Proper 9 | OT 13 | Pentecost 5, Cycle A
While there is interest in human love and matchmaking only in the first three texts: finding an appropriate wife for Isaac in the selections from Genesis 24, in a royal marriage in Psalm 45:10-17, and in the love of a woman for the man she loves in Song of Solomon 2:8-13, there is gospel in each of these seven texts.
Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13, Cycle A
We are called in these texts to lives of commitment to God and to service as People of God, to live and to serve in the world as members of a community of faith. There are no unrealistic promises in these texts that life within the community of faith will be easy. Instead, there is the expectation that there will be struggles and strife. The security for the People of God will be in their covenant relationship with God.
Fifth Sunday of Easter, Cycle A
The selection for this Fifth Sunday of Easter begins the transition from Easter to Ascension and Pentecost activities, or perhaps, in Fourth Gospel terminology, we should say to Jesus’ absence and anticipated return. With Gospel texts selected from the Gospel According to John and According to Luke, supported by texts from Acts of Apostles and 1 Peter, we have not had a Gospel selection from the Gospel According to Matthew in this Series A year of Matthew since Easter Day itself, and we will not have a Matthean Gospel account again until Trinity Sunday, still four weeks away.
Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle A
The beautiful Easter theme of “The Lord is Our Shepherd,” alluded to in the John 10:1-10 analogies and expressed so well in Psalm 23 and 1 Peter 2:19-25, is not mentioned in Acts 2:42-47. All or a portion of Ezekiel 37:15-28 would fit the theme of “The Lord is Our Shepherd” exceedingly well. If a Newer Testament selection for the First Reading is desired on this Good Shepherd Sunday, far better than Acts 2:42-47 would be Hebrews 13:20-21
Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle A
Within the three Newer Testament texts designated for the Third Sunday of Easter in Series A the message that God raised Jesus from the dead continues to be proclaimed in a variety of ways. In the Psalm 116 reading there is, of course, no proclamation of the resurrection of Jesus. There is, however, a strong affirmation of life as a gift from the Lord.
