John Shearman's Lectionary Resource

Year A - Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - July 6, 2008

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:41:49 GMT

MATTHEW 11:16-19, 25-30 Jesus likely uttered these three quotations attributed to him at quite different times. The first saying not only describes a children’s imitative game of biblical times, it also tells of the frustration of teaching without visible response. The prayer in vss. 25-27 may not be Jesus’ words at all.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - June 29, 2008

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:29:51 GMT

MATTHEW 10:40-42. Being received in Christ's name is the thrust of this brief reading at the end of Jesus' discourse of instructions to his disciples. It reflects an ancient Jewish oral tradition which required that a man's emissary be received with the same hospitality as would be given the man himself.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - June 22, 2008

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:30:00 GMT

MATTHEW 10:24-39 These sayings were included in Jesus' instructions to the twelve (vss. 5-42), but may have come from several sources rather than being a verbatim account of one message.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - June 15, 2008

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:09:16 GMT

ROMANS 5:1-8 Few passages in the whole of the NT have had such influence in the church since the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Legend has it, though it has often been repeated as historical fact, that Martin Luther's study of this passage inspired him to post his "Ninety-five Theses Against Indulgences" on the church door of the Wittenburg Castle.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - June 8, 2008

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:00:48 GMT

MATTHEW 9:9-13, 18-26 These three incidents raised opposition to Jesus' ministry yet widely extended his fame. All of them signaled his sole desire to help people as the way to reveal God's love and inspire them to believe in him. He also knew that not every one would respond. So he sternly rebuked the super-religious Pharisees for their opposition. He was interested in people who sensed their need, not in those who had it all.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Third Sunday after Pentecost - June 1, 2008

Sun, 25 May 2008 15:08:09 GMT

MATTHEW 7:21-29 It is probable that the short bits and pieces of the Sermon on the Mount were spoken by Jesus at different times and in different places. This ending to the "sermon" challenges us to live what we believe, rather than just go through the routines of devotion.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Second Sunday after Pentecost - May 25, 2008

Sun, 18 May 2008 23:44:44 GMT

MATTHEW 6:24-34 This well-known passage from the Sermon on the Mount … Our grateful response to God's plentiful grace, not anxious materialism and manipulation of economic and financial systems, will bring about the universal prosperity God wants all of us to enjoy.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Trinity Sunday - May 18, 2008

Sun, 11 May 2008 13:21:57 GMT

MATTHEW 28:16-20 Many scholars hold that the original gospel text may have ended at verse 17 and that the closing commission was added in the 2nd century. It does bring the gospel to a fitting conclusion.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Pentecost Sunday - May 11, 2008

Mon, 05 May 2008 15:55:52 GMT

JOHN 20:19-23 Unlike the other gospels and Acts, this is a different account of the way Jesus gave the Spirit to his disciples.

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Seventh Sunday of Easter - May 4, 2008

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:41:50 GMT

JOHN 17:1-11 It is most unlikely that these are actual words of a prayer by Jesus himself. More probably they are a meditation by the author of the Gospel on the humanity and divinity of Christ as seen in his earthly ministry

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Ascension - May 1, 2008

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:39:34 GMT

LUKE 24:44-53 In an unusual alternative to the passage from Acts 1, Luke presents another version of the ascension of Jesus.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Sixth Sunday of Easter - April 27, 2008

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:32:51 GMT

ACTS 17:22-31 Paul's only recorded attempt to convert pagan philosophers in Athens was not particularly successful. He argued from the known, idols along the city streets, to the unknown, the God who is the creator of all and now revealed in Jesus Christ. It was the resurrection which so puzzled his audience.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Fifth Sunday of Easter - April 20, 2008

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:25:28 GMT

ACTS 7:55-60 Stephen's martyrdom introduces the young man Saul, soon to be converted to become the apostle Paul. But the main character of the whole narrative of The Acts of the Apostles is not any one of the apostles. That role belongs to the Holy Spirit.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Fourth Sunday of Easter - April 13, 2008

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:15:02 GMT

JOHN 10:1-10 We have here words which may not be directly from Jesus, but are John's own interpretation of who Jesus was in the light of the many Old Testament references to God as the shepherd of Israel.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Third Sunday of Easter - April 6, 2008

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:52:17 GMT

LUKE 24:13-35 This favorite resurrection story traces the disciples' despair at the death of Jesus to the joy of knowing that he is alive and still with them.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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2nd Sunday of Easter

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:34:13 GMT

1 PETER 1:3-9 Here again we have the essential gospel message of the Apostolic Church, though probably from an early 2nd century author using Peter’s name.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Resend of Holy Week Link

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:48:14 GMT

Apparently some people did not receive the link to the Holy Week and Easter Sunday material. It seems that some email programs blocked the table layout that I used to bring John's material together. My apologies to anyone who had difficulty finding the readings.

I'm resending this as a link to the site index, which should be delivered properly.

Please click the title to be directed to the lectionary pages for Holy Week and Easter Sunday.

Thank you, and a blessed Easter to everyone

David

Palm/Passion Sunday through Holy Week and Easter Sunday

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:53:40 GMT

Here's a handy set of links to the readings for Palm/Passion Sunday through Holy Week and Easter. Simply click the link on the appropriate day to go directly to the detailed analysis.

You can also click the title link to go to the onsite index.

Please feel free to forward this email to others who may be interested in John's offering.

Palm/Passion Sunday - March 16, 2008

PSALM 118:1-2, 19-29
MATTHEW 21:1-22 Clearly, the narrative of the triumphal entry had its basis in the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9-10. Matthew describes the event as the deliberate attempt by Jesus to reveal himself as the peaceful Messiah. Hence the choice of his mount, the humblest of beasts of burden.
ISAIAH 50:4-9a
PSALM 31:9-16
PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11
MATTHEW 26:14-27:66

Monday

ISAIAH 42:1-9
PSALM 36:5-11
HEBREWS 9:11-15
JOHN 12:1-11 The conflict between Jesus and the Jews reached a crucial point with this incident because the raising of Lazarus, Mary's brother, had drawn many of the people to Jesus.

Tuesday

ISAIAH 49:1-7
PSALM 71:1-14
I CORINTHIANS 1:18-31
JOHN 12:20-36. John has Jesus predict his own death and resurrection. Through his sacrifice, like a seed planted to grow and bring forth much fruit, a new relationship with God would be established.

Wednesday

ISAIAH 50:4-9a
PSALM 70
HEBREWS 12:1-3
JOHN 13:21-32 Generally speaking, John's Gospel did not treat Judas kindly. In this instance he suggests that Jesus not only knew about the plot against him, but urged Judas to do what he was fated to do.

Thursday

EXODUS 12:1-14
PSALM 116:1-2, 12-19
I CORINTHIANS 11:23-26
JOHN 13:1-17, 31b-35. John's version of Jesus' last meal with his disciples is very different from that found in the other gospels. Instead of instituting the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper by sharing bread and wine, he performed a ritual of foot washing which some parts of the church still practice as a sacrament

Good Friday

ISAIAH 52:13-53:12
PSALM 22
HEBREWS 10:16-25
HEBREWS 4:14-16; 5:7-9
JOHN 18:1-19:42 The majesty of the Passion narratives in the four Gospels lies in their distinctive contributions to our understanding of the death and resurrection of Christ. It is not possible to create a harmonized version that is convincingly cohesive.

Holy Saturday

JOB 14:1-14
LAMENTATIONSs 3:1-9, 19-24
PSALM 31:1-4, 15-16
1 PETER 4:1-8
MATTHEW 27:57-66
The apprehensive sealing and guarding of the tomb by the priests and Pharisees present a striking contrast to the gentle solemnity of the burial by Jesus' friends. But at that point did anyone really believe that the resurrection would occur?
JOHN 19:38-42

Easter Day - March 23, 2008

ACTS 10:34-43
PSALM 118:1-2, 14-24
COLOSSIANS 3:1-4
JOHN 20:1-18 The Easter story always leaves us with more questions than answers. Note who it was that first found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Doesn't that say something about the importance of women in the early church? Could Mary Magdalene herself have been the original source for this report?

Year A - Fifth Sunday in Lent - March 9, 2008

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:27:32 GMT

John 11:1-45 While the miracle of raising Lazarus from the grave shows Jesus' divine power over death itself, it also shows him as a wonderfully sensitive human being. His love for Lazarus and his sisters is palpable.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Fourth Sunday in Lent - March 2, 2008

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:20:04 GMT

EPHESIANS 5:8-14 Behind this passage stands the belief that pagans and unbelievers are not just in darkness, but are darkness personified. Sadly, similar attitudes are found in most religions, ancient and modern, where so-called "true believers" exclude others and regard them as inherently evil.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Third Sunday in Lent - February 24, 2008

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:59:07 GMT

JOHN 4:5-42. Jesus' conversation with a Samaritan woman is perhaps the most unusual of all those reported in the New Testament.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Second Sunday in Lent - February 17, 2008

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:42:59 GMT

JOHN 3:1-17 John regarded this meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews, as one of the most significant events in the theological conflict of early Christianity with Judaism.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Be sure to have a look at the new 7 Questions for Positive Choices, a program drawn from the Golden Rule. Click here for more information

Year A - First Sunday in Lent - February 10, 2008

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:24:49 GMT

MATTHEW 4:1-11. Lent recalls the forty days in the wilderness Jesus spent in preparation for his ministry. However the experience of his being tempted may be interpreted, Jesus had to make some very meaningful choices.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Ash Wednesday - February 9, 2008

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:23:08 GMT

MATTHEW 6:1-6, 16-21. Jesus sarcastically condemns the ostentatious piety of almsgiving and fasting as utter hypocrisy. He balances this sarcasm by telling how private religious practices produce a more effective way to express a sincere relationship with God.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Transfiguration Sunday - February 3, 2008

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:21:29 GMT

PSALM 2 Rightly or wrongly, the early Church interpreted this psalm as referring to Jesus as the Messiah. In its original form it was probably a poem encouraging confidence in an unnamed king of Israel at the time of his accession or an anniversary of that event.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Third Sunday after Epiphany - January 27, 2008

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:21:23 GMT

1 CORINTHIANS 1:10-18 There appear to have been some serious divisions within the Corinthian congregation. Paul seeks to address these by calling on all who are quarrelling to remember that they belong to Christ, not to the particular apostle who may have baptized them.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Second Sunday after Epiphany - January 20, 2008

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:10:09 GMT

JOHN 1:29-42 Note that this gospel never states that John baptized Jesus. Two kinds of baptism are described. John says that while he baptized with water, Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. It is also John, not Jesus, who saw the Spirit descending as a dove.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - First Sunday after Epiphany - January 13, 2008

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:45:05 GMT

ACTS 10:34-43 The Christian celebration of Epiphany is intended to mark the globalization of the gospel. In reading this passage we should remember that we are the Gentiles to whom the NT scriptures so frequently refer.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Epiphany of Our Lord - January 6, 2008

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 04:35:36 GMT

MATTHEW 2:1-12 Matthew's much-loved story of the visit of the magi bringing gifts to the infant Jesus may well be an interpretative story, or midrash, on Isaiah 60.

This in no way denies its importance for the early Christians for whom it was written or for us who hear or read it twenty centuries later.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - First Sunday after Christmas - December 30, 2007

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 15:02:57 GMT

HEBREWS 2:10-18 The Letter to the Hebrews is not really a letter at all, but a theological essay by some unknown leader of the early Christian church. This brief passage affirms the birth of Jesus, known in Christian doctrine as the Incarnation.

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Nativity of our Lord - December 24-25, 2007

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:48:57 GMT

LUKE 2: 1-20 Luke's Nativity story is a beautiful prose poem, but cannot be regarded as reliably historical. Nonetheless, it still enhances our festive celebrations quite apart from scholarly dispute.

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Year A - Advent 4 - December 23, 2007

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:55:50 GMT

MATTHEW 1:18-25. The two narratives of Jesus' birth in Matthew and Luke do not agree in any detail. Matthew tells the story as if from Joseph's point of view. The preceding genealogy attempts to prove that Jesus was descended from Abraham and David

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Year A - Advent 3 - December 16, 2007

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:18:08 GMT

MATTHEW 11:2-11. Jesus did not appear to be the kind of Messiah even John the Baptist expected. Perhaps John had hoped that if Jesus was indeed the Messiah, he would free John from prison as Isaiah 61:1 had promised.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Advent 2 - December 9, 2007

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 02:29:05 GMT

ROMANS 15:4-13. The church in Rome in Paul's time included both Jews and Gentiles. Paul appears to be justifying why Jesus had to be a Jew by quoting from the Jewish scriptures.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year A - Advent 1 - December 2, 2007

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 02:27:53 GMT

ROMANS 13:11-14. Paul earnestly believed in the imminent return of Christ to complete history by bringing in the reign of God. The present moment, he urges Christians in Rome, is the time to prepare for that glorious event.

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Reign of Christ 2007 - November 25, 2007

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:24:16 GMT

LUKE 23:33-43.The key to the Christian view is the more profound theological hope for God's intervention in human history through ordinary human beings willing to live and love sacrificially to establish a permanent reign of justice, security and peace.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Twenty Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - November 18, 2007

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:59:17 GMT

LUKE 21:5-19. This passage is part of an edited version taken from Mark 13 known as "The Little Apocalypse." Many scholars believe that it was originally a Jewish document adapted for use in the Christian mission, but also incorporating some genuine words of Jesus.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - November 11, 2007

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 15:47:57 GMT

LUKE 20:27-38. The story is particularly ironic in that this sect of Judaism did not believe in resurrection. The trick question had only a malevolent intent. Jesus gave a blunt response: There's no marriage or sex in heaven!

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost - November 4, 2007

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:20:46 GMT

LUKE 19:1-10 Jesus continually challenged the traditional view of who is faithful. In Roman times, tax collecting was rented out to the highest bidder who then could extort whatever he could from the general populace. When Zaccheus promised to be generous to the poor and repay what he had taken by fraud, Jesus praised him as a son of Abraham, the Jewish ideal of a faithful servant of God.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - All Saints Day - November 1, 2007

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:19:54 GMT

LUKE 6:20-31. Luke's version of the Beatitudes can be compared with those listed in Matthew 5:3-11, but the two are not identical. Each reflects the special purpose of the two gospel authors.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost - October 28, 2007

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 03:31:28 GMT

LUKE 18:9-14. This parable would have had a varied response from those who first heard it. The Pharisees were devoutly religious, meticulous in keeping ritual laws, politically powerful and unsympathetic toward those less committed. Even less popular were the tax-collectors.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost - October 21, 2007

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:03:01 GMT

2 TIMOTHY 3:14-4:5. Debate continues whether or not the letters to Timothy were written by Paul or by an early 2nd century church leader using his name and familiar with his teaching and correspondence.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - October 14, 2007

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:54:48 GMT

LUKE 17:11-19. This is one of those fascinating stories showing Jesus' attitudes in direct conflict with the majority of his fellow Jews and especially the religious and political leadership.

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Year C - Canadian Thanksgiving- October 8, 2007

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:25:58 GMT

JOHN 6:25-35. In words attributed to Jesus in response to a demand that he reveal a sign as to who he was, he reminded his audience of the manna which fed the Israelites during their wandering in the desert.

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Year C - Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost - October 7, 2007

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:24:23 GMT

LUKE 17:5-10. In response to his disciples’ request that he increase their faith, Jesus paints two quite different pictures from everyday life in ancient Palestine. Both carry striking spiritual truth, but neither is to be taken literally.

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Year C - Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 30, 2007

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 02:45:53 GMT

LUKE 16:19-31. This parable has sparked some controversy due to its forceful attitude toward wealth and poverty. The futility of dependence on wealth to the neglect of the poor is as strongly stated here as anywhere in scripture.

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Year C - Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 23, 2007

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:30:26 GMT

I TIMOTHY 2:1-7 The theological and historical situation implicit in this passage point to a much later date that the 50s C.E. when Paul carried on his ministry to the Gentiles with Timothy as a co-worker.

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Year C - Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 16, 2007

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:51:41 GMT

1 TIMOTHY 1:12-17 Bible scholars still debate whether the Letters to Timothy and Titus were from the apostle Paul or from another Christian leader of a later generation who knew the apostle's earlier correspondence very well.

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Year C - Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 9, 2007

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 20:26:14 GMT

LUKE 14:25-33 Asked by a newly designated candidate for ministry what she might expect as she pursued this goal, a long-experienced pastor replied, - Don't go into it, if you can stay out.

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Year C - Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 2, 2007

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 22:32:13 GMT

LUKE 14:1, 7-14. Party time! Jesus had been invited to the home of a leading Pharisee for the sabbath meal. Then he nearly broke up the party by healing a man afflicted with dropsy.

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Year C - Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost - August 26, 2007

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:12:45 GMT

LUKE 13:10-17 As he often did, Luke placed a woman at the centre of the story. The lay leader of a synagogue challenged Jesus indignantly. Was he more concerned about protecting his turf and buffering against anticipated criticism from more orthodox fellow Jews?

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Year C - Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost - August 19, 2007

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 21:46:00 GMT

LUKE 12:32-40 This passage reveals that a common tradition existed about the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. He came to inaugurate God’s reign of love in human affairs.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost - August 12, 2007

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 01:03:47 GMT

Year C - Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - August 5, 2007

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:42:59 GMT

There was apparently a problem with this week's lectionary feed so we're resending it. My apologies for any inconvenience this has caused anyone.
David Keating

HOSEA 11:1-11. The image of God behind this dramatic appeal to Israel is that of a loving, compassionate parent. Indeed, here God is described as the Mother of Israel.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - July 29, 2007

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 15:20:07 GMT

GENESIS 18:20-32. In recent years some Christians have grossly misused the sorry tale of Sodom and Gomorrah in the struggle against homosexuality.

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Year C - Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - July 22, 2007

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:31:04 GMT

COLOSSIANS 1:15-28 Modern versions of this passage divide it into three paragraphs. Few statements of the whole gospel Paul proclaimed have the sweep of this one.

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Year C - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - July 15, 2007

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:12:13 GMT

LUKE 10:25-37 One of the most familiar parables answers two universal questions: who is our neighbour and how we are to relate to others with whom we have little in common, or even a deep sense of mistrust and hostility ...

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Year C - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - July 8, 2007

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:37:45 GMT

GALATIANS 6: (1- 6), 7- 16 Those who choose to live according to the shifting values of the secular world will find themselves isolated from the effective moral and spiritual life. This life exemplifies love incarnate and is fulfilled in the life beyond death.

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Year C - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - July 1, 2007

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:43:51 GMT

GALATIANS 5:1, 13-25 Here the Christian ethic is writ large so that he/she who runs may read it. It is God the Spirit who gives us the basis for our ethical intentions and actual performance as Christians in the local contexts in which we live and move.

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Year C - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - June 24, 2007

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 02:03:49 GMT

LUKE 8:26 39 Is this a garbled story of the demoniac being healed after his frantic outcries had panicked the pigs? Or did Jesus fail to convince the unbelieving Gadarenes who had lost their pigs of God's compassionate love?

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Third Sunday after Pentecost - June 17, 2007

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 23:28:03 GMT

LUKE 7:36- 8:3 The point of the whole incident is that forgiveness depends on our faith in God's compassionate love, not on how righteous we may strive to be.

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Year C - Second Sunday after Pentecost - June 10, 2007

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 01:26:01 GMT

LUKE 7:11-17. This passage tells of Jesus raising a widow’s only son is reminiscent of a similar miracle performed by Elijah. Undoubtedly that Old Testament story influenced Luke’s narrative, as the people’s astonished reaction shows.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Trinity Sunday - June 3, 2007

Mon, 28 May 2007 20:13:05 GMT

JOHN 16:12-15. In Jesus' final discourse to his disciples, John defines for his own community the purpose of the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. This is the closest any New Testament author comes to a statement of the doctrine of the Trinity.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Pentecost Sunday - May 27, 2007

Mon, 21 May 2007 14:24:51 GMT

ACTS 2:1-21. The Jews celebrated Pentecost long before the Christian Church adopted it as the anniversary of the gift the Holy Spirit. John’s Gospel refers to it by its Jewish name, the Festival of Weeks.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Seventh Sunday of Easter - May 20, 2007

Sun, 13 May 2007 18:54:35 GMT

JOHN 17:20-26 This prayer almost certainly contains few if any actual words of Jesus. Rather, it is John's interpretation of what Jesus' life, death and resurrection meant for the Christian community for which he was writing late in the 1st century.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Ascenion of the Lord - May 17, 2007

Sun, 13 May 2007 18:57:17 GMT

EPHESIANS 1:15-23 This is the heart of a typical Hebrew berakah, or celebratory prayer of praise and thanksgiving. Here Paul, or some other author writing in his name, celebrates the sovereignty of God represented by the redemptive work of Christ.

For John's full analysis of all of the Ascension readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Sixth Sunday of Easter - May 13, 2007

Sun, 06 May 2007 15:54:49 GMT

JOHN 14:23-29. In these words attributed to Jesus John summed up the essential meaning of the Christ coming among us… He is the ever present Lord available to everyone in all of life’s daily experiences.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Fifth Sunday of Easter - May 6, 2007

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:55:25 GMT

JOHN 13:31-35. In his death, which Judas was about to initiate, Jesus would glorify God. John had emphasized this theme from the very beginning of his gospel. To John, Jesus' death was a sacrificial offering to God worthy of God's holiness and love.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Fourth Sunday of Easter - April 29, 2007

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:04:58 GMT

ACTS 9:36-43. The story of Peter healing Dorcas, the disciple of Lydda, presents the apostle in the role of continuing the ministry of Christ. It demonstrated to the early church that Jesus was alive and still ministering through the apostles....

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Third Sunday of Easter - April 22, 2007

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:11:39 GMT

JOHN 21:1-19. Scholarly consensus regards this chapter as an appendix to the Gospel. Jesus appeared in Galilee to several disciples who had returned to fishing.

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Year C - Second Sunday of Easter - April 15, 2007

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:32:09 GMT

JOHN 20:19-31. The story of Thomas' doubt about Jesus' resurrection has a very relevant message for us who still wrestle with our faith. The passage probably ended the original Gospel of John. Chapter 21 was added at a later date

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Year C - Easter Sunday - April 8, 2007

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 03:29:03 GMT

ACTS 10:34-43, ISAIAH 65:17-25, PSALM 118:1-2, 14-24, 1 CORINTHIANS 15:19-26, LUKE 24:1-12, JOHN 20:1-18 In John's Gospel, women play an unusually large part in the story. Here it is Mary Magdalene who is the first witness to the resurrection. It has even been speculated that she herself may have been the Beloved Disciple.

For John's full analysis of all of the Easter RCL readings, please click the title link.

You can also find the entire Holy Week lessons on site, as well as an Easter Evening analysis.

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Year C - Sixth Sunday of Lent - April 1, 2007

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 01:47:53 GMT

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11. Paul may have found this hymn in use in one of the congregations he visited, or he may have created it himself. Note that while it does equate Jesus with God (vs. 6,) Jesus did not exploit that honour.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Holy Week Daily RCL Readings

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:04:43 GMT

With his trademark careful reflection, Rev. John Shearman brings together an in depth exegesis of the texts for each day of Holy Week from the Revised Common Lectionary. For those seeking to apply modern scholarship and deeply abiding faith to their worship, John has provided a wealth of meaningful material.

Click on the title link above to read all of John's analyis.

You can use the links below to help others find this wonderful resource.

Year C - Fifth Sunday of Lent - March 25, 2007

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 23:29:29 GMT

PHILIPPIANS 3:4b-14. Despite his background as a zealous Pharisee, Paul tells of giving up a promising career as a rabbi to follow Jesus. The one source of power for his new life came from his faith in the resurrection of Jesus, in which he longed to share.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Fourth Sunday of Lent - March 18, 2007

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:37:43 GMT

LUKE 15:11-32. The parable of the lost son welcomed home by his forgiving father tells the whole gospel of God's reconciling love in Jesus Christ in short story form. But what of the elder brother? Did he ever become reconciled?

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Third Sunday of Lent - March 11, 2007

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 20:59:38 GMT

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13. Paul draws on the story of the Israelites in the wilderness breaking their covenant with God to challenge the Corinthians to live differently than the morally and spiritually corrupt society in which they lived.

For John's full analysis of all of the week's RCL readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Second Sunday of Lent - March 4, 2007

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 04:45:36 GMT

LUKE 13:31-35. Knowing full well the risks it entailed, Jesus had determined to end his challenge to Israel's establishment only in Jerusalem.

For John's full analysis of the week's readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - First Sunday of Lent - February 25, 2007

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 22:34:48 GMT

LUKE 4:1-13. Immediately after his baptism, the Spirit led him into the wilderness for a time of prayer and fasting. The so-called temptations came to Jesus as inner reflections about how to do what he now perceived his divine mission to be.

For John's full analysis of the week's readings, please click the title link.

Ash Wednesday readings are available as well.

Please consider using the links below to tell others about John's lectionary resources

Year C - the Transfiguration - February 18, 2007

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:02:17 GMT

LUKE 9:29-43. Luke tells of the transfiguration of Jesus with the same Old Testament lesson in mind to make the same point Paul made: Jesus represents God and God’s authority along with Moses and Elijah.

For John's full analysis of the week's readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Sixth Sunday after Epiphany - February 11, 2007

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 01:03:56 GMT

LUKE 6:17-26. Comparing Luke's version of the Beatitudes, and the Sermon on the Plain which they introduce, with those found in Matthew 5, can provide an interesting study.

For John's full analysis of the week's readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Fifth Sunday after Epiphany - February 4, 2007

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 23:38:53 GMT

LUKE 5:1-11. Behind the gospels as we now have them, there was a long tradition of stories about Jesus' teaching and miracles repeated by word of mouth before being put into written form.

For John's full analysis of the week's readings, please click the title link.

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Year C - Fourth Sunday after Epiphany - January 28, 2007

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 13:44:41 GMT

LUKE 4:21-30. By telling the audience in his home town that they are witnessing the inauguration of the new age of God's rule in all of life, Jesus challenged his hearers to believe in him. They ran him out of town.

For John's full analysis of the week's readings, please click the link.

Year C - Third Sunday after Epiphany - January 21, 2007

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 03:16:18 GMT

1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31a. Paul's image of the disciple community as the body of the risen Christ has stood the test of time. It still speaks with power to our generation. He moved from this powerful metaphor to show how this could be done through the best gift of all - love.

For John's full analysis of the week's readings, please click the link.

Year C - Second Sunday after Epiphany - January 14, 2007

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:56:31 GMT

JOHN 2:1-11. John's Gospel took its shape from a series of signs revealing Jesus as the Messiah, Son of God, and Saviour of the world. This miracle story described the first of these signs.

For John's full analysis of the week's readings, click the link.

Year C - First Sunday after Epiphany - January 7, 2007

Sun, 02 Jan 2007 03:20:37 GMT

LUKE 3:15-17, 21-22. Luke gives a much briefer account of Jesus' baptism than the other gospels. It seems little more than an ending to his narrative about the ministry of John the Baptist.

For John's full analysis of the week's readings, please click the link.

Year C - Epiphany January 6, 2006

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 21:24:35 GMT

EPHESIANS 3:1-12. Paul cites his understanding of the mystery of Christ which had been revealed to him in his conversion from a radical Pharisee to a Christian apostle. The liturgical Season of Epiphany celebrates this revelation.

For John's full analysis of the week's readings, click the link

Year C - First Sunday after Christmas - December 31, 2006

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 20:20:45 GMT

We have the unusual opportunity of choosing between several lessons celebrating distinctive aspects of the liturgical and secular calendars: The First Sunday after Christmas; The Holy Name of Jesus; and The New Year. All three sets of lessons are set out at the link.

Read all of John's Lectionary by clicking the link.

Year C - Nativity of the Lord - Christmas Eve and Day - December 24&25, 2006

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 18:58:01 GMT

The Revised Common Lectionary follows the tradition of listing Propers 1-3 in the liturgy for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This Introduction combines the Lessons for this festive occasion into one format as the simplest way of analyzing them for preaching purposes

Read all of John's Lectionary by clicking the link.

Year C - Advent 4 - December 23, 2006

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:23:48 GMT

LUKE 1:39-45. the birth narratives of Luke are in the form of oral legend and poetry which may have circulated as a separate collection long before the gospel was written about 80 AD.

Read all of John's Lectionary by clicking the link.

Year C - Advent 3 - December 17, 2006

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 18:50:15 GMT

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7. A wonderfully confident faith shines through these few sentences. Paul's expectation of the imminent return of Christ moved him to urge the Philippians to rejoice with him and to conduct themselves in an exemplary manner.

Read all of John's Lectionary by clicking the link.

Year C - Advent 2 - December 10, 2006

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 14:18:34 GMT

LUKE 3:1-6. The introductory stories of the birth of both John the Baptist and Jesus completed, Luke skipped over nearly three decades to place John the Baptist's ministry in a specific historical context. He recognized John as another of Israel's great prophets by quoting from Isaiah

To read all of john's lectionary commentary, click the link.

Year C - First Sunday of Advent - December 3, 2006

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 23:15:16 GMT

JEREMIAH 33:14-16. Jeremiah lived seven centuries before Christ was born. Yet he spoke with intense hope of a time when an anointed king of David's line would come to bring righteousness and justice to Israel and so give the nation the security it so desperately needed and earnestly desired.

To read all of John's lectionary, click the link.

Reign of Christ - November 26, 2006

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 14:29:47 GMT

JOHN 18:33-37. This exchange between Jesus and Pilate tells us what the early church believed about the true nature of Jesus' sovereignty.

Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - November 19, 2006

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 03:41:51 GMT

HEBREWS 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25. The author of this theological essay clinches his argument regarding the supremacy of Christ by appealing to his audience to hold on to their faith.

Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost - November 12, 2006

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 22:26:12 GMT

MARK 12:38-44. The pilgrimage to Jerusalem is over. While teaching in the temple precincts, Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of the scribes (experts in religious law). This was a very controversial thing for him to do.

Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost - November 5, 2006

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 04:15:44 GMT

RUTH 1:1-18. The delightful short story of Ruth has an unusual place in the Old Testament. Several different hypotheses have been proposed as to its origin and purpose, none of them entirely satisfactory

Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost - October 29, 2006

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 01:50:16 GMT

MARK 10:46-52. The healing of the blind man in Jericho emphasizes the point that Mark has made throughout his gospel. ... Read John's commentary on all of this week's RCL readings.

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - October 22, 2006

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 21:34:47 GMT

JOB 38:1-7, (34-41). Job's friends have all said their pieces. None have satisfactorily answered the eternal question: Why do the innocent suffer?

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost - October 15, 2006

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:07:07 GMT

MARK 10:17-31. This passage may be difficult for us to hear in our consumer age where wealth and possessions matter so much.

Canadian Thanksgiving - October 8, 2008

Mon, 02 Oct 2006 02:00:42 GMT

JOEL 2:21-27. In every culture the harvest season is a time of thanksgiving. Such celebrations occurred in ancient Israel as this excerpt from one of their minor prophets shows

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost - October 8, 2006

Mon, 02 Oct 2006 01:59:31 GMT

Mark 10:2-16 In Jewish society, men could divorce their wives for any reason, but wives had no such right without their husband's consent. In vv.10-12, Jesus put women on an equal footing.

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost - October 1, 2006

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 02:10:41 GMT

Mark 9:38-50 the warning remains clear nonetheless. Preventing others from following Jesus in even the simplest of ways can be virtually an unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit.

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 24, 2006

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 01:33:43 GMT

PROVERBS 31:10-31. This is one of the few Old Testament passages which gives prominence to the role of women in ancient Israel.

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 17, 2006

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 01:31:03 GMT

PSALM 19. No greater evidence of the glory of God exists, says this psalmist, than the majestic order of creation and the orderliness of God's law

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 10, 2006

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 01:27:11 GMT

ISAIAH 35:4-7A. This is another passage which envisions the Shalom of God, God’s reign of peace, justice and love.

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 3, 2006

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:10:27 GMT

SONG OF SOLOMON 2:8-13. Biblical scholars still debate what this beautiful collection of poems with vividly erotic metaphors really is. Is it dramatic dialogue? Is it a manual for love within the marriage relationship?

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost - August 27, 2006

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:08:50 GMT

JOHN 6:56-69. Jesus' discourse on the nature of the spiritual life he offered to all who believed so challenged many that they turned away. Would his disciples also leave him, an option he freely gave them?

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost - August 20, 2006

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 15:54:42 GMT

JOHN 6:51-58. The controversy with the Jews continued as they protested Jesus' claim that they eat his flesh and drink his blood to gain eternal life. John wrote this reflection in story form as if Jesus had said this himself.

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - August 13, 2006

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 15:53:41 GMT

JOHN 6:35, 41-51. So different from the other gospels, John adds this discourse to the story of Jesus' feeding of the five thousand.

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - August 6, 2006

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 15:52:39 GMT

EPHESIANS 4:1-16. This exhortation to live the Christian life in all its fullness emphasizes the gift of the Spirit to bring unity to the church

Year B - Eight Sunday after Pentecost - July 30, 2006

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 15:51:11 GMT

2 SAMUEL 11:1-15. David's adultery with Bathsheba remains to this day the symbol of a very human failure: through pride and the mistaken assumptions about their power, even the great leaders often bring about their own demise

Year B - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - July 23, 2006

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:23:35 GMT

EPHESIANS 2:11-22.The church is only now beginning to realize how fully open and universal is the gift of God's Spirit to create a new humanity through faith. This has great significance in the pluralist age in which we live. There can be no closed doors in the fellowship of believers

Year B - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - July 16, 2006

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:22:24 GMT

EPHESIANS 1:3-14. While the address of this letter cites Paul as its author, many scholars attribute it to someone who knew his other letters and teaching very well, but also summarized and extended his thought even further.

Year B - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - July 9, 2006

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:21:18 GMT

MARK 6:1-13. Jesus' hometown folk felt uneasy with him in their midst, especially when he taught in their synagogue on a Sabbath. So Jesus adopted another strategy. He gathered his disciples together and sent them out "with authority over the unclean spirits."

Year B - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - July 2, 2006

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:19:25 GMT

MARK 5:21-43. To Jesus human need and God's willingness and power, not the demonstration of good faith, makes the difference.

Year B - Third Sunday after Pentecost - June 25, 2006

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:17:47 GMT

1 SAMUEL 17:32-49. The story of David and Goliath reads as one of the great feats of Israel’s legendary hero-king. As it presently exists, the story has been combined with a later source and still later edited into a long narrative that is at times inconsistent.