Saturday, March 26, 2016



April

3 Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253 is a saint (canonized 1262) who was Bishop of Chichester. In Chichester Cathedral a shrine dedicated to Richard had become a richly decorated centre of pilgrimage. In 1538, during the reign of Henry VIII, the shrine was plundered and destroyed by order of Thomas Cromwell.
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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.


Isaiah 65: 17 - 25   (alt. for RCL)

Isai 65:17 (NRSV) For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
20 No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain,
or bear children for calamity; Or [sudden terror]}
for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD--
and their descendants as well.
24 Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent--its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
says the LORD.


PSALM 118: 1 - 2, 14 - 24   (RCL)
               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.


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:  1 Corinthians 15: 19 - 26   (RCL)

1Cor 15:19 (NRSV) If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22 for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, Or [Then come the rest]} when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

h/t montreal anglican
Some at Corinth had difficulty accepting Jesus’ resurrection, in which humanity becomes immortal, for many considered only the soul to be immortal. Paul has written that if we deny the resurrection, we reject the very basis of the faith. If our faith in Christ is limited to this life, we have been had. But Jesus was raised! The “first fruits” (v. 20) are the first yield of the harvest, foreshadowing more to come, so Christ’s resurrection is the forerunner of our resurrection. “Adam” (v. 22) was the prototype (model) for the old, earthly life (in which, Paul says, “all die”); Christ is the prototype for the new: he brings all (who believe) to life – through his resurrection. The sequence is this:
·  the raising of Christ (v. 23);
·  when Christ comes again (“coming”), of those who believe;
·  Christ’s destruction of all hostile, ungodly, powers (“every ruler ...”, v. 24, “enemies”, v. 25); and
·  the handing over of rule (“kingdom”, v. 24) to “the Father”.
This destruction will fulfil Psalm 8:6 (v. 27). The last enemy to be destroyed is (will be) death (v. 26). In v. 27, Paul clarifies: “all” does not include “the one” (God) who subjected all things to “him” (Christ).

The idea of bodily resurrection was denied by many in the wider Greco-Roman world, not only in Corinth.
Verses 21-23: Jesus is the prototype of the new creation as Adam was of the old: see also Romans 5:12-21. [ JBC]
Verse 23: “first fruits”: Elsewhere Paul carries the metaphor of first fruits further than he does here. The Old Testament origins are in: Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:10; Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Numbers 18:16-18; Ezekiel 44:30. [ CAB]
Verse 23: “at his coming”: At the glorious return of Christ (see 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 4:13-17), at the time of the general resurrection (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16). [ NOAB]
Verse 24: “every ruler ...”: i.e. powers hostile to authentic humanity: see also Romans 8:38-39; Colossians 1:16; 2:10; Ephesians 1:21. [ NJBC]
Verse 25: Paul quotes Psalm 110:1b (“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool”) implicitly. [ NJBC]
Verse 25: “his enemies”: i.e. demonic powers dominating the present age, one of which is death.
Verse 26: “death”: For the personification of death in the Old Testament, see Psalms 33:19; 49:14; Jeremiah 9:20-22; Habakkuk 2:5. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 27: Psalm 8:6 is also associated with Psalm 110:1 in Ephesians 1:20-22. [ NJBC]




GOSPEL:   John 20: 1 - 18   (RCL)
                     John 20: 1 - 9   (Roman Catrholic)

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.

Early on Sunday morning, before dawn, Mary Magdalene (witness to Jesus’ death and burial) comes to the tomb and finds that the “stone” door has been rolled back, so she and those with her (“we”, v. 2) tell “Peter” (v. 4) and “the other disciple” (v. 4, traditionally thought to be John) that they suspect that someone has removed the body. The “other disciple” apparently younger, outruns Peter (v. 5). But the orderliness of the “cloth” (v. 7) and “linen wrappings” shows that the body has neither been stolen nor spiritualized. John, when he sees, comes to trust (“believed”, v. 8) that God is active; by implication, Peter does not understand yet. They do not yet understand the significance of what is occurring (v. 9), of how it fits into God’s plan, because they have not yet received the Holy Spirit.
Mary, still thinking that the body has been moved, has returned to the cemetery. In her grief, she sees “two angels in white” (v. 12), heavenly messengers. She recognizes Jesus when he calls her by name. But something has changed: they are in a new relationship: “do not hold on to me” (v. 17). To John the evangelist, Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, exaltation and return to heavenly glory, his ascension, are parts of a single event.

Verse 1: “while it was still dark”: That the women visit the tomb at dawn is stated in the synoptic gospels. Perhaps the writer has added darkness to incorporate his scene into the light symbolism of the gospel. [ NJBC]
Verse 1: Mary must have looked into the tomb to be able to tell “Peter and the other disciple” (v. 2) that the body of Jesus is missing. Only in v. 11 are we told that she “bent over to look in the tomb”. [ NJBC]
Verse 2: “the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved”: 21:20, 24 identify this disciple as the author of the gospel.
Verse 2: “we” is plural in the Greek, so it is likely that John worked from a source which included other women in these verses. (Mark includes other women.) [ BlkJn] [ NJBC]
Verse 4: “the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first”: In this gospel, Peter takes second place to “the other disciple”:
  • At the Last Supper, it is the beloved disciple who sits in the place of greater honour: see 13:23
  • Peter asks this disciple the identity of the traitor: see 13:24
  • Peter gains access to the high priest’s courtyard through the beloved disciple: see 18:15
  • The beloved disciple is entrusted with the care of Jesus’ mother: see 19:26
  • When Jesus appears to the disciples in Galilee, it is the beloved disciple who identifies Jesus to Peter: see 21:7
  • After being commissioned, Peter is rebuffed for asking about the beloved disciple’s task: see 21:20-24. [ BlkJn]
  • In v. 8, it is the beloved disciple that sees and believes, not Peter.
Verse 6: That Peter goes into the tomb while “the other disciple” stays outside is consistent with Peter’s temperament shown elsewhere in the gospels. See also 6:68 and 18:10. [ BlkJn]
Verse 6: “He saw the linen wrappings lying there”: Note the difference from Lazarus: he needed unbinding ( 11:44); Jesus does not. In the synoptic gospels, the grave clothes are not mentioned, so presumably they were absent: see Mark 16:6; Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:3, 23. [ BlkJn]
Verse 9: “the scripture”: There is no specific scriptural reference, so John is probably saying that Jesus’ fulfills salvation history. However, the term scripture may well include the apocrypha to the New Testament and pseudepigrapha. When John wrote, neither the Jewish canon of the Old Testament nor that of the New Testament existed. The Greek word refers to a writing, not necessarily Scripture as we understand it.
BlkJn points out that “scripture” is in the singular, so a specific text is intended. He suggests Psalm 16:10, “For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit”.
Comments: they have not yet received the Holy Spirit: When do the disciples receive the Holy Spirit in John? In 14:16, Jesus says to the disciples: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever”. So, in a sense, the Spirit is active in Jesus during his earthly ministry. However, in 16:7 Jesus says: “it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you”. So the Holy Spirit is with the disciples during Jesus’ earthly ministry, and is more fully with them after his ascension. In 20:22, Jesus breathes on them and says “‘Receive the Holy Spiri’t”.
Verses 11-18: To BlkJn, this is a separate incident which is mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament only in the spurious longer ending of Mark (Mark 16:9-20), though there are superficial similarities to Matthew 28:8-10. Here Mary is calm when she discovers the angels while in the synoptic gospels, the women are afraid: see Mark 16:5-8; Luke 24:5 and Matthew 28:5, 8. Further, here the angels do not deliver a message while they do in the synoptic gospels. [ BlkJn] To NJBC, the evangelist has reworked a traditional story in which the risen Christ appeared to either Mary Magdalene alone or in the company of other women near the tomb. He has recast the resurrection message so that it is clear that Jesus’ return is not to the disciples in the various appearance stories. His return is his exaltation to his place with the Father: see 14:18-19; 16:22; 3:13; 6:62. [ NJBC]
Verse 12: Mary sees “two angels in white” but apparently Peter and the other disciple did not (see vv. 6-7).
Verse 14: “she did not know that it was Jesus”: Mary also fails to recognize Jesus in other resurrection stories: see 21:4, 7, 12; Luke 24:16ff; Matthew 28:17. See also Luke 24:37-41. [ BlkJn]
Verse 15: “Sir”: The Greek word is kurios also translated as Lord with divine connotations. Kurios is also used in vv. 2, 13, 15, 18, 20 and 25. [ BlkJn]
Verse 15: “gardener”: a Jewish cemetery was much like a garden. Mary would be physically unable to “take him away”: this is an expression of her love for Jesus.
Verse 16: “Rabbouni” is a variant form of Rabbi, meaning teacher. Mary wishes to resume the relationship she has previously enjoyed with Jesus. [ BlkJn]
Verse 17: One should not think of Jesus’ resurrection as though he had returned to life and then later ascended into heaven. Rather, Jesus has passed into an entirely different reality. 14:22-23 answers the question of how Jesus will manifest himself to the disciples and not to the world – in terms of love and the indwelling presence of Father and Son with the disciples. [ NJBC]
Verse 17: “Do not hold on to me ...”: In Matthew 28:9-10, the women grasp the risen Lord’s feet in a gesture of worship. [ NJBC]
Verse 17: “my Father ... your God”: The Father truly is Jesus’ Father; Christians acquire their relationship to him through Christ. [ JBC]
Verses 19-22: Jesus appears to his disciples. As a community, as the Church, they now receive the Holy Spirit.


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