The Collect O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. The Collect The Central Concept: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before… The Collect seems to be about the Holy Spirit, and one might expect readings explicitly about the Holy Spirit as the readings open with Acts and different sort of spirit The Collect In each of the three years there is a part of John 17:1-11 [A], John 17:6-19 [B] and John 17:20-26 [C] in this section of John Jesus prays that his followers may have a relation with God similar to His, that God be one as we are one or that God be in them as He is in Jesus. In a way you will see that these seem related to the Acts selection. The Holy Spirit is mysterious but perhaps this Collect offers us an insight, that God and Jesus as Father and Son dwell in us perhaps as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then represents in us the presence of God, in the upper room and any where two or three are gathered together. Acts 16:16-34 With Paul and Silas, we came to Philippi in Macedonia, a Roman colony, and, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." She kept doing this for many days. Acts 16:16-34 But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, Acts 16:16-34 "These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe." The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Acts 16:16-34 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. Acts 16:16-34 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:16-34 They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God. Orientation The Council of Jerusalem has been held. Paul proposes another trip and that they return to the same cities as on the first. Barnabas agrees but wishes to take Mark. When Paul refuses the disagreement reaches the point that Paul and Barnabas split. The trip Paul starts out on this second trip but is beset by a series of visions. Finally, he sees a vision of a man in Macedonia who asks him to come and help. This is Paul’s first incursion into Europe. His first convert is of course Lydia a dealer in purple cloth. The reading starts at this point. Text The miracle concerning the servant girl is told almost as an aside, Paul is irritated by her prattling and silences her. In prison- Paul and Silas pray and sing and the prisoner’s are listening – in short they are in the process of converting them, when an earth quake sets them all free. None of the prisoners escape even though free to leave. Parallel with Peter In Acts 5:17-27 the apostles including Peter were put in public prison and then miraculously released. Here we see a parallel event concerning Paul, who is imprisoned and then released. A Roman jailor whose prisoner escaped was liable to forfeit his life thus the sword in the reading. The result is that the jailer is converted. Luke thus establishes Paul’s apostleship as equal to that of the original 12. Old and new regimes The original group of 12, are part of the story of the Gospels and the first part of Acts. Gradually, in Acts the focus of the story of the new Church, starts to focus on the ‘next’ generation. Paul is the leader who emerges. If Peter and the others established the Church it was Paul and his contemporaries that carried the Church to the World. Acts is not the story of Peter or Paul, but rather of the Church. Washington Allston (American, 1779 - 1843), Paul & Silas in Prison 19th century, Oil on mahogany wood panel, 23 15/16 x 30 1/8 “ Washington University, St. Louis, Art Museum "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" The conversion of the keeper of the prison in Philippi, where Paul and Silas had been incarcerated. Print after a painting by Sir James Thornhill on the inside of St Paul's Cathedral's dome, c. 1720. Paul and Silas in prison, from an illustrated Bible of 1728, by Gerard Hoet Psalm 97 Page 726, BCP Dominus regnavit 1 The LORD is King; let the earth rejoice; * let the multitude of the isles be glad. 2 Clouds and darkness are round about him, * righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne. 3 A fire goes before him * and burns up his enemies on every side. 4 His lightnings light up the world; * the earth sees it and is afraid. 5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, * at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. Psalm 97 Page 726, BCP Dominus regnavit 6 The heavens declare his righteousness, * and all the peoples see his glory. 7 Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in false gods! * Bow down before him, all you gods. 8 Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, * because of your judgments, O LORD. 9 For you are the LORD, most high over all the earth; * you are exalted far above all gods. Psalm 97 Page 726, BCP Dominus regnavit 10 The LORD loves those who hate evil; * he preserves the lives of his saints and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light has sprung up for the righteous, * and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted. 12 Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, * and give thanks to his holy Name. Psalm 97 Page 726, BCP Dominus regnavit Psalm 97 is a Hymn celebrating God’s kingship. The start is a Summons to worship the Lord as king of the world. In Verse 7 Idolaters will realize their folly and Israel’s faith will be vindicated and so forth. This should all sound familiar to you as an outlook – as we have been reading Revelations now for several weeks and this Psalm is completely consistent with that outlook- worship God, persist, and in the end the pagans will bow to God along with the entire world. Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20 At the end of the visions I, John, heard these words: "See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20 "It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let everyone who hears say, "Come." And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20 The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. Orientation We have now gone through Revelations to its end, jumping over huge ‘chunks’ of the visions. Just as with the Prophet’s ‘call narrative’ this section through symbols seeks to identify the source of the vision to John, the narrator. Jesus is identified as the Alpha and Omega – the first and last letters of the then alphabet. This symbol is used to show Jesus not as a part of the created order, but as a part of the creator and is consistent with the opening paragraph of the Gospel of John. Relation to the Gospel of John The opening sentence is: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. This is an important theological position – and both the Gospel of John and the Revelation of John are consistent. The ‘secret’ of Revelation is the use of symbols well known to believers but obscure to others. Other Symbols in the Text Root of David: refers to Isaiah 11.1 &10 and Matthew 1.1 which relate Jesus to King David. Morning star: This relates to Revelation 2.28 “even as I also received authority from my Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star.” This from the fourth of the seven letters. Again a reference to Jesus. The bride is the church. A fitting conclusion to this book and to the Bible. Monogram of Christ, Museo Pio Cristiano, Vatican, Early Christian Period, undated. Notice the Alpha and Omega symbols as part of the Chi-Rho (“XP”) monogram. John 17:20-26 Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, John 17:20-26 that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. John 17:20-26 "Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Orientation The chapter prior to the reading is the first part of Jesus' farewell discourse and prayer They are told that it is necessary for Jesus to go away and that there are things he would like to tell them but that they ‘could not bear’ them now. Jesus tells them he will be gone for only ‘a little while.’ When he returns he says that he will tell them plainly, and not in ‘figures’ as he is doing now. They are warned of hard times to come but are also told it will be as a woman in child birth, the pain of birth will be forgotten in the joy with the new child. The reading for today is near the end of a prayer, made for the Apostles after a lengthy farewell discourse. Where the reading fits in the organization of John’s Gospel. The reading for this week and the prior weeks has been from the final section of the Fourth Gospel. This last part of John is known to some as the “Book of Passion.” The outline of the “Book of Passion” Starts with the Farewell Discourses in Chapter 13. That ends with the prayer of Jesus in today’s reading. The next part is the Passion Narrative – The arrest; trial before the high priest and Peter’s denials ; the examination before Pilate; the crucifixion ; the burial .The Resurrection Narrative And the Conclusion, the appearance beside the Sea of Tiberias. The prayer in today’s reading like all of John is not a historic report but is rather a theological statement in the form of a prayer. The text The prayer is not only for the apostles but also for all those that believe through them. In short this is a prayer for all believers that they: May be united. Are assured of God’s love, and All will someday be where Jesus is now going – Heaven? Giotto, Scenes from the Life of Christ: Ascension, 1304-06 Fresco, 200 x 185 cm Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua Hans Memling: Triptych of the Resurrection, c. 1490 Oil on wood, central panel 62 x 45 cm, wings 62 x 19 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris; Right panel: Ascension Albrecht Durer, The Small Passion Ascension, c. 1510 Woodcut, 12.6 x 9.8 cm Tintoretto: The Ascension, 1579-81 Oil on canvas, 538 x 325 cm Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice Tintoretto: The Ascension, 1579-81 Oil on canvas, 538 x 325 cm Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice Tintoretto: The Ascension, 1579-81 Oil on canvas, 538 x 325 cm Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice
