Reading Schedule
Session IV: May 4 - 18, 2008
May 4: Community of Prayer; John 17:1-11
(Additional Readings: Acts 1:6-14; Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35; 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11)
Jesus offers a prayer that showers disciples—in that time and for all time—with vocation and unity in God through Christ. So prayed for, the community of Jesus becomes a community of prayer. Such prayer strengthens and empowers faithful witness and service. Such prayer holds up the vulnerable in word and for deed. Such prayer rejoices in God.
May 11: Life-giving Spirit; Acts 2:1-21
(Additional Readings: Numbers 11:24-30; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; Acts 2:1-21; John 20:19-23, John 7:37-39)
This Pentecost Sunday we celebrate God’s life-giving spirit poured out abundantly on the community of disciples. Rich images of wind and fire frame the proclamation of God’s power in words that all can understand. Community is extended by the Spirit’s blessing through a diversity of persons and gifts for the common good.
May 18: Creation Continues: Genesis 1:1-2:4a
(Additional Readings: Psalm 8; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 26:16-20)
In Genesis 1, God speaks and new life emerges. On this Trinity Sunday, we celebrate the many ways that God continues such life-giving work among us. We rejoice in the gift of living each day in relationship with God as Christ’s disciples—formed in the Creator’s image and empowered by the Spirit—and commit to caring for what God has made.
Session III: April 6 - 27, 2008
Apr. 6: Risen Indeed; Luke 24:13-35
(Additional Readings: Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19; 1 Peter 1:17-23)
“Christ is risen!: With this traditional profession of Easter faith, we open ourselves to new life in Christ. We share this truth with the disciples whose hearts were opened along the road to Emmaus. We share this truth with the disciples in Jerusalem who preached the good news. In our rituals and in our living each day, we declare, “Christ is risen indeed!”
Apr. 13: Life Abundant; Psalm 23
(Additional Readings: Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10)
God shepherds us by providing all that we need, which is not the same as all we may want. The good shepherd does not abandon us in times of suffering and danger. God stands with those who enter and dwell in such places. Even there, especially there, God leads as a companion whose presence may still our fears. God’s steadfast love is trustworthy. Always.
Apr. 20: A Place with God; John 14:1-14
(Additional Readings: Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10)
In word and deed and character, Jesus shows us God. In that revealing, Jesus assures us we have a safe place with God. That promise remains secure in times of joyous presence and of troubled absence. Such hope takes shape in the psalmist’s trust of God as rock and fortress, and in Stephen’s dying graciousness.
Apr. 27: Spirited Love; John 14:15-21
(Additional Readings: Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:8-20; 1 Peter 3:13-22)
God has listened to our searching for holy presence. Spirit’s gift comes as a response to that listening. The language of relationship with God is Spirit-ed love. Love keeps this relationship in word and deed. Love casts out fear. Love does not abandon. Love is eager to do good. Love provides place. Through love we find, and are found, by God.
Session II: Feb. 10 – March 16, 2008
Feb. 10: Wilderness Encounter; Matthew 4:1-11
Lent opens with stories of testing and trusting. In parched wilderness and in lush garden, temptation comes. Sin or faithfulness follows, not because of the testing itself, but by what gets chosen in response. Live out of traditions whose truth we have experienced. Trust God’s steadfast love. Rely on grace that ministers to our needs.
Feb. 17: Respect and Challenge; John 3:1-17
Today’s scripture introduces a pattern that is common throughout this gospel: Jesus speaks, but his words are misunderstood. The misunderstanding leads to further teaching by Jesus that reveals deeper meaning. Key words like believe, see, know, life, and send provide a framework for action and dialogue. Jesus’ conversation partner in this passage is Nicodemus, a leading Pharisee of the day. Later, we encounter Nicodemus as one who defends Jesus and helps with this burial.
Feb. 24: Water, Word, Witness: John 4:5-42
Is God with us? Listen to these stories’ witness of water and word. Water flows from need to gift. Words shift from misunderstanding to revealing. The confluence of water and word in the Samaritan woman’s story witnesses to who Christ is and who we can be. Our need for living water is quenched by the God who is with us.
Mar.2: No Limits on Love; John 9:1-41
Rules and traditions intend to set helpful limits. Yet even the best-intentioned may be narrowly viewed so as to lose sight of what is needed: love. God sees and works beyond constricted perspectives so that opportunities to restore and anoint are not lost. Do we see and act that way? Or does fear of breaking with the old—or being open to the new—blind us?
Mar. 9: Out of the Depths; John 11:1-45
Doubt and belief abound when death asserts that life and hope have boundaries. This week’s readings assure individuals and the community of God’s people that the life, hope, and comfort we find in God’s care are boundless. Our song, even in the midst of tears, gives witness to such amazing grace and love.
Mar. 16: To the Cross; Matthew 26:14-27:66
(Additional Readings: Liturgy of the Psalms: Matthew 21:1-11, Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29;
Liturgy of the Passion: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11)
Questions. Doubt. Belief. The readings for Holy Week hold these in tension, even as God holds us. God hears our voices and tends to our needs along this journey to the cross, as we shout “Hosanna” and cry out “Why?” Even when there are no words to express our wondering, God invites our trust. We are safe in God, whose hands hold all our times.
Session I: Jan. 6 – Feb. 3, 2008
Jan. 6: Epiphany Where is the child?; Matthew 2:1-12
Wise ones and powerful ones ask, “Where is the child?” for different ends. Epiphany, the name for the season we enter, comes from a Greek word that means “manifestation.” Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Christ to the world. It reveals God’s coming in unexpected places and people. It reveals that God’s coming in Jesus is for all who would follow its light.
Jan. 13: Accompanying Spirit; Matthew 3:13-17
The spirit is at work in our lives to help us claim our identity as God’s children and lead us in God’s way. In this short Season after the Epiphany, the scriptures invite us to wonder about the many ways that God’s Spirit brings change. This week, we hear the voice of God speaking new things into action, and consider the blessings and responsibilities that come with this gift of Spirit.
Jan. 20: Meeting Jesus; John 1: 29-42
The Spirit brings change. When Andrew and Peter meet Jesus, the Messiah, their lives change. They choose a new direction, the path of discipleship. God’s Spirit continues to form faithful servants who bring God’s way of justice and peace to the world. As we listen to the witness of those who have been called by God’s Spirit, we encounter our own Spirit-led call.
Jan 27: Called to Follow; Matthew 4:12-23
Following in God’s way is a journey that calls for choice and brings change. When Jesus calls ordinary fishers to follow, they choose to do so. Paul appeals to the church at Corinth to choose unity in Christ’s mission. As the call to follow in Gods way unfolds in our lives, such choice is ours each day.
Feb. 3: Holy Encounter; Matthew 17:1-9
As Advent opened, so the Season after the Epiphany closes: on a holy mountain where God may be found. It is a place of sacred mystery, where shining and shadow convey holy presence. It is a place of community across time, where God’s people of past and present meet. It is a place of silence and witness, where visions are kept quiet and God says of Jesus: “Listen to him.”