The
First Reading: Acts of the Apostles
17:22-31
Our
first reading this morning is Paul’s sermon to a group of Athenians, a fine
example of taking the context of the listeners and working from it to the
gospel. Paul is also playing into a debate among Greek philosophers, many of
whom had begun to reject the traditional gods of Greek mythology, hence the
altar to “an unknown god.” The quote “in him we live and move and have our
being,” is probably a quote from the 6th century b.c. philosopher Epimenides, and “and we
too are his offspring,” from the 3rd century b.c. author Aratus of Soli. These quotes show Paul was very
knowledgeable of Greek philosophy, in which he had probably been well schooled
while a young man.
17:22 Paul stood in front of the
Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every
way. 23 For as I went through the
city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an
altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as
unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The
God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and
earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though
he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and
all things. 26 From one ancestor he
made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their
existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27 so that they would search for God and
perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of
us. 28 For ‘In him we live and move
and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are
his offspring.’ 29 Since we are
God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver,
or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. 30 While God has overlooked the times of human
ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will
have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of
this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Psalm 66:7-18
Psalm 66 as a whole is a poem of praise and thanksgiving
clearly centered around the Exodus event (as all Israel’s praise and thanks
ultimately is). The reference is strongest in the beginning of the psalm, but
also in vv. 7-11. There follows and integration of personal promises to this
praise and thanks, and also an invitation for “all peoples” to join in.
7 Bless our God, you peoples; *
make the voice of his praise to
be heard;
8 Who holds our souls in life, *
and will not allow our feet to slip.
9 For you, O God, have proved us; *
you have tried us just as silver
is tried.
10 You brought us into the snare; *
you laid heavy burdens upon our
backs.
11 You let enemies ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water; *
but you brought us out into a
place of refreshment.
12 I will enter your house with burnt-offerings
and will pay you my vows, *
which I promised with my lips
and spoke with my mouth when I
was in trouble.
13 I will offer you sacrifices of fat beasts with
the smoke of rams; *
I will give you oxen and goats.
14 Come and listen, all you who fear God, *
and I will tell you what he has
done for me.
15 I called out to him with my mouth, *
and his praise was on my tongue.
16 If I had found evil in my heart, *
the Lord would not have heard
me;
17 But in truth God has heard me; *
he has attended to the voice of
my prayer.
18 Blessed be God, who has not rejected my
prayer, *
The
Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-22
Our
Eastertide readings from the First Letter of Peter continue with this passage
that repeats many of the themes from the reading two weeks ago, particularly
Peter’s emphasis on suffering for the good in union with Christ. In one sense,
the entire letter is an attempt to understand suffering in the context of
Christian faith. This reading has another importance—to articulate that part of
the Apostles’ Creed—“he descended to the dead.” It answers the question of what
happened to Jesus during the three days between his death and resurrection, but
also the status of those who had died prior to the resurrection. The answer is
that Christ “descended to the dead” to preach to those imprisoned there and
bring them into the company of the resurrected.
3:13 Now who will harm you
if you are eager to do what is good? 14 But
even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what
they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15 but
in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to
anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence.
Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you
for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good,
if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for
all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was
put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a
proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who
in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah,
during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were
saved through water. 21 And
baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the
body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone
into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and
powers made subject to him.
Gospel
Reading: John 14:15-21
Our Gospel reading follows on that of last Sunday. The
promise of sending the Holy Spirit (here, “the Advocate” and the “Spirit of
truth”) is bracketed by the command to love and obedience. Lest “obedience” be taken as a new form of legalism,
the promise is of an “Advocate” (a legal term), which may be a deliberate
counter to one of the terms for the Devil, the “Accuser.” We will not be abandoned as orphans, but
remain related to God as daughter and sons.
14:15 Jesus said, “If you love me,
you will keep my commandments. 16 And
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you
forever. 17 This is the Spirit of
truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows
him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming
to you. 19 In a little while the
world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will
live. 20 On that day you will know
that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them
are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I
will love them and reveal myself to them.”
The
Scripture quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the
Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ
in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.
All rights reserved. The Collect
of the Day and the Psalm translation are from The Book of Common Prayer. Commentaries
are copyright © 2017, Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY 14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All
rights reserved. Permission to copy and edit for church services is given,
provided this attribution remains.
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