Third Sunday of Easter, April 26, 2020
Thanks to all who put together our Sunday Celebration:
Music, Shonda & Ben
Readers, Mary Jane & John & Deacon Mike with the Gospel
Eucharistic Prayer & homily, John Cade
Blessing of the Week, Rosemary
The Magic Zoom Makers, Mike and Becky and Ben
Reading 1 with John Schanot
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles
At that time Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. Jesus of Nazareth, a man thoroughly accredited by God—the wonders that God did through him are common knowledge—this Jesus, following the deliberate and well-thought-out plan of God, was betrayed by men who took the law into their own hands, and was handed over to you. You pinned him to a cross and killed him. God untied the death ropes and raised him up. Death was no match for him. David said it all:
I saw God before me for all time.
Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;
I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.
I know there will be no trip to Hades;
and no stench of death.
You’ve got my feet on the life-path,
with your face shining sun-joy all around.
Let me be completely frank with you. Our ancestor David is dead and buried—his tomb is in plain sight today. But being also a prophet and knowing that God had sworn that a descendent of his would rule his kingdom, and seeing far ahead, David talked of the resurrection of the Messiah—‘no trip to Hades, no stench of death.’ This Jesus, God raised up. And every one of us here is a witness to it. Then, raised to the heights at the right hand of God and receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out the Spirit he had just received. That is what, today, you see and hear.
Our word for today.
Remember?
Reading 2 with Mary Jane
A Reading from the First Letter of Peter
My sisters and brothers: You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.
Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with the blood of Christ, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately become public knowledge—at the end of ages—God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this Messiah, whom God raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust in God, that you know you have a future in God.
Our word for today.
A Reading from the Gospel of John with Deacon Mike
On that same first day of the week, two of them were walking to the village of Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was. He asked, “What’s this you’re discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend. Then one of them, Cleopas, said, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard what’s happened during the last few days?” Jesus said, “What has happened?”
They said, “The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by God and the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. We had our hopes up that he was the One about to deliver Israel. And it’s now the third day since it happened. Now some of our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn’t find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to check, and found the tomb empty, just as the women said, but they didn’t see Jesus.”
Then Jesus said to them, “So thick-headed! Why can’t you simply believe what the prophets said? Don’t you see that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?” Then he started at the beginning with the Books of Moses, and went through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.
They came to the edge of the village, and Jesus acted as if he were going on. But they said: “Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.” So he went with them, and here is what happened. He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. At that moment, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared. They said to each other, “Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?”
The Good News of John
Rosemary's Blessing:
Let us walk softly on the earth
With all living beings, great and small,
Remembering as we go,
That one God, kind and wise, created all.
Author Unknown
Your Finances: April 26, 2020
Sorry for the delay in reporting. Once the community got messed up, everything got confusing. Nothing was coming in. This is our best week of income in a couple of weeks.
JSM expenses: $775.00
Outreach (often Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.) $300.00
Thanks, everybody, for your generosity.
Remembering…..