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. Lick 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.

Second Sunday of Christmas
RCL all The Collect O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Collect  The theme for the collect seems to be creation and restoration. This is echoed in the OT, Psalm and Epistle: Jeremiah 31:7-14 “I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the LORD.” Psalm 84 or 84:1-8 “11 No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who walk with integrity.” Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a “He destined us for adoption as his children” These excerpts seem to reflect the collect’s celebration of the creation and restoration of the dignity and happiness of human beings. Jeremiah 31:7-14 Thus says the LORD: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O LORD, your people, the remnant of Israel." See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back,  Jeremiah 31:7-14I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock." For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.  Jeremiah 31:7-14 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the LORD. Introduction to Jeremiah There is a controversy as whether Jeremiah started his ministry 627 B.C. or was born in 627 B.C. He died sometime after 587 in Egypt. The book is essentially a collection of oracles against Judah and Jerusalem, which he dictated to his aide Baruch. The present Hebrew text differs substantially from the Greek version the Septuagint in content and order. It is thought to have been gathered from a number of smaller collections The Joyful Return of the Exiles The prophet looks to a time after the exile when God will restore the nation of Israel. Just as they were dispersed by God so He will arrange a homecoming for Israel. There is a word play on Israel portrayed as Ephraim who becomes the firstborn of the Lord. Just as Ephraim is restored, so is Israel. The ‘first born’ for Christians looks to the coming of Jesus. After Christmas we now await the second coming when we will be gathered to the Lord. Ephraim The word means “fruitful place.” Ephraim was the second son of Joseph through his Egyptian wife. But when his grandfather Jacob blessed Ephraim he was placed ahead of his brother Manasseth, as an explanation for the ascendancy of the Tribe of Ephraim. [see reading from Genesis] In prophetic literature Ephraim became a synonym for the entire Northern Kingdom. Lectionary Note This reading stops short of V 15  15  Thus says the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. This is a line quoted from the section omitted from Today’s second alternative Gospel – the massacre of the innocents – an editor somewhere decided to make the readings more cheerful[?] Psalm 84 or 84:1-8 Quam dilecta! 1 How dear to me is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! *
My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.  2 The sparrow has found her a house
and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; *
by the side of your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.  3 Happy are they who dwell in your house! *
they will always be praising you.  4 Happy are the people whose strength is in you! *
whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.  5 Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, *
for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.  Psalm 84 or 84:1-8 Quam dilecta!6 They will climb from height to height, *
and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.  7 LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; *
hearken, O God of Jacob.  8 Behold our defender, O God; *
and look upon the face of your Anointed.  9 For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, * and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.  10 For the LORD God is both sun and shield; *
he will give grace and glory;  11 No good thing will the LORD withhold *
from those who walk with integrity.  12 O LORD of hosts, * happy are they who put their trust in you!  The Joy of Worship in the Temple This is a song in three verses. The musical direction is “To the leader: according to The Gittith. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.” Between Verses 4-5 and 8-9 there is a musical interlude indicated by the word ‘Selah.’ Gittith is a word of uncertain meaning – it may be an instrument or a musical mode. It appears at the front of Psalms 8, 81 and today’s 84. Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe. Sound Familiar A part of today’s reading was also in the RCL in Proper 29, the last before the start of Advent. The first section was omitted from the reading in Proper 29. Introduction to Ephesians
 The introduction to the letter is likely drawn from a Christian hymn of the time. Some early manuscripts of this letter and some commentators in the early church make no reference to Ephesus in Ephesians and the author does not deal with the problems of a particular congregation.  Ephesians is widely regarded as a "circular letter" that was not written specifically for Ephesus, but was distributed to several churches in Asia Minor.  Onesimus?  Some think that the author was Onesimus, the runaway slave mentioned in Paul’s letter to Philemon, who is then further identified with the Bishop of Ephesus bearing the name Onesimus mentioned in Ignatius’s letter to the Ephesians. Context The reading is a section entitled “Paul’s Prayer.” The language in today’s reading is the introductory summary omitted from Proper 29 to the effect that the hearers were chosen to be adopted by God through Christ before the foundation of the world and that Salvation is through Christ. Adopted? Adoption is a concept in which person declares a child outside of the natural order. A selected child rather than a random child! Ephraim was the younger child, blessed above his older brother. For early Christians the symbolism might be a belief that their order was being chosen above the nation of Israel that had preceded them in time. THREE GOSPEL SELECTIONS The Lectionary for today calls for one of three Gospel readings. One selection from Luke and two from Matthew. Only Luke and Matthew address the birth of Jesus. John and Mark start with John the Baptist and Jesus. Neither Matthew or Luke is consistent with the other. They agree on the marital status of Mary at the time of conception and apparently Bethlehem. The Birth Narrative Matthew The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah The Birth of Jesus the Messiah The Visit of the Wise Men The Escape to Egypt The Massacre of the Infants The Return from Egypt Luke The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold The Birth of Jesus Foretold Mary Visits Elizabeth The Birth of John the Baptist The Birth of Jesus The Shepherds and the Angels Jesus Is Named Jesus Is Presented in the Temple [Simeon] The Return to Nazareth The Boy Jesus in the Temple Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 Now after the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son." When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean." Luke 2:41-52 Now the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.  Luke 2:41-52 Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him,  Luke 2:41-52 "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. Matthew 2:1-12 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: Matthew 2:1-12 `And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the Matthew 2:1-12 place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. The Wise Men -Magi In very ancient times these were men who shared wisdom – usually of a practical sort based on logic rather than Divine revelation. In somewhat ancient times they developed as a professional class of advisers and school instructors. In Matthew they are said to be from the East and are portrayed as gentiles as they do not know the scriptural indications of the birth place of the Messiah. Popularly said to be three because of the three gifts and as astrologers following a star. Later traditions even supplied names – Casper, Mechoir and Balthasar.  The Omitted Part The Massacre of the Infants 16  When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, † he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:   18  “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”  The Return Escape to Egypt and return.  “Out of Egypt . . .” is a quotation from Hosea 11.1, where the reference is to Israel as Son.  Verse 18 – the part omitted is a quoted from Jeremiah 31.15 –today’s OT lesson. Herod the Great died early in 4 B.C. Archelaus, who was almost as cruel as his father Herod, reigned from 4 B.C. to A.D. 6 and was replaced by a Roman procurator.  There is a similarity in sound and possibly in meaning between the Aramaic word for Nazareth and the Hebrew word translated branch.  The Wise Men and Flight to Egypt Events from Matthew Leonaert Bramer, Journey of the Three Magi to Bethlehem, 1638-40
Oil on panel, 79 x 107 cm
New York Historical Society, New York  Fra Angelico, The Adoration of the Magi, c. 1445
Panel, diameter 137,4 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington  Documents indicate the this tondo may have originally belonged to Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence and patron of Renaissance artists. The peacock is a symbol of Resurrection. Albrecht Durer, Adoration of the Magi, 1504
Oil on wood, 100 x 114 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence  Dürer was an expert goldsmith as well as painter, suggested by the portrayal of the gifts. The king with long blond curly hair may be a self-portrait of Dürer. Dürer was passionately devoted to the study of animals and plants, which he reproduced faithfully from life. The plantain seen on the wall, lower right, whose healing properties were once much appreciated, recalls the spilled blood of Christ. The butterflies around the carnation on the millstone, are ancient symbols of the soul, which here may be a symbol of the resurrection. Annibale Carracci, Rest on Flight into Egypt, c. 1604
Oil on canvas, diameter 82,5 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg  Often “Flight into Egypt” subjects include angels and extensive landscape. Annibale helped to establish the “classical” landscape tradition that continues to influence artists. French Miniaturist, Ingeborg Psalter, c. 1195
Illumination on parchment, 304 x 204 mm
Musée Condé, Chantilly  At the top we see the Magi standing before King Herod to enquire where the royal child of the prophecy has been born. A scribe points the way to Bethlehem, where, led by the star, they discover the divine child. At the bottom shows the Magi present their gifts to the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus.  Gentile da Fabriano, Adoration of the Magi, 1423
Tempera on wood, 300 x 282 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence  Palla di Noferi Strozzi commissioned this famous altarpiece, signed and dated 1423 on the frame, for his family's chapel in the church of Santa Trinita in Florence. Wealth and culture of the donor are reflected in the lavish use of gold and in the pomp of the Magi procession, including also exotic animals as leopards and monkeys. This is a major example of what is called the “International Gothic” style at the beginning of 15th Century, because of its lavish details and elegant figures.  Gentile da Fabriano, Adoration of the Magi, 1423
Tempera on wood, 300 x 282 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence  The plentiful realism of details which Gentile da Fabriano produced achieved such convincing effects that it approached the Renaissance ideal of representing reality. He was not only able to depict objects accurately, but also every tiny change of facial expressions and the direction of glances establishing links between people. Nor did he forget the spectator, since the donor of the altarpiece, Strozzi, standing behind the youngest King, is looking at us.  It should be read as if it were the text of a tale, beginning at the top left corner, where the three Magi, meeting at the seaside, notice the star they have to follow. Then follow their journey Sandro Botticelli, Adoration of the Magi, c. 1475
Tempera on panel, 111 x 134 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence  Botticelli painted this for Guasparre di Zanobi del Lama, a man with a dubious past - he had been convicted of the embezzlement of public funds in 1447. He had been working since the 1450s as a broker and money-changer, something which brought him considerable wealth. In order that he might also obtain the high social standing which he lacked, he enrolled in the most prestigious brotherhoods and endowed a chapel in Santa Maria Novella, which he decorated with Botticelli's altar-piece. Del Lama's career did not last long, for he soon slipped back into his dishonest business practices. Sandro Botticelli, Adoration of the Magi, c. 1475
Tempera on panel, 111 x 134 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence  Del Lama may be seen among the crowd of people on the right-hand side of the picture, an elderly man with white hair and a light blue robe looking at the observer and pointing in the latter's direction with his right hand. The most famous members of the Medici family are also portrayed. The eldest king, kneeling before the Virgin and the Christ Child, is a representation of Cosimo the Elder, founder in the 1430s of what would be dynastic rule by the Medici family over Florence for many years. Other members: Cosimo's son Piero, called the Gouty, as the kneeling king with red mantle in the center, Lorenzo the Magnificent as the young man at his right, in profile, with a black and red mantle. Botticelli also put himself in the work, on the right. Hans Baldung Grien, Three Kings Altarpiece, 1507
Linden panel, 121 x 70 cm (central), 121 x 28 cm (each wing)
Staatliche Museen, Berlin  In the center is the Adoration of the Magi with the donor, Ernst von Wettin, Archbishop of Magdeburg, brother of Emperor Frederic the Wise, represented. The side panels depict St George and St Maurice, the latter being the patron saint of the Magdeburg archbishopry. The altarpiece was painted for the cathedral of Halle shortly after Baldung left Albrecht Dürer's studio. Peter Paul Rubens, The Adoration of the Magi, 1624
Oil on panel, 447 x 336 cm
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp  Rubens' close involvement with the resurgence of Catholicism and the struggle for power led to the production a numerous large altarpieces. His stirring baroque ideas come to the fore here. This masterpiece is particularly impressive because of its animated, asymmetrical composition, its marvelously gradated coloring, the spontaneity of execution and, above all, the expressiveness of the depicted figures.