Lectionary Notes

Some Notes for Proper 4 in Year A
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
30 JANUARY 2011

THE READINGS
MICAH 6:1-8
The LORD’s Lawsuit against Israel

From the superscription (1.1) it appears that the prophet Micah was a younger contemporary of Isaiah; like Isaiah and Hosea he prophesied at the time of the Assyrian threat against Israel and Judah in the late eighth century BC. Unlike Isaiah, who was of noble descent and a man of Jerusalem, Micah was born in the village of Moresheth in the foothills s-w of Jerusalem. The introduction to the NOAB suggests that for this reason he ‘looked on the corruptions and pretensions of the southern capital through different eyes’, and that this difference accounts for his prophecy of the fall of Jerusalem (3.9-12), something his contemporaries never did (see Jeremiah 26.18).
The sixth chapter of Micah contains a series of oracles directed against Israelites of all classes and opens with a dramatic lawsuit that brings the people to face the greatness of their sin.
1-2. Address. The Lord summons Israel to plead its case (see also Isaiah 3:13; Hosea 4:1-3; 12:2.); he is both accuser and judge; the whole of nature (mountains, hills, foundations of the earth) witness the action.
3-5: The Mighty Deeds of the LORD. This text has been used in Christian liturgy, especially on Good Friday. It resumes Israel’s confession of faith, such as Joshua 24.2-13. “Past events are recalled in order to bring the listener to repent” and properly consider “the promised faithfulness. The mighty deeds of God are recounted from the exodus … to the conquest and the entry into the land.” What more could the LORD have done? [NJBC]
For the story of Balak and Balaam son of Beor, see chapters 22-24 of Numbers. For Shittim see Numbers 25.1-5, 27.23 and 33.48-49, on Gilgal, see Joshua 5.2-12.
6-7: True Religion: the Question. The remembrance of these mighty acts of redemption evoke the questions: how shall I come before the LORD? That is, what is the religion expected of me? There are four questions here, one general, three specific building up to the climax of a terrible offering in the hope of wiping away great sin:
With what shall I come before the LORD ….?
Shall I come with burnt offerings ….?
Will the LORD be pleased with repeated offerings (thousands of rams) or streams of the oil used in worship and anointing?
Shall I give my firstborn?
The climax the abomination of the Canaanites (see Leviticus 20.2-3; Deuteronomy 12.31; Ezekiel 20.26) which the LORD has rejected (see 1 Kings 16.34; Jer 7.31, 19.5; cf Genesis 22, Exodus 11, 13). Such a dreadful question shows that the gravity of the sin is realized. But the Lord‘s answer is definitely negative: he demands inward conversion and a right spirit. This was called for by the law and all the prophets (see Isaiah 1.10-17; 7.9; 30.15; Amos 5.21-27; Hosea 2.19-20; 6.4-6; Jeremiah 6.16-20; 7.21-24).
8. True Religion: the Answer. So Micah says, He has told you : the right answer is to do justice. Kindness or mercy translates the Hebrew hesed, חֶסֶד, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, favour, among people or grace, as shown by God to people, also, human piety towards God. What the Lord demands is an expression of love in response to his love. It is all summed up in the image of walking humbly with your God. The themes here are also echoed in Christ’s Beatitudes.

PSALM 15
Domine quis habitabit?

It is thought that this psalm was used in the temple liturgy. It is a question, posed by worshippers (v. 1) and the answer of a temple minister, or perhaps a choir (vv 2-5). It serves in this Sunday’s liturgy as a reflection on the words of Micah: as true religion is to act justly and love kindness, so to be blameless and to do what is right is the requirement for true worship.
On the prohibition of interest (v. 5), see Exodus 22.25; Leviticus 25.35-37.

Epistle: 1 CORINTHIANS 1. 18-31
The power of the Cross

Last week’s passage from the first letter to the Corinthians ends with Paul’s assertion that God sent him to preach, not baptize. In this section he expounds on the contrast between the way of the Cross, which seems like foolishness to the world, but is God’s wisdom and power, and the wisdom of the world, which is foolishness before God.
In reading for this Sunday, take vv 27 and 28, But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, and compare those who are called ‘blessed’ in the Gospel reading. How the Gospel of God would turn the world upside down is we only embraced it with all our hearts!

THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST MATTHEW 5.1-12
Parallel: Luke 6.20-23

Chapters 5 to 7 of Matthew’s Gospel contain the Sermon on the Mount, the first of five major discourses in the Gospel. The Discourses are identified by NJBC as:
Chapters 5-7: Blessings, Entering the Kingdom
Chapter 10: Mission Discourse
Chapter 13 Parables of the Kingdom
Chapter 18: Communuity Discourse
Chapters 24-25: Woes; Coming of the Kingdom
Luke\s Gospel conatins a parallel discourse known as the Sermon on the Plain It is not necessary to think that this ‘sermon’ was delivered at one time as it stands in the text of the Gospel; a comparison shows that the Gospel according to Luke has used much of the material in different ways and at different points in the narrative.
The dominant themes of the Sermon are the kingdom of God and justice. It opens with the series of declarations ccalled the Beatitudes, from the opening words of each verse, in Latin Beati, ‘blessed’. Matthew’s Gospel gives eight beatitudes; in Luke four beatitudes are accompanied by four ‘woes’ (6.24-26). Our purposes do not require us to take a position on the relations between the two versions, or whether one is more authentic; it is enough to note that the questions exist and may be pursued in many good studies and commentaries. We hear in these verse as they stand in scripture the voice of our Lord showing us the character and condition of person that is blessed by God. They challenge us to examine our lives and character.
Verses 1 and 2 are a brief introduction. The mountain is not identified; from 1.23 we gather it is in Galilee. A gently-sloping hillside on the north shore of the sea, not far from Capernaum is pointed out as the site of the sermon; a chapel was built there in 1939. See http://www.bibleplaces.com/mtbeatitudes.htm

The mountain stands for Mt Sinai where the law was given to Moses; on this mountain the Law is restated. Although it seems from v.1 that only the disciples are with Jesus, at the end of the sermon (7.28) we hear of the ‘crowds’. We must remember that there were more ‘disciples’ than just the twelve.
3. Blessed (Gk makarios) has been rendered by ‘happy’ in some modern versions; and there are some senses of the word ‘happy’ that are appropriate here. However, at the root of the word ‘happy’ is the idea of chance or luck (‘hap’), which invites the objection that ‘happiness’ is an emotion often dependant on outward circumstances but ‘blessed’ refers to the well-being and joy which belongs to those who share in the kingdom. Furthermore, ‘blessed’ involves the idea of approval by God. Thus the poor and all the others are ‘blessed’ not because they are better than others but because of God’s speracial care for them. The poor in spirit: Luke simpy has the ‘poor’. At the time of Jesus the poor of the land were those who preferred divine service to any financial gain. By adding ‘in spirit’ the moral dimension of voluntary detachment from wealth comes into the picture. In truth everyone is poor, for no one has anything that is not from God, not even self; the blessed are the ones who know this.
4. Those who mourn; we think of mourners at a funeral, but the word is wider; it originally mean to be anxious, but came to mean to sorrow, grieve, lament. Here the major sense is sorrow for sin and for the trials and difficulties of this life.
5. The meek. See Psalm 37.11; the word means ‘slow to anger’, ‘gentle with others’. The earth; in both Hebrew and Greek the word can also mean ‘the land’.
6. For thirst as spiritual longing, see Psalm 42.2, Isa. Iv. i.
7. The merciful: Slater notes: lit. shall experience mercy not only now, but in the final triumph of the kingdom, Jas. 2. 13 (cf. Heb. 4. 16, ‘receive mercy’). Matthew frequently refers to mercy: 9.13, 12.7, 18. 33, 25.35. The higher righteousness which justifies forgiveness can only be attained by those who submit to be governed by this supreme law of the universe, i. e. love. This is taught in the parable of the ungrateful servant, 18.23 ; and in the Lord s Prayer, 6.12. Mercy characterizes the true High Priest, Heb. 2.17 ; its absence condemned the Pharisees, Matt. 23.23.
10. persecuted for righteousness’ sake, ‘The cause, not the pain, makes the martyr’ (Augustine). See 1 Peter 3.14, 4.14.
11. falsely, or, because they are speakers of falsehood.
12. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven is perhaps the most difficult saying in the whole passage. Christian joy abounds in adversity ; so the apostles sang in prison, Acts 16 25 : cf. Rom. 5.3.

Lectionary Notes

Some Reflections on the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

Sometimes Known as Rogation Sunday

Back Again!

Over the past few weeks other responsibilities have crowded out some of the pleasant tasks I assign myself, not the least of which are these little notes, and I apologize for their absence. Last week I reached the point of having so little time to attend to the Sunday readings that I dug up a nine-year-old sermon, dusted it off and hoped for the best Things are a little more settled now, and here are a few notes. As I come back to a broken routine it is clear to me that there is no hope to make a useful comment on the whole lectionary. This week, I will only provide a few comments on points that struck me with some force as I read through the texts and attended to the commentaries.

Rogation Sunday

Back when this was the fifth Sunday after Easter, it was commonly called Rogation Sunday because of the old tradition of outdoor litanies in procession. The first three weekdays were known as the Rogation Days, on which prayers were offered for agriculture and the like. This year it is nice that the Victoria Day Holiday falls on Rogation Monday.

The Collect

is a version of the Prayer Book Collect for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity [page 226]. The sense of the prayer is substantially unchanged, but it might be worth while to compare “you have prepared for those who love you riches beyond imagination” and “who hast prepared for those who love thee such good things as pass man’s understanding”. There is no question but that the term “man’s” is expendable; but what of the difference between “understanding” and “imagination”. Is this just a question of taste?

The First Reading.

In the final weeks of Easter, the readings from Acts tell of the beginning of the Gospel’s expansion beyond the limts of Israel. Last week we heard of the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, this week we hear how the Holy Spirit fell on the household of the Roman centurion Cornelius as St Peter preached. It would be helpful to read all of Acts 10 and the opening 18 verses of Acts 11 before Sunday in order to hear this passage in context. In Acts 11 we hear how Peter recounted his experience in order to meet the objections of “the circumcision party”; the passage ends with “the apostles and brethren glorifying God and saying, .”Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life”.
All through this section it is made clear that the call of the Gentiles is God’s doing and God’s decision: the meeting of Peter and Cornelius was managed by dreams (10: 3-6; 10-16), and in this passage not only does the verb “fall upon” show the Spirit’s free action, the later verb “pour out” echoes the prophecy of Joel 3:1-3 which Peter had applied to the Pentecost in the first Christian sermon: see 2:17-18, 33.

The Holy Gospel: John 15.9-16

In the Gospel reading for today, the Lord’s teaching is centred around “my love”, “my joy” and “my commandment”. This is the last part of the discourse on the Vine and the branches which we began to read last Sunday, and is part of the larger “farewell discourse” in which Christ prepared his disciples for hi sdeparture from them.
In his Readings in St John’s Gospel, William Temple brings out a nuance in the Greek that is not captured in our English version. In verse 9 he gives “the love that is mine”, in verse11 “the joy that is mine” and in verse 12 “the commandment which is mine”. In each case in the Greek both the noun and the pronoun have the definite article, as ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ ἐμῇ, whereas verse 10 Temple gives “in my love”, as in the original only the noun has the article—ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ μου. This is not simply a bit of gramatical nit-picking. There is a real emphasis on the pronoun which it seems a shame to lose in the translation. In the first case Temple comments:

The words mean much more than ‘continue in the shelter of my love for you (Bernard). The divine love, which is the Holy Ghost, is much more than a sheltering protection, it is a pervasive atmosphere in which we may dwell, and which we may breather, so that it becomes the breath of our lives (cf 20.22). We are to let that love wrap us about, enfolding us in its embrace.

Similarly Temple comments of “the joy that is Christ’s”:

“The promise and hope is not only that we may be joyful as our Master is joyful—(my joy)—but that joy of the same substance and quality as His —the joy that is mine—may be in us.”

The new commandment (John 13.34) is repeated in this discourse, with the same reference to Christ’s own death: —as I have loved you. It cannot be stressed too much that, as Temple puts it: “This is not a command to all the world, as will appear soon (v. 18); nor is it a command concerning the relation of Christians to non-Christians. It is the command to the Christian felowship.” The life of the fellowship is fouinded on, indeed it exists because of, this love. That we do not feel so close and deep a bond with our fellow-Christians, that this fellowship is not “a reality more profound and effective than our membership of our earthly fellowships” shows “that we do not truly abide in Him”.
“Friends” in verse 18 should not be overstressed; it does not represent those who love Christ but those whom he loves, whether or not they return his love. In the next verse we discover what it is to be true friends of Christ, who respond to the love He showed in his self-giving death.
No more on this now: the passage goes on to what are clearly some of the most important words of the whole Gospel, “You did not choose me, but I chose you”. But that will be the burden of Sunday’s sermon, I suspect, and I need to give it more thought than can allow me to comment on it here and now..

It is probably better to make thse notes available in good time than to try to say too much. So that’s all we’ll have this week.

Lectionary Notes

Some Thoughts on the First Sunday in Lent
1 March AD 2009

Dear Readers: Once again I find myself pressed for time on Friday afternoon, with a sermon not yet done. There are some points about today's first reading and those of the other Sundays of Lent which should help us to put our Lenten discipline in a better focus. I would like to say something about the Gospel, but I doubt that I will have a chance. In brief, I will note that the account of our Lord's temptation in Mark's Gospel does not mention his fasting in the forty days in the desert. This lessens the didactic use of the story to teach us that as Jesus fasted forty days so we have forty days of Lent. It is reasonable to take the fasting as implied by being in the desert and by the note that the angels ministered to him. Still, the absence of a mention of the fast, as well as the lack of detail of the temptation, suggest that more should be made of the "wild animals". As you can see in the RC commentary, there is more than one interpretation of this verse. The most pleasing is that it marks Jesus as the new Adam, in a restored paradise (cf. Genesis 2.19f.). Here, then, we have the undoing of the temptation of Adam and Eve follwoed by a moment of paradise - the story of the Fall in reverse.

Lent and Covenant

Covenant is a central concept in the Scriptures. It is defined by the NOAB as “a term of relationship between a superior and an inferior party, the former ‘establishing’ the bond”. We are used to speaking of the old covenant and the new covenant (and might note here that Testament, as it is used in the Bible is usually a synonym for covenant). In fact the scriptures speak of a series of covenants. In Hunting the divine fox : images and mystery in Christian faith, Robert Farrar Capon discusses the series of covenants, discussing them in terms of the promise, the commandment and the sign of each one.
The concept first appears in the story of Noah, as seen in the first reading today, Genesis 9.8-17 (there is in fact an earlier mention of covenant in the same story (Genesis 6:18). Unlike the later covenants with Abraham (Genesis 17) and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24), ), this is a universal covenant with Noah, his descendants, and with every living creature, for Noah’s three sons (6.10,18-19) are regarded as the ancestors of all the nations (see chapter 10). The promise of the covenant is that God will never again destroy all life on earth by a flood; in verses 1-7 we read that God commands Noah and his descendants to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth”; he gives them the living creatures for food but forbids the eating of blood, which is the life of the flesh. The sign of the covenant is the rainbow (verses 13-16). The bow was thought to be God’s weapon from which the lightnings of his arrows were shot (Ps 7.12-13; Hab 3.9-11) ; God hangs this weapon in the sky as a sign that he has put away his wrath. A further point is that the bow is not merely placed in the sky, but that it is aiming upwards. Thus God can be understood as aiming the bow, and his wrath, at himself (Capon).
The first readings for most Sundays of Lent are concerned with the succession of covenants: On Lent II it is the covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17.1-7, 15-16). On Lent III, the Ten Commandments. On Lent IV in Year B we read of the bronze serpent (Numbers 21.4-9) which is a type of the crucified Lord (John 3.14-21). This seems to be the exception, for on Lent V we read Jeremiah 31.31-34, in which the Lord promises a new covenant. This series of readings provides an important framework for keeping Lent.
If Lent is a preparation for Easter, we might ask in what way we are preparing. It could simply be that the great feast is prepared for by the great fast, so that out celebration is all the more intense and happy. Aside from feasting and celebrating, though, there an action we perform at Easter that needs careful preparation. That is the celebration of Baptism or the renewal of Baptismal vows. It is through Baptism that we enter into the new covenant with God in Christ, the everlasting covenant, and at Easter we are asked to renew the promised we made in Baptism (see BAS, pp. 330-332); it is no accident that in the liturgy of Baptism these vows are entitled: The Baptismal Covenant (p.158). As we hear the first readings on the Sundays of Lent, then, let us remember that we are listening to a history that was constantly pointing to and which were fulfilled in the New Covenant made in the Passover of Christ Jesus from death to new life, of which the signs are chiefly Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, of which the commandments are the laws of love, and of which the promise is the new heaven and the new earth, the dwelling of God with us see Revelation 21).

Lectionary Notes

Some Comments on the Readings for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Proper 4, Year B
1 February, AD 2009

The Sentence for today, like the Gospel passage, is a summary of the Lord’s ministry in Galilee. This doesn't give us such an easily caught theme as we have had in past weeks. In the Gospel reading itself we are prompted to consider the authority of Jesus.
Today and for the next two Sundays the Gospel readings are taken from the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel, verses 21-45. The events described in these verses all take place in a single day in Capernaum, a town on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee which is the centre of activity in Jesus’ Galilean ministry. It is not necessary to imagine that these events all happened on the same day in history: the passage is probably best seen as an ideal day in the ministry of Jesus, which contains examples of his activities: teaching, healing, praying, and the like (D. E. Nineham, St Mark, The Pelican New Testament Commentaries).
No connection with the immediately preceding passage (the call of the first disciples) is noted in the text, but at least one night must have intervened, since it is now a Sabbath, and when Jesus called them the disciples were fishing and mending nets, which they would not have been doing on the Sabbath.
Twice in the passage the crowd marvel at Jesus because of his authority. We catch what it means to say that he taught with authority in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), where he contrasts “you have heard it said” with “but I say to you”. In this passage it has been explained that, unlike the scribes, Jesus spoke without citing various spiritual authorities in support of his teaching. Later the same crowd marvels because Jesus casts out a demon with a word, appparently without the solemn palaver usually associated with professional exorcists.
The question of how we are to understand the affliction which St Mark describes as being with “an unclean spirit” is one we cannot deal with here, but must refer to commentaries and studies of the Gospels. Of more immediate importance is to ask ourselves how we experience Jesus’ authority in our own lives, and what we do about it.
It is noteable that the demon names Jesus and cries “I know who you are, the Holy One of God!’ This reflects the belief that knowing someone’s name gave power over that person. “Jesus needs no counter-magic; it is nothing less than the power of God which works in him and a mere word from him will suffice” [Nineham, 75].

The First Reading
One of the reactions to Jesus' authority was to say “he is the prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14). This idea was based on this morning’s first reading, Deuteronomy 18:15-20. In vv 9-14 the Israelites had been forbidden to look for the aid of foreign gods, or resort to pagan divination, for the Lord will raise up a prophetic spokesman to reveal his will. This prophet will be like Moses, who was regarded as the fount of prophecy and the type of a true prophet (see Exodus 34:10-11). Although the text speaks of ‘a prophet ‘ the traditional nderstanding is that this means a line of prophets. So in the mediaeval commentary of Rashi we read “This means: Just as I am among you, from your brothers, so will He set up for you [another prophet] in my stead, and so on, from prophet to prophet.” However there is also a tradition that God would raise up a prophet in the future to herald the Day of the Lord. This tradition is found in the scriptures of the New Testament, particularly in John 1. 21 and 6:14, and Acts 3:22-23 (Peter’s sermon in the Temple) and 7:37 (Stephen’s defence).

The Epistle
In 1 Corinthians chapter 8. St Paul addresses a question from the Corintian congregation about eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. The religions of the Greek and Roman world involved the regular sacrifice of animals. Only a portion of the meat was burnt; the rest was divided between the priests and the worshipper who had offered the victim. Often there was a feast in the temple, and often the priests’ portion was offered for sale. The problem for the new Christians at Corinth was whether eating in the feast or buying the sacrificial meat involved one in the worship of pagan gods. Opinion seems to have differed: some of the community felt that it was wrong to take part, while others argued that they were prefectly free to eat, since the idols were not real gods.
It is hard for us in Canada to understand the pressures that this question placed on Christians in the pagan world but Christians in other countries face serious questions about living in a culture based on different religious principles. An example is the question of the custom in many east Asian cultures referred to as “Ancestor worship”. [The word ‘worship’ seems problematic: In principle “worship” may be offered only to God. This is why some Christian traditions make clear distinctions between “worship,” “veneration,” and “reverence”. I have no idea what distinctions exist in other languages!] There is a large literature on this subject. Just a sample of what turns up in a web search is
http://anglicanhistory.org/asia/china/addison_ancestor1925/04.html;
http://exposingchineseancestorworship.blogspot.com/ ;
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Ancestor-worship ;
http://www.eupjournals.com/doi/abs/10.3366/swc.2003.9.1.60 .
In reading this passage, we should ask ourselves: Is anything in our society like this question of taking part in pagan worship in our society?
St Paul’s answer to the Corinthians is that what is important is not the individual’s knowledge that the idols are not real, but their concern for their fellow Christians. The basic principle is like that found in the question of sexual morality in the epistle a couple of weeks ago: the boundary of a Christian’s freedom is set by personal relationships with Christ as Lord and our fellow Christians as fellow members in him. It is here that Paul gives the rule of concern for “the weaker brother” (see also Romans 14.13—15:6).
The only comment I will offer on this principle here is the response King James I made when one of the puritan ministers at the Hampton Court Conference of 1604 argued that the newly baptized should not be signed with the sign of the Cross, holding that it was an offence against the conscience of the weak Brethren. The King replied first with a tag (apparently from St Augustine) Distingue tempora, & concordabunt Scripturae, distinguish the times and the Scriptures will agree, pointing out the difference between between the Apostle’s time and ours: then the Church was “newly called from paganism and not thoroughly grounded”; this is not the case now “seeing that Heathenish doctrine, for many years, hath been hence abandoned.” His second point was to ask, “how long they would be weak? whether 45 years were not sufficient for them to grow strong?” [William Barlow, The Summe and Substance of the Conference (1604), pp. 65-66]. But again, one should refer to the commentaries.

Some Notes on the Feast of St Peter and Paul the Apostles
29 June

This day is one of the oldest of Christian festivals; as far back as we know, the two great apostles have been commemorated together with great solemnity. Both Apostles are said to have been martyred at Rome in the persecution of Nero. The feast on June 29th celebrated with either their death or the translation of their relics.. St Augustine, St Leo and others of the fathers have left sermons for this day. In the first Prayer Book a feast only of St Peter was kept on this day. Although Bishop Cosin attempted to restore the feast as of both Peter and Paul at the Restoration, his provisions were not adopted in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The two Apostles are commemorated together in the Canadian Book of 1962.
St Augustine explains the celebration of both Apostles on this day:

Both apostles share the same feast day, for thee two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life their labours, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith. [Sermon 295, FAS p. 596]

The feast of Peter and Paul has been given an additional interest this year as the opening of the “Pauline Year” declared by the Pope to celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of the Apostle’s birth. Although the date of his birth is unknown, it is a reasonable guess that it was sometime in the first decade AD.

The Readings

First Reading: Ezekiel 34.11-16. The ministry of the prophet Ezekiel extended from 593, before the conquest of Judah to 563 BC, during the captivity in Babylon. Over this period we may distinguish “oracles of warning” of the first period of his ministry (chs 1-24), “oracles against the foreign nations” of the middle period (chs 25-32), and “oracles of hope” from the final period, after the fall of Jerusalem (chs 33-48). The book contains many visions and images from which Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature has arisen. By the way, it should be noted that “apocalypse” mearely means “revelation” and only later took on the sense of a :final catastrophe”. Despite the difficulty of the imagery, as the RCL notes comment, “the prophet's message to the exiles is clear: he assures his hearers of God's abiding presence among them, and he emphasizes God's involvement in the events of the day, so that Israel and all nations ‘will know that I am the Lord’".
The Prophet is commanded to prophesy that God himself will seek out his scattered sheep and feed them as a shepherd. This is not only a prophecy for the people, it is also against their rulers and priests. It had long been the custom of kings in the Middle East to refer to themselves as shepherd of the people. When we read it today in conjunction with the passage from St John’s Gospel, we find a resonance of the words “feed” and “sheep”. Christians understand that God’s promise “I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out” was fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and that he has given the commission to feed his sheep to his apostles.

Psalm 87. When he preached on this psalm, Saint Augustine of Hippo began by saying, “The Psalm which has just been sung is short, if we look to the number of its words, but of deep interest in its thoughts.” It is also full of interest for scholars, since the text has suffered in transmission. Nonetheless, it is clearly a hymn in praise of Zion, the City of God, and the true mother of all who believe (see Galatians 4.26). In the Annotated Book of Common Prayer, Blunt wrote: “Whatever application this Psalm may originally have had to the earthly Sion has been transfigured and glorified byteh subsequent Revelation of the City of God in the prophetic vision of St John.” So when we sing that the city is founded on the holy mountain, we remember that the household of God is “built upon te foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2.20). The psalm looks from God’s gathering together of scattered Israel to the gathering of all nations as children of Zion;, and so to the work of Paul and Peter in preaching to the nations.
Note that “Rahab” (v. 4) was the name of the sea monster. The name came to be applied, poetically, to Egypt. Verse 7 is apparently only a fragment.

The Epistle: 2 Timothy 4.1-8. First and Second Timothy and Titus are know n as the “Pastoral Epistles”. Since they are similar to one another but different from the other Pauline letters in style and vocabulary, “it is difficult to ascribe them in their present form to the apostle Paul” (NOAB).. While a case may be made for Paul’s authorship, the fact that in ancient times it was very common to produce a work under the name of a admired teacher (see below), it is easier to assume that a disciple of Paul used some of his unpublished messages to address problems in the Church in the generation after his death However, while it is very likely that this is the case, and that the letters date from sometime after Paul’s death, there is no warrant for stating this as if it were an absolute fact (as in the RCL notes: “To understand this letter, it helps to know that, while it appears to be written by Paul, it was actually written by one of his followers (in his name) some time later: it reflects the Church’s situation about 100 AD, so we contend with a time warp.” Emphasis is mine). Whatever the date, and however much of the letter is by Paul (as we would understand it), 2 Timothy is an earnest letter from a veteran missionary to a younger colleague, urging endurance as the most necessary gift. The passage today includes the moving words of farewell (verses 6-8) which testify to Christian strength in the face of certain martyrdom. This indeed speaks to the condition of St Paul at the end of his life.
Note the exhortation in verse 2 to “be urgent in season and out of season” or “whether the time is favourable or unfavourable” (as the NRSV explains rather than translates the verse). RCL notes: “This clause is unusual because, in the ancient world, one was urged to speak only at the appropriate time; however, for Christians, time is for God to determine, so the speaker should leave the question of timeliness to God (see Titus 1:3; 1 Timothy 2:6,6:15). The word of God is always in season”.
The warning that people will turn from sound teaching and accumulate “teachers to suit their own liking” is probably ture of every age, but seems very apt in this time when the many teachings available seem to be a smorgasbord from which one may choose this pretty thing or that, making no commitment to anything but themselves.

A note on Pseudonymous Authorship from the New Oxford Annotated Bible might be of interest and use: “In antiquity pseudonymous authorship was a widely accepted literary convention. Therefore the use of an apostle’s name in reasserting is teaching was not regarded as dishonest but merely a way of reminding the church of what it had received from God through the Apostle.” The note further states that the New Testament’s authority depends not on “their human authorship, but upon their intrinsic significance, which the church, under the guidance of the Spirit, has recognized as the authentic voice of apostolic teaching.”

The Holy Gospel, John 21.15-19. After his Resurrection, the Lord Jesus three times asked Simon Peter, “Do you love me more than these”, and three times gave him the commission “Feed my sheep”. This is a threefold forgiveness and restoration matching Peter’s threefold denial of Christ.
This event is part of the third resurrection appearance described in St John's Gospel. After the resurection, seven of the disciples were fishing on teh Sea of Galilee or Tiberias, but caught nothing. When morning came the risen Jesus stood on the beach amd asked if they had caught anything. They did not recognize him. When they said they hadn't, he directed them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. Doing so, they caught more fish than they y could haul in. When the came ashore (to leave out some details) Jesus fed them bread and fish [John 21.1-14]. After this breakfast comes the passage we read today.

On the north-west shore of the Sea of Tiberias or Galilee, not far from Capernaum, is Tabgha, the traditional site of this event, called “the Primacy of Peter”. In the church there in front of the altar is the rock on which, according to tradition, Jesus and the disciples ate. Outside the church is a beautiful garden with round stone seats and an open-air altar on which, as I recall are carved in Latin, the words “Here the Lord gave Peter the Primacy of Love.”
The notes on this passage over at the RCL “Clippings” are helpful, and do not need to be repeated here, but there are some other points to be noted.
The passage begins “When they had finished breakfast”. This does more than link this passage to the one immediately preceding, it reminds us that it is the risen Lord Jesus who fed his disciples by the sea of Galilee that now commissions Peter to feed his flock.
In the three-fold question, Jesus uses the name Simon, rather than Peter (Rock), perhaps in token that the disciple has not yet been rehabilitated and restored.
The difference between “sheep” and “lambs” and “tend” and “feed” does not appear to be of great significance in this passage.
In the conversation two different verbs meaning “love” are used, agapē, godly love or charity, and philia, the love of friends. Jesus first asks Peter “Do you love (agapas) me more than these”, to which Peter answers “Yes, Lord, you know that I love (philō) you. The second time Jesus asks, “Do you love (agapas) me?” and Peter again says, “I love (philō) you”. The third time, however, Jesus asks “Do you love (phileis) me?” to which Peter, sad at being asked yet again, responds “Lord, you know everything, you know that I love (philō) you.” Just what the difference signifies in this passage is not entirely clear to me, but two points may be noted. First, Simon Peter’s use of philō, denotes affection rather than devotion; recalling the extravagance of his assurance of devotion before he denied the Lord, we can recognize here a new humility. Second, at the third question, Jesus adopts the word Peter has been using, almost as if to accept that Peter can only go so far. Here we see the courtesy of the Lord, for in the end he counted Peter’s affection as devotion, and gave him the strength to follow him even to death. So we should never fear to go to him when we feel cool in our love, and think we are unnacceptable. He will take what we have and make it what he needs. If our love is cool, he will blow it into fire.

Note: For the next month I will be serving Sundays at Saint Bartholomew's, Toronto, where the lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer is followed. For those Sundays the lectionary notes (if I can manage them!) will be on those readings.

Some Notes on the Readings for Proper Eleven, Year A

The Sentence for today, “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel,” is from Mark 1:15, and appears in today’s Gospel reading: when Jesus sends out his apostles he tells them to proclaim: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (“Kingdom of heaven” is the more usual expression in Matthew.) Jesus’ teaching is centred on the thought of the kingdom; so must the Church’s be.

The Readings:
First Reading, Genesis 18. 1-15, 21.1-7:
On the “ordinary” Sundays of Year A the first lessons follow the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Patriarchs of Israel (to Proper 20), and then the story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt (to Proper 33). Since these Sunday readings are selections, it would be very helpful if we all read the Genesis and Exodus so when we hear the readings in Church it will be clear where they fit into the whole story. This is a good method of home Bible-study, which can be done by individuals or by families.
Last Sunday we began to read the story of Abraham, and heard how he answered God’s call and migrated to the land of Canaan. Today we continue with the story of the birth of Isaac. When God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, Abraham was already seventy-five; now he is almost a hundred. Not knowing how else the promise should be fulfilled, he had a son by his Egyptian servant Hagar, the boy Ishmael. God said that Ishamel would become a great nation, but that the promise he made would come through a child of Abraham and Sarah. Abraham laughed at this (17:15-17; compare today’s reading, 18.12-15). God commanded Abraham to circumcise himself and his son Ishmael (17.22-end).
Today’s passage begins with an appearance of the Lord to Abraham, technically known as a “theophany” (18.1). Three men appear, and in typical oriental courtesy Abraham greets them with honour and offers them hospitality. (18.2-8). A rabbinic commentary says that the “servant” (literally “boy” or “youth”) who prepared the calf was Ishmael, who was now about fourteen years old. When they had eaten, the visitors asked about Sarah. Although Abraham has been talking to the three men, suddenly we are told that “the Lord” promised that she would have a son (18.10). At this Sarah laughs, and is upbraided for her lack of faith. It is important to know that the name Isaac means “he laughs”.
The reading then omits the next two sections of Genesis, 18.16-19.38, which tells of Lot and the destrruction of the cities of the Plain, and Genesis 20 which tells the story of Abraham, Sarah, and King Abimelech of Gerar. The reading continues with the birth and naming of Isaac in 21.1-7.
The immediate meaning of the reading is the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah, which drives on the story of the chosen people and the whole history of universal salvation through Abraham’s descandant, Jesus of Nazareth.
In these brief notes we cannot discuss in detail the difficulty of understanding the appearance of the Lord God to Abraham in the arrival of three strangers. Is this an ancient myth of the appearance of three deities who reward the hospitality of mortals that has been adapted to a monotheistic narrative? Are they three angels, or the Lord with two angel attendants? How do we understand the change from the plural to the singular at verse 10? A start can be made by consulting a commenary such as the Jerome Bible Commentary, or the volume on Genesis in a series such as the Anchor Bible. Here we should note that in patristic and Eastern Orthodox tradition this passage is seen as a revelation of the Trinity. You may know the famous icon of the three angels seated at table. This isnterpretation is also found in St Augustine’s great De Trinitate. You might be unfamiliar with this interpretation, but it is a good idea to think about it. It is hard not to think of this appearance as one of the Old Testament hints of the Trinity. A question you mght ask yourself is, If we believe that God is from all eternity three Persons in one Essence, and further that God the Son is the Word and Revelation of the Father, how do we understand accounts of God's appearance or speaking in the Old Testament.

Psalm 116.1, 10-17
Psalm 116 is a psalm of thanksgiving for healing. It is one of the “Hallelujah” Psalms (113-118) which in the Jewish liturgical tradition are used in connection with the great festivals. The same passage from Psalm 116 is used on Maundy Thursday, a choice that is obvious from the verse, “I will lift up the cup of salvation. Its place in this Sunday’s readings is most likely a reflection of the thanksgiving of Abraham and Sarah for the gift of Isaac.
Note that the BAS does not number the verses in the same way as other translations, which number today’s passage as verses 1-2, and 12-18. Use these verse numbers if you want to look up the psalm in your Bible or Book oof Common Prayer instead of the BAS

The Epistle: Romans 5.1-8
The famous verse “for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3.16) is sometimes called “the gospel within the gospel”. Today’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans ends with a verse of equal power: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5.8). As we noted in these notes last week, the history of salvation as recorded in Scripture is the story of God’s reaching out in love to save us, not of our blundering our way to God. Since selections from the letter to the Romans are appointed for the next thirteen Sundays, it might be useful to take a quick overview of that letter today.
Of Paul’s letters the one to the Romans comes first in the New Testament order but was not the earliest. It is also “the longest, the weightiest and the most influential of them”(NOAB). It was written between AD 54 and AD 58, perhaps in 57, at a time when he was getting ready to go to Jerusalem with a collection from the Churches of Greece and Asia for the community in Jerusalem (see 25). He then planned to go to Spain, and visit Rome on the way (15.28). He knew of the church at Rome but had never visited them; indeed this is the only letter of Paul to a community he had not seen. Here is a simple outline of the letter, based on one in the NOAB:
After the salutation and thanksgiving , which are a regular feature of his letters (1.1-17). Paul describes the world’s need of redemption (1.18-3.20). The he discusses God’s saving act in Christ: its nature (3.21-4.25) and the new life which it has made available (5.1-8.39). After a section dealing with the role of the Jewish nation in God’s plan (Chapters 9-11), he ends with ethical teaching and some personal remarks (chapters 12-16)
Today’s passage is from the beginning of the section on the new life in Christ. It was part of the epistle for the third Sunday in Lent this year. Many years ago W. Sanday wrote on this passage in a commentary on Romans:
A description of the serene and blissful state which the sense of justification brings. Faith brings justification; justification brings (let us see that is does bring peace—peace with God through the mediation of Jesus. To that mediation it is that the Christian owes his state of grace or acceptance in the present, and his triumphant hope of glory in the future. Nay, the triumph begins now. It begins even with tribulation for tribulation leads by gradual stages to that tried and approved constancy which is a virtue most nearly allied to hope. Such hope does not deceive. It is grounded on the consciousness of justifying love assured to us by the wonderful sacrifice of the death of Christ. The one great and difficult step was that which reconciled sinful man to God; the completion of the process of his salvation follows by easy sequence. Knowing this, our consciousness, just spoken of, takes a glow of triumph.

The Holy Gospel according to St Matthew 9.35-10.8 (9-23).
I probably don't need to mention said that the Gospel readings iin Year A are (mostly) from St Matthew's Gospel. If you have never read the whole of Matthew's Gospel now would be a perfect time. It is a good practice, apart from study of any particular passage, simply to read through the gospel just like any other book,

This passage tells how Jesus sent out the twelve apostles to preach and heal, with power over the unclean spirits. Much of the passage is taken up with his instructions for their journey.
The general lesson from this passage is that the disciples of Jesus are called in order to be sent out. Compare Jesus’ words in John 15.16: “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit …” We are not all called to go on missionary journeys, but we are called to bear Christ’s love to the people among whom we live.
The notes on this passage at http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/apr11m.shtml are very good, and it would be pointless [and possibly unethical] to redo all that work here. However, a couple of details and questions need further comment.
The words “When he saw the crowds he had compassion on them” are a somewhat weak rendering of the original. To the ancients the seat of the emotions —what we would call the heart— was the abdomen. The underlying image is that the misery of the people hit him in the stomach. Another translation might be “He was gripped in his heart concerning them.”
In 10.1 it is said that Jesus called his “Twelve disciples”; in 10.2 they are called the “Twelve apostles”. I have not yet found a helpful comment on the distinction here, and point it out for you to think about. We know from other passages that there were more disciples than the twelve.The names of the Twelve are also given in Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13.; there are some differences in the less well-known disciples. You could do worse for further information on this subject than to consult to Wikipedia article Apostles” [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles]. Wikipedia, like all sources, should be used with caution.
Jesus instructs his disciples to proclaim that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In the Gospels the kingdom is sometimes pictured as future, to be inaugurated in the coming in glory of the Son of Man, and sometimes as already present in the world, growing to a final consummation in the coming of the Son of Man. In the preaching of Jesus, the kingdom is coming into the world in and with himself . So in Matthew 12.28, “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” In this passage the kingdom is at hand, present and working in Jesus’ teaching, as shown in the healings that accompanied it. The kingdom of God is present in the world when the soul of a man or woman is ruled by God. It is more than simply doing God’s will; it is God’s power in one, both requiring that his will be done and giving the power to do it.

Acts 2.44-45: A Further Note on Easter IV

In today’s first first reading we are told that

All who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and sitributred them to all, as many had need. ~Acts 2:44 (RSV)

Another passage in Acts gives the same picture:

Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common property to them. And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or hosues sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need …. [Barnabas] sold a field which belonged to him, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. [4.32-37 RSV]

The literature on these passages from the Acts of the Apostles is too vast for even a shallow summary here. It is usually held that this experiment in communal or family living was only attempted by the Church at Jerusalem and only for a while. The mention of Barnabas is seen as a specal case (or why else should it be mentioned?) and proof that not the practice was not universal; indeed it is pointed out that Barnabas sold a field, not his whole property. The later incident of Ananias and Sapphira (5.1-11) is adduced as evidence that it was not compulsory. Others reject this as an attempt to weasle out of the clear evidence of Scripture (see, for example, Conrad Noel, Socialism in Church History (1911), pages 97 ff.) Many the Church Fathers clearly thought that the Church in their day had betrayed and declined from this ideal (for example St John Chrysostom).

Without attempting a judgement on the question of this “apostolic communism,” I offer a few thoughts. W. M. Furneaux in his commentary on Acts, notes that this community of goods was an extension of the apostles’ own experience:

During the Lord’s ministry the little band of disciples had been a brotherhood with a common purse, recruited by he gifts of women and others, who ‘ministered to him of their substance’ [Lc 8.3]. The Twelve would have been steeped in this life. By Christ’s command they had practiced its principles in the earliest mission journey [Mc 6.8], and they naturally sought now to realize on a large scale the perfect type of all society, the family, as a true expression of the new bond of brotherhood.

He holds that while Acts 2 and 4 idealize the picture of the early Church a little, there is some historical basis to it:

Though all who possessed property did not literally remounce their private interest in it, all did cease to feel that they held it for their own exclusive benefit. They felt that they were trustees and stewards, bound to consider the community rather than the individual. What was any brother's was the brethren’s. To men so enthusiastically ‘of one heart and soul’ separate interests seemed treason and coldness.

Furneaux expects us to follow the example of the early Church in this generosity of spirit.
One point that seems very important to me is that there is no hint of compulsion. It seems that the new Christians have felt a unity with one another in heart and soul and in response give freely of their possessions for the benefit of their brothers and sisters.
But there is a question in my mind. If I have nothing, how can I give? If all things are shared, with what can I be generous? “God loves a cheerful giver;” how can I make a gift of what is ours? There has to be room for giving if men and women are to become generous, and community of property seems to me to act against it. The life of the first Christians in Jerusalem unquestinably passes a judgement on the Church of later ages and on human society in general, but it does not seem to be a blueprint for organizing society, or solving the tension between individual and community.

So there are some thoughts and questions arising from the reading of Acts, but no answer. I only have a quotation from G. K. Chesterton’s essay The Theology of Christmas Presents that needs to be thrown into the mix:

Christmas stands for this superb and sacred paradox: that it is a higher spiritual transaction for Tommy and Molly each to give each other sixpence than for both equally to share a shilling.