21 Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1109
22 John Muir, Naturalist and Writer,
1914, and Hudson Stuck, Priest and Environmentalist, 1920
23 George, Soldier and Martyr, c. 304.
Toyohiko Kagawa, Prophetic Witness in Japan, 1960 was a Japanese Christian pacifist, Christian
reformer, and labour activist
24 Genocide Remembrance
25 Saint Mark the Evangelist
26 Robert Hunt, Priest and First Chaplain
at Jamestown, 1607 a vicar in the Church of England, was chaplain of the
expedition that founded, in 1607, the first successful English colony in the
New World, at Jamestown, Virginia
27 Christina Rossetti, Poet, 1894
28
FIRST READING: Acts 10: 34 - 43 (all)
Acts 10:34
(NRSV) Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God
shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what
is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of
Israel, preaching
peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John
announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with
power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the
devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea
and in Jerusalem. They put him to
death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and
allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by
God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one
ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets
testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of
sins through his name."
Note: the
Roman Catholic lectionary omits vs. 34b-36.
Jeremiah 31: 1 - 6 (alt.
for RCL)
Jere 31:1 (NRSV) At that time, says the LORD, I will be
the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus says the LORD:
The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
3 the LORD appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
Again you shall take your tambourines,
and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
5 Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant,
and shall enjoy the fruit.
6 For there shall be a day when sentinels will call
in the hill country of E'phraim:
"Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the LORD our God."
PSALM 118: 1 - 2, 14 -
24 (RCL)
Psalm 118: 1 - 2, 16 - 17,
22 - 23 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 118:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, for he is
good;
his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say,
"His steadfast love endures forever."
14 The LORD is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the
righteous:
"The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;
16 the right hand of the LORD is exalted;
the right hand of the LORD does valiantly."
17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the LORD.
18 The LORD has punished me severely,
but he did not give me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it. {Or [in him]}
25 Save us, we beseech you, O LORD!
O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD.
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.
29 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
118 Confitemini Domino (ECUSA BCP)
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.
2 Let Israel now proclaim, *
“His mercy endures for ever.”
14 The
Lord is my strength and my song, *
and he has become my salvation.
15 There
is a sound of exultation and victory *
in the tents of the righteous:
16
"The right hand of the Lord has triumphed! *
the right hand of the Lord is exalted!
the right hand of the Lord has
triumphed!"
17 I
shall not die, but live, *
and declare the works of the Lord.
18 The
Lord has punished me sorely, *
but he did not hand me over to death.
19 Open
for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the Lord.
20
"This is the gate of the Lord; *
he who is righteous may enter."
21 I will
give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have become my salvation.
22 The
same stone which the builders rejected *
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This
is the Lord's doing, *
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 On
this day the Lord has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
SECOND READING: Colossians
3: 1 - 4 (all)
Colo 3:1 (NRSV) So if you have been raised with Christ,
seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of
God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on
earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When
Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in
glory.
h/t Montreal Anglican The author has described baptism as
being “raised with Christ” and becoming sharers in his suffering and death. In
the early Church, those to be baptised removed their clothes before the rite
and donned new ones after it, symbolizing the casting aside of their old ways
(“died”, v. 3) and their new “life” in Christ. Our reading summarizes this
teaching. We already have close fellowship with Christ, but this is not yet
fully revealed; our lives are still “hidden with Christ in God” (v. 3), unseen
by worldly people. When Christ’s glory is “revealed” (v. 4) at the end of time,
our complete union with him will also be seen. (Early Christians saw Psalm
110:1, “... Sit at my right hand ...”, as showing that Jewish messianic hopes
are realized in Christ.)
Being baptised has ethical implications (vv. 5-17): we are
to cast aside both sins of the body (v. 5) and of the mind (v. 8).
“Fornication” (v. 5), porneia in Greek, means all forms of sexual immorality;
the “impurity” is sexual; “passion” is lust; evil desire is self--centred
covetousness; “greed” motivates a person to set up a god besides God. “The
wrath of God is coming” (v. 6) at the end of time on those who indulge in
immorality. In the baptised community, racial and social barriers no longer
exist, for “Christ is all and in all” (v. 11).
Verse 1: “So”: In Colossians, this word often marks the start of a new section. [ NJBC]
Verse 1: “So”: In Colossians, this word often marks the start of a new section. [ NJBC]
Verse 1: “have been raised with Christ”: See also 2:12;
Ephesians 5:14. [ CAB]
Verse 1: “seated at the right hand of God”: Hebrews 1:3
says “... When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand
of the Majesty on high”. [ NOAB]
Verse 3: “you have died”: i.e. to the world. [ NOAB]
Verse 4: Perhaps this is a paraphrase of 1 Thessalonians
4:16-17: “For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s
call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the
dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be
caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so
we will be with the Lord forever”. See also Mark 13:24-27 (the Little
Apocalypse); 1 John 2:28; 3:2. [ NOAB]
Verse 5: Lists of sins are common in Hellenic literature
of the time, so there is no implication that the Colossian Christians indulged
in any of these sins. Similar lists are found in the Qumran literature: see,
for example, 1QS (Rule of the Community) 4:3-5 and CD (Damascus Document)
4:17-19. [ NJBC]
Verse 5: “fornication”: See also Romans 1:24; 2 Corinthians
12:21; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:7. [ CAB]
From time to time, Clippings points out that words in the
Greek manuscripts of the New Testament are found in particular verses in the
translation of the Old Testament in common use when the New Testament was
written. But, the Septuagint was written some two to three centuries before the
New Testament, so we sometimes need to ask whether the meaning of these words
had changed over the centuries.
In the case of v. 5 here, we should ask: did the author
know of older meanings for some of the words in his list of vices? Consider
porneia (“fornication”). In Classical Greek (the language of five to six
centuries before Christ), porneia seems to have primarily referred to
prostitution.
If the author of Colossians was aware of this earlier
meaning (which might have still been current when Hosea was translated into
Greek), perhaps he tied this passage with Hosea 1:2: “... Go, take for yourself
a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom”. In the Septuagint,
“whoredom” is porneia so “the land commits great whoredom” (ekporneuousa) .
He was probably also aware of Proverbs 5, where good and
bad women, representing wisdom and foolishness, and faithfulness and
faithlessness, are mentioned. (In the Septuagint translation of Proverbs 5:3,
"loose woman" is gynaikos pornes). So it seems that more is at stake
than sexual misbehaviour; indeed, the author of Colossians calls on his readers
to be faithful (as Hosea called on his to be faithful to the covenant with
God). Prostituting oneself in either (and both) senses is the “earthly” part.
In case the reader thinks that suggesting that the author
might know earlier meanings of words is reading too much into the text, I point
out that he was sufficiently learned to write of the cosmic nature of Christ.
That he used this notion in his argument shows that his readers also had a
certain background in the history of ideas. In Colossians 2:8, he writes “See
to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit,
according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the
universe [kosmos], and not according to Christ” On the other hand, these older
meanings hung on much longer than scholars sometimes give credit: into New
Testament Greek . [Abbott Conway]
Verse 5: “impurity”: The word in the Greek is akatharsian
. In Classical Greek, this word means want of cleansing, and hence filth , and
metaphorically moral filthiness. There is also the sense of something that is
akatharsos being unpurified, or unatoned. So the author may mean, within the
general sense of morality, something more specific about behaviour that is
consonant with the cleansing and atoning work of Christ. [Abbott Conway]
Verse 5: “passion”: The Greek word, pathos, may
specifically relate to sexual passion, but generally it refers to any kind of
suffering. In Classical Greek, the primary meaning is pain or distress, and
spiritually it refers to any kind of violent feeling, whether of love or of
hate. In Plato’s writings, the family of words refers to that which is
accidental or changing (as distinct from that which is substantial and
immutable). So, again, there may well be two meanings here: one sexual, and one
to do with faith. [Abbott Conway]
Verse 5: “evil desire”: The Greek literally means bad (or
evil) longings. [Abbott Conway]
Verse 5: “greed ...”: See also Ephesians 5:5. [ NOAB]
Verse 5: “greed (which is idolatry)”: Ephesians 5:5 speaks
of “one who is greedy (that is, an idolater)”. The equating of this greed with
idolatry helps fit the whole set of readings together, for the harlotry to
which Hosea refers is none other than the abandonment of the covenant for local
idols, as Ezekiel 3:6-11 exemplifies.
In a sense, then, this little passage offers a hinge
between the general argument of Hosea that the holy people should avoid the
faithlessness of idolatry, and the specific injunction of Jesus to avoid greed
of any kind (which is a kind of idolatry, and thus is faithlessness to God). [Abbott
Conway]
Verse 8: “anger, wrath”: The Greek word translated
“anger”, orge, came to mean, by New Testament times, any violent passion, but
especially wrath. Thymon (“wrath”) came to mean the seat of feelings, and then
specifically the seat of anger. This may explain why the author uses two terms
here, rather than just one: orge refers to the action of puffing oneself up
with rage, and thymos refers to the residence of anger. [Abbott Conway]
Verse 8: “anger”: See also Ephesians 4:26. [ CAB]
Verse 8: “malice”: The Greek word has a range of meanings
from vice, malice, and depravity to ill--repute and dishonour. [Abbott Conway]
Verse 8: “slander”: The Greek word, blasphemian, means
slander when it is directed to humans, and blasphemy when it is directed to
God. [Abbott Conway]
Verse 8: “abusive language”: See also Ephesians 5:4 and
James 3:5-12. [ CAB] The Greek means literally foul language. The stem of the
word means both shame / disgrace, and ugliness / deformity. [Abbott Conway]
Verses 9-10: See also 2 Corinthians 5:17. [ CAB]
Verse 10: “according to the image of its creator”: See
Genesis 1:26-27. See also 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 (“... the first Adam ... the
last Adam”); Ephesians 2:10; 4:24. [NOAB]
Verse 11: See also Galatians 3:28. [ CAB]
Verse 11: “Scythian”: The Scythians were a nomadic people
from the Caucasus who threatened the Assyrian and Persian empires from the
north. In the Old Testament they are called “Ashkenaz” (Genesis 10:3; 1
Chronicles 1:6; Jeremiah 51:27). The Scythians’ cruelty was proverbial in later
antiquity (see 2 Maccabees 4:47; 3 Maccabees 7:5; 4 Maccabees 10:7).
Verse 11: “Christ is all and in all”: The Greek is alla
[ta] panta kai en pasin Christos. This clause expresses both the universality
of Christ (following from the descriptions of the cosmic Christ in earlier
passages), and his presence in everything. The two Greek words (panta and pasin
) make absolutely clear a distinction that is not always evident in modem
translations. [Abbott Conway]
Verses 12-17: V. 12 tells us the qualities which the
baptised are expected to possess, i.e. be “clothed” with. “Compassion” is
sympathy for the needs of others. We should be meek in the sense of gentle and
considerate towards others. We should be forgiving as God has forgiven us. The
primary Christian virtue is “love” (v. 14); it is born out of God’s love. May
our thinking and actions be motivated by “the peace of Christ” (v. 15). May we
teach each other in the light of the ultimate truth, i.e. God, and be joyful in
the Lord. All we do should be done as though Jesus himself is doing it.
Verse 12: See also Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2
Peter 1:5-7. [ CAB]
Verse 12: “compassion”: See also 2 Corinthians 6:6 and
Ephesians 2:7.
Verse 12: “humility”: See also 2:18, 23. [ CAB]
Verse 12: “meekness”: See also Galatians 6:1
(”gentleness”) and 2 Timothy 2:25. [ CAB]
Verse 12: “patience”: See also 2 Corinthians 6:6;
Ephesians 4:2; 2 Timothy 3:10; 4:2. [ CAB]
Verse 13: See also 2 Corinthians 11:19; Galatians 6:6;
Romans 9:19; 15:7; Hebrews 8:8; Matthew 6:14-15; Ephesians 4:32. [ CAB]
Verse 15: “the peace of Christ”: See also John 14:27;
Ephesians 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:16. [ CAB]
Verse 15: “rule”: Literally, be umpire.
Verse 17: 1 Corinthians 10:31 says “So, whether you eat or
drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God”. [ CAB]
The Acts reading from
above is an alternate for RCL (if not already used)
1 Corinthians 5: 6b - 8
(alt. for Roman Catholic)
1Cor 5:6 (NRSV) Do you not know that a little yeast
leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Clean out the old yeast so that you may be
a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has
been sacrificed. 8 Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old
yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity
and truth.
GOSPEL: John 20: 1 - 18
(RCL)
John 20: 1 - 9 (Roman
Catholic)
John 20:1 (NRSV) Early on the first day of the week, while
it was still dark, Mary Mag'dalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had
been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other
disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the
Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." 3 Then
Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were
running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb
first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but
he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the
tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on
Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by
itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in,
and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture,
that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept,
she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white,
sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other
at the feet. 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She
said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they
have laid him." 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus
standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman,
why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the
gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me
where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her,
"Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew,"Rabbou'ni!"
(which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me,
because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to
them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your
God.'" 18 Mary Mag'dalene went and announced to the disciples, "I
have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to
her.
Matthew 28: 1 - 10 (alt.
for RCL)
Matt 28:1 (NRSV) After the sabbath, as the first day of
the week was dawning, Mary Mag'dalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord,
descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His
appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of
him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the
women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was
crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the
place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, "He has been
raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you
will see him.' This is my message for you." 8 So they left the tomb
quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly
Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold
of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be
afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
On Friday, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James (“the other Mary”) have seen Jesus’ body laid in the tomb, the stone door sealed, and a guard mounted. Now, soon after dawn on Sunday morning (“the first day of the week”) they return to “see” and probably to mourn. Matthew highlights important milestones with displays of cosmic power, God’s power: here, and when Jesus died, an “earthquake” (v. 2), which heralds the arrival of “an angel”, a messenger from God. The sealing of the tomb has marked death’s victory, but now God’s agent rolls back the door (“stone”) and sits on it – symbolizing Jesus’ triumph over death. The angel’s “appearance” (v. 3) shows God’s presence and power (“like lightning”); his clothing is like Jesus transfigured. The guards are paralysed with “fear” (v. 4), but the angel is no threat to the women (“Do not be afraid”, v. 5). As Jesus has told his disciples (“as he said”, v. 6), Jesus has risen from the dead. The disciples will see him again in Galilee. The women leave the tomb filled with awe (“fear”, v. 8) and “great joy”. Jesus meets the Marys again later (v. 9). That they “took hold of his feet” attests to his bodily resurrection. Jesus refers to the disciples as “brothers” (v. 10): he has forgiven them for deserting him.
On Friday, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James (“the other Mary”) have seen Jesus’ body laid in the tomb, the stone door sealed, and a guard mounted. Now, soon after dawn on Sunday morning (“the first day of the week”) they return to “see” and probably to mourn. Matthew highlights important milestones with displays of cosmic power, God’s power: here, and when Jesus died, an “earthquake” (v. 2), which heralds the arrival of “an angel”, a messenger from God. The sealing of the tomb has marked death’s victory, but now God’s agent rolls back the door (“stone”) and sits on it – symbolizing Jesus’ triumph over death. The angel’s “appearance” (v. 3) shows God’s presence and power (“like lightning”); his clothing is like Jesus transfigured. The guards are paralysed with “fear” (v. 4), but the angel is no threat to the women (“Do not be afraid”, v. 5). As Jesus has told his disciples (“as he said”, v. 6), Jesus has risen from the dead. The disciples will see him again in Galilee. The women leave the tomb filled with awe (“fear”, v. 8) and “great joy”. Jesus meets the Marys again later (v. 9). That they “took hold of his feet” attests to his bodily resurrection. Jesus refers to the disciples as “brothers” (v. 10): he has forgiven them for deserting him.
The parallels are Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-11; John 20:1-10.
Mark 16:1-2 tells of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of
James, and Salome bringing spices to anoint Jesus, but Matthew has told us that
a woman has already anointed Jesus for burial: see 26:6-13.
Verse 1: “was dawning”: One scholar translates this as
towards dawn.
Verse 1: “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary”: See also
27:56, 61.
Verse 2: “a great earthquake”: See also 27:51-54.
Verse 2: “angel”: In 1:20, an angel warns Joseph and Mary
to flee with Jesus to Egypt. In Mark, a “young man” sits within the tomb.
Verse 3: “lightning”: See also Daniel 10:6 for lightning
as a sign of God’s presence.
Verse 3: “his clothing white as snow”: See 17:2 for Jesus’
clothes becoming “dazzling white” at his transfiguration.
Verse 4: “the guards”: See also 27:62-66.
Verse 6: “he has been raised, as he said”: See 16:21;
17:23; 20:19; 27:63. See also 12:40; 26:61; 27:40.
Verse 7: “He has been raised from the dead”: A creedal
formula, not found in Mark. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 12, 20
Verse 7: “he is going ahead of you to Galilee”: See 26:32;
28:16; John 21:21-23.
Verse 7: “This is my message for you”: In other words, I
have accomplished my mission.
Verse 8: See also Luke 24:9, 22-23. The sequence of events
cannot be worked out. Each account is a separate summary of early Christian
testimony to the fact of Jesus’ resurrection.
Verse 8: “with fear and great joy”: One scholar comments
that their state is like that of those about to be married!
Verse 9: See also John 20:14-18 (Mary Magdalene meets
Jesus near the tomb). It is implied that the women recognized Jesus
immediately.
Verse 10: “said to them”: i.e. to the two women.
Verse 10: “my brothers”: Jesus calls his followers
brothers in John 20:17 and Matthew 12:46-50. In the latter passage, doing so
implies forgiveness.
