The Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday, January 6, 2021 — Epiphany of the Lord

 

The Daily Readings
Wednesday, January 6, 2021 — Epiphany of the Lord
Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12;

Matthew 2:1-12
The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Today’s Verse-of-the-Day:

1 Peter 1:13

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Christian life is both a joyful experience and a serious business. It takes conscious, deliberate, Spirit-filled action to ponder God’s grace and Jesus’ return in such a way that it positively shapes how we live.

Today’s Readings:

Isaiah 60:1-6
Nations come to the light

60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.

Commentary
As far as we have the knowledge of God in us, and the favour of God towards us, our light is come. And if God's glory is seen upon us to our honour, we ought, not only with our lips, but in our lives, to return its praise. We meet with nothing in the history of the Jews which can be deemed a fulfilment of the prophecy in this chapter; we must conclude it relates principally to future events. It predicts the purity and enlargement of the church. The conversion of souls is here described. They fly to Christ, to the church, to the word and ordinances, as doves to their own home; thither they fly for refuge and shelter, thither they fly for rest. What a pleasant sight to see poor souls hastening to Christ!

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
All shall bow down

1 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.

2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

5 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

Commentary
This psalm belongs to Solomon in part, but to Christ more fully and clearly. Solomon was both the king and the king's son, and his pious father desired that the wisdom of God might be in him, that his reign might be a remembrance of the kingdom of the Messiah. It is the prayer of a father for his child; a dying blessing. The best we can ask of God for our children is, that God would give them wisdom and grace to know and to do their duty.

This is a prophecy of the kingdom of Christ; many passages in it cannot be applied to the reign of Solomon. There were righteousness and peace at first in the administration of his government; but, before the end of his reign, there were troubles and unrighteousness. The kingdom here spoken of is to last as long as the sun, but Solomon's was soon at an end. Even the Jewish expositors understood it of the kingdom of the Messiah. Observe many great and precious promises here made, which were to have full accomplishment only in the kingdom of Christ. As far as his kingdom is set up, discord and contentions cease, in families, churches, and nations. The law of Christ, written in the heart, disposes men to be honest and just, and to render to all their due; it likewise disposes men to live in love, and so produces abundance of peace. Holiness and love shall be lasting in Christ's kingdom. Through all the changes of the world, and all the changes of life, Christ's kingdom will support itself. And he shall, by the graces and comforts of his Spirit, come down like rain upon the mown grass; not on that cut down, but that which is left growing, that it may spring again. His gospel has been, or shall be, preached to all nations. Though he needs not the services of any, yet he must be served with the best. Those that have the wealth of this world, must serve Christ with it, do good with it. Prayer shall be made through him, or for his sake; whatever we ask of the Father, should be in his name. Praises shall be offered to him: we are under the highest obligations to him. Christ only shall be feared throughout all generations. To the end of time, and to eternity, his name shall be praised. All nations shall call HIM blessed.

Ephesians 3:1-12
The gospel’s promise for all

3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Commentary
For having preached the doctrine of truth, the apostle was a prisoner, but a prisoner of Jesus Christ; the object of special protection and care, while thus suffering for him. All the gracious offers of the gospel, and the joyful tidings it contains, come from the rich grace of God; it is the great means by which the Spirit works grace in the souls of men. The mystery, is that secret, hidden purpose of salvation through Christ. This was not so fully and clearly shown in the ages before Christ, as unto the prophets of the New Testament. This was the great truth made known to the apostle, that God would call the Gentiles to salvation by faith in Christ. An effectual working of Divine power attends the gifts of Divine grace. As God appointed Paul to the office, so he qualified him for it.

Those whom God advances to honourable employments, he makes low in their own eyes; and where God gives grace to be humble, there he gives all other needful grace. How highly he speaks of Jesus Christ; the unsearchable riches of Christ! Though many are not enriched with these riches; yet how great a favour to have them preached among us, and to have an offer of them! And if we are not enriched with them it is our own fault. The first creation, when God made all things out of nothing, and the new creation, whereby sinners are made new creatures by converting grace, are of God by Jesus Christ. His riches are as unsearchable and as sure as ever, yet while angels adore the wisdom of God in the redemption of his church, the ignorance of self-wise and carnal men deems the whole to be foolishness.

Matthew 2:1-12
Christ revealed to the nations

 

2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Commentary
Those who live at the greatest distance from the means of grace often use most diligence, and learn to know the most of Christ and his salvation. But no curious arts, or mere human learning, can direct men unto him. We must learn of Christ by attending to the word of God, as a light that shineth in a dark place, and by seeking the teaching of the Holy Spirit. And those in whose hearts the day-star is risen, to give them any thing of the knowledge of Christ, make it their business to worship him. Though Herod was very old, and never had shown affection for his family, and was not himself likely to live till a new-born infant had grown up to manhood, he began to be troubled with the dread of a rival. He understood not the spiritual nature of the Messiah's kingdom. Let us beware of a dead faith. A man may be persuaded of many truths, and yet may hate them, because they interfere with his ambition, or sinful indulgences. Such a belief will make him uneasy, and the more resolved to oppose the truth and the cause of God; and he may be foolish enough to hope for success therein.

What joy these wise men felt upon this sight of the star, none know so well as those who, after a long and melancholy night of temptation and desertion, under the power of a spirit of bondage, at length receive the Spirit of adoption, witnessing with their spirits that they are the children of God. We may well think what a disappointment it was to them, when they found a cottage was his palace, and his own poor mother the only attendant he had. However, these wise men did not think themselves baffled; but having found the King they sought, they presented their gifts to him. The humble inquirer after Christ will not be stumbled at finding him and his disciples in obscure cottages, after having in vain sought them in palaces and populous cities. Is a soul busy, seeking after Christ? Would it worship him, and does it say, Alas! I am a foolish and poor creature, and have nothing to offer? Nothing! Hast thou not a heart, though unworthy of him, dark, hard, and foul? Give it to him as it is, and be willing that he use and dispose of it as it pleases him; he will take it, and will make it better, and thou shalt never repent having given it to him. He shall frame it to his own likeness, and will give thee himself, and be thine for ever. The gifts the wise men presented were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Providence sent these as a seasonable relief to Joseph and Mary in their present poor condition. Thus our heavenly Father, who knows what his children need, uses some as stewards to supply the wants of others, and can provide for them, even from the ends of the earth.

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV).

Commentaries from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible.

The Daily Bible Readings are selected from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year B. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2021, we will be in Year C. The year which ended at Advent 2020 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 what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Readings Wednesday, January 6, 2021 — Epiphany of the Lord
Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12 (KJV)

The Sunday Lectionary Readings for SUNDAY, June 9, 2019 - Day of Pentecost

Our Lady of Pentecost Catholic Church Quezon City, Philippines

The Sunday Lectionary Readings

SUNDAY, June 9, 2019 - Day of Pentecost

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Opening Prayer

As We Gather Here

(Words for the above video)

As we gather here in the harbour of your safety

We thank you for fellowship and family.

We ask that you will strengthen us, restore us and inspire us with your love.

Lord, would fill us with your peace

So that as we journey onwards

We would pour out your love and grace to others.

We ask that our souls would catch the wind of your spirit

so that we would take your promises to all the earth.

Amen.

The Collect (Book of Common Prayers)

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is nothing good in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; according to Your promises declared unto men in Christ Jesus our Lord. Grant that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life; to the glory of His name. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Like the warm rain that falls in the summertime or the light snow of winter, God’s grace is showered upon us, reminding us that this is the moment to begin again. Amen.

Come, O Spirit of God,

Cause blind eyes to see.

In this day, awaken our land.

Come, O Spirit of power,

Breathe life through your church.

Come O Lord, bring Heaven to Earth,

Bring Heaven to Earth.

This is our prayer for Pentecost Sunday – the day we remember how the Holy Spirit came on the first disciples with great power. The word “power” (Acts 1:8) in the Greek is “dunamis” from where we derive the English word “dynamite”. So “you will receive dynamite when the Holy Spirit comes on you” is a more accurate way of understanding what Jesus was wanting to convey to his disciples!

First Reading

Acts 2:1-21

The Coming of the Holy Spirit
2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
   that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
     and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
   and your young men shall see visions,
     and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
     in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
         and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
     and signs on the earth below,
        blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
     and the moon to blood,
         before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

or

Genesis 11:1-9

The Tower of Babel
11:1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” 5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Psalm 104:25-35, 37 Benedic, anima mea

O Lord, how manifold are your works! *
in wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

Yonder is the great and wide sea
with its living things too many to number, *
creatures both small and great.

There move the ships,
and there is that Leviathan, *
which you have made for the sport of it.

All of them look to you *
to give them their food in due season.

You give it to them; they gather it; *
you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.

You hide your face, and they are terrified; *
you take away their breath,
and they die and return to their dust.

You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *
and so you renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; *
may the Lord rejoice in all his works.

He looks at the earth and it trembles; *
he touches the mountains and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; *
I will praise my God while I have my being.

May these words of mine please him; *
I will rejoice in the Lord.

Bless the Lord, O my soul. *
Hallelujah!

Second Reading

Romans 8:14-17

8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

or

Acts 2:1-21
[See above]

The Gospel

John 14:8-17 [25-27]

14:8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

The Promise of the Holy Spirit
15 “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.

[25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.]

Here ends the Lessons

Click HERE to read today's Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Lord, thank you that we are a family in Christ. Help us to share his love and legacy with everyone that we encounter this week. May we lavish Christ’s abounding goodness upon our families, friends and colleagues. Holy Spirit, come and equip us in our workplace, guide us in our school life, and inspire us in our neighbourhood. May we be your hands and feet to the needy, your words of affirmation to the oppressed and your arms of comfort to the lonely.

Thank you for choosing to use us to bring your kingdom here on earth.

Amen.

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 New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

The Sunday Lectionary Readings for SUNDAY, April 21, 2019 - Resurrection of the Lord, Easter Day

The Sunday Lectionary Readings

SUNDAY, April 21, 2019 - Resurrection of the Lord, Easter Day

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Opening Hymn

Morning Has Broken

Opening Statement

Morning has broken, but this morning is different.

The birds are singing tunes of joy in the trees surrounding the graves. The flower buds are bursting in colors vibrant around each stone.

We've come to visit the grave of a friend, but "he is not here."

The Sun is rising in the East; the shadowed grays turn bright! The Son is risen in our Hearts; darkness and death end in defeat.

Now we understand what Christ said, what God did.

Now we can proclaim, CHRIST IS RISEN! HALLELUJAH!

Opening Prayer

God our Father, creator of all, today is the day of Easter joy. This is the morning on which the Lord appeared to those who had begun to lose hope and opened their eyes to what the scriptures foretold: that first he must die, and then he would rise and ascend into his Father's glorious presence.

May the risen Lord breathe on our minds and open our eyes that we may know him in the breaking of bread, and follow him in his risen life. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Collect (Book of Common Prayers)

O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Confession and Forgiveness

Trusting God's promise of forgiveness, let us confess our sins against God and one another.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Words of Reassurance

In spite of our individual inadequacies, God has called us together to be Christ’s Body, and each one of us is indispensable. God remembers us, giving each of us distinct gifts, equipping each of us to provide guidance and accountability for one another, that we all may become more faithful followers of Christ. We are all greater as one Body than any single member of us could be on our own.

Resurrection of the Lord, Easter Day

First Reading
Isaiah 65:17-25

The Glorious New Creation
65:17 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;
   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

A Song of Victory
1  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.

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 15:19-26

15:19 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, 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.

The Gospel
Luke 24:1-12

The Resurrection of Jesus
24:1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Resurrection of the Lord, Easter Evening

First Reading
Isaiah 25:6-9

25:6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
     a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
     of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
7  And he will destroy on this mountain
     the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
     the sheet that is spread over all nations;
8    he will swallow up death forever.
   Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
     and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
     for the Lord has spoken.
9  It will be said on that day,
     Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
     This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
     let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Psalm 114

God’s Wonders at the Exodus
1  When Israel went out from Egypt,
     the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2  Judah became God’s sanctuary,
     Israel his dominion.

3  The sea looked and fled;
     Jordan turned back.
4  The mountains skipped like rams,
     the hills like lambs.

5  Why is it, O sea, that you flee?
     O Jordan, that you turn back?
6  O mountains, that you skip like rams?
     O hills, like lambs?

7  Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
     at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8  who turns the rock into a pool of water,
     the flint into a spring of water.

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 5:6b-8

5:6b Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The Gospel
Luke 24:13-49

The Walk to Emmaus
24:13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples
36 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence.

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Here ends the Lessons

Click HERE to read today's Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Raise me up! Renew my life! Father of life, I see the light again!

I was in darkness and had lost hope but Jesus Christ, your son, has won out over death - for me.

I celebrate today, your love, the life you give me. I feel your presence as you breathe on my mind and open my heart. So many times in my life my eyes are closed but today I see the risen Lord in the breaking of the bread. Thank you for this morning of hope, thank you for such incredible love. Amen.

Closing Hymn

Jesus Christ is Risen Today

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 New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
CHRIST IS RISEN! HALLELUJAH!

"It Was Nine O’clock in the Morning"

 "It Was Nine O’clock in the Morning"

"And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, and said, "Certainly this man was innocent!" And all the multitudes who assembled to see the sight, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts." (Luke 23:34-48, RSV)

A word from the Cross: Jesus said,

"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

Forgive them, Father? For what? For nailing Him to a Cross? For spitting at Him and mocking Him and laughing at Him? Well, why not?

But who were His chief accusers? Why, His own people.!! The Jews!! They did not know what they were doing? How could they not know?? They had the scripture. They had God’s promise that a Messiah would come. But selfishly, they chose to reject Him. They chose to ignore what their own holy words told them. Oh, yes, they knew very well what they were doing.

And today, can we be as Christ and forgive the wrongs others have done to us? Now on this Good Friday, we hear and can visualize that forgiveness from the cross. Christ forgave, can we forgive when we are hurt, humiliated, wronged, scared with the unkindness of another, be it a member of the family, or a total stranger. Can we forgive?

Does our forgiveness reach out from our cross and encircle those who have hurt us? Each hurt, each pain, each broken relationship, each moment of loneliness, each moment of sorrow, each moment of guilt, each moment of hatred, each moment of selfish living, nails us to a cross by those who hurt us. And the reverse is true, also. We can be nailed to a cross by the nails of others self-centeredness, and we can use those same nails to drive into someone else as we nail them to their crosses by our own self-centeredness. There is a lot of nail pounding going on in this world by all kinds of people, BUT is there forgiveness, too???

We who claim to be the followers of Christ can we be at the same time "little Christs" in this world following His example, especially this example of forgiving love? We have had plenty of practice of nail driving and we have been used by others for practice as well, and again I ask instead of being nail drivers, can we as we cling to our cross, reach down and forgive? Can we be like Christ?

The following story illustrates beautifully the forgiveness which can be used as someone is doing the pounding of nails in our lives.

A.J. Cronin, a doctor turned novelist tells this true story.

An American family named Adams, had 2 teen-age daughters and a 6 year old son, Sammy. When WWII came, the family decided to take in a orphan boy from Italy named Paul Piotrostanalsi. They did everything possible to comfort this pale, spindly-legged, frightened refugee, but the boy responded quite negatively and showed no sign of gratitude to the family except Sammy. He adored Sammy, the two were always together.

Paul went swimming against orders in a river which was contaminated and came down with a septic infection that nearly killed him. The doctor wanted Paul isolated from the rest of the family, so they made a bedroom for him in the attic. Paul was far too contagious to see any one, except the doctor and a nurse who wore special clothing.

One morning the father had found the nurse had fallen asleep outside the attic door. He opened it and found Paul was not there. He ran to Sammy’s room and found Paul sleeping in bed with Sammy, his arms thrown over the boy’s shoulder and he was breathing on his neck. Sammy was much younger than Paul and had not been the strongest little boy. Though everything was done for him, poor Sammy never had a chance; he died.

When Dr.Cronin visited the family a year later, he was amazed to see Mr. Adams working in the garden with a small boy. It was none other than the little refugee!! Overcome by a sense of bitter injustice, Cronin exclaimed, "All I can say...he’s lucky, this Paul Piotro...whatever his wretched name is!!" Mr. Adams put his arm around the boy’s shoulder and said with a quiet half-ashamed smile, "You’ll have no more trouble with his last name. He is Paul Adams now. You see, we’ve adopted him."

I wonder if anything can come closer to being a true parable of what God in the death of his son has done for us???

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Have you ever tried to put yourself into the place of Jesus at this moment? Think for a moment of the bitter agony he was experiencing. Agony that was more than mere bodily agony, something far, far worse--agony of spirit. We’re very glib about the Crucifixion sometimes. We say, "Well, of course it was a terrible thing, but after all, Jesus chose to die this way." True. But do you really suppose that made it any easier?

Remember He was the son of God and knew the power of God, the almighty power of God which could have removed Him from that cross at any moment. He knew the power of God that allowed Him to die on that cross. The power of a Father watching His son die a slow and agonizing death. The power of God to do nothing, but watch. He had to feel that tension along with the weight of all the sins and all the punishment of those sins for past, present and future generations. No wonder He cried out: "My God, My God why did you abandon me"?

"What do we mean by ’Almighty God?’ Obviously, some people think of Him as the great, all-powerful King sitting on a throne, with earth as His footstool trembling beneath His feet, getting what He wants done, miraculously, by a wave of His hand or a nod of His head or a blow of His fist.

With this idea of omnipotence, they pray their foolish prayers, and they ask their foolish questions, as they do their stupid thing. Why doesn’t God stop wars? Why doesn’t He smash the schemes of wicked men? Why doesn’t He come in power and put an end to this human tragedy? If this is His will, why doesn’t He get His will done? Maybe God is just helpless when things go wrong and cannot control what He has made.....

You wonder why evil is not put an end to? Stop to think of the implications. What would God do? Kill all evil men? How? Earthquakes? Fire? Lightning? Who? Where does He stop? If God destroys all who resist His will, how would you and I come out?

No, God has another way, the way of the loving Father. He meets man where he is, in man’s world. He suffers everything that man’s sin can bring upon the world. He does it all with a breaking heart....

What is God like?? The Cross tells that. He lets the rejection run its full course to the Cross. Since Jesus was to be the sacrifice for our sin, then He had to feel all the feelings of humankind. He had to feel and experience everything, including the bitter rejection of all, the feeling that even God had abandoned him. God let His children do their evil , because this is what it takes to reconcile His children to himself. Don’t ask me how or why the Cross has reconciled me to God. I only know that it speaks of God’s love. When they pierced His heart, they found that He had died, not of pain or loss of blood, but that He had died of a broken heart."

A poem by William Stidge entitled: "Good Friday" shows us the deep love God has for us and the power it took for Him to allow His Son to die on the cross for you and me. The power to do nothing but allow the bare soul of God through His son to be seen by everyone.

"I saw God bare his soul one day.....where all the earth might see.....The stark and naked heart of him........On lonely Calvary.........There was a crimson sky of blood....and overhead a storm;........When lightning slit the clouds...and light engulfed His form.........Beyond the storm a rainbow lent.....A light to every cloud,.......For on that cross mine eyes beheld.....The naked soul of God."

Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.

Jesus knew that ultimately the Father would save him. He knew of the relationship He had with the father was strong. He remembered the prayer in the garden He prayed the night before. So earnestly did He pray, that blood dripped from His brow. The power of that prayer, the power of God’s plan of salvation saw Him through this bitter agony on the cross, so He could call out now to the Father and ask the Father to once again accept Him into His mighty arms. Jesus could now commit himself back into the Father’s hands, not conditionally, not partially, but totally. He put all of Himself into God’s hands. And then He died.

Through the cross, through the surrender of Christ into God’s almighty and merciful hands, God showed us and expressed to us His powerful love for us.

From the "Log" the newsletter of Galilean Lutheran comes the following:

"Understand how much I love you!!...I sent my Son to show you love......to let you see love.....hear love.....touch love....taste love.......feel love....I sent Him to you....I let Him live, die and brought His back to life....to show you the depth of my love....my forgiveness......to teach you the meaning of my....grace.

"My grace is" Peace for the anxious.....Forgiveness for the guilty....Love for the hated.....Hope for the hopeless....Sight for the blind....Faith for the doubting.....Healing for the injured.....Comfort for the afflicted...Joy for the sorrowful....Life for the dying....Rest for the weary."

Not only did God show His love for us through the cross, He even took your place and my place on that cross. Remember you and I belonged on that cross, not Jesus!!! It was not His cross He died upon, it was not His sins He suffered as He hung between heaven and hell, it was your sins and my sins. It was not His punishment He took from the Father, but our punishment. Jesus took your place and my place on the Cross and let us not forget that. We can be very smug, very self=righteous when we speak about the cross. We can point fingers at others and their faults and wrongs, we can see the cross as a symbol for some else and their sin, but it is very difficult for us to accept, to admit to ourselves, to God, that you and I belong on that cross, not Jesus.

A poem says:

"Jesus took my place that I may take His place....He became the Son of man that I may become a Son or Daughter of God...He bore my sins that I may live without sin.....He came to earth that I may go to heaven...He became poor that I may become rich....He was bound that I may be set free...He went down that I may go up....He tasted death that I may escape the sting of death...He tasted of eternal death that I may have eternal life....He went to hell that I may someday go to heaven....He arose that I may have Spiritual power....Jesus took my old filthy robe that I may wear His new robe of righteousness....I was poor, He marked the books paid...because I could not pay it....."

With that last poem, we now look ahead, ahead to Easter, ahead to Pentecost, ahead to the power of God’s Spirit and Christ’s love coming to this earth to be with each of us as we journey through life. It is Good Friday, because we know that Easter follows. It is Good Friday, because Christ came back, He lives.

Today we are filled with the stark reality that the cross is a symbol of death, death which was meant for us. On Easter, we see the joyous glory that the cross is a symbol of hope as we walk the road of life.

A closing poem by Calvin Wright says:

"One day I met a stranger while traveling down life’s road. He said, "If you will trust me I’ll help you bare your load." Since then through the valleys and over mountains steep, He has stayed so near and proved His promise He would keep.

When my way is dark and stormy, He tells me not to fear. And when it seems I need Him most, I find He’s always near. He’s no more a stranger but a friend is He....

Since often I commune with Him and He speaks to me. In a still small voice I hear Him speak so tenderly. Saying, "Don’t forget I am the One who died on Calvary."

The more I learn about Him....The more I want to cry, "Dear Lord, how could You ever love such a worm as I?" Then it seems that I can almost see Him smile. And I hear Him whisper, "Because you are my child."

Almighty and everlasting God, You willed that Your Son should bear for us the pains of the cross, that You might remove from us the power of the adversary: Help us to remember and give thanks for our Lord’s Passion that we may obtain remission of sin and redemption from everlasting death; through the same, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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The Bible texts are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Sermon contributed by Rev. Tim Zingale.
How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus died on the cross?
The disappointment, fear, and sadness is hard to imagine.