Weekly Bible Notes  Fifth Sunday of Easter

Year C, Colour = White or Gold

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Introduction

What is a Christian? If you had to define what a Christian person was, how would you do it. Would they believe certain creeds, worship in particular ways, or would they have a certain spiritual model or belief system?

It is a fascinating question and one which Jesus tackles in our reading today from John's Gospel. Jesus makes it clear that Christianity is not to be identified by a particular set of beliefs, a body of doctrines, membership of a certain church or denomination, or adherence to the Bible. A Christian is fundamentally identified by love. Loyalty to our church, knowledge of scripture, religious devotion, all of this is incidental to the importance of being loving people. What we do and how we behave must be clearly identified as loving if we are honest in claiming to walk the Christian path. A Christian is recognised not by their creed but by their ability to reflect the love of God in their life.

Opening Verse of Scripture    Psalm 148 v 7, 11-12

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray

Almighty God, who through your only begotten Son Jesus Christ have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires, so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect; through Jesus Christ our risen Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Common Worship

Risen Christ, your wounds declare your love for the world and the wonder of your risen life; give us compassion and courage to risk ourselves for those we serve, to the glory of God the Father.  Amen.  Common Worship  

Eternal God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life: grant us so to walk in his way, to rejoice in his truth and to share his risen life; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen. Methodist Worship

Loving and eternal God, through the resurrection of your Son, help us to face the future with courage and assurance, knowing that nothing in life of death can ever part us from your love for us in Jesus Christ our Saviour; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen  Methodist Worship

First Bible Reading   Acts 11 v 1 – 18

The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticised him and said, You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them. Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened: I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. Then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' I replied, 'Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' The voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.' This happened three times, and then it was pulled up to heaven again. Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.' As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God? When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.  (This is the word of the Lord -- Thanks be to God)

Second Reading  Revelation Chapter 21:1-6

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.”
(This is the word of the Lord -- Thanks be to God)
 

Gospel Reading   John 13:31-35

When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (This is the word of the Lord -- Thanks be to God)

Post Communion Prayer

Eternal God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life: grant us to walk in his way, to rejoice in his truth, and to share his risen life; who is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen

Commentary

What is a Christian? If you had to define what a Christian person was, how would you do it. Would they believe certain creeds, worship in particular ways, or would they have a certain spiritual model or belief system?

It is a fascinating question and one which Jesus tackles in our reading today from John's Gospel. Jesus makes it clear that Christianity is not to be identified by a particular set of beliefs, a body of doctrines, membership of a certain church or denomination, or adherence to the Bible. A Christian is fundamentally identified by love. Loyalty to our church, knowledge of scripture, religious devotion, all of this is incidental to the importance of being loving people. What we do and how we behave must be clearly identified as loving if we are honest in claiming to walk the Christian path. A Christian is recognised not by their creed but by their ability to reflect the love of God in their life.

In a sense this is obvious, but the next big question is this 'What is love?'

Christians seem destined ever to confuse and sometimes substitute the externals of religion for authentic loving living.

We can be very busy doing charity work, offer our services to the church, and still be pretty unloving people. This is true of all of us, we can be ministers in God's church and still not have allowed God's love to penetrate us to the extent that we are able to reflect that love to others. sadly we are surrounded by much talk about love which is confusing and which frequently thinks of love in romantic or sentimental terms. We read about love, we hear songs about love, we watch television programmes about love and very often the image of love which is presented is confused or downright wrong.

So how can we know what love is? How can we be spared from lives which are wrecked by an allusive search after love? If we want to know love, then the place to start is in the life of Jesus. He teaches us and shows us practically what real love is. Jesus is a living model of true love, for each of us to use as a means of developing our own loving lives.

There are some straightforward things which we can say about Jesus love

• Jesus showed love by giving attention to others and their needs

• Jesus showed love by serving others in caring ways

• Jesus showed love by offering unconditional acceptance and forgiveness

The love of Jesus is not about fine preaching or sentimental feelings. For Jesus, love is what love does.

Meditation

The Christian message does not inhibit men and women from building up the world, or make them disinterested in the welfare of their fellow human beings: on the contrary it obliges them more fully to do these very things. John Paul II

The Old Testament prophets emphasize that worship and prayer are not pleasing to God unless they are accompanied by practical works of justice and charity. Following the Great Jubilee, we must acknowledge the call to commit ourselves ever more generously to working for justice and the liberation of the oppressed.  John Paul II, General Audience, Jan. 10, 2001

We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something. Mother Teresa

‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End’ is an expression found in several places in the book of Revelation. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. But some think the book of Revelation echoes and reflects a more ancient Jewish work. If this is the case then the phrase may not just be a paraphrase of Isaiah 44 v 6, "I am the first and the last," but the Hellenized form of a well-known rabbinical dictum: "The seal of God is Emet", which means Truth, which in turn is derived from the letters Aleph, Mem, Tau, , the first, the middle, and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the beginning, the middle, and the end of all things. Ancient Jewish writings record: "The men of the Great Synagogue prayed to God to remove from the earth the Evil Spirit, as the cause of all the trouble. Immediately a scroll fell from heaven with the word (Truth) written thereon... …and the spirit left the earth”. It is perhaps this scroll which is referred to in the book of Daniel, a book with many parallels to the book of Revelation, when the man dressed in linen says to Daniel, "…I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth" (Biketab Emet), Dan 10 v 21. He is a God who is not just the beginning and ending of all things, but the middle too.

In the same way, Christ, who is the truth, is not only the beginning and the end, He is the middle too. He was present at the dawn of creation when the Triune God hovered over the waters and the world began. He will be present when He returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords at the end of time. He is present in the middle with us, through His death and resurrection which we celebrate each Easter. Sam Cappleman

Hymns

Hail thou once despised Jesus, 203; (After Confession) Father we Love you 142; He that is in us, 219; A New commandment, 1 & God of Glory, 219; Hail to the Lord’s anointed, 204; Love Divine, 449

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

"Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian.

If it is well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die."

Keep me safe in your arms, O Lord, for then I have nothing to fear. Let me rely on you in all things and deliver me from all that imperils my salvation. Guard me in the hour of danger and in the hour of success. Grant that I may always believe in you, love you and serve you, and bring me at your bidding into the presence of your glory; through Christ our Lord. Amen   John Henry Newman, 1801-1890

Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who brought forth from the root of Jesse a Messiah for all the tribes of the earth; grant us faith and humility so to stand in awe of your purpose, that at the last all the branches of the tree of life may be grafted in, and all those whom you have chosen may rejoice together in your love. Amen

O Lord, support us all the day long of our lives, until the shades lengthen and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then Lord, in your mercy, grant us safe lodging, a holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation, grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith. Amen

Direct, O God, with your own living wisdom, our schools, universities and seats of knowledge, learning and wisdom, that they may more and more unveil the wondrous ways of your Kingdom and draw all to worship and adore your ongoing work of wondrous creation. Amen

God, who through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us the victory, give you joy and peace in your faith; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen
 

Additional Resources

Introduction

The reading from John this week is a lovely one, in it Jesus refers to himself using the illustration of caring for the sheep. Great, Jesus cares for us, but be careful! At the end of this teaching we are told that the Jews wanted to stone Jesus and they would have done if he had not escaped. So why did they want to kill him? It is quite understandable really, Jesus claimed to be God. It was Hannukah 'dedication,' and Jesus was in the Temple area, walking in Solomon's Colonnade. At Hannukah on the 25th day of the Jewish month Chislev, the Jews remembered how in 167 BC Judas Maccabaeus led a revolt to liberate Jerusalem from Antiochus Epiphanes. As a result Judas and his family became kings in a dynasty which lasted one hundred years. When Herod the Great was made king by the Romans, he married a princess from the family of Judas Maccabaeus to continue the line. So at Hannukah the Jews celebrated kingship and liberation and thanked God that they had taken the Temple back and restored it. It was at this time that Jesus choose wander in the Temple claiming to be God. The timing was perfect - for a riot!

Jesus could not help but speak out, he knew that his gift was nothing less than eternal life. Jesus could guarantee a future beyond the grave, and there was no way he would be silent.

Commentary

How wide is the love of God? Who is saved? If we look at today's readings then we can see that there is a pattern which can be found in the Bible which gives us an understanding of human salvation which gradually widens, until all people are included. Salvation is available for all. In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is defending himself against the Church in Jerusalem because he has baptised Gentiles and so has admitted them as members of the Church. The story of Cornelius, according to Acts 10, had marked a watershed in the life of the early Christian community. Before that, the members of the young Church had believed that belief in Jesus was simply one form of the Jewish faith, of which there were several forms or versions available at that time. Peter believed that God had told him that gentiles should also be admitted to the faith. A little later, of course, Paul came on the scene and took an even more radical view of the implications for the whole human race on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The Church accepted Peter's account and the community gave thanks for God's ever-widening mercy, in that gentiles were to be admitted to full fellowship of Christ's Church.

The Bible, therefore, marks the early stages of this development in Christian understanding, and also provides us with some means of establishing criteria by which we can work out what is compatible with faith in Jesus Christ. Here we can see the beginnings of the development of God's purpose of human salvation. It started through the chosen people of Israel, continued through the Church, through all people who responded, sometimes in unknown and hidden ways, to the God who is revealed in Jesus Christ.

If we look at Psalm 148, then we find that the psalmist is calling upon the whole of creation to give thanks for the glory of God, especially in God's commitment to the chosen people of Israel in ensuring that they came through their difficulties to glory after all their suffering. If we read Revelation chapter 21, then the image of 'a new heaven and a new earth' is one of a totally newly created world, in which there is nothing to cause harm and there is nothing to get in the way of us establishing a harmonious relationship with God. Here we have an image of God as being 'all in all', and all the world being in harmony with God, once the in-human and anti-human forces have been destroyed.

The same idea is to be found in today's Gospel reading from John 13. Here, Jesus' exclamation, 'Now the Son of man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him', comes after the gentiles have approached the disciples to see if they could meet with Jesus. If we think about the Christian message, what does come through is a pressure, a desire, to unite the whole of humanity, so that everyone is pulling in the same direction - or to use a phrase currently in common phrase 'singing from the same hymn sheet'. Perhaps this idea is significant because it can also be found in Jesus' 'new commandment' which is that his disciples should love one another. The unity, which Jesus Christ desires and which is central to the Christian message and so to Christian preaching, is that we should be obedient to his message and should live as he lived - in love. The glory of Jesus Christ is the love of people for one another. If we can do that, then we are showing that we have incorporated His Spirit within us.

Commentary

The originator and completer of life

The voice from the throne declares, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End’. There is a wonderful symmetry between the first and last book in the bible. In Genesis we are told that God created heaven and earth, in Revelation we hear of a new heaven and a New Earth. In Genesis the sun, moon and starts are called into being, in Revelation we are told that the Holy city has no need of the sun or moon because the glory of God lights it up. Genesis describes a paradise lost, Revelation a paradise restored. Genesis describes the cunning of the devil, man illicitly eating from the tree of life then fleeing and hiding from God. Revelation describes the devil bound, intimate communion between God and His people, and access restored to the tree of life.

Prayer

We know, Lord, that throughout our lives each of us will experience problems and difficulties. Give us courage and strength at those times and prevent us then from looking only at ourselves. Keep our vision wide so that, even in times of difficulty, we may still be of help to others. Help us not to be bitter towards people or situations, but empower us to take the initiative and break the cycle of hatred, bitterness, and evil actions. Help us to transform the difficulties that come our way into opportunities for personal growth and service of others. Amen.

Lord, God of peace, we thank you for the hopes, the efforts and the achievements which your Spirit of peace has inspired in our days - stirring up love where there was hate, sympathy where there was suspicion, care where there was indifference. Open our minds and our hearts even more to the specific demands which love for others makes upon us, so that we may be more truly makers of peace. Remember, God of mercies, those who are oppressed, those who are suffering and dying for the birth of a world in which all people will be more truly a single human family. May your kingdom come for all people of every race and language - your kingdom of justice, of peace, of love, and may all the earth be filled with your glory. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Amen.

Meditation

In 1935 two men in New York began to support each other to stay sober "Alcoholics Anonymous".- or "A.A.", as it is

often known - has small group meetings in many towns each week. Those who feel they have a drink problem are welcome to attend group meetings, where everyone is anonymous. No one is ever charged money to attend. Members encourage and support one another to live a day at a time. A.A. has "12 Steps for Recovery" from alcoholism. Some people who don't have alcohol problems still find A.A.'s 12 "Steps for Recovery" to be a good guide when times are difficult. Read the '12 Steps' and see which ones are meaningful to you.

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

We'll use as our prayer today some words used every day by A.A. members. This prayer is often said together at their group meetings.

Let us pray:

Hymns (Mission Praise)

(1) Let all the world 10, (2) For I'm building a people (on notices), (3) Praise the Lord 15, (4) Jesus shall reign 239- Tune 240 (5) Go forth and tell 770

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