The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers for Sunday, May 14, 2023 — Sixth Sunday of Easter — Mother’s Day

 

The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers
Sunday, May 14, 2023
Sixth Sunday of Easter — Mother’s Day
Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:8-20; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

Opening Statement

In Acts, Paul describes God as the source of all creation and the source of life for all humankind. More than this, “we live and move and have our being” in God. Indeed, how can this God be far from us when we are in God? First Peter speaks of our being brought to God by Jesus Christ and describes lives of integrity “in Christ.” John takes this human/divine spatial imagery the furthest in Jesus’ description of himself as in God, while we the disciples are in Christ and Christ is in us. More than this, the Spirit is with us and in us as well. These passages call us to recognize the mysterious interrelationship that undergirds our being; they challenge us to live lives of love and goodness, courage and hope.

It's Mother's Day

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, on this day of celebration of Mother’s Day, the witness to the eternal love of Christ, reminds us that we are responsible for caring for each other. We are called to lift up rather than tear down; to support rather than abandon, to reach out when others have turned away. Give us hearts of love that, in all places and times, we may be a witness to the hope that is found in Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Collect
(from the Book of Common Prayers)

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Call to Confession

Patient and forgiving God, we come to you this day. For many there is a celebration of Mother’s Day and all that our mothers have given to us and taught us; but for some, these memories are too painful, of those who could not parent, who were afflicted. Remind us that your blessings are poured out in many ways, through many people. Give us the confident faith that reaches beyond our own lives to help others. Forgive us when we sink into our own selfishness and pettiness. For it is in those times that we turn our back on you. Bring us back to you, to the awareness of your eternal love. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Christ, our cornerstone and our salvation, offers to us hope and comfort. On this Mother’s Day Sunday, help us to make our home in you. Amen.

Today’s Verse-of-the-Day:

Psalm 139:13-14

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

John faithfully fulfilled the calling given to him even before his birth, which was announced by the angel Gabriel to his father Zacharias (Luke 1:11–19). Likewise, God created you for a very special purpose. Even before you were born, He had great plans for you as well (Ps. 139:13–16; Eph. 2:10).

Today’s Lectionary Readings:
First Reading

Acts 17:22-31
Paul’s message to the Athenians

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions

Psalm 66:8-20
Be joyful in God all you lands
Jubilate Deo

Bless our God, you peoples; *
  make the voice of his praise to be heard;

Who holds our souls in life, *
  and will not allow our feet to slip.

For you, O God, have proved us; *
  you have tried us just as silver is tried.

You brought us into the snare; *
  you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.

You let enemies ride over our heads;
    we went through fire and water; *
  but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.

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.

I will offer you sacrifices of fat beasts
    with the smoke of rams; *
  I will give you oxen and goats.

Come and listen, all you who fear God, *
  and I will tell you what he has done for me.

I called out to him with my mouth, *
  and his praise was on my tongue.

If I had found evil in my heart, *
  the Lord would not have heard me;

But in truth God has heard me; *
  he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, *
  nor withheld his love from me.

Lord Jesus, we fully trust in You, the only begotten Son of God. We trust in Your power, Your love, Your mercy, Your willingness to forgive. Help us to follow You daily and live to the praise of Your glory, even as we pray in Your name. Amen.

Second Reading
From the Epistles

1 Peter 3:13-22
The days of Noah a sign of baptism

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Gospel Acclamation
(John 14:23)

Alleluia. Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Alleluia.

Today’s Gospel Reading

John 14:15-21
Christ our advocate

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Here end the Readings

Click HERE to read today’s Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed

• We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

• And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.

• And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord's Prayer - Our Father Who Art in Heaven

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Holy Communion

Holy Communion

A nondenominational serving of bread and wine

Though no video can truly replace the experience of celebrating together in our places of worship, we know that where two or more are gathered, the Lord is present. This table is open to all who recognize Jesus Christ as healer and redeemer. This table is open to all who work to bring God’s Kingdom here on earth. No one is turned away because of life circumstances. No one is barred from this table. No one seeking God’s abundant grace and mercy is turned aside. We see before us the abundance that a life of faith offers as we respond to God’s everlasting mercy in prayer and deed.

Benediction

Being washed in the love of Christ, now go into this world with the healing love of God to be given generously in peace and hope. God’s peace will always be with those who live in God’s love. Amen.

Change The World

Christ’s death and resurrection mean that we are invited to join God in his plan to redeem this broken world. It’s not just a wishful idea; it’s a call to every follower of Jesus to change the world.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets].

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Responsive Readings from the Common Book of Prayer (1789).

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2023, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2022 was Year A. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers for Sunday, May 14, 2023
Sixth Sunday of Easter — Mother’s Day
Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:8-20; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21
In Acts, Paul describes God as the source of all creation and the source of life for all humankind. More than this, “we live and move and have our being” in God. Indeed, how can this God be far from us when we are in God? First Peter speaks of our being brought to God by Jesus Christ and describes lives of integrity “in Christ.” John takes this human/divine spatial imagery the furthest in Jesus’ description of himself as in God, while we the disciples are in Christ and Christ is in us. More than this, the Spirit is with us and in us as well. These passages call us to recognize the mysterious interrelationship that undergirds our being; they challenge us to live lives of love and goodness, courage and hope.