The Sunday Bible readings in the Revised Common Lectionary

These links are to Year A, Year B and Year C will take you to the PowerPoint lesson for the Bible readings for each Sunday in the three-year lectionary cycle. Click on the link Year A B or C, then locate the lesson. The PowerPoint decks are numbered and titled with Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost and the Proper also known as Ordinary time. These are linked to a OneDrive Cloud location and may be viewed online or downloaded.  

USE

These may be used to facilitate an adult education group discussion for an Episcopal Church. On the other hand, you may use these as a personal study about the readings for each Sunday. Each power point deck deals with the designated scripture readings for that Sunday, the collect from the BCP for that Sunday, and related artwork chosen for readings or the Collect.

Why these were Created

These were developed for a Sunday morning discussion group that meets for about one hour. The slides can be projected on a screen or shown on a television set placed so that the entire group can easily see the slides. The leader should have a general knowledge of theology and scriptures. The leader may be a member of the clergy or a layman who is qualified by for example completion of the four-year EFM (Education for Ministry) program or an equivalent. 

Sources

The scripture commentary is taken largely from the introductions, footnotes, and reference materials in the New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical Books, from the New Revised Standard Version, Edited by Bruce M. Metzger and Roland E. Murphy, 1989 Edition, Oxford University Press. The collects are drawn from the Book of Common Prayer 1979 using the modern language. There are other sources used which are indicated in the materials. The Notes page feature of the PowerPoint decks will often have more information than the slide. The group leader will need minimal skills with PowerPoint as each deck is complete with maps and animations. 

Scope and Time Available

A presenter can download and edit the decks as needed for the circumstances. The decks are long as they cover the readings and alternative readings and the collect. If there is limited time, then a class might cover only some of the readings. A facilitator may wish to cover only the Collect and one of the reading selections such as the day’s Gospel. 

Discussion

The class works best as a group discussion using the PowerPoint for the basic information about the reading. Some members may want to participate by reading the scripture aloud to the others and exchanging comments. Others may not want to speak at all but may wish only to listen or read the PowerPoint slides. Very often one of the readings on a given Sunday may spark a spirited discussion that uses up class time. When this happens let the discussion go and if needed skip to the end. When this happens that’s a good day. Even when there is ample time for formation a lively discussion will make the time seem short.

Questions

If you have questions about the use of these PowerPoint decks or glitches you can contact me by email at jbcross@cei.net

Pentecost

This document reflects on Pentecost as the feast of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the Spirit’s role in renewing creation, empowering believers, and spreading the Gospel to all nations. It explores key readings from Numbers, Psalm 104, Acts, 1 Corinthians, and John to show how the Spirit gives life, grants gifts, unites diverse peoples, and transforms the disciples into leaders of the Church. The text also connects Pentecost to liturgical tradition, theology of the Trinity, and historical artistic interpretations, presenting the feast as both the fulfillment of Christ’s promise and the sending out of the Church into the world.

The Spirit Theme Today’s readings all relate at some point to the infusion of the Holy Spirit. Alternate Readings In the Desert in Numbers In song in the Psalm In the Pentecost Event At Corinth In both of the readings from John’s Gospel. The Collect One  Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Collect One Pentecost The image here is the Spread of the Gospel to the world through the Holy Spirit. The two readings that are the same for all three years are Acts 2:1-21 wherein tongues of fire rested on each and they began to preach in a language understood by all. And Psalm 104 V 31 where God sends his Spirit to renew the earth. Collect One Pentecost In RCL C one alternate is Genesis 11 concerning the tower of Babel another time when the whole world spoke one language. The theme is that the Gospel is spread through all the world aided by the spirit making the language understood by all. In a way a metaphor for the heavenly life when all people will be united again in understanding symbolized by a common language. The Collect Two O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Collect Two Pentecost The central image of this collect is the gift of the holy spirit. The two readings that are the same for all three years are Acts 2:1-21 where in tongues of fire rested on each and they began to preach in a language understood by all and Psalm 104 V 31 where God sends his Spirit to renew the earth. The Gospel for years RCL A, B and C all feature a section from John, the 4th Gospel describing the Holy Spirit. Collect Two Pentecost RCL A also features Moses imparting some of his spirit on the 70 elders and in Corinthians the gifts of the Spirit. RCL B features a selection from Romans about the spirit’s aid in our weakness. RCL C also features Romans and those who are led by the Spirit. The Collect One Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Two O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Numbers 11:24-30 Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on Numbers 11:24-30 them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, stop them!" But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them!" And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.  Introduction to Numbers The English title "Numbers,“ is based primarily on the numbering or census of the people related in Numbers 1-4.  Numbers tries to demonstrate that, despite the people's rebelliousness, God remained faithful to His promises to Israel's ancestors.  The Intent of the wilderness experiences was to show their utter dependence upon God. Context Immediately before the reading, the people had complained, again. The Lord directed Moses to find 70 leaders. [similar to the Advice of Jethro in Exodus 18] The Lord promised that some of the Spirit from Moses would be shared with these leaders. The complaint was that they had no meat only manna. Notes on the Text This account presupposes the old tradition about the tent of meeting out side the camp itself. Moses is regarded as a charismatic leader, endowed with the divine spirit . The transfer of a portion of the spirit to the elders indicates that the latter are subordinate to Moses, who stands in a close relation to God. They prophesied, because the divine spirit was put upon them. Such ecstatic prophecy, familiar in Israel's early prophetic movement probably shows Canaanite influence. Two other elders received the gift of prophecy even though they stayed in the camp.  Psalm 104:25-35, 37b
Benedic, anima mea 25 O LORD, how manifold are your works! *
in wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.  26 Yonder is the great and wide sea
with its living things too many to number, *
creatures both small and great.  27 There move the ships,
and there is that Leviathan, *
which you have made for the sport of it.  28 All of them look to you *
to give them their food in due season.   Psalm 104:25-35, 37b
Benedic, anima mea 29 You give it to them; they gather it; *
you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.  30 You hide your face, and they are terrified; *
you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust.  31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; * and so you renew the face of the earth.  32 May the glory of the LORD endure for ever; *
may the LORD rejoice in all his works.  Psalm 104:25-35, 37b
Benedic, anima mea 33 He looks at the earth and it trembles; * he touches the mountains and they smoke.  34 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; *
I will praise my God while I have my being.  35 May these words of mine please him; * I will rejoice in the LORD.  37b Hallelujah!   The Text The Psalm is entitled “The Greatness and Goodness of God.” There are no ‘directions’ as with others. The Oxford footnotes describe this as a ‘Hymn to God as creator and lord of history.’ Note the strangely universalist language given the insular nature of Israel at the time of the Psalms. Leviathan …and there is that Leviathan, which you have made for the sport of it. “Leviathan” is variously interpreted as a sea monster, dragon, or whale. But would the psalm writer have ever seen a whale in the Mediterranean? Does this have anything to do with Jonah and the Whale? William Blake illustrating the Book of Job with its reference to all that God created, shows a dragonish creature. William Blake, Illustrations to The Book of Job: Behemoth and Leviathan, 1825, reprinted 1874
Below Line engraving on paper, 200 x 151 mm, Tate Gallery Acts 2:1-21  When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Acts 2:1-21  Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea Acts 2:1-21  and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."  Acts 2:1-21  But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: Acts 2:1-21  `In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below,  Acts 2:1-21  blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "  Isaiah 66:18 a parallel event Starting at 66:18 “For I know t their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them.. ., to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. 21 And I will also take some of them as priests and as Levites, says the LORD.” Pentecost This text from Acts together with the Gospel readings for today are the classic description of the event we know today as PENTECOST in the OT In Greek it means `fiftieth day‘ This is the Greek name given to the Feast of Weeks so called because it fell on the 50th day after Passover.  At this feast the first-fruits of the corn harvest were presented  In later times the giving of the Law by Moses was commemorated.  Pentecost in the NT As the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles on this day the name was applied by the Church to the feast celebrating this event.  In the Nicene canons # 20 the word `Pentecost' was also used for the whole period between Easter and Pentecost. Also Known as the Paschal time during which no fast was allowed, prayer was only made standing, and the Alleluia was sung more frequently. Pentecost the Promise Shortly after Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension. Christians came to understand the meaning of Pentecost in terms of the gift of the Spirit.  The Pentecost event was the fulfillment of a promise which Jesus gave concerning the return of the Holy Spirit.  The speaking in tongues, which was a major effect of having received the Spirit, is interpreted by some to symbolize the church's worldwide preaching. Modern Pentecost Pentecost is now the seventh Sunday after Easter. It emphasizes that the church is understood as the body of Christ which is drawn together and given life by the Holy Spirit.  Some understand Pentecost to be the origin and sending out of the church into the world.  The Day of Pentecost is one of the seven principal feasts of the church year in the Episcopal Church (BCP, p. 15).  The Day of Pentecost is identified by the BCP as one of the feasts that is "especially appropriate" for baptism (p. 312).  Whitsunday  The liturgical color for the feast is red.  Pentecost has also been known as Whitsun or Whitsunday, a corruption of "White Sunday." This term reflects the custom by which those who were baptized at the Vigil of Pentecost would wear their white baptismal garments to church on the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost (Season) The season after Pentecost, according to the calendar of the church year (BCP, p. 32) begins on the Monday following Pentecost, and continues through most of the summer and autumn.  Prior to the 1979 BCP, Sundays in this long period of the church year were identified and counted in terms of the number of Sundays after Trinity Sunday instead of the number of Sundays after Pentecost.  This period is also understood by some as "ordinary time," a period of the church year not dedicated to a particular season or observance. Ancient Ritual And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. This reminiscent of an ancient covenant ritual in Genesis 15:7-18. Abram is lost in a deep sleep and terrifying darkness. He sees Animals cut in two halves, with a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passing between the pieces. Then a gift of the land and today’s promise of salvation. Images of Pentecost Medieval and early Renaissance images of Pentecost usually have the Virgin Mary very prominent, sometimes she is teaching or reading from a book. The tongues of flames are shown above or in halos. The first image is from a very famous Book of Hours (hours referring to prayers for specific hours of the day or of liturgical seasons). Jean Colombe, Hours of the Holy Ghost,
from the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1415
Musee Conde, Chantilly Hours of the Holy Spirit,  Probably Parisian, c. 1490s, stylistically similar to work of Jean Bourdichon, 17.5 cm. by 11.7 cm
Hours of the Holy Spirit,
Paris c. 1450, possibly the work of a follower of the Bedford Master Washington University Galleries, St. Louis Duccio (1255/60-1318/19) Duccio was the most famous painter in Siena of the late Gothic period; Giotto was his Florentine rival. Previously we have seen other small panels from the great Maesta Altarpiece for Siena Cathedral; this is another. Duccio, Pentecost, 1308-11
Tempera on wood, 37,5 x 42,5 cm, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena El Greco (1541-1614) Domenicos Theotokopoulos was called "El Greco" because he was born in Cyprus, then part of Greece. After an early career in Italy, he settled in Spain. His religious subjects are noted for the elongated figures, intense and strange lighting, ambiguous space, and sense of energy. His style combines aspects of the Renaissance and Baroque.  El Greco, Pentecost, 1596-1600
Oil on canvas, 275 x 127 cm,
Museo del Prado, Madrid Jean Restout (1692-1768) Restout was a French neo-classical painter specializing in historical subjects. He was recognized in his time, but is hardly known at all today. Notice the variety of gestures and expressions used; these are very important to an artist following neo-classical rules of composition. Jean Restout, Pentecost, 1732
Oil on canvas, 465 x 778 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris Jean Restout, Pentecost, 1732
Oil on canvas, 465 x 778 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris Emil Nolde (1867-1956) Nolde was one of the major German expressionist painters. His religious scenes, landscapes, and still lifes are distinguished by the use of intense colors and primitive qualities inspired by masks and materials from Africa and other non-western cultures. In the 1930s the Nazis considered work by Nolde and other progressive artists as “degenerate.”  Emil Nolde, Pentecost, 1909
oil on canvas, 87 x 107 cm, Nationalgalerie SPMK, Berlin 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,  1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.  Glossolalia Explicit New Testament references to speaking in tongues are confined to  1 Corinthians 12-14  Three passages in Acts (Acts 2.1-13; Acts 10.46; Acts 19.6).  While Paul and the author of Acts both affirm that tongues are a gift of the Spirit, their portrayals of the experience are very different. Paul’s being negative The other Gifts The utterance of wisdom The utterance of knowledge  Faith Healing The working of miracles Prophecy Discernment of spirits Tongues The interpretation of tongues.  John 20:19-23 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Holy Spirit  The third person of the Trinity. In the OT, "spirit" was primarily used to express God's power in the world.  In the NT, Jesus is called the Christ because he is the one anointed by the Spirit.  The gift of the Spirit to Jesus' disciples after the crucifixion is associated with the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus in Jn 20:19-23 and with the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2.  The Council of Constantinople in 381 stated that the Holy Spirit is as truly God as the Son, both being of "one substance" with the Father.  Holy Spirit Revisited The Nicene Creed states belief "in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets" (BCP, p. 359).  In the relations of the persons of the Trinity, the Spirit is said to proceed from the Father by the mode of "spiration" or "breathing," while the Son is said to proceed from the Father by the mode of "generation."  Western theology came to speak of the Spirit proceeding "from the Father and the Son."  Pneumatology is the theological study of the Holy Spirit.  Luke Timothy Johnson Names this Gospel reading as a pivotal part of the creation of the Christian Movement. John 20:21-23 is a statement of the empowerment by Christ of the Disciples to carry out the mission of Jesus in the world. This is through the Holy Spirit which comes from Jesus Himself. Johnson also links Act 2:1-4, today’s reading, as a parallel symbolization of the same empowerment.  Thus this author views these two parts of the day’s lectionary as particularly significant. The Disciples are changed from frightened followers to the leaders of a new religious order, Christianity. John 7:37-39 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, `Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.   Context The Gospel of John is different from the other three known as the Synoptic Gospels. The Synoptics share a time line that leads Jesus as an adult from the hinter lands around and finally end in a single and fatal encounter with Jerusalem. John’s Timeline In John’s Gospel, there are several trips by Jesus into Jerusalem. Some were public and others less so. As a devout 1stCentury Jew it is more likely that Jesus would have made more than one adult appearance in Jerusalem. Jesus at the Festival of Booths This reading comes from one of those less public trips. Jesus is being sought by the authorities and his brothers ask him to stay clear of Jerusalem for the up coming holiday. A they leave, Jesus then goes on his own in Secret. Even in secret there was talk about the town. Found Out. The presence of Jesus by the end of the festival was known and the Pharisees sent the temple police to arrest Jesus. It is a this point at the end of the festival that Jesus makes this public pronouncement.  The temple police are so impressed that they simply return with out making the arrest!