1 Justin, Martyr at Rome, c. 167 was a Christian martyr during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. 2 The Martyrs of Lyons, 177 3 The Martyrs of Uganda, 1886 4 John XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli), Bishop of Rome, 1963 was Pope of the Catholic Church and ruled the Vatican City from 1958 until his death in 1963. He is the most recent Pope to date to take the name "John" upon being elected as Pope. 5 Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz, Missionary to Germany, and Martyr, 754 was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. 6 Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood, 1945 OLD TESTAMENT: 1 Kings 18:20-39 (RCL) 20 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ The people did not answer him a word. 22Then Elijah said to the people, ‘I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred and fifty. 23Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 24Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.’ All the people answered, ‘Well spoken!’ 25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, ‘Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.’ 26So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, ‘O Baal, answer us!’ But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. 27At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, ‘Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.’ 28Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come closer to me’; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; 31Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, ‘Israel shall be your name’; 32with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 33Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, ‘Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt-offering and on the wood.’ 34Then he said, ‘Do it a second time’; and they did it a second time. Again he said, ‘Do it a third time’; and they did it a third time, 35so that the water ran all round the altar, and filled the trench also with water. 36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, ‘O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.’ 38Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt-offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. 39When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.’ 1 Kings 8:22-23,41-43 (alt. for RCL) 22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven. 23He said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 41 ‘Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name 42—for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm—when a foreigner comes and prays towards this house, 43then hear in heaven your dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built. Note: If the alternate RCL OT reading is used, then it should be accompanied by vs. 1-9 of Psalm 96 below. Genesis 14:18-20 (Roman Catholic) 18And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. 19He blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’ And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything. PSALM 96 (RCL) 1 O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous works among all the peoples. 4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Honour and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in holy splendour; tremble before him, all the earth. 10 Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.’ 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. 96 Cantate Domino (ECUSA BCP) 1 Sing to the Lord a new song; * sing to the Lord, all the whole earth. 2 Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; * proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations * and his wonders among all peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; * he is more to be feared than all gods. 5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; * but it is the Lord who made the heavens. 6 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! * Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary! 7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; * ascribe to the Lord honor and power. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; * bring offerings and come into his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; * let the whole earth tremble before him. 10 Tell it out among the nations: “The Lord is King! * he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea thunder and all that is in it; * let the field be joyful and all that is therein. 12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord when he comes, * when he comes to judge the earth. 13 He will judge the world with righteousness * and the peoples with his truth. Psalm 110 (Roman Catholic) 1 The Lord says to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 2 The Lord sends out from Zion your mighty sceptre. Rule in the midst of your foes. 3 Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains.* From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth* will come to you. 4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek.’* NEW TESTAMENT: Galatians 1:1-12 (RCL) 1:1 Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2and all the members of God’s family who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! 9As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed! 10 Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; 12for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. h/t Montreal Anglican Paul structures this letter like many letters of his time with an opening formula (the names of the sender, that of his addressees, and a short greeting), the message (the body of the letter), and a final greeting. His other letters have a thanksgiving before the message, but not this one. There is another difference, which scholars see as significant: while in other letters Paul introduces himself simply as “a servant of Christ” (in Romans, and Philippians is similar) and/or as “an apostle” (in Romans and in 1 and 2 Corinthians), here he is keen to point out, from the start, what he is not: his authority is not from humans, but from God. We need to figure out what causes Paul to be so emphatic. We don’t know where Paul was when he wrote this letter, nor who “all the members of God's family who are with me” (v. 2) are. (Philippians tells us that Timothy is with him; in 1 Thessalonians, Silvanus is also named.) “The churches of Galatia” were in north central Asia Minor (modern Turkey). His greeting (“Grace ... and peace”, v. 3) is both Jewish and Greek. “The present evil age” (v. 4) contrasts with the age to be inaugurated when Christ comes again. The lack of a thanksgiving suggests that there are serious problems in the churches. He is “astonished” (v. 6) or amazed that Christians in Galatia have turned from the good news of God, as taught by Paul (“the one who called you”), and are accepting a “different gospel”, not that there is one! They are being led astray by false teachers who are twisting the good news. As vv. 8-9 show, Paul is distinctly upset: “let that one be accursed!” (The Greek implies cut off from God for ever). V. 10 suggests that some think that he makes practising the faith too easy, but in v. 11 he insists that what he teaches is the real thing. In 6:12-13, Paul rebuts the deviant teachers head-on: they “try to compel” male Gentile Christians to be circumcised, in accord with Mosaic law. This, they say, will increase oneness with God. Paul disagrees. Comments generally follows the interpretation in BlkGal. 1:1-5: The salutation emphasizes both Paul’s divinely given authority as an “apostle” and, in his message, the atoning death of “Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins”: see Mark 10:45 and 1 Timothy 2:5-6. [NOAB] 1:1: “apostle”: The Greek word apostolos developed a specific Christian nuance under the contemporary Jewish institution of the seliah, one sent: a commissioned agent with full powers to carry out a definite (legal, prophetic or missionary) charge. [NJBC] 1:1: “sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities”: BlkGal offers not from human beings nor through a human being. Paul was commissioned as a missionary by the church at Antioch: see Acts 13:1-3. The critique of Paul’s apostleship was on two grounds: that his apostleship originated with the leaders of the church at Antioch, and/or it was mediated through an individual – presumably Peter (see v. 18), or possibly Barnabas. 1:2: “Galatia”: The name derives from Gallic tribes (the Gauls, or Celts) who migrated to Asia Minor and settled in the heartland in the 200s BC. Galatia can refer to: the territory occupied by descendants of these ethnically Gallic tribes and the Roman province established in 25 BC, and its inhabitants. The ethnic area was to the north; however the Roman province extended southwards, almost to the Mediterranean. Paul, on his first missionary journey, established churches in the southern part, at (Pisidian) Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. [BlkGal] NOAB says that the area around Ancyra (modern Ankara), in the ethnic area, is meant. 1:3: “Grace ... peace”: See also Romans 1:7 and 2 Thessalonians 1:2 [NOAB] 1:4: “who gave himself for our sins”: Jesus says in Mark 10:45 “... the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many”. See also 1 Timothy 2:6. [NOAB] The letter’s dominant chord is sounded: salvation through Christ according to the Father’s plan or will. [NJBC] 1:4: “the present evil age”: Judaism commonly made the distinction between the present age and the age to come. John says in Revelation 21:1 “I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more”. See also 2 Peter 3:11-13. [CAB] Paul echoes this distinction and sees the present age as dominated by Satan. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul writes: “... the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ ...”. Christ’s giving of himself has brought about the meeting of the two ages and freed human beings from this “age”. See 1 Corinthians 10:11. [NJBC] 1:6-7: Instead of his customary thanksgiving, Paul voices his surprise and shock at Galatian fickleness. 1:6: “so quickly”: Either in the sense of so soon after your conversion (and my evangelisation) or so easily. 1:6: “the one who called you”: It was Paul’s preaching that called the Galatians to faith: see 4:13-14 [CAB] To NOAB, it is God, through Christ: see v. 15. The Father’s plan is executed through the benevolence of Christ. [NJBC] 1:6: “a different gospel”: i.e. different from the gospel that Paul proclaimed: see also 3:3 and 4:12-20. [CAB] Since the gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16), emanating from Christ, who is not divided (1 Corinthians 1:13), there can only be one gospel. This Paul has already proclaimed to them. [NJBC] 1:8,9: “accursed”: The Greek word is anathema, with the sense of being cut off from God forever. In Romans 9:3, Paul writes: “I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh”. [CAB] In Romans 9:3, Paul says “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people [Jews], my kindred according to the flesh”. See also 1 Corinthians 12:3. [NOAB] 1:8: “an angel from heaven”: In 3:19-20, Paul refers to the Jewish belief that Mosaic law was enacted by angels. Even if one of them were to appear again with a modified gospel, he is not to be heard – in fact, Paul curses such a being. [NJBC] 1:10: “... please people ...”: These words indicate that Paul has been accused of being a people-pleaser, most likely because he has not mandated circumcision for his Gentile converts (6:24-25). [CAB] Paul denies an opponent’s charge that he conciliates people to win converts. In 1 Thessalonians 2:4, he writes: “... we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts”. [NOAB] 1:10: “a servant of Christ”: His conversion has freed him from the “yoke of slavery” (see 5:1), which was Mosaic law, with its emphasis on human achievement. He has become a slave of Christ, prompt to obey him: see Romans 6:16-20. There may also be a further nuance. In Philippians 1:1 and Romans 1:1, Paul calls himself a slave (NRSV: “servant(s)”), possibly like great Old Testament figures who served Yahweh faithfully (e.g. Moses in the Septuagint translation of 2 Kings 18:12). If he were courting human favour, he would not be true to such a calling. [NJBC] 1:11: Despite his severity, Paul addresses the Galatians as “brothers and sisters”. A message merely “of human origin” would be no “gospel of Christ” (v. 7) or “revelation” (v. 12). [NOAB] 1:11: “the gospel that was proclaimed by me”: The essence of this gospel is that salvation is possible for all human beings alike through faith in Christ. [NJBC] 1:11-12: In 1 Corinthians 1:17, Paul says that he was sent by Christ. [CAB] 1:12-2:14: The Judaizers apparently had accused Paul of having derived his message not from Christ, because he had never witnessed the ministry of Jesus, but from other preachers, and having watered it down for Gentiles by eliminating the obligation of Jewish practices. He replies by citing his historic commission and by explaining his relation with the mother church in Jerusalem. [NJBC] 1:12: “through a revelation of Jesus Christ”: The “of” can mean either his vision revealed Christ (see v. 16) or that Christ (not human beings) revealed the gospel. The revelation near Damascus told Paul about Christ and his meaning for humanity. It gave him the essential character of the gospel, not necessarily its form (details). For the facts about Jesus’ life, Paul depended on an early tradition emanating from the Jerusalem church. [NJBC] GOSPEL: Luke 7:1-10 (RCL) 7After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. 3When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy of having you do this for him, 5for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.’ 6And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; 7therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ 9When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’ 10When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. After choosing his apostles, Jesus has descended to the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee, where he has taught many. Now he enters the town of Capernaum. An unusual “centurion” (v. 2), an officer in the Roman army of occupation, has a slave who is gravely ill. So loved by the Jewish community is he, that he can send emissaries to Jesus; they ask Jesus to bend the rules, to treat him as he would a Jew (vv. 3-6). (They think that Jesus came to bless Jews, not Gentiles.) As Jesus walks towards his house, the officer sends others to him: don’t enter my house because, being Gentile, entering it would make you ritually unclean (v. 6). All the centurion asks is that Jesus command the disease to leave his slave (v. 7). He believes that Jesus can order diseases around much as he does soldiers (v. 8). In v. 9, Jesus tells the crowd that he has more faith than Jews (“in Israel”), who were expected to believe. The slave is found to have been healed (v. 10). This story appears to be another version of the story found in Matthew 8:5-13. There is a story in John 4:4-54 (John’s second sign) which tells of the restoration to health of a slave of a “royal official”, whom NOAB sees as a Gentile military officer. There, Jesus is in Cana, some 18 miles (20 kilometres) from Capernaum. There too, Jesus heals the slave without visiting him. That Jesus heals remotely, by word alone, would be especially appealing the the early Church. This is particularly apparent in Luke. JBC surmises that the story in Matthew and that in Luke were originally two stories, that in oral transmission they merged to a degree. The stories as we have them agree in dialog, but not in the details of the action. This passage is unusual in that it shows that it shows the friendly relations between Jewish elders and Jesus. Here is a Roman who respects both Jews in general and Jesus in particular. [BlkLk] Verse 2: “whom he valued highly”: The Greek word is entimos. He is very dear to the centurion. Luke is always conscious of human relations. [JBC] Verse 3: “Jewish elders”, i.e. leaders in the Jewish community. [NOAB] Verse 5: Acts 10 tells the story of Cornelius, also a centurion, who “was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God” [NOAB] In Cornelius, God showed to Peter that he is impartial to race. In 3:14, soldiers respond positively to the message delivered by John the Baptizer. [NJBC] Verse 5: “synagogue”: This is one of two references in the New Testament to a synagogue as a building rather than as a meeting. The other is in Acts 18:7 (Paul in Corinth). [CAB] Verse 6:Comments: don’t enter my house because, being Gentile, entering it would make you ritually unclean: In John 18:28, those who take Jesus to Pilate’s headquarters avoid ritual defilement by remaining outside. In Acts 10:14, Peter insists that he has never broken ritual food laws. [JBC] Verse 7: “servant”: BlkLk says that the Greek word, pais, can mean either servant or child. He says that boy is used in the Middle East in modern times. (In verses 2 and 10, the Greek word is doulos, slave or servant.) Perhaps pais in v. 7 shows endearment. Verse 9: Though Luke lacks the climactic utterance of Matthew 8:13 (“‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith’”), his intent is the same: the faith of the Gentile is acceptable to Jesus. [NOAB] Verse 9: “such faith”: The centurion is worthy not because he has done good deeds for Israel but because he believes that God in Jesus conquers death. His unexpected faith is contrasted with that of those who were expected to believe but did not. [NJBC]

27 Bertha and Ethelbert, Queen and King of Kent, 616 was the Queen of Kent whose influence led to the introduction of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England. 28 John Calvin, Theologian, 1564 was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530. After religious tensions provoked a violent uprising against Protestants in France, Calvin fled to Basel, Switzerland, where he published the first edition of his seminal work The Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536 29 30 Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc), Mystic and Soldier, 1431 is a folk heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. She was born a peasant girl in what is now eastern France. Claiming divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the coronation of Charles VII of France. She was captured by the Burgundians, transferred to the English in exchange for money, put on trial by the pro-English Bishop of Beauvais Pierre Cauchon for charges of "insubordination and heterodoxy",[6] and was burned at the stake for heresy when she was 19 years old 31 The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary June 1 Justin, Martyr at Rome, c. 167 was an early Christian apologist, and is regarded as the foremost interpreter of the theory of the Logos in the 2nd century 2 The Martyrs of Lyons, Prov 8:1 (NRSV) Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? 2 On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; 3 beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: 4 "To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. 22 The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. 23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth-- 26 when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world's first bits of soil. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race. PSALM 8 (RCL) Psalm 8: 4 - 9 (Roman Catholic) Psal 8:1 (NRSV) O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; 4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? 5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! 8 Domine, Dominus noster (ECUSA BCP) 1 O Lord our Governor, * how exalted is your Name in all the world! 2 Out of the mouths of infants and children * your majesty is praised above the heavens. 3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, * to quell the enemy and the avenger. 4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, * the moon and the stars you have set in their courses, 5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? * the son of man that you should seek him out? 6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; * you adorn him with glory and honor; 7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; * you put all things under his feet: 8 All sheep and oxen, * even the wild beasts of the field, 9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, * and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea. 10 O Lord our Governor, * how exalted is your Name in all the world! 2 A Song of Praise Benedictus es, Domine (alt. for ECUSA; BCP) Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34 Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers; * praised and exalted above all for ever. Blessed are thou for the name of thy Majesty; * praised and exalted above all for ever. Blessed are thou in the temple of thy holiness; * praised and exalted above all for ever. Blessed are thou that beholdest the depths, and dwellest between the Cherubim; * praised and exalted above all for ever. Blessed art thou on the glorious throne of thy kingdom; * praised and exalted above all for ever. Blessed are thou in the firmament of heaven; * praised and exalted above all for ever. Blessed are thou, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; * praised and exalted above all for ever. 13 A Song of Praise Benedictus es, Domine (alt. for ECUSA; BCP) Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34 Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; * you are worthy of praise; glory to you. Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; * on the throne of your majesty, glory to you. Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. Glory to you, beholding the depths; * in the high vault of heaven, glory to you. Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 5: 1 - 5 (all) Roma 5:1 (NRSV) Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 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. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 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. h/t Monrteal Anglican Paul has written that union with God (justification) comes through faith. “Peace”, a Jewish concept, expresses all the benefits of a right relationship with God – namely a partnership of reconciliation, eternal well-being and wholeness of life. “Grace” (v. 2) is God’s free and unmerited offer of mercy and love towards all people. Earlier (in 3:23), Paul has noted that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, i.e. of what God intended for humans when he created us. Even so, through God’s grace, we “boast in our hope of sharing” (v. 2) in this glory, this gift of complete oneness with him in eternal life. Christ is our entry point to God’s grace. This justification has a second effect: even in times of trial (“sufferings”, v. 3, perhaps when beset with doubt that Christ loves us) it lead us to openness to God’s plans for us (“hope”, v. 4), for “suffering produces endurance” (v. 3, including patience under fire), which in turn “produces character” (v. 4, proven-ness under testing). This process makes us better able to be open to God. Our hope, unlike that we have in fellow humans, is assured (“does not disappoint”, v. 5), for God has given us his Holy Spirit, who is present in us, and who continually brings God’s love to us. Paul develops these ideas further in 8:1-39: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death ...”. [NJBC] Verse 1: “justified by faith”: This is the theme of 3:21-31. [CAB] Verse 1: “peace”: In Hebrew, this is shalom, the state of being in which one enjoys all the benefits of a right relationship with God, namely partnership in reconciliation, eternal well-being and wholeness of life. Being justified is very similar, although it implies action. Verse 1: “through our Lord Jesus Christ”: Christ is active as the mediator, the interface between the Father and humans, in carrying out God’s plan of/for salvation. In some form or other, Paul makes frequent use of this phrase in this chapter: see also vv. 2, 9, 11, 17, 21. [JBC] He writes in 1:5: “through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name”; see also 2:16. “Through” means mediated by, in the Father’s plan of salvation. [NJBC] Verse 2: “obtained access”: JBC offers secured an introduction. We have been introduced into the sphere of divine favour through Christ. He has, as it were, led Christians into the royal audience chamber and into the divine presence. Verse 2: “we boast in our hope ...”: In contrast to the boasting by Jews of their relationship to God mentioned in 2:17: “But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God”. [CAB] Verses 2,3,11: “boast”: In Paul’s writings, this word is sometimes meant in the obvious sense, but not here. Basking in glory is what he means here. [NJBC] Verse 3: “boast in our sufferings”: Paul also uses the word “boast” in 2 Corinthians 11:30; 12:9 and also 1 Corinthians 1:31; 3:21; 2 Corinthians 10:17; Galatians 6:13; Philippians 3:3. [CAB] Verse 3: “endurance”: The Greek word is hupomone. See also 8:25 (where the Greek word is translated as “patience”) and 15:4-5. [CAB] Verse 4: “character”: The Greek word is dokime, from a verb meaning to test, so the sense is proven-ness under testing. [CAB] Verse 5: “and hope”: The sense is easier to see if we insert such between and and hope. A human may disappoint one by not doing what he or she commits to do, but God is not like this. [NJBC] Verses 5,8: “God’s love has been poured ... through the Holy Spirit”, “Christ”: In v. 5, God is the Father. These verses lead later to the doctrine of the Trinity. Verse 5: “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit”: In the Old Testament and in the Apocrypha, pouring out of a divine attribute is commonplace: for example, mercy in Sirach 18:11, wisdom in Sirach 1:9, grace in Psalm 45:2, and wrath in Hosea 5:10 and Psalm 79:6. See especially Joel 2:28 for the outpouring of the Spirit. [NJBC] Verses 6-11: Christ, in his death, has borne the consequences of our sin, and thus has reconciled us to God. This reconciliation is the result of God’s action; it is something we were too “weak” (v. 6) to bring about. Verse 6: “For while we were still weak”: i.e. before we knew Christ. [NOAB] Verse 6: “weak”: NJBC offers helpless. Verse 6: “Christ died for the ungodly”: Paul writes in 4:5: “But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness”. [CAB] Verses 7-8: It would be rare enough for anyone to die for a pious (“righteous”, v. 7) person, and perhaps a bit more likely for a particularly “good person” to do so, but Christ sacrificed his life for us when we were neither: we were sinners without hope then! Verse 8: God’s love is unconditional, spontaneous, not dependent on human love for him. Verse 9: “justified by his blood”: This is a restatement of 3:24-25: “they [those who have fallen short of true godliness] are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith ...”. [CAB] In 4:25, justification is the result of Christ’s resurrection, but here it is the result of his death. [NOAB] Verse 10: In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes: “... the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”. [CAB] Verse 10: “while we were enemies”: Perhaps Paul thinks partly of himself here, as a former persecutor of Christians. Verse 11: In 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, Paul writes: “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’”. [CAB] Verse 11: “we have now received reconciliation”: In 3:21-22, Paul writes: “But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”. [NOAB] GOSPEL: John 16: 12 - 15 (all) John 16:12 (NRSV) [Jesus said,] "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 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. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. After the Last Supper, Jesus continues to tell the disciples about the mission they are to undertake. The “Spirit of truth” (15:26) is the Holy Spirit; he will be sent to the disciples, the Church, by Christ “from the Father”. Jesus’ statement “yet none of you asks me, ‘where are you going?’” (v. 5) seems strange because the disciples have asked the question earlier (13:36, 14:5). Perhaps he is saying: overwhelmed with “sorrow” (v. 6), you are missing the main point: the coming of the Spirit. By leaving them, Jesus is able to send the Spirit, “the Advocate” (v. 7). One thing the Spirit will do is to show “the world” (v. 8, unbelievers, possibly Jews) that they are wrong on three counts: their idea of sin is incorrect (v. 9); the righteous (the Jewish authorities) who condemned Jesus were wrong: he is God's agent (v. 10); and he has defeated sin (v. 11). An example: healing on the Sabbath is not sinful. Now v. 12-13: the disciples have much more to learn from Jesus, but they are not yet ready to comprehend it. The Spirit will expand on what Jesus has told them. In guiding them, the Spirit will speak what comes to him from God (as Jesus has spoken what the Father has told him). The Spirit will “declare” (v. 13) about events “to come”, not only prophecy about the end-times but also guidance in the way of Christ, after Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Spirit will elucidate for them that Jesus fulfils God’s plans; he will reveal the essential nature of God, and show Christ’s power (“glorify”, v. 14). Whether the word comes from the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, it is the same. 15:26-27: “the Advocate ... the Spirit of truth”: In Mark 13:11 Jesus describes the function of the Holy Spirit in these terms: “When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit”. Matthew 10:20 is similar. [NJBC] 15:26: “the Advocate”: BlkJn offers the Champion. The Greek word translated Advocate is parakletos, sometimes transliterated as Paraclete. While in 1 John 2:1 it refers to Christ, in John it refers to the Holy Spirit: see also 14:26 and 16:7. The Greek word is derived from a verb meaning call to one’s side. The Latin word advocatus has the same meaning, but there is a distinction to be made between the Greek and Roman judicial systems. In a Roman court, an advocatus pleaded a person’s case for him, but a Greek parakletos did not: in the Greek system, a person had to plead his own case, but he brought along his friends as parakletoi to influence the court by their moral support and testimony to his value as a citizen. BlkJn argues that the sense in John is of giving help – as is usually the sense in the New Testament, e.g. “console” in 2 Corinthians 1:4 and “exhort” in Romans 12:8. A Champion is one who supports by his presence and his words. 15:27: In Acts 1:8, Jesus says “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you ...”. The Church too is to witness, to work with the Holy Spirit, by living the life that Christ made possible, continuing Christ’s work in the world. 16:1-4a: A forewarning of conflict. It is to be expected that the world, even the religious world, will persecute the followers of Christ. See also Acts 22:3-5 (Paul’s defence in Jerusalem) and 26:9-11 (Paul before Agrippa II). [NOAB] 16:1: “from stumbling”: BlkJn offers be made to fall away (from the Faith). 16:2: “put you out of the synagogues ... those who kill you”: Charges of blasphemy and impiety have been laid against Jesus earlier by those thinking that “they are offering worship to God”: see 5:37b-38; 7:28; 8:27, 55. While some scholars see this as evidence that John was written in the last quarter of the first century, when the synagogue liturgy was changed to include a prayer that made participation by Jewish Christians impossible, an earlier date for John is reasonable on the following grounds: Mark, Matthew and Luke all contain predictions of persecutions and of death for the faith (see, for example, Matthew 5:10; Mark 13:9; Luke 12:4, 11) Jesus can be expected to forewarn his followers of persecution after his death While the final breach between the Church and the synagogue should probably be dated after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, relations between the two were by no means cordial before that: see, for example, Paul’s exit from the synagogue in Corinth in Acts 18:5-17 and the martyrdom of James the Lord’s brother in Acts 12:2-3. [BlkJn] Other scholars point to the persecution by Jews in Asia Minor found in Revelation 2:3 (Ephesus), 2:9 (Smyrna) and 3:9 (Philadelphia) as a context for a second episode of persecution that affected the Johannine community. Whatever the particulars, 15:18-16:4a presumes the hostility from the unbelieving world will be a permanent facet of Christian life. [NJBC] 16:2 “worship”: BlkJn offers service. He says that the Greek word conveys also the idea of worship. Many Christians today call their worship services. 16:3: “they have not known the Father or me”: For failure to know Christ or the Father, see also 1:10; 8:55; 17:25. Such people have an inadequate apprehension of the true nature and activity of the Father and of Jesus, with an inability to obey God’s will. [BlkJn] Comments : Jesus’ statement “yet none of you asks me, ‘where are you going?’” (v. 5) seems strange because the disciples have asked the question earlier: It is possible that two alternative accounts of Jesus’ teaching at the Last Supper have been included, v. 5 being part of one account, and 13:36 and 14:5 being part of the other, and that the two accounts were reversed during editing. 16:6: This verse is the reverse of 15:11: “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete”. [NJBC] 16:6-7: “sorrow” at Jesus’ departure is transformed by “the truth” that his death and resurrection make possible the Spirit’s work. [NOAB] 16:7: “it is to your advantage that I go away”: This repeats the notion in 14:27b-28. [NJBC] 16:7: “if I do not go away ...”: 7:39 says “Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified” and in 14:16 he says “... I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever”. [JBC] 16:8: “prove the world wrong about sin ...”: BlkJn offers convict the world of sin. The Greek word he translates as convict is also found in 3:20, where the deeds of an evil person will be exposed for what they are. This is the activity of a judge and prosecuting attorney in one. Others argue that the word carries the connotation of educative discipline here, as in convince someone about something. The word is also found in 8:46; there the NRSV translates it as “convicts”. [NJBC] 16:8: “prove the world wrong about ... righteousness”: How will Christ convict unbelievers of righteousness? BlkJn says that the word translated “righteousness” (dikaiosune) is used only here in John, and may mean justification or acquittal. This is how Paul uses the word, as meaning moral uprightness. If this is what John intended, v. 10 speaks of those who come to belief in Christ: they will be acquitted because of Jesus’ resurrection. By this argument, the “judgement” is the condemnation which is the alterative to acquittal; unbelievers are condemned based on the devil already being condemned. 16:9: In 3:19-21, Jesus says “‘... 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’”. In 1 Corinthians 2:8, Paul says “None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory”. Colossians 2:15 says that God “disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it [the cross].” [NOAB] 16:11: “ruler of this world”: In 12:31, Jesus says “‘Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out’” and in 14:30 he says “‘I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me’”. [NOAB] 8:42-47 tells us that those who seek to kill Jesus are doing the works of their father, the Devil. [NJBC] 16:12-15: As in 14:25-26, the Advocate plays an important role within the community; there Jesus says “‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But 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’”. [NJBC] 16:12: 13:7 tells us that the disciples are not ready to receive further teaching from Jesus: Peter has asked with surprise: “‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’”; Jesus answers: “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand’”. [BlkJn] 16:13: “Spirit of truth”: In 14:17, Jesus says “‘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.’” and in 15:26 he says “‘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’”. [JBC] 16:13: “the Spirit of truth ... will guide you into all the truth”: Philo, in Life of Moses 2.265, speaks of a divine spirit guiding the mind to truth. Psalm 25:5 asks that God “lead me in your truth, and teach me ...”. The term “Spirit of truth” is also found in 14:17 and 15:26. 1 John 4:6 contrasts “the spirt of truth” with “the spirit of error”. 1 John 5:6 says that “the Spirit is the truth”. This terminology was current when John wrote; it is also found in 1QS (Qumran Rule of the Community) 3-4 and Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (even to using the same verbs for “testify” (15:26) and “guide”). There are differences in the theology, but there are sufficient parallels for it to be likely that John’s term “Spirit of truth” is a development from the usage in contemporary Judaism. [BlkJn] 16:13: “all the truth”: To NJBC, “truth” must have the same meaning here as in the rest of this gospel, i.e. belief in Jesus as the sole revelation of God and the one who speaks the words of God. In 8:40, Jesus describes himself as “a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God”. In 8:47, he tells some Pharisees: “Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God”. See also 3:20 and 3:33. 16:13: “declare to you”: The Greek verb is anangellein. In 4:25, the Samaritan woman speaks of the coming prophet in similar terms: “‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim [anangellein] all things to us’”. [NJBC] 16:13: “things that are to come”: The reference is not simply to prophecy but also to the interpretation of the life and death of Christ and the declaration of the new order which follows his departure to the Father. [BlkJn]

0 Alcuin, Deacon, and Abbot of Tours, 804 21 John Eliot, Missionary among the Algonquin, 1690 was a Puritan missionary to the American Indians. His efforts earned him the designation “the apostle to the Indians.” 22 23 Nicolaus Copernicus, 1543, was a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a heliocentric model of the universe which placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center and Johannes Kepler, 1630, Astronomers 24 Jackson Kemper, First Missionary Bishop in the United States, 1870 25 Bede, the Venerable, Priest, and Monk of Jarrow, 735 is well known as an author and scholar, and his most famous work, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History of the English People) gained him the title "The Father of English History". 26 Augustine, First Archbishop of Canterbury, 605 was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church 27 Bertha and Ethelbert, Queen and King of Kent, 616 FIRST READING: Acts 2: 1 - 21 (RCL) Acts 2: 1 - 11 (Roman Catholic) Acts 2:1 (NRSV) When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Par'thians, Medes, E'lamites, and residents of Mesopota'mia, Judea and Cappado'cia, Pon'tus and Asia, 10 Phryg'ia and Pamphyl'ia, Egypt and the parts of Lib'ya belonging to Cyre'ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cre'tans and A'rabs--in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Jo'el: 17 "In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Genesis 11: 1 - 9 (alt. for RCL) Gene 11:1 (NRSV) Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shi'nar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." 5 The LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6 And the LORD said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech." 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Ba'bel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. PSALM 104: 24 - 34, 35b (RCL) Psalm 104: 1a, 24, 29 - 31, 34 (Roman Catholic) Psal 104:1 (NRSV) Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great. 24 O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. 26 There go the ships, and Levi'athan that you formed to sport in it. 27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season; 28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. 31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works-- 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. 35 Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD! Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above. 104 Benedic, anima mea (ECUSA BCP) 25 O Lord, how manifold are your works! * in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 26 Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number, * creatures both small and great. 27 There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan, * which you have made for the sport of it. 28 All of them look to you * to give them their food in due season. 29 You give it to them; they gather it; * you open your hand, and they are filled with good things. 30 You hide your face, and they are terrified; * you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust. 31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; * and so you renew the face of the earth. 32 May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; * may the Lord rejoice in all his works. 33 He looks at the earth and it trembles; * he touches the mountains and they smoke. 34 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; * I will praise my God while I have my being. 35 May these words of mine please him; * I will rejoice in the Lord. 37 Bless the Lord, O my soul. * Hallelujah! SECOND READING: Romans 8: 14 - 17 (RCL) Roma 8:14 (NRSV) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ--if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. h/t Montreal Anglicans Paul has told us that Christian living is centred in life “in the Spirit” (v. 9) rather than on the desires of the flesh, or self-centeredness. People are still subject to suffering, to bearing crosses and affliction, but not to condemnation. Not being condemned, we have hope. The Christian is under an obligation to Christ: to live according to the Spirit. Now he says that those who live in the Spirit are children of God. This implies a new relationship with God. The Christian, he says in v. 15, does not lose his or her freedom when baptised, but rather is adopted as a child of God. When we acknowledge God as “Father”, we speak in the Spirit. We are not only God's children, but also “heirs” (v. 17) having a hope for the future. (In the Old Testament, the land of Israel is God's inheritance for his people.) We are “joint heirs” with Christ in the sense that we will share in the Father's glory, as he does now. Verse 12: “debtors”: BlkRom says that we are under obligation to God, rather than being “debtors” – for there is no actual debt. The same Greek word is used in 1:14-15: “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish – hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” Verse 13: It is still possible for a baptised Christian to be tempted to live immorally, “according to the flesh”. We should make use of the Spirit: this is the debt (in an accounting sense) that we owe Christ. [JBC] Verse 13: Paul says in 6:12-13: “... do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness”. See also Colossians 3:5 and Galatians 5:24. [CAB] Verses 14-15: Note Paul’s play on the word pneuma, here meaning spirit or Spirit. We are made “children” by the Spirit; we are not slaves. [NJBC] Verse 14: God’s action continues in the life of the believer. See also 2:4 (“... Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”); Galatians 5:18 (“... if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law”); 1 Corinthians 12:2. [CAB] Verse 14: The Spirit not only enables us to cast aside materialism and immorality, but also animates us and activates us in the carrying out of the mission Christ gave us. Verse 14: “children of God”: In Galatians 4:24-26, Paul tells us: “Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother”. [CAB] Verse 15: “slavery”: Paul speaks of the Christian as a slave in Romans 6:16, 1 Corinthians 7:22 and Ephesians 6:6, but only to make a specific point. Actually the Christian is a son or daughter (he writes in Galatians 4:7 “you are no longer a slave but a child”), empowered by the Spirit to call upon God himself as a Father. It seems to be the Holy Spirit that constitutes Christian adoptive sonship – because it is the Spirit that unites people to Christ and puts them in a special relationship to the Father. [NJBC] Verse 15: “spirit”: Paul may intend Spirit. [NJBC] Verse 15: “adoption”: The Greek word used here is also found in 8:23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5. [CAB] In 9:4, Paul uses it to describe Israel as chosen by God. This Greek word is not found in the Septuagint, probably because adoption was not common until more recent times among Jews. It was known in Hellenic society, and was quite common among the Roman aristocracy, as a means of acquiring a worthy heir. When a man had no heir, or only a dissolute one, he would choose someone to adopt – sometimes even a freed slave – who would become the heir both to the man's property and also to his reputation and station in the community. Paul’s use of the term shows that Christians have status with God. Verse 15: “When we cry”: NJBC offers which enables us to cry. As in 9:27, “cry” has the sense of cry aloud, proclaim. Verse 15: “Abba”: This is the Aramaic word of familiar address to a father. Paul also uses this word in Galatians 4:6. Jesus addressed the Father as Abba in his prayers: see Mark 14:36. [NOAB] In the Greek text of Luke 11:2, the Lord’s Prayer begins Abba. The early church used this title for the Father, as indeed does a Christian song sung today. Verse 16: In proclaiming that God is our Father, we are stating that we recognize ourselves to be adopted by God. The Spirit shares with us in this recognition, and is the mechanism by which we are active as sons. Verse 16: “children”: In Roman law, both a slave and a son belonged to the household, but a son (unlike a slave) had status. Our status puts us in a special relationship with the Father and the Son. Of course, a son is free, but a slave is not. Verse 17: “heirs of God”: Paul discusses the promise to Abraham, that he would be the “father of many nations”, in Chapter 4 (especially 4:17). It is now fulfilled. [CAB] Verse 17: “joint heirs with Christ”: Christ has already received a share of the Father’s glory; the Christian will receive a share. In Jesus’ time, a son inherited his father’s estate; God’s estate is his glory. [NJBC] GOSPEL: John 14: 8 - 17 (25 - 27) (RCL) John 14: 14 - 16, 23b - 26 (Roman Catholic) John 14:8 (NRSV) Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." 9 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'? 10 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. 11 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. 12 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. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. 15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 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. 23 Jesus answered him, "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. 24 Whoever 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. 26 But 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. 27 Peace 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. Judas Iscariot has left to do his dastardly deed. Jesus now prepares his disciples for his departure. Belief in God includes belief in him (v. 1). He is going, through resurrection and ascension, to the Father, to prepare a place of permanent fellowship for them (vv. 2-3). Philip shows by his question in v. 8 that he still does not understand (“know”, v. 9) Jesus, for Jesus is the revelation of God. The Son is present (“dwells”, v. 10) in the Father, and the Father in the Son; the deeds Jesus has done are the Father’s. A master entrusted his agent to act on his behalf in every way. Jesus is the Father’s agent, empowered to act completely for the Father. Jesus says, in essence, if you do not buy this mutual presence, then trust in me on the basis of what I do: you are seeing the Father’s “works” (vv. 10-11). The faithful will continue these works. (The ones they do will be “greater”, v. 12, because Jesus has nullified sin.) By asking Jesus in prayer, as his agent (“in my name”, v. 14), God will do whatever the faithful ask. Fidelity to him is both loving and obeying (v. 15). Jesus is their first advocate, i.e. helper and counsellor. He will ask the Father to “give you another Advocate” (v. 16), “the Spirit of truth” (v. 17), i.e. the Holy Spirit. That the Spirit exists and what he does is known only to believers, not to “the world”. Philip (and others) may not understand now, but they will, for the Spirit will “teach ... [them] everything” (v. 26) and will help them recall Jesus’ message. What he teaches will be the same as what Jesus has taught. Jesus gives “peace” (v. 27, wholeness, well-being, tranquillity, concord with one another and with God), a permanent gift which will never be revoked. Verse 2: “my Father’s house”: Jesus has already spoken of this in 8:34-38 (“... The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever ...”). [BlkJn] Verse 2: “many dwelling places”: 1 Kings 6:5 describes the Temple in similar terms. [BlkJn] Verse 3: Previously Jesus has only hinted at the possibility of the disciples following him: in 12:26, he says: “‘Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also’”. See also 13:36. Because the disciples follow his example, particularly in mutual love, they can eventually be with him, whereas the Pharisees cannot: see 7:33-36; 8:21; 13:33. [BlkJn] Verse 5: “Thomas”: Thomas expresses their bewilderment with characteristic bluntness: see also 11:16 (“‘Let us also go, that we may die with him’”) and 20:24-25. [BlkJn] Verse 6: “‘I am the way’”: He is the sole means of access to the Father: Jesus says in Matthew 11:27: “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”. See also Luke 10:22; John 1:18; 3:3 (to Nicodemus); 6:46; Acts 4:12 (Peter’s speech before the Council) Romans 5:2; Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 10:20. [BlkJn] [NOAB] Verse 6: “‘I am ... the truth, and the life’”: Jesus is all-sufficient because he is both God and human. [BlkJn] Verse 6: “the truth”: 1:14 says “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”. Verse 6: “the life”: See also 1:4; 6:35 (“‘I am the bread of life’”), 6:48; 11:25 (“‘I am the resurrection and the life’”). Verse 7: On Jesus being God, 1:1 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. In 10:30, Jesus says “‘The Father and I are one’”. Verse 7: “‘If you know me’”: They can know him since he is a human. Verse 7: “you do know him”: BlkJn offers you are getting to know him. Because they know Jesus, they are getting to know the Father. Verse 8: Moses makes a similar reasonable request in Exodus 33:18: “‘Show me your glory, I pray’”. Philip's misunderstanding, like Thomas’, helps Jesus to make his meaning clear. [BlkJn] Verse 10: For Jesus as agent of the Father, see also, for example, 3:34; 7:17-18; 8:28, 47; 12:47-49. [NJBC] Verse 10: “Do you not believe that ...”: BlkJn translates the Greek in a more understandable way: You believe, do you not, Verse 10: “on my own”: The Greek literally means from myself. BlkJn translates it as on my own authority. Verse 11: “I am in the Father and the Father is in me”: The unity of the Father and the Son is a recurrent theme in this part of the book: see also vv. 7, 9, 20 and 16:15; 17:21-23. [BlkJn] Verse 12: See also Luke 17:6 (“‘faith the size of a mustard seed”) and Matthew 17:20. [NJBC] Verse 12: “‘Very truly, I tell you”: In the Greek, “Very truly” is Amen, Amen. This double amen is characteristic of, and peculiar to, this gospel and is used to introduce solemn, almost oracular, declarations. See also 1:51; 3:3, 5, 11; 5:19, 24, 25; 6:26, 32, 47, 53; 8:34, 51, 58; 10:1, 7; 12:24; 13:16, 20, 21, 38; 16:20, 23; 21:18. [BlkJn] Verse 12: “works”: i.e. miracles. [BlkJn] Verse 13: For variants, see Matthew 7:7-8; 18:19; 21:22; and in Johannine writings, see John 15:7, 16; 16:23, 24, 26; 1 John 3:21-22; 5:14-15. Sometimes Jesus will answer the request, and sometimes the Father will answer when asked in Jesus’ name. At times the Father is addressed directly, and at times neither Father nor Son is specified (but one presumes that the Father is meant). [NJBC] Verse 13: “in my name”: This means ask as Jesus’ representative, while on his business, rather than invoking Jesus as a kind of magic spell. The meaning here is the same as when Jesus speaks of having come in his Father’s name in 5:43 and 10:25, and when Acts tells us that the apostles performed miracles in Jesus’ name: see Acts 3:6 (healing of a man lame from birth), 16; 4:10; 16:18 (a slave girl is cured). [BlkJn] Verse 16: “give you another Advocate”: BlkJn offers give you another as your Champion. The Greek word translated Advocate is parakletos, sometimes transliterated as Paraclete. While in 1 John 2:1 it refers to Christ, in John it refers to the Holy Spirit: see also v. 26 and 15:26; 16:7. The Greek word is derived from a verb meaning call to one’s side. The Latin word advocatus has the same meaning, but there is a distinction to be made between the Greek and Roman judicial systems. In a Roman court, an advocatus pleaded a person’s case for him, but a Greek parakletos did not: in the Greek system, a person had to plead his own case, but he brought along his friends as parakletoi to influence the court by their moral support and testimony to his value as a citizen. BlkJn argues that the sense in John is of giving help – as is usually the sense in the New Testament, e.g. “console” in 2 Corinthians 1:4 and “exhort” in Romans 12:8. A Champion is one who supports by his presence and his words. Verse 17: “whom the world cannot receive”: REB and BlkJn translate the Greek as whom the world cannot accept. To receive the Spirit, people must abandon their hostility to God. Verse 17: “sees him ... knows him ... knows him”: BlkJn offers perceive him ... recognise him ... recognise him. Verse 17: “abides with you”: The Greek word is the same one translated as “stay” in 1:38-39, where two disciples stay with Jesus. [BlkJn] Verses 18-20: The Holy Spirit imparts Christ’s life and unites believers to God. In his speech on the Day of Pentecost, Peter says: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear” (Acts 2:33). [NOAB] Verse 20: “On that day”: i.e. the day of Christ’s resurrection. Then they will realize that they have been incorporated into the divine society of the Father and the Son. They will then share in the divine life. [BlkJn] Verses 21-24: Fellowship with Christ is dependent on the love which issues in obedience. [NOAB]

13 Frances Perkins, Public Servant and Prophetic Witness, 1965 14 15 16 Martyrs of Sudan 17 William Hobart Hare, Bishop of Niobrara, and of South Dakota, 1909 was one of the leading missionaries in America and was called "the Apostle of the West" for his dedicated work in the rural Dakotas among pioneers and Native Americans. 18 19 Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, 988 was an Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, a Bishop of Worcester, a Bishop of London, and an Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised as a saint.[3] His work restored monastic life in England and reformed the English Church. 20 Alcuin, Deacon, and Abbot of Tours, 804 wrote many theological and dogmatic treatises, as well as a few grammatical works and a number of poems. He was made Abbot of Tours in 796, where he remained until his death. FIRST READING: Acts 16: 16 - 34 (all but Roman Catholic) Acts 16:16 (NRSV) One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, "These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe." 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." 29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God. Acts 7: 55 - 60 (Roman Catholic) Acts 7:55 (NRSV) But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" 57 But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died. PSALM 97 (RCL) Psalm 97: 1 - 2, 6 - 7, 9 (Roman Catholic) Psal 97:1 (NRSV) The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! 2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side. 4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory. 7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him. 8 Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O God. 9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 10 The LORD loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! 97 Dominus regnavit (ECUSA BCP) 1 The Lord is King; let the earth rejoice; * let the multitude of the isles be glad. 2 Clouds and darkness are round about him, * righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne. 3 A fire goes before him * and burns up his enemies on every side. 4 His lightnings light up the world; * the earth sees it and is afraid. 5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, * at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 6 The heavens declare his righteousness, * and all the peoples see his glory. 7 Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in false gods! * Bow down before him, all you gods. 8 Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, * because of your judgments, O Lord. 9 For you are the Lord, most high over all the earth; * you are exalted far above all gods. 10 The Lord loves those who hate evil; * he preserves the lives of his saints and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light has sprung up for the righteous, * and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted. 12 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, * and give thanks to his holy Name. SECOND READING: Revelation 22: 12 - 14, 16 - 17, 20 - 21 (RCL) Reve 22:12 (NRSV) "See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 16 "It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." 17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let everyone who hears say, "Come." And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. 20 The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. h/t Montreal Anglican John comes to the end of God’s revelation to him: God “has sent his angel to show his servants [faithful Jews and Christians] what must soon take place” (v. 6). People then expected time to end soon. The angel says that he is a “fellow servant” (v. 9) with John: “Worship God!”, not me. He continues: make the contents of this book widely known (v. 10). The time is already too late for evildoers (v. 11) to change their ways; those who are godly now will be faithful to the end. In v. 12, Jesus (the Lamb) speaks (see v. 16). He will soon return, bringing reward and recompense for the faithful, to the extent they have acted for Christ. “Those who wash their robes” (v. 14) are those who, after enduring suffering (“the great ordeal”, 7:14), are transformed – as was Jesus in his sacrificial death. 22:1-5 tell of the glorious estate of the godly when Jesus comes again, of the “tree[s] of life” which nourish them continually, and of free entry into the “city”, the heavenly Jerusalem. V. 15 tells of the exclusion of the ungodly. Jesus identifies himself in v. 16; he, born of David’s line, sent his angel to John’s readers (“you”) with this revelation “for the churches”. He is the “star [that] shall come out of Jacob [Israel]” (Numbers 24:17); the “morning star” was a deity in ancient Near East and Greco-Roman religions, so Jesus is for all people. The “bride” (v. 17) is the Church (21:2, 9); both the “Spirit” and the Church are integral with God, and both seek Jesus’ return. The “water of life” flows from “God and ... the Lamb” (v. 1); God’s “gift” (v. 17) of eternal “life” is available to all. Vv. 18-19 seek to ensure (long before copyright laws) that this book is transmitted accurately to all, for it is from God. In 1:2, John wrote of “the testimony of ... Christ”; in v. 20, he is “the one who testifies”. V. 21 is a fitting closing to the book, and to the Bible. Verse 6: “he”: i.e. Jesus, who is “coming soon” (v. 7). [NJBC] Verse 7: “Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book”: This parallels 1:3, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of prophecy ...”. (For many centuries, one read aloud, or at least with one’s lips moving, not silently as we do today.) Verse 7: “I am coming soon!”: In 2:16, John, addressing Christians at Pergamum who have adopted the teachings of an errant group, writes: “Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth”, and in 3:11 “I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown”. See also vv. 12, 20. [JBC] Verse 10: “Do not seal up”: This is the opposite of Daniel 8:26: “... keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end”. In Daniel, there was no expectation that times would end soon. See also Daniel 12:4, 9. [NJBC] Various pseudepigraphical books also advise keeping them sealed until the end of time. See 1:3, quoted above. See also vv. 16, 18. Verse 11: John has little hope for the repentance of the ungodly in the short time remaining before Christ comes again. He says in 9:20-21: “The rest of humankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands or give up worshipping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk ...”. See also 16:2-9 (“... ‘"Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God’” ...) and 1 Enoch 81:7-8. [NJBC] Verse 11: “Let the evildoer still do evil”: Daniel 12:10 says: “Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly ...”. See also Ezekiel 3:27. [JBC] Verse 11: “the filthy”: Immoral pagans, unconcerned with purity and modesty: James 1:21 advises: “... rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls”. [JBC] Verse 12: 11:18 says “... the time ... for rewarding your servants ... [has come]”. Isaiah 40:10 says “See, the Lord GODcomes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him”. See also Proverbs 24:12; Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 2:6 (“For he will repay according to each one's deeds”). [JBC] Verse 13: “I am the Alpha and the Omega”: Christ applies the titles to himself, identifying the risen Christ with God. See also 1:8, 17; 21:6. [NJBC] Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega the last. From A to Z, God is sovereign over all events of human history. Verse 14: “Blessed ...”: This is the last of the seven beatitudes in Revelation. For the others, see 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7. [CAB] Verse 14: “those who wash their robes ...”: This verse particularly applies to those who have died for the faith: 12:11 says: “they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death”. [JBC] 7:14 says: “Then he [one of the elders] said to me [John], ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’”. Verse 14: “... tree of life ... city ...”: In 21:1-2, John tells us: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband”. Verse 15: “the dogs”: Impure, lascivious people. Paul uses the term in Philippians 3:2: “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!”. [NOAB] Dogs was a epithet used by Jews to refer to outsiders. See also Deuteronomy 23:19; Matthew 7:6; 15:26 (Jesus to the Canaanite woman); 2 Peter 2:22. [JBC] Verse 15: “sorcerers”: Literally poisoners: those dealing in love potions and poisons. In 21:8, God tells John: “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death”. [NOAB] Verse 16: “you”: NJBC notes that the Greek word is plural. Verse 16: “this testimony for the churches”: Chapters 2 and 3 provide advice to the seven churches. Verse 16: “the root and the descendant of David”: See also 3:7 (“... These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David ...”); 5:5 (“... See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered ...”); Isaiah 11:1, 10; Matthew 1:1; Romans 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:8. [NJBC] [JBC] Verse 16: “the bright morning star”: Christ is also called this in 2:28, the final words to the church at Thyatira. Contemporary Judaism saw Numbers 24:17-19 (“... a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the borderlands of Moab ...”) as a messianic prophecy. [JBC] Verse 17: “bride”: See Clipping on v. 14. In 21:9, a angel says to John: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb”. [CAB] Verse 17: “let everyone who is thirsty come”: In John 7:37-38, Jesus says “"Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink”. See also John 6:35. [JBC] Verses 18-19: For similar warnings, see Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32. See also 1 Enoch 104:9-13. 1:1 tells us that the revelation is God-given: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John”. [NJBC] Verse 20: “Come, Lord Jesus!”: The Greek form of an early Christian prayer is preserved in transliterated Aramaic as maranatha in the Greek of 1 Corinthians 16:22b. Perhaps this was used in liturgy. John emphasizes the imminence of Jesus’ return by placing this verse so close to the end of the book. See also vv. 7, 12. [NJBC] Verse 21: This is the normal closing benediction for New Testament letters (but unusual for an apocalyptic composition). Variations of it are found in 1 Corinthians 16:23; Ephesians 6:24; 1 Thessalonians 5:28; Galatians 6:18; Philippians 4:23; Philemon 25. [NJBC] [JBC] Verse 21: “Amen”: This closing word echoes 3:14, part of John’s words to the church at Laodicea. [JBC] Revelation began as a letter to the churches, to be read in churches; it concludes with a blessing on all who hear what has been read. GOSPEL: John 17: 20 - 26 (all) John 17:20 (NRSV) "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that 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. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I 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. 24 Father, 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. 26 I 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." Our reading is from Jesus’ high priestly prayer: he consecrates his body and blood for the sacrifice in which they will be offered, and he blesses the Church. Jesus’ time of perfect obedience even to death has come, securing eternal life for all who really know him and, through him, the Father (vv. 1-5). May the Father restore him to the place he enjoyed before creation began (v. 5). In vv. 6-19, Jesus prays for his followers, that they may be protected from the evil, be “one” (v. 11) as he and his Father are one, have “joy” (v. 13), and fulfill his mission as his agents in the world. He now prays for the Church of all times. He looks beyond those who follow him now, to those who will come to believe through their witness. May the Church be rooted in the oneness he shares with the Father (v. 21), a relationship of mutual love (v. 23). May his followers attain the ultimate goal: to be with him in heaven (at the end of time), sharing in his “glory” (v. 24, in part by continuing his earthly ministry), given to him before time began. Christians know that the Father sent him (v. 25); he has given them intimate knowledge of God (“... name”, v. 26) and will continue to do so, so that they may have the love for each other and for God that he and the Father share. The passage that follows describes Jesus’ arrest and trial but v. 11 implies that he has already left the world, i.e. ascended. Theology, not chronology, is John’s emphasis. Verses 1-26: Jesus’ high priestly prayer falls naturally into three parts: Vv. 1-5: Jesus’ prayer for himself Vv. 6-19: His prayer for his disciples, left in the world after his ascension, and Vv. 20-26: His prayer for the Church universal. [NOAB] There are parallels to the Lord's Prayer. [NJBC] Verse 6: “I have made your name known”: The Greek verb ephanerosa is used of the manifestation of Jesus, or his glory, or God’s works, in 1:31 (“revealed”); 2:11 (wedding at Cana); 9:3; 21:1 (“showed”), 21:14. Here it is to those given to Jesus by the Father that Jesus, by his words and deeds, makes known God’s “name”, i.e. his character and person. [BlkJn] Verse 7: “everything you have given me”: i.e. the entire ministry of Jesus with all that this involves. [BlkJn] Verse 8: “for the words ...”: Jesus’ words are the Father’s words: 3:34 says: “He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure”. See also 7:16; 12:49-50; 14:10, 24. [BlkJn] Verse 8: “they ... know in truth that I came from you”: In 16:27, Jesus tells the disciples: “On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God”. In context, Jesus does not merely mean that he is Messiah, far less that he is a superman, one of the divine heroes of the ancient world, but that his claims to pre-existence (see v. 5) are justified. [BlkJn] Verse 9: “I am not asking on behalf of the world”: Who are not capable, unless they come to faith in Jesus (see v. 20), of sharing in what the Father gives. [BlkJn] Verses 11-12: On Jesus’ imminent departure, 13:1 tells us “Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father”. For the disciples being left exposed to the hostility of the world, see also 15:18-21; 17:14; 16:1-5a (for an alternative presentation of the ideas). [BlkJn] Verse 11: The unity of believers is modelled on the shared purpose and character of the Father and the Son, who are in complete unity. [BlkJn] Verse 12: “the scripture”: That “scripture” is in the singular implies that John has a particular passage in mind. It may be Psalm 41:9: “Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.”, a verse quoted in 13:18. [BlkJn] Verse 12: “the one destined to be lost”: This phrase is also found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3: “Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction”. There it refers to the Antichrist. [BlkJn] Verse 14: “word”: See also 1:1-19, the Prologue, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ...”. Verse 17: “your word is truth”: God’s “word” (Greek: logos) is the means of sanctification. The Father’s “word” is characterized as the revelation of ultimate reality. 1:14 says that the incarnate “Word”, Jesus, is “full of grace and truth”. The “truth” sets free those who persevere in Jesus’ word: see 8:31-36. [BlkJn] Verse 18: 20:21 says: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you’”. [BlkJn] Verse 19: “sanctify myself”: In 10:11, Jesus says: “‘"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep’”. See also 10:15 and 15:13. In the Septuagint translation, the Greek verb agiadzo (“sanctify”) is used both for the setting apart for God (in Exodus 3:2 and Deuteronomy 15:19) and for the consecration of people to God’s service (in Jeremiah 1:5, of a prophet, and in Exodus 28:41, of priests). Christ’s perfect self-offering is the means by which the disciples whom he is sending into the world are dedicated in obedience to God. [BlkJn] Verses 24-26: Jesus is the one who brings his followers into community with God. In 10:38, Jesus tells some Jews: “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father”. See also 14:10-11, 23; 15:4-5. [NJBC] Verse 24: “may be with me where I am”: In 13:36, Jesus tells Peter: “... ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward’”. This verse implies that until Christians have come to be with God as Jesus is they have not fully experienced the reality of Jesus’ relationship with the Father. Verse 25: “Righteous Father”: God alone is perfectly just: 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. [JBC] BlkJn notes that the adjective “righteous” is applied elsewhere in John only to judgements (see 5:30 and 7:24), so it may be used here to characterize the Father as the just judge in the situation where “the world” fails to recognize either the Father or the Son who has come to reveal him (see 1:10 and 16:3), though the disciples have come to know that the Father sent Jesus. Verse 26: “I in them”: Jesus speaks not only of love but also of presence. The vertical relationship of mutual love is the example for the horizontal relationship of love between and among members of the Christian community, and for their relationship with God, Father and Son.

7 Harriet Starr Cannon, Religious, 1896 8 Dame Julian of Norwich, c. 1417 was an English anchoress who is regarded as one of the most important Christian mystics. 9 Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, 389 was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age 10 Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, Prophetic Witness, 1760 Imperial Count of Zinzendorf and Pottendorf (May 26, 1700 – May 9, 1760), German religious and social reformer and bishop of the Moravian Church, was born at Dresden. 11 12 13 Frances Perkins, Public Servant and Prophetic Witness, 1965 14 FIRST READING: Acts 16: 9 - 15 (RCL) Acts 16:9 (NRSV) During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedo'nia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedo'nia and help us." 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedo'nia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. 11 We set sail from Tro'as and took a straight course to Sam'othrace, the following day to Neap'olis, 12 and from there to Philip'pi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedo'nia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named Lyd'ia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyati'ra and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us. Acts 15: 1 - 2, 22 - 29 (Roman Catholic) Acts 15:1 (NRSV) Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 And after Paul and Bar'nabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Bar'nabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. 22 Then the apostles and the elders, with the consent of the whole church, decided to choose men from among their members and to send them to An'tioch with Paul and Bar'nabas. They sent Judas called Barsab'bas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: "The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the believers of Gentile origin in An'tioch and Syria and Cili'cia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that certain persons who have gone out from us, though with no instructions from us, have said things to disturb you and have unsettled your minds, 25 we have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Bar'nabas and Paul, 26 who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell." PSALM 67 (RCL) Psalm 67: 1 - 2, 5 - 6, 8 (Roman Catholic) Psal 67:1 (NRSV) May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, [Se'lah] 2 that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. [Se'lah] 5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. 7 May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him. Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic bibles is one greater than the above 67 Deus misereatur (ECUSA BCP) 1 May God be merciful to us and bless us, * show us the light of his countenance and come to us. 2 Let your ways be known upon earth, * your saving health among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; * let all the peoples praise you. 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, * for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the nations upon earth. 5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; * let all the peoples praise you. 6 The earth has brought forth her increase; * may God, our own God, give us his blessing. 7 May God give us his blessing, * and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him. SECOND READING: Revelation 21: 10, 22 - 22: 5 (RCL) Revelation 21: 10 - 14, 22 - 23 (Roman Catholic) Reve 21:10 (NRSV) And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites; 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there. 26 People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. 22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; 4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. h/t Montreal Anglican God is revealing the events of the end-time to John. In his dream, an angel has carried him into the desert to see a whore and decaying “Babylon” (18:21), i.e. Rome; now he sees, in another vision, “the wife of the Lamb” (21:9), the spouse of Christ, i.e. the glorified Church, the new “holy city Jerusalem” (21:10). The “glory of God” (21:11, his presence) permeates the Church and transfigures her. The symbols are largely drawn from Ezekiel 40-48. John sees inscribed on the city gates “the names of the twelve tribes” (21:12), and on its foundations those of “the twelve apostles” (21:14): probably both faithful Jews and Christians are celestial citizens. The numbers in the vision are 3 (times 4), 12 and multiples of 12: twelve symbolizes the continuity between God’s people in the Old Testament and the Church in the New. The city’s cubic shape (21:16) is a symbol of perfection. In the Greek, it is 12,000 stadia long: a thousand is a very large number. The height of the city “wall” (21:17) is minuscule by comparison: it serves only to delimit the city from the land round it. The “foundations of the wall” (21:19) are adorned with precious stones, as is the priest’s breastplate in Exodus. The city is magnificent indeed. The city lacks a physical temple, for the presence of God, Father and Son (“the Lamb”, 21:22) pervade the entire godly community, and they illuminate it (21:23). All peoples and all rulers will be guided by this light (21:24). Gates of an ancient city were kept closed against enemies, but those of the city of God will be open to give everyone free access at all times (21:25), for they will live in perfect safety. People will, in entering, reflect God’s “glory ... and honour” (21:26). While there will still be a distinction between those who trust in God and those who worship other gods (“abomination”, 21:27), the realm of those accepted by God will extend to all who dwell in the city, whose names are in Christ’s “book of life”. (God’s record of the faithful is mentioned numerous times in the Bible.) In Ezekiel 47, a sacred life-giving stream runs from the Temple; here a “river” (22:1) flows from “God ... and ... the Lamb” (Christ). John’s vision includes both the original bliss of the Garden of Eden and the hoped-for restoration of Ezekiel. In the Greek, “tree” (22:2) is collective, so many trees will provide nourishment for the godly, for the “healing” of all: this is the goal and result of God’s new creation. There will be no sin in the city, so “nothing [will be] accursed” (22:3). In Exodus, to see God’s face was to die, but now the godly will see it joyously (22:4). Being marked with God’s “name”, God will protect them. Those who worship God will reign with him for ever. Revelation 21:10,22-22:5 21:9: “seven bowls”: See Chapter 16, where the contents of seven bowls are poured on the earth, with dire consequences, in divine judgement of the earth and evildoers. [NOAB] 21:10: “in the spirit”: John uses the same phrase in 1:10. John is in a state of prophetic illumination. [NOAB] 21:10: “he carried me away”: In 17:3, an angel carries John into the desert to view a whore. [NJBC] 21:10: “high mountain”: In Ezekiel 40:2, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Exile, Ezekiel is transported, in a vision, to see the restored Jerusalem, which is also on a high mountain. [NOAB] 21:11: “the glory of God”: Isaiah 60:1-2 says: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you”. See also Isaiah 60:19; Ezekiel 43:5; Luke 2:9 (the Shepherds). [CAB] 21:11: “like a very rare jewel”: See Clipping below on 21:19-21. 21:11: “jasper”: In 4:3, we read that God, “the one seated there looks like jasper and carnelian”. [NOAB] 21:11: “clear as crystal”: Note “clear as glass” in 21:18 and “transparent as glass” in 21:21. Both God and the city are valuable, and transparent. “Jasper” is also transparent. [CAB] 21:12: “angels”: Being from God, the city has celestial guards. [JBC] 21:12ff: The glory of the Church is compared with that of its source, the glory of God. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:6: “... it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. [JBC] 21:13: Ezekiel 48:30-34 tells of twelve gates of the city, three per side. [NOAB] Comments: The numbers in the vision are 3, 12 and multiples of 12: There are three gates on each side, adding up to twelve. 21:14: The preaching of the apostles is the foundation of the Church. Ephesians 2:19-20 says that “the household of God” is “built upon the foundation of the apostles ...”. [NOAB] 21:16: Comments: The city’s cubic shape: After the Holy of Holies, which also had equal length, width and height: see 1 Kings 6:19-20. [JBC] See also Ezekiel 43:16; 48:16-22. (John sees an infinitely larger city than Ezekiel.) 21:16: “rod”: See also Ezekiel 40:3-7, where the “rod” is a “measuring reed”. [JBC] 21:16, 17: “fifteen hundred miles ... one hundred and forty-four cubits”: These measurements work out to 2,200 km and 66 metres (220 feet). Ezekiel 48:35 says that the circumference of the city shall be “eighteen thousand cubits”. While the city is a cube, it has relatively low walls. [NOAB] 21:19-21: Isaiah 54:11-12 says “O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, I am about to set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of jewels, and all your wall of precious stones”. [NOAB] The precious stones listed here are not the same as those on the high priest’s breastplate in Exodus 28:17-21, but are those associated with the Signs of the Zodiac in John’s time. He lists them in reverse order, perhaps signifying that they must be reinterpreted. 21:21: “the street”: i.e. the paving of the streets. [NOAB] 21:22: For the Temple being superfluous because the presence and glory of God permeate the entire community, Isaiah 24:23 says that on the Day of Yahweh: “... the moon will be abashed, and the sun ashamed; for the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his elders he will manifest his glory”; [NOAB] however, 3:12 hints that a physical earthly temple is not of ultimate importance in itself, but continues to have significance as a symbol of the hoped-for close relationship between God and humans. 21:22: “the Lamb”: In 5:9, a “new song” is sung to “the Lamb”: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth”. [CAB] 21:23: “ the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it”: See Isaiah 24:23, quoted above. 1 John 1:5 tells us that “... God is light and in him there is no darkness at all”. See also Revelation 22:5; Isaiah 60:1-5, 19-20. [JBC] 21:23: “its lamp is the Lamb”: In John 8:12, Jesus says “I am the light of the world”. [NOAB] In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”. 21:25-26: Isaiah 60:11 says “Your gates shall always be open; day and night they shall not be shut, so that nations shall bring you their wealth, with their kings led in procession”. [NOAB] 21:27: Those who come to the city will be one with those who dwell there. The realm of the holy was confined to the Temple and those who entered it; now the entire city is holy. Zechariah 14:20-21 says, in essence, “On that day” the whole city will be holy. [CAB] 21:27: “unclean”: The Greek word is koinon, usually meaning common. [NJBC] 21:27: “book of life”: i.e. the register of God containing the names of the redeemed. Such a book is also mentioned in 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; Exodus 32:32 (Moses to God); Psalm 69:28; Isaiah 4:3; Daniel 12:1 (Michael rises at the end of time); Malachi 3:16; Luke 10:20 (where Jesus tells the seventy emissaries upon their return “rejoice that your names are written in heaven”). [NOAB] 22:1: “river”: For the river of blessings from God, see also Genesis 2:10 (second creation story); Psalm 46:4; Ezekiel 47:1; Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:8; John 4:10, 14 (the Samaritan woman at the well). [NOAB] A sacred river is also known from Ugaritic (Canaanite) and Mesopotamian sources. 22:2: “On either side of the river ...”: Ezekiel 47:12 says “On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing”. [NOAB] 22:2: “tree of life”: JBC says that because this verse is chiefly inspired by Ezekiel 47:7, 12, xylon, tree, should be taken as a generic singular. Instead of the single tree of life (Genesis 2:9; 3:22), the eschatological city contains many trees, offering plentitude of life, and all its citizens will have free access to them. 22:3: “Nothing accursed will be found ...”: Several interpretations (which are not mutually exclusive) are possible: The curses of Genesis 3:14-19 (in the Garden of Eden) will be reversed. [NJBC] There will no longer be occasion for sin (see Daniel 7:26). [JBC] No one will be threatened with destruction for idolatry, as in Zechariah 14:11. See also Exodus 22:20 and Deuteronomy 13:12-18. [NJBC] God will be reconciled with the nations rather than cursing them and dooming them to destruction: see Isaiah 34:2, 5. [NJBC] 22:3: “the throne of God and of the Lamb”: There will be one throne. In John 10:30, Jesus says “‘The Father and I are one’”. [NOAB] Note that “his” and “him” are singular. 22:4: “they will see his face”: The old warning of death on seeing God (see Exodus 33:20 and Isaiah 6:5) is repealed. [CAB] See also 1 Corinthians 13:12; Matthew 5:8 (the Beatitudes); 1 John 3:2; Hebrews 12:14. John 1:18 says that this is unattainable in this world. 1 John 3:2 says “Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.” [NOAB] 22:4: “his name will be on their foreheads”: See also 3:12 and 7:3. In 7:3, the servants of God will be marked with a seal on their foreheads. In Ezekiel 9:4-6, the seal marks those under God’s protection. On the other hand, in Revelation 13:16-17, sealing has a different connotation: there sealing shows those with whom trade can be conducted. Christians are not sealed, so are under economic boycott – probably on the orders of Nero. 22:5: “they will reign forever”: In Daniel 7:27, the “Ancient One” says “The kingship and dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.” GOSPEL: John 14: 23 - 29 (all) John 14:23 (NRSV) Jesus answered him [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. 24 Whoever 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. 26 But 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. 27 Peace 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. 28 You 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. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. Jesus continues to prepare his followers for his departure. Judas, son of James (one of the twelve in Luke’s list of disciples) has asked him: “‘how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’” (v. 22). Jesus answers, but not directly. In the era to come, when the Father and Son come, separation between God and those who love him will no longer exist (v. 23). Loving Jesus implies obeying him. The message Jesus brings is “from the Father” (v. 24); Jesus is his agent. Jesus’ words will be complemented by the actions of the “Holy Spirit” (v. 26), who will be “Advocate”, i.e. helper and counsellor to believers. He will cause the disciples to remember (“remind”) what Jesus has said, and help them to understand the true significance of Jesus’ words and deeds (“everything”). Jesus gives to his followers “peace”, (v. 27, shalom) – a very different gift from worldly gifts. In loving God, we come to know him. If they really knew Jesus, they would rejoice at his coming departure (v. 28). The Father has sent him into the world to do his will, so in that sense “the Father is greater than I”. Jesus has told them this so that when they see his manner of leaving (“it”, v. 29), they “may believe”. Verse 22: “Judas (not Iscariot)”: Traditionally Judas son of James is the person called “Thaddeus” in Mark 3:18 and Matthew 10:3. However BlkJn notes that a Judas “of James” appears in the lists of apostles in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13, replacing Thaddeus in Mark’s list and either Thaddeus, Lebbaeus or Lebbaeus called Thaddeus in Matthew’s list (depending on which manuscript is read). In Luke and Acts, the Greek phrase is literally Judas of James. The NRSV (and other translations) make the natural assumption that “Judas son of James” is intended. It is unlikely, although not impossible, that “Judas” in our reading is the one named in Mark 6:3: “‘Is not this the carpenter, ... brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon ...?’”, one of Jesus’ brothers. It is noteworthy that Judas’ question here recalls the challenge made to Jesus by his brothers in 7:4 to show himself to the world, and also has behind it the presumption: if you are the Messiah, surely you want to vindicate yourself to your enemies. [BlkJn] Verse 22: Judas may be asking, in confusion: What then of the glorious coming of the Son of Man?, as foretold in, for example, Mark 13:26. [JBC] Verse 23: Jesus repeats his statement in v. 21 with two changes: from “commandments” to “word”: thus generalizing the meaning to his message as a whole, and Jesus will be shown to the disciples by dwelling in them (“home” is literally place to stay in). Thus the Old Testament prophetic hope of God dwelling among people will be fully realized: In Isaiah 57:15, God says through the prophet: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite”. Judas’ question is answered, indirectly: Jesus’ messiahship does not mean that he will force himself on his enemies. [BlkJn] Verse 24: Jesus repeats what he has just said, in a negative form. [BlkJn] Verse 26: The “Advocate” does not bring teaching independent of the revelation found in Jesus’ words and actions. [NJBC] For “Advocate”, BlkJn offers Champion. Per 16:13-15, the Holy Spirit will not add any new revelation of his own, since that given by Jesus is complete (see 14:9). Verse 26: “remind”: 2:22 says: “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.” and 12:16 says: “His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.” [JBC] Verse 27: “peace”: More than the conventional meaning of shalom is intended. To give “peace” is a royal and a divine prerogative (see Numbers 6:26; Psalm 147:14; Isaiah 26:12; 45:7) which Jesus bequeaths as God’s Messiah, the Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:6 and Ezekiel 37:26). Worldly peace comes through coercion. [BlkJn] Isaiah 9:6 says: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. Verse 28: “the Father is greater than I”: During the Arian controversy, this clause was used to support subortionist Christology. [NJBC] Verses 30-31: Some believe that these verses were originally at the end of the Last Supper discourse. [JBC] Verse 30: “the ruler of this world is coming”: The battle with the Devil now begins. It will end in his apparent victory, but his actual defeat: 12:31 says: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out”. [JBC]