s redemptive mission. [JBC] Verse 33: “today, tomorrow, and the next day”: As a sequel to his interpretation given for v. 32, BlkLk suggests that the meaning may be every day. Verse 33: “it is impossible ...”: NOAB says that this is bitter irony. For the motif of the rejected prophet, see Nehemiah 9:26-31. [NJBC] Verse 33: “prophet”: In 4:24-27, Jesus says “... no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown ...”. In 7:16, when Jesus restores a man to life, those gathered proclaim: “‘A great prophet has risen among us!’”. In 7:39, a Pharisee argues that Jesus is not a prophet. In 24:19, on the road to Emmaus, Cleopas speaks of Jesus as “a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people”. [JBC] Verses 34-35: The parallel is Matthew 23:37-39. [NOAB] Verse 34b: Comments: of efforts not recorded in the gospels: Luke 4:44 says: “So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea”; however, the text is uncertain. In some manuscripts and in the parallels (Matthew 4:23 and Mark 1:39), Galilee appears rather than Judea. If “Judea” is correct, this is the only express mention of Jesus’ early ministry in Judea outside the Gospel according to John. [NOAB] Verse 34: “hen”: An image of loving care and protection. [NJBC] Verse 35: “your house”: The Old Testament background seems to be Jeremiah 22:1-9 where house means the king’s household of leaders. [NJBC] Verse 35: “Blessed ...”: See 19:38 (Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem) and Psalm 118:26 (“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD ...”). At the time, this psalm was ascribed messianic significance. [JBC] Zechariah 9:9 says: “ Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”. Luke 9: 28 - 36 (alt. for RCL & Can. BAS, but not C of E or ECUSA) Luke 9: 28b - 36 (Roman Catholic) Luke 9:28 (NRSV) Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Eli'jah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now 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. 33 Just 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 Eli'jah"--not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 36 When 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. Luke 9:28-36 Jesus has predicted his suffering, death and resurrection to his disciples; he has called on them to “take up their cross” (v. 23), has warned that those who hear the gospel but fail to trust in it will be condemned, and has promised that some present will see the kingdom of God. Now he and the inner circle of disciples ascend “the mountain” (v. 28). In Luke, Jesus always prays before an important event. An aura of unnatural brightness is linked with mystical appearances in Exodus and Acts; “dazzling white” (v. 29) is a symbol of transcendence. In Jewish tradition, both “Moses and Elijah” (v. 30) were taken into heaven without dying. Jesus’ agenda is in accord with the Law and the prophets; he is doing God’s will. “Two men” also appear at the resurrection and at the ascension. Jesus’ “departure” (v. 31, exodos in Greek) is his journey to Jerusalem and his passage from this world. Peter clearly doesn’t understand; perhaps he thinks he is witnessing a super Feast of Tabernacles (“dwellings”, v. 33) – a time when the whole city was brightly illuminated. The “cloud” (v. 34) is a symbol of God’s presence; the words from it recall Jesus’ baptism, and add “listen to him!” (v. 35). They refrain from telling anyone what they had seen in order to avoid premature curtailing of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The parallels are Matthew 17:1-8 and Mark 9:2-8. [NOAB] Comments: An aura of unnatural brightness is linked with mystical appearances in Exodus and Acts: The references are Exodus 34:29-35 and Acts 9:3 (Paul’s vision on the road to Damascus). Other references are Nahum 3:3; Ezekiel 1:4, 7; Daniel 10:6 (particularly in the Septuagint translation). [BlkLk] Verse 28: “about eight days after”: Luke may be intending the octave day of the Feast of Tabernacles. During this feast, the whole city was brightly illuminated. [JBC] Verse 28: “these sayings”: i.e. those in vv. 23-27. Luke intends to link Jesus’ prediction of the coming of the Kingdom with the Transfiguration. [NJBC] Verse 28: “went up on the mountain to pray”: For prayer as part of many recorded momentous events in Jesus’ life, see, for example, Mark 1:35; Luke 3:21 (the baptism of Jesus); 6:12 (Jesus chooses the twelve apostles); 9:18 (Peter’s recognition that Jesus is the Messiah); 11:1 (the Lord’s Prayer); 22:21-46 (Jesus predicts Peter's denial of him). [NOAB] Verse 29: “the appearance of his face was changed”: Mark 9:2 has “transfigured”. BlkLk suggests that Luke avoids the apparent metamorphosis lest his Hellenic readers think in terms of human deities. Verses 30-31: On the road to Emmaus, in 24:26-27, Jesus asks: “‘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”. “Glory” is associated with the risen and heavenly life. [NJBC] Verse 30: “Two men”: There are two similar appearances: • at the Resurrection, in 24:4: “While they [the women who had come from Galilee] were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them” • after the Ascension, in Acts 1:10: “While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them”. [JBC] Verse 31: “departure”: God’s secret burial of Moses (per the Septuagint translation of Deuteronomy 34:6) led to the tradition that Moses did not die, but rather ascended. Elijah’s taking up into heaven is mentioned in 2 Kings 2:1-12. [CAB] Joshua and Jesus are the same name. As Joshua succeeded Moses, so Jesus does now. [BlkLk] Verse 32: “weighed down with sleep”: This suggests that the Transfiguration took place at night. [NOAB] However, BlkLk offers a second alternative: Luke may be seeking a way of excusing Peter’s strange suggestion in v. 33 (although it can also be seen as an attempt to delay the departure of Moses and Elijah). Verse 33: “three dwellings”: For the Feast of Tabernacles (“booths”), see Zechariah 14:16. [JBC] Verse 34: “Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!”: The parallel to this verse is Matthew 23:37-39. Going back to the previous verses, Matthew 23:29-36, Jesus says that previous generations have killed from A to Z, “from ... Abel to ... Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar”. HBD says that this Zechariah was probably the son of Jehoida, a priest; “the son of Barachiah” being a scribal error. The parallel, Luke 11:51, does not identify his father. 2 Chronicles 24:20-21 tells us that this Zechariah was stoned to death for his unpopular preaching, which was prophetic; it says in part: “they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the LORD”. Clearly, “house” here means Temple. Zechariah was one prophet who was murdered in Jerusalem. Jesus may be thinking of himself as another prophet to be killed there. Verse 35: “This is my Son ...”: The words at Jesus’ baptism, in 3:21-22, are “‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’”. [NJBC] Verse 35: “Chosen”: The Greek word has much the same meaning as that translated Beloved, found in the parallel passages. See also John 12:28-30. [NOAB] Both titles indicate an act of will rather than of feeling. CAB suggests that “my Chosen” refers to the concept of Israel in Isaiah 42:1: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” The voice identifies Jesus as the agent of the new-covenant people. In Psalm 106:20, Moses is spoken of as “his chosen one”. The scoffers at the cross refer to Jesus as God’s “chosen one”: see 23:35. [BlkLk] Verse 35: “listen to him”: Perhaps a reference to the prophet like Moses of Deuteronomy 18:15, whom the Israelites are to heed. Here the meaning is that the disciples are commanded to be attentive to this new phase in God’s revelation of who the Son is: one who returns to God via the cross. The implications for the disciples of Jesus’ journey to the cross will be spelt out in 9:51-19:27. [NJBC]