This Thursday is traditionally the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord – the end of our 40 days after the Resurrection, and beginning the 10 days between the Lord’s Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. But because the celebration of the Ascension is such an important holy day, many parishes and diocese have moved this celebration to the Sunday before Pentecost.
Now I have written several times on the readings for the Ascension, and these readings are always the same. So instead, for those celebrating the 7th Sunday of Easter this coming Sunday, I thought it would be nice to take this opportunity to unpack those readings.
The Word for the 7th Sunday of Easter
Acts 7:55-60
Psalm 97:1-2, 6-7, 9
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20
John 17:20-26
Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the martyrdom of St. Stephen. Stephen was one of the seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to the Church in Jerusalem. Within the course of his ministry he angered many of the Jewish leaders with his preaching and accused the Jewish leaders of being “stiff necked” and resistant to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Stephen’s discourses make up all of Chapter 7 for the book of Act, and our passage for this Sunday comes from the end of that chapter where Stephen is condemned and stoned to death. This marks him as the first Christian martyr and a saint, who’s feast day is the day after Christmas. Our passage shows a man devout in his faith with his final breath speaking loudly to the Lord to forgive his killers. Of interesting note, one of those who agreed with the verdict of the Sanhedrin (as mentioned in the passage) was a young man named Saul. This is the first mention of Saul in the Acts of the Apostles, the man whom we will come to know as Paul the Apostle.
Our Psalm response has us singing, “The Lord is king, the most high over all the Earth.” This reminds us that God alone is Lord of us all, so that while the Sanhedrin may have sentenced Stephen to death by stoning, it is the Lord who proclaims justice for all people.
Our second reading concludes our season long study of the Book of Revelation. Here from the closing passages of the book, John hears the voice saying “Behold, I am coming soon.” In these closing passages we are reminded that Jesus will in fact be coming again. He is proclaimed the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the legitimate successor of David and in whom we receive life-giving water.
Our Gospel from John is the conclusion of the Last Supper discourses. Here is where we see Jesus praying for those who believe in him and in turn the righteous God who sent him. This is his final prayer before being arrested. It’s not just a prayer for his disciples, but a love story for all of us, praying that the love that God showed to him may be in all his followers.
Final thoughts:
These readings are not the easiest to follow. We go from the murder of Stephen, to the joy of and love that Christ, through God, has for all of us. It is a reminder of both the pleasure and the pain that we must suffer as Christians. It is also a reminder of God’s love for us – a love so strong that he sent his only son to us, whom we killed, only to realize that he was sent by God to reconcile all of us to his love. This is the meaning of Easter, and a fitting transition from the end of Easter and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Now I have written several times on the readings for the Ascension, and these readings are always the same. So instead, for those celebrating the 7th Sunday of Easter this coming Sunday, I thought it would be nice to take this opportunity to unpack those readings.
The Word for the 7th Sunday of Easter
Acts 7:55-60
Psalm 97:1-2, 6-7, 9
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20
John 17:20-26
Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the martyrdom of St. Stephen. Stephen was one of the seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to the Church in Jerusalem. Within the course of his ministry he angered many of the Jewish leaders with his preaching and accused the Jewish leaders of being “stiff necked” and resistant to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Stephen’s discourses make up all of Chapter 7 for the book of Act, and our passage for this Sunday comes from the end of that chapter where Stephen is condemned and stoned to death. This marks him as the first Christian martyr and a saint, who’s feast day is the day after Christmas. Our passage shows a man devout in his faith with his final breath speaking loudly to the Lord to forgive his killers. Of interesting note, one of those who agreed with the verdict of the Sanhedrin (as mentioned in the passage) was a young man named Saul. This is the first mention of Saul in the Acts of the Apostles, the man whom we will come to know as Paul the Apostle.
Our Psalm response has us singing, “The Lord is king, the most high over all the Earth.” This reminds us that God alone is Lord of us all, so that while the Sanhedrin may have sentenced Stephen to death by stoning, it is the Lord who proclaims justice for all people.
Our second reading concludes our season long study of the Book of Revelation. Here from the closing passages of the book, John hears the voice saying “Behold, I am coming soon.” In these closing passages we are reminded that Jesus will in fact be coming again. He is proclaimed the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the legitimate successor of David and in whom we receive life-giving water.
Our Gospel from John is the conclusion of the Last Supper discourses. Here is where we see Jesus praying for those who believe in him and in turn the righteous God who sent him. This is his final prayer before being arrested. It’s not just a prayer for his disciples, but a love story for all of us, praying that the love that God showed to him may be in all his followers.
Final thoughts:
These readings are not the easiest to follow. We go from the murder of Stephen, to the joy of and love that Christ, through God, has for all of us. It is a reminder of both the pleasure and the pain that we must suffer as Christians. It is also a reminder of God’s love for us – a love so strong that he sent his only son to us, whom we killed, only to realize that he was sent by God to reconcile all of us to his love. This is the meaning of Easter, and a fitting transition from the end of Easter and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
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