Lectionary Reading Easter 5

Lectionary Reading Easter 5    10 May

Collect. O God, form the minds of your faithful people into a single will. Make us love what you command and desire what you have promised, that, amid all the changes of the world, our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found,; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

A prayer for Mother’s Day: Gracious God you have created us to live in families and to enjoy the love and warmth of home. We thank you for the vibrant love and warmth our mothers brought to our homes. We thank you for their dedication to loving and nurturing us; sustaining us through our childhood and always loving and supporting us through our formative years. Today and everyday may we in turn love and honour our mothers and ever give you thanks for the joy they have given to us. We ask in the name of Jesus, Lord and Saviour. Amen

Read Acts 5:55-60  The stoning of Stephen is a hard story for us to truly grasp for we have nothing to parallel it within our culture. However we can understand that when people are enraged they can and do perpetrate brutal acts of violence. If we go back and read the whole of chapter 7 we see that Stephen has briefly canvassed the whole history of Israel’s tradition, beginning with the call of Abraham. The climax of Stephen’s accusation is that the Jesus they had killed was Messiah. The Messiah was God’s anointed Servant whom the whole nation of Israel expected would lead them to freedom, and allow God to take his rightful place as Ruler. The vision that Stephen describes would have been the final statement that caused them to lose control. His description of the heavens being opened would have reminded the leaders seeped in the ancient prophecies, of Isaiah’s plea that God would tear open the heavens and come down to actively save his people. This was more than the leaders could bear and so they silenced Stephen by putting him to death. Terrible though the story is, Luke’s emphasis is that Jesus is the one who is called by God to lead the nation into a new era of godly freedom. The other emphasis is how precarious it was to follow and witness to Jesus as the Saviour. Despite this present danger Stephen accepts a martyr’s death filled with confident hope.

Prayer. Gracious God, we thank you for men and women of the faith who despite suffering and trials have witnessed to the good news of the Gospel. Like them may we be true to our calling and live out our lives in faithful love and service. Grant that our hearts and minds are always fixed on you and your great love for all people. May your name be honoured in every place. For this we pray through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen

Read Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16  It is good to remember that most of the psalms were used in public worship and so reminded the worshippers of the all encompassing grace of God. Some commentators have speculated that perhaps this recalls a time when David, before he was king was having trouble with Saul. Though we do not know just what distress David was facing there is no impediment to responding to this psalm for the constant, as in all the psalms is God’s love and faithfulness. Like many of the psalms this one begins with the psalmist in some kind of distress. Clearly the psalmists first thought is to put total trust in God for God alone can give the relief that is needed. The cry not to be put to shame is like a coded message that pleads, “Don’t let my enemy win”. The psalmist is wise enough not to rely on his worthiness to receive success, instead the supplicant places reliance on the faithfulness of God who alone delivers from adversity. In verse 5 we are reminded of Jesus placing himself into God’s hands as he dies, and again in the martyrdom we read in Acts (above), Stephen is offering the same prayer with the same hope; that God in his mercy will take care of him. No matter what the outcome, this cry recognises that the faithful God will keep in his care those who call out to him. That hope leads on to the last two verses of this section of psalm 31 and shows again the confidence that the psalmist has, God will be a constant companion until all of life’s days are spent. Just as trouble doesn’t last, neither does life, each comes to finality but the psalm ends with God’s “face shinning on his servant”. This was the great benediction from Numbers 6:24-26   The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;  the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Despite all the trouble the psalmist is experiencing in the end it is this great hope in God which sustains and leads on into the future. As it was for David so it is with all who call out to the loving God

Prayer.  In all the distress of life guide and direct our paths Lord God and in the times of joy and celebration help us not to forget your goodness and grace. In every moment of life you are our constant companion and for this we give you thanks. As scripture reminds us, “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart filled with wisdom” {Psm 90:12} Lord by your grace help us to make each day count as we worship and serve you; may we always lift high the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; may our words and deeds honour you and may the power of the Holy Spirit enable us to fulfil you perfect will in us. Nothing in us is hidden from your sight and so we pray cleanse us from all that is not pleasing to you, and so make our whole being a fit place for our Spirit to dwell: so may we serve you with joy until the time is complete and we see you face to face. This we ask through Jesus Christ, the Lord and saviour. Amen