Seventh Sunday Of Easter
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle C
The Church Year Theological Clue
This Sunday might very well be called "Consolidation Sunday," because it is known now as the Seventh Sunday of Easter, rather Exaudi, the Sunday after the Ascension of our Lord. Whereas, Exaudi had a mini-season of a week's duration with Pentecost as its octave, the Seventh Sunday is deliberately incorporated into the great 50 days of Easter. In effect, it "completes" the Easter season, which is brought to a dramatic closure on the festival of Pentecost. The "Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!" motif and declaration of Easter ought to be just as loud on this Sunday as it is on Easter Day; if anything the faithful ought to shout it out more loudly than at any other time of the year. The Seventh Sunday of Easter is the climax to the event that puts its stamp on every Sunday of the year, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. This Sunday reminds us the biblical and theological content of every Sunday is kerygmatic, generally, and anastasial, specifically, emphasizing the death and resurrection of our Lord.
But the Seventh Sunday of Easter, since it occurs only three days after the Ascension of the Lord, does retain the theological "flavor" of the ascension, affirming that the risen Lord has returned to the Father. It also points to and anticipates Pentecost and the descent and gift of the Holy Spirit to the faithful, Jesus' "going way present" to his bride, the church. The Spirit empowers the servants of the Lord to be faithful in their mission for him, even in the face of their own suffering and death. But the Spirit is also the uniting force that molds and holds the church together; without the Holy Spirit, true unity is an impossibility. In this respect, the Gospel for the Day of Year/Cycle C, is especially appropriate as it sounds the note of faith and unity, asserting that the Church is, and can only be, one, in Jesus Christ. (It is regrettable that Ephesians 4:1-14 was not selected as the second reading; it is compatible with the "unity note" in the Gospel for the Day.
The Prayer Of The Day
The second of the two collects included in the Lutheran Book Of Worship is particularly appropriate for this Sunday; it was prepared with the Gospel for the Day in mind: "God, our creator and redeemer, your Son Jesus Christ prayed that his followers might be one. Make all Christians one with him as he is one with you, so that in peace and concord we may carry to the world the message of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever."
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 47 (L, alternate - E) - Here is one of the psalms that is appointed for use on the same Sunday of the three-year lectionary cycle, but with different readings, of course. This psalm takes up the refrain of Easter and, in a manner not intended or even imagined by the writer, makes it apply to the Ascension of Our Lord: it actually puts the people who worship on this Sunday in places beside the disciples after the ascension; they went back into Jerusalem, according to St. Luke, praising and praying, and blessing God in the temple for the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. In its own way, the psalm brings together the approaching conclusion to Easter ("Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a cry of joy"), the Ascension of the Lord ("God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the ram's horn.... God reigns over the nations; God sits upon his holy throne"), and the mood of the early church ("Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our king, sing praises") as it waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Although it was composed for another and radically different occasion (the defeat of the Assyrians in the time of Hezekiah?), it is most appropriate for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, the Sunday after the Ascension of Our Lord. The psalm prayer, below, accommodates the ascension theme (see verse 5) and suggests the "unity in Christ" motif of this Sunday.
Psalm 68:1-20 (E) - The Book Of Common Prayer selects this psalm as the first choice for the psalmody of this Seventh Sunday of Easter in all three years/cycles. However, as is always the case in The Book Of Common Prayer, the first and, generally, longer psalm, is intended to be used in Morning Prayer, while the second and, generally, briefer, psalm is chosen for the Sunday eucharist. Psalm 68, therefore, should be employed in the worship of Morning Prayer, and Psalm 47 in the eucharistic worship.
Psalm 97:1-2, 6-7, 9 (RC) - This psalm is also appointed for the Mass at Dawn on Christmas Day in the ORDO, The Book Of Common Prayer (Christmas Day II), and the Lutheran Book Of Worship (Psalms and lessons, number 2). Comments appear in the Lectionary Preaching Workbook III, Cycle B.
Psalm prayer (47 - LBW) - "Lord Jesus, the dominion of the universe is yours, for you have ascended on high and are seated on the throne prepared for you by the Father. Gather all people into your church and make them a holy nation, a royal priesthood, your own chosen heritage, to praise and adore your divine majesty now and forever."
The Readings
Acts 7:55-81a (RC) - It is appropriate that this reading should be assigned to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, although those who are liturgically initiated will remember that December 26th is the occasion when most of this pericope becomes the second reading of the day; this lection is the last part of that reading about the martyrdom of Stephen, relating the details of the vision that he saw as he was being stoned to death. He sees Jesus as the Son of Man who is standing at the right hand of God, not seated on a throne. It has been suggested that he may be standing, either to plead with God on Stephen's behalf or to receive him as he enters the everlasting realm of God the Father. The fact that Jesus is standing ostensibly to receive a martyr, may be responsible for the fact that in the ancient mosaics in the Church of Santa Costanza, Rome, Jesus is seated on a throne in one scene, but standing in another. The vision is of the ascended and reigning Lord, which makes the reading suitable for this Seventh Sunday of Easter.
Acts 16:6-10 (L) - Here is one more instance when the final version of the Lutheran lectionary substituted a different reading than the one from the ORDO which was used in the trial lectionary. Paul's vision of the "man of Macedonia," saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us," is the main reason this pericope was selected for this day. It speaks first of unusual activity by the Holy Spirit, who will not allow Paul and his companions to preach in Asia nor go into Bithynia, directing them, in that way, to go to Troas, where Paul had the vision that resulted in preaching in Macedonia and much of the rest of the known Roman world. The Holy Spirit, in this reading, has already come to the world and continues to be active in the lives and ministries of the Lord's witnesses.
Acts 16:16-34 (E, C) - In this pericope, Luke tells of the experiences that the apostles had when they crossed over to the district of Macedonia and entered the city of Philippi. A slave girl identified them as servants of the "Most High God, who proclaims to you the way of salvation." Paul healed her, not so much because he had compassion with her, but because he was annoyed by her actions. That healing backfired, because her owners, believing that she had lost some magical powers and that her market value would be reduced, had Paul and his companions arrested and taken to court. Judged guilty by the magistrate, they were beaten "with rods" and thrown into prison, where they were chained by their feet in the stocks. The jailer fell asleep and, while he slept, an earthquake broke open the doors of the cell. Thinking that the prisoners had escaped, he was about to commit suicide when Paul spoke to him and assured him that they were still there. Once light was restored, the jailer rushed to Paul, asking "What must I do to be saved?" And Paul gave that famous answer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household." The jailer ministered to them, took them to his home and fed them; his whole family believed. (The rest of the story follows: When the magistrate ordered them released the next day, Paul demanded a public apology, citing their Roman citizenship as the basis for his demand, and that's what he got from the magistrate and the others. Asked to leave the city, they visited with Lydia (from Thyatira) and "the brethren ... exhorted them and departed.")
1 Samuel 12:19-34 (alternate - E) - After Samuel had been asked, "Shall Samuel reign over us?" by the people of Israel and Saul had been made king at Gilgal, Samuel gave a long speech to the people, reminding them of their history as the children of God. He called upon them to repent of their sins, especially in asking for a king when the Lord God was their king, and beseeching God to hear his prayer; God sent a terrible storm and frightened the Israelites out of their wits, so much so that they asked Samuel to intercede with God on their behalf. In this part of the story, Samuel reassures them that God still loves them and will continue to have mercy upon them, but warning them against sinning any more, or God would destroy them and the king that they wanted.
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 (RC, E, C); 22:12-17, 20 (L) - In this part of John's vision, he hears Jesus announcing that he will return to judge the people of the earth. The righteous, who have "washed their robes" (in the blood of the Lamb) will receive the key to eternal life and "enter the city by the gates." Jesus invites the world to "Come" through the Holy Spirit and his bride, the church, and he says again, "Surely I am coming soon." John responds with the Maranatha, "Come Lord Jesus," the first prayer of the Christian community. The risen and ascended Lord will return "soon."
John 17:2-26 (RC, E, L, C) - This, the high priestly prayer of Jesus, is, at this point, a prayer for the unity of the church. Jesus asks the Father to make the church a genuine "unity" in hearing the word and celebrating the sacraments, not simply for the sake of the church but for the mission of the church in the world. It is the business of the church to worship Jesus as Lord and witness to that Lordship in every possible way, so that all people will ultimately hear the gospel and have an opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But Jesus also prays that his disciples and followers may be with him and see his glory as the Son of God. Jesus loved them to the very end - his prayer at the table reveals - and he prays that the Father's love will "be in them" just as it was in him. This second portion of the prayer, in this pericope, suggests that the love of God must be in the hearts of all believers, if they are to be "perfectly one," in him.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
John 17:20-26 (RC, E, L, C) - "There Is Only One Church." - Virtually all of the Christian churches confess the unity of the church by professing faith in "one, holy catholic and apostolic church." That Christian unity, for which the Lord prayed before his passion and death, is in the Word and the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist. Three experiences have burned this into my conscious thought about the nature of the church.
First, a quarter century ago, my family and I frequently worshiped in St. Giles Church, Edinburgh, Scotland, while I was studying at New College of the University of Edinborough. Every Sunday was Unity Sunday in St. Giles, because the pastor, Dr. Harry Whitley, always announced a post-worship eucharist in one of the chapels: "The holy communion will be celebrated in the Moray Aisle Chapel at 12:15 p.m. We cordially invite our Christian guests and visitors to the communion, remembering that this is the table of the Lord, and not the table of any one denomination." That was Dr. Whitley's way of affirming the unity of the church in the sacrament of the altar.
At the very first session that I had with a Jesuit professor, Father Domenico Grasso, who had suggested that I might like to spend a sabbatical in Rome (he taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University), he made an interesting statement after we had talked for a couple of hours. "Why, Professor Bass," he said, "You and I believe the same things about the gospel." That was his way of stating our unity in the Word of God and, specifically, in the, gospel of our Lord.
A French mathematician, who was teaching at the University of Minnesota for a year, lived next door to my wife and me during that year. After we got to know each other, and after he discovered that I was Lutheran professor of pastoral theology - he was a devout Roman Catholic, changing from an atheist to a believer during World War II - he told me that he had discovered the unity of the church at an Anglican eucharist in England. "I didn't know I was in an Anglican Church," he told me, "until I got to the altar and received the wine as well as the bread." And he indicated that he received the sacrament - in both kinds - gladly, because he knew that there is only one holy catholic church.
Just across the lake from my home there is a conservative Baptist college; it is very conservative. But the school purchased the buildings of a former Roman Catholic minor seminary that was no longer needed. It changed and/or altered the entire interior of a Romanesque chapel, as best it could, to make it into a place of worship suitable to its theology and liturgy. Besides the pews and the marble pillars, which couldn't be removed, it left the Stations of the Cross and the stoops for the holy water of baptism in place. It is impossible to enter that chapel without passing the visible sign of the church's unity in the empty stoops for the water of life.
1. The church is one, in Word, in the sacraments of holy baptism and the eucharist. It can only be one church, according to Jesus' word.
2. The Lord supports all prayers for Christian unity, just as he prayed for such unity on the night of his betrayal and passion. The church is one because it is his church, not ours.
3. The Lord desires unity in Word and sacrament - not simply for the sake of the church as an institution - but so that the church may be an effective witness for Jesus Christ to the rest of the world. The ministry of the church belongs to, and is supported by, him.
4. Help us, O Lord, to love one another and all parts of your church, and make the church what it is: one church in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts 7:55--8:1a (RC) - "A Vision Of Salvation."
1. Stephen's vision of the risen and ascended Lord got him in so much trouble with the Jews that they stoned him for saying, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
2. Close to death, Stephen prayed to the Christ, "Lord, receive my spirit," while a young man named Saul stood by, guarded the clothing of those throwing stones, and watched, seemingly unmoved by what was happening to Stephen.
3. A prayer of forgiveness on his lips, "Lord, do not lay this sin against them," he died, confident that the risen and reigning Lord had heard his prayer. The example of his Lord, when he hung on the cross and prayed for his enemies, was his model.
4. The word of the Lord gives courage to the faithful to face injustice, cruelty, and evil and, if necessary, to die in the belief that Christ hears their prayers and will receive them into his eternal kingdom.
Acts 16:6-10 (L) and Acts 16:16-34 (E, C) - "A Vision Becomes A Nightmare."
1. It began as a vision of a man from Macedonia calling out to Paul and his companions, "Come over and help us." They responded and their first convert was a woman named Lydia, who invited them to stay with her after she was baptized.
2. Paul healed a slave girl who appeared to have "powers of divination," a soothsayer and this brought the Jews down on them, demanding their arrest.
3. Beaten, jailed, and chained, their vision was marred and became a nightmare. But God took a hand in the proceedings, opening the jail door with an earthquake, but the missionaries did not attempt to escape.
4. Paul and the others took refuge in their Roman citizenship, asked for and received an apology but hardly an act of repentance, and they were asked to depart the city; they did, with restored vision of what they had to do in Macedonia.
5. Christians, who hold on to the vision given them by the Word, will discover that God is with them always and in all things, helping them to fulfill their ministry. (For more on this type of narrative sermon, see Mark Ellingsen's The Integrity Of Biblical Narrative [Story in Theology and Proclamation], Augsburg Fortress, 1990.)
1 Samuel 12:19-34 (E) - "Remember God's Goodness."
1. One of the astounding things about God is that he has mercy on his people, regardless of what they have done.
2. Nevertheless, human beings have to face up to their sins, repent of them regularly, daily, and live in the fear of the Lord. Repentance gives people a new beginning, for God does forgive sin, all of our sins.
3. Christians, in particular and of all people, need to remember the specific things that God has done for them in Jesus Christ and serve him faithfully, as Samuel exhorted the people of Israel to do long ago.
4. Praise the Lord, love him, obey him, and do his work in this world ... in Jesus' name.
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 (RC, E, C); 22:12-17, 20 - "The Preposterous Promise."
1. Before he died, and after his resurrection and ascension, according to John's vision, Jesus said, "Behold, I am coming soon ..." That sounds like an impossibility - to return to the earth after death and ascension - doesn't it?
2. Christ will come to earth again to bring his "recompense" to all people on earth. He is to judge "and repay everyone for what he has done," according to John's vision.
3. But he will receive and bless those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness." His return will be welcomed by the faithful followers of the Lord.
4. And so, to Jesus' promise, "Surely I am coming soon!", the church continues to pray, as it has since Christ ascended to heaven, "Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!"
This Sunday might very well be called "Consolidation Sunday," because it is known now as the Seventh Sunday of Easter, rather Exaudi, the Sunday after the Ascension of our Lord. Whereas, Exaudi had a mini-season of a week's duration with Pentecost as its octave, the Seventh Sunday is deliberately incorporated into the great 50 days of Easter. In effect, it "completes" the Easter season, which is brought to a dramatic closure on the festival of Pentecost. The "Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!" motif and declaration of Easter ought to be just as loud on this Sunday as it is on Easter Day; if anything the faithful ought to shout it out more loudly than at any other time of the year. The Seventh Sunday of Easter is the climax to the event that puts its stamp on every Sunday of the year, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. This Sunday reminds us the biblical and theological content of every Sunday is kerygmatic, generally, and anastasial, specifically, emphasizing the death and resurrection of our Lord.
But the Seventh Sunday of Easter, since it occurs only three days after the Ascension of the Lord, does retain the theological "flavor" of the ascension, affirming that the risen Lord has returned to the Father. It also points to and anticipates Pentecost and the descent and gift of the Holy Spirit to the faithful, Jesus' "going way present" to his bride, the church. The Spirit empowers the servants of the Lord to be faithful in their mission for him, even in the face of their own suffering and death. But the Spirit is also the uniting force that molds and holds the church together; without the Holy Spirit, true unity is an impossibility. In this respect, the Gospel for the Day of Year/Cycle C, is especially appropriate as it sounds the note of faith and unity, asserting that the Church is, and can only be, one, in Jesus Christ. (It is regrettable that Ephesians 4:1-14 was not selected as the second reading; it is compatible with the "unity note" in the Gospel for the Day.
The Prayer Of The Day
The second of the two collects included in the Lutheran Book Of Worship is particularly appropriate for this Sunday; it was prepared with the Gospel for the Day in mind: "God, our creator and redeemer, your Son Jesus Christ prayed that his followers might be one. Make all Christians one with him as he is one with you, so that in peace and concord we may carry to the world the message of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever."
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 47 (L, alternate - E) - Here is one of the psalms that is appointed for use on the same Sunday of the three-year lectionary cycle, but with different readings, of course. This psalm takes up the refrain of Easter and, in a manner not intended or even imagined by the writer, makes it apply to the Ascension of Our Lord: it actually puts the people who worship on this Sunday in places beside the disciples after the ascension; they went back into Jerusalem, according to St. Luke, praising and praying, and blessing God in the temple for the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. In its own way, the psalm brings together the approaching conclusion to Easter ("Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a cry of joy"), the Ascension of the Lord ("God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the ram's horn.... God reigns over the nations; God sits upon his holy throne"), and the mood of the early church ("Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our king, sing praises") as it waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Although it was composed for another and radically different occasion (the defeat of the Assyrians in the time of Hezekiah?), it is most appropriate for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, the Sunday after the Ascension of Our Lord. The psalm prayer, below, accommodates the ascension theme (see verse 5) and suggests the "unity in Christ" motif of this Sunday.
Psalm 68:1-20 (E) - The Book Of Common Prayer selects this psalm as the first choice for the psalmody of this Seventh Sunday of Easter in all three years/cycles. However, as is always the case in The Book Of Common Prayer, the first and, generally, longer psalm, is intended to be used in Morning Prayer, while the second and, generally, briefer, psalm is chosen for the Sunday eucharist. Psalm 68, therefore, should be employed in the worship of Morning Prayer, and Psalm 47 in the eucharistic worship.
Psalm 97:1-2, 6-7, 9 (RC) - This psalm is also appointed for the Mass at Dawn on Christmas Day in the ORDO, The Book Of Common Prayer (Christmas Day II), and the Lutheran Book Of Worship (Psalms and lessons, number 2). Comments appear in the Lectionary Preaching Workbook III, Cycle B.
Psalm prayer (47 - LBW) - "Lord Jesus, the dominion of the universe is yours, for you have ascended on high and are seated on the throne prepared for you by the Father. Gather all people into your church and make them a holy nation, a royal priesthood, your own chosen heritage, to praise and adore your divine majesty now and forever."
The Readings
Acts 7:55-81a (RC) - It is appropriate that this reading should be assigned to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, although those who are liturgically initiated will remember that December 26th is the occasion when most of this pericope becomes the second reading of the day; this lection is the last part of that reading about the martyrdom of Stephen, relating the details of the vision that he saw as he was being stoned to death. He sees Jesus as the Son of Man who is standing at the right hand of God, not seated on a throne. It has been suggested that he may be standing, either to plead with God on Stephen's behalf or to receive him as he enters the everlasting realm of God the Father. The fact that Jesus is standing ostensibly to receive a martyr, may be responsible for the fact that in the ancient mosaics in the Church of Santa Costanza, Rome, Jesus is seated on a throne in one scene, but standing in another. The vision is of the ascended and reigning Lord, which makes the reading suitable for this Seventh Sunday of Easter.
Acts 16:6-10 (L) - Here is one more instance when the final version of the Lutheran lectionary substituted a different reading than the one from the ORDO which was used in the trial lectionary. Paul's vision of the "man of Macedonia," saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us," is the main reason this pericope was selected for this day. It speaks first of unusual activity by the Holy Spirit, who will not allow Paul and his companions to preach in Asia nor go into Bithynia, directing them, in that way, to go to Troas, where Paul had the vision that resulted in preaching in Macedonia and much of the rest of the known Roman world. The Holy Spirit, in this reading, has already come to the world and continues to be active in the lives and ministries of the Lord's witnesses.
Acts 16:16-34 (E, C) - In this pericope, Luke tells of the experiences that the apostles had when they crossed over to the district of Macedonia and entered the city of Philippi. A slave girl identified them as servants of the "Most High God, who proclaims to you the way of salvation." Paul healed her, not so much because he had compassion with her, but because he was annoyed by her actions. That healing backfired, because her owners, believing that she had lost some magical powers and that her market value would be reduced, had Paul and his companions arrested and taken to court. Judged guilty by the magistrate, they were beaten "with rods" and thrown into prison, where they were chained by their feet in the stocks. The jailer fell asleep and, while he slept, an earthquake broke open the doors of the cell. Thinking that the prisoners had escaped, he was about to commit suicide when Paul spoke to him and assured him that they were still there. Once light was restored, the jailer rushed to Paul, asking "What must I do to be saved?" And Paul gave that famous answer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household." The jailer ministered to them, took them to his home and fed them; his whole family believed. (The rest of the story follows: When the magistrate ordered them released the next day, Paul demanded a public apology, citing their Roman citizenship as the basis for his demand, and that's what he got from the magistrate and the others. Asked to leave the city, they visited with Lydia (from Thyatira) and "the brethren ... exhorted them and departed.")
1 Samuel 12:19-34 (alternate - E) - After Samuel had been asked, "Shall Samuel reign over us?" by the people of Israel and Saul had been made king at Gilgal, Samuel gave a long speech to the people, reminding them of their history as the children of God. He called upon them to repent of their sins, especially in asking for a king when the Lord God was their king, and beseeching God to hear his prayer; God sent a terrible storm and frightened the Israelites out of their wits, so much so that they asked Samuel to intercede with God on their behalf. In this part of the story, Samuel reassures them that God still loves them and will continue to have mercy upon them, but warning them against sinning any more, or God would destroy them and the king that they wanted.
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 (RC, E, C); 22:12-17, 20 (L) - In this part of John's vision, he hears Jesus announcing that he will return to judge the people of the earth. The righteous, who have "washed their robes" (in the blood of the Lamb) will receive the key to eternal life and "enter the city by the gates." Jesus invites the world to "Come" through the Holy Spirit and his bride, the church, and he says again, "Surely I am coming soon." John responds with the Maranatha, "Come Lord Jesus," the first prayer of the Christian community. The risen and ascended Lord will return "soon."
John 17:2-26 (RC, E, L, C) - This, the high priestly prayer of Jesus, is, at this point, a prayer for the unity of the church. Jesus asks the Father to make the church a genuine "unity" in hearing the word and celebrating the sacraments, not simply for the sake of the church but for the mission of the church in the world. It is the business of the church to worship Jesus as Lord and witness to that Lordship in every possible way, so that all people will ultimately hear the gospel and have an opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But Jesus also prays that his disciples and followers may be with him and see his glory as the Son of God. Jesus loved them to the very end - his prayer at the table reveals - and he prays that the Father's love will "be in them" just as it was in him. This second portion of the prayer, in this pericope, suggests that the love of God must be in the hearts of all believers, if they are to be "perfectly one," in him.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
John 17:20-26 (RC, E, L, C) - "There Is Only One Church." - Virtually all of the Christian churches confess the unity of the church by professing faith in "one, holy catholic and apostolic church." That Christian unity, for which the Lord prayed before his passion and death, is in the Word and the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist. Three experiences have burned this into my conscious thought about the nature of the church.
First, a quarter century ago, my family and I frequently worshiped in St. Giles Church, Edinburgh, Scotland, while I was studying at New College of the University of Edinborough. Every Sunday was Unity Sunday in St. Giles, because the pastor, Dr. Harry Whitley, always announced a post-worship eucharist in one of the chapels: "The holy communion will be celebrated in the Moray Aisle Chapel at 12:15 p.m. We cordially invite our Christian guests and visitors to the communion, remembering that this is the table of the Lord, and not the table of any one denomination." That was Dr. Whitley's way of affirming the unity of the church in the sacrament of the altar.
At the very first session that I had with a Jesuit professor, Father Domenico Grasso, who had suggested that I might like to spend a sabbatical in Rome (he taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University), he made an interesting statement after we had talked for a couple of hours. "Why, Professor Bass," he said, "You and I believe the same things about the gospel." That was his way of stating our unity in the Word of God and, specifically, in the, gospel of our Lord.
A French mathematician, who was teaching at the University of Minnesota for a year, lived next door to my wife and me during that year. After we got to know each other, and after he discovered that I was Lutheran professor of pastoral theology - he was a devout Roman Catholic, changing from an atheist to a believer during World War II - he told me that he had discovered the unity of the church at an Anglican eucharist in England. "I didn't know I was in an Anglican Church," he told me, "until I got to the altar and received the wine as well as the bread." And he indicated that he received the sacrament - in both kinds - gladly, because he knew that there is only one holy catholic church.
Just across the lake from my home there is a conservative Baptist college; it is very conservative. But the school purchased the buildings of a former Roman Catholic minor seminary that was no longer needed. It changed and/or altered the entire interior of a Romanesque chapel, as best it could, to make it into a place of worship suitable to its theology and liturgy. Besides the pews and the marble pillars, which couldn't be removed, it left the Stations of the Cross and the stoops for the holy water of baptism in place. It is impossible to enter that chapel without passing the visible sign of the church's unity in the empty stoops for the water of life.
1. The church is one, in Word, in the sacraments of holy baptism and the eucharist. It can only be one church, according to Jesus' word.
2. The Lord supports all prayers for Christian unity, just as he prayed for such unity on the night of his betrayal and passion. The church is one because it is his church, not ours.
3. The Lord desires unity in Word and sacrament - not simply for the sake of the church as an institution - but so that the church may be an effective witness for Jesus Christ to the rest of the world. The ministry of the church belongs to, and is supported by, him.
4. Help us, O Lord, to love one another and all parts of your church, and make the church what it is: one church in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts 7:55--8:1a (RC) - "A Vision Of Salvation."
1. Stephen's vision of the risen and ascended Lord got him in so much trouble with the Jews that they stoned him for saying, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
2. Close to death, Stephen prayed to the Christ, "Lord, receive my spirit," while a young man named Saul stood by, guarded the clothing of those throwing stones, and watched, seemingly unmoved by what was happening to Stephen.
3. A prayer of forgiveness on his lips, "Lord, do not lay this sin against them," he died, confident that the risen and reigning Lord had heard his prayer. The example of his Lord, when he hung on the cross and prayed for his enemies, was his model.
4. The word of the Lord gives courage to the faithful to face injustice, cruelty, and evil and, if necessary, to die in the belief that Christ hears their prayers and will receive them into his eternal kingdom.
Acts 16:6-10 (L) and Acts 16:16-34 (E, C) - "A Vision Becomes A Nightmare."
1. It began as a vision of a man from Macedonia calling out to Paul and his companions, "Come over and help us." They responded and their first convert was a woman named Lydia, who invited them to stay with her after she was baptized.
2. Paul healed a slave girl who appeared to have "powers of divination," a soothsayer and this brought the Jews down on them, demanding their arrest.
3. Beaten, jailed, and chained, their vision was marred and became a nightmare. But God took a hand in the proceedings, opening the jail door with an earthquake, but the missionaries did not attempt to escape.
4. Paul and the others took refuge in their Roman citizenship, asked for and received an apology but hardly an act of repentance, and they were asked to depart the city; they did, with restored vision of what they had to do in Macedonia.
5. Christians, who hold on to the vision given them by the Word, will discover that God is with them always and in all things, helping them to fulfill their ministry. (For more on this type of narrative sermon, see Mark Ellingsen's The Integrity Of Biblical Narrative [Story in Theology and Proclamation], Augsburg Fortress, 1990.)
1 Samuel 12:19-34 (E) - "Remember God's Goodness."
1. One of the astounding things about God is that he has mercy on his people, regardless of what they have done.
2. Nevertheless, human beings have to face up to their sins, repent of them regularly, daily, and live in the fear of the Lord. Repentance gives people a new beginning, for God does forgive sin, all of our sins.
3. Christians, in particular and of all people, need to remember the specific things that God has done for them in Jesus Christ and serve him faithfully, as Samuel exhorted the people of Israel to do long ago.
4. Praise the Lord, love him, obey him, and do his work in this world ... in Jesus' name.
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 (RC, E, C); 22:12-17, 20 - "The Preposterous Promise."
1. Before he died, and after his resurrection and ascension, according to John's vision, Jesus said, "Behold, I am coming soon ..." That sounds like an impossibility - to return to the earth after death and ascension - doesn't it?
2. Christ will come to earth again to bring his "recompense" to all people on earth. He is to judge "and repay everyone for what he has done," according to John's vision.
3. But he will receive and bless those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness." His return will be welcomed by the faithful followers of the Lord.
4. And so, to Jesus' promise, "Surely I am coming soon!", the church continues to pray, as it has since Christ ascended to heaven, "Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!"
