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.

The Collect Proper 11 Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Collect Proper 11 The collect recognizes that in and among the vast theological points that God recognizes that we have needs and that God cares for those needs. The second is that it is God and not us that knows what we should asking. What we need may be different than what we want. The readings for Proper 11 through the three years cycle deal with the Lord’s recognition of basic human desires and in a variety of ways. In RCL A and C, the OT reading concerns God’s promise to Abraham and confirmed to Jacob of land and offspring, pretty common and understandable human desires.  The Collect Proper 11 But perhaps most appropriate is the alternative for RCL B the 23rd Psalm a message of hope in times of trouble, Verse 5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over.  In this way we see examples of caring for those lifelong desires for prosperity and lively offspring, but also for the times of great trouble and our needs in time of acute distress. Amos 8:1-12 This is what the Lord GOD showed me-- a basket of summer fruit. He said, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the LORD said to me, "The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by. The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day," says the Lord GOD; "the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!" Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, "When will the new Amos 8:1-12 moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat." The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who lives in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?  Amos 8:1-12 On that day, says the Lord GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day.  Amos 8:1-12 The time is surely coming, says the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.  Amos The reign of Jeroboam II (786 - 746 b.c.) was long and successful Israel attained a height of territorial expansion and national prosperity never again reached.  The military security and economic affluence which characterized this age were taken by many Israelites as signs of the Lord’s special favor that they felt they deserved because of their extravagant support of the official shrines.  Amos Amos started to speak out during the decade 760 - 750 b.c Amos denounced Israel, as well as its neighbors, for reliance upon military might, and for grave injustice in social dealings, abhorrent immorality, and shallow, meaningless piety.  The book falls into three parts: Amos 1–2, oracles against Israel’s neighbors; Amos 3–6, indictment of Israel itself for sin and injustice; and Amos 7–9, visions of Israel’s coming doom.  The Text The reading is the fourth vision.  A basket of ripe summer fruit symbolizes the immediacy of Israel’s end.  The merchants are impatient for the holy days to pass so they can resume their fraudulent business. The patron deities of pagan shrines, from farthest north (Dan) to farthest south (Beer-sheba), will be of no help in that day Psalm 52, Page 657 BCP Quid gloriaris? 1 You tyrant, why do you boast of wickedness *
against the godly all day long?  2 You plot ruin;
your tongue is like a sharpened razor, *
O worker of deception.  3 You love evil more than good *
and lying more than speaking the truth.  4 You love all words that hurt, *
O you deceitful tongue. 5 Oh, that God would demolish you utterly, *
topple you, and snatch you from your dwelling,
and root you out of the land of the living!  Psalm 52, Page 657 BCP Quid gloriaris?6 The righteous shall see and tremble, *
and they shall laugh at him, saying,  7 "This is the one who did not take God for a refuge, *
but trusted in great wealth and relied upon wickedness."  8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; *
I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.  9 I will give you thanks for what you have done *
and declare the goodness of your Name in the presence of the godly. Psalm 52, Page 657 BCP Quid gloriaris? The text of this Psalm is pretty dark and the superscription from the Oxford Annotated Bible add to the mode: “Judgment on the Deceitful: To the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.” The description of the circumstance of the Psalm is very unusual, these comments generally deal with the title and type of music. Genesis 18:1-10a  The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, "My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on-- since you have come to your servant."  Genesis 18:1-10a  So they said, "Do as you have said." And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes." Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. Genesis 18:1-10a  They said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the tent." Then one said, "I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son."   [And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.  Genesis 18:(10b-14)  So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?" The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, `Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too wonderful for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son."]  Orientation In Chapter 17, Abram then 99 years old receives the Covenant with God and he and Sarai are renamed Abraham and Sarah. The males are circumcised. After the episode in the reading, Abraham argues for the righteous people in the Sodom and Gomorrah. The LORD'S visit to Abraham and Sarah The oaks of Mamre in Genesis 13, after Lot and then Abram separated, Abram was directed to this location and had built an alter there. Abraham’s behavior toward the visitors is an illustration of oriental courtesy and hospitality. When the visitors appeared at the noontime siesta, Abraham did not recognize them as divine beings. The Three Visitors The relation of the three visitors to the LORD or Yahweh is problematic. All three angels may represent the LORD as a single person. On the other hand it appears that the LORD is one of the three, the other two being attendants.  At the end of this Chapter the LORD goes his own way and two angels arrive in Sodom. Sarah's Laughter The narrator stresses the incredibility of God's promise. Sarah's laughter arises from the absurd disproportion between the divine promise and the human possibilities.  Other traditions also play upon the name of Isaac, meaning "he laughs“  Similarity - John The Baptist Luke Chap 1:5 “In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. . . . But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.” . . . “But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. . . .he will be great in the sight of the Lord.” Angels In Israel's early traditions, God was perceived as administering the cosmos with a retinue of divine assistants. The members of this divine council were identified generally as "sons of God" and "morning stars“ , "gods“ or the "host of heaven“ , and they functioned as God's vicegerents and administrators in a hierarchical bureaucracy over the world. In Early narratives God is frequently depicted dealing directly with humans without intermediaries – “Theophany” Later, with an increasing emphasis on God's transcendence writers saw an increasing need for divine mediators.  These beings who brought God's messages to humans are typically portrayed as anthropomorphic in form, and such a being may often be called a "man“ as in today’s reading. Abraham and the Angels The first image is from a church in Ravenna, Italy, a place famous for its mosaics. The second is a print by Rembrandt. Abraham and the Visitors
(Sacrifice of Isaac on right)
Mosaic, 6th C. CE
S. Apollinaire, Ravenna, Italy Rembrandt, Abraham Entertaining the Angels, 1656
etching Psalm 15 Domine, quis habitabit? 1 LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may abide upon your holy hill?  2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, * who speaks the truth from his heart.  3 There is no guile upon his tongue;
he does no evil to his friend; *
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.  Psalm 15 Domine, quis habitabit?4 In his sight the wicked is rejected, *
but he honors those who fear the LORD.  5 He has sworn to do no wrong *
and does not take back his word.  6 He does not give his money in hope of gain, *
nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.  7 Whoever does these things *
shall never be overthrown.
 Psalm 15: A liturgy for admission to the temple. The question is “Who shall be admitted to the worshiping congregation?” The answer: “Only those who have the requisite moral qualities.” The prohibition of interest on money loaned has reference to charitable loans made for the relief of distress rather than to the purely business type of loan which became common in a later commercial age. Colossians 1:15-28 Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.  Colossians 1:15-28 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him-- Colossians 1:15-28 provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. Colossians 1:15-28 I became its servant according to God's commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. Introduction COLOSSIANS was written by Paul, when he was in prison, either at Rome or Ephesus.  The Church at Colossae had been founded not by St. Paul in person, but by Epaphras , apparently when St. Paul was working at Ephesus.  The primary purpose of the epistle is to recall its readers to faith in Christ as their all-sufficient Redeemer and Lord. Paul’s purpose in the reading This is the first part of a section [1.24-2.7] that sets out Paul's interest in the Colossians, justifying his intervention in the affairs of a church where he was personally unknown . Luke Timothy Johnson Notes that this section of the letter is hymn like, and in it Paul’s point: “Through initiation into the church in baptism, Christians have passed over into God's kingdom. Paul thus frames the hymn by these two statements: [Last Week]He has delivered us from the realm of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and forgiveness of sins, (1:13) and [This Week] You who were once estranged and hostile in mind ... he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death. (1:21)” Luke Timothy Johnson “Now Paul's readers know why they should not allow anyone to "judge" them (2:16) or "disqualify" them (2:18) on the basis of human knowledge, for God has already "qualified" them to "share in the inheritance of the saints in light" (1:12). In other words, the false notions being propagated among the Colossians have nothing to do with the full knowledge available in Christ, but reflect human wisdom and understanding, which, for Paul, are inadequate measures. Luke 10:38-42 As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."  Christ Church Glass  The text for today is immediately preceded by last week’s reading. Martha and Mary In John 11:1 Martha and Mary, are introduced as well-known persons living at Bethany .  The Oxford Footnotes comment: The many tasks were not important enough to call for excessive attention or worry.  With delicate ambiguity Jesus rebuked Martha's choice of values; a simple meal (one dish) is sufficient for hospitality.  Jesus approved Mary's preference for listening to his teaching - thereby accepting a woman as a disciple – as contrasted with Martha's unneeded acts of hospitality usual woman's role. Mary and Martha The first image is by a Flemish artist who used the subject as the background to his real interest, still life. The second is an early work by the Spanish painter Diego Velazquez, better known for his portraits of royalty. In it we have the kitchen, with its still life of food, in the foreground, and Jesus teaching in the background. The third is an early work by the Dutch painter Vermeer, and it is a very un-typical subject for him. Most of his work is not religious subjects. Pieter Aertsen, Christ with Mary and Martha, 1552
Oil on wood, 60 x 101.5 cm, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Pieter Aertsen, Christ with Mary and Martha, 1552
Oil on wood, 60 x 101.5 cm, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Diego Velazquez,
Kitchen Scene with Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, c.1618
Oil on canvas, 60 x 103.5 cm, National Gallery London Jan Vermeer,
Christ in the House of Mary and Martha, c. 1654-1655
Oil on canvas,
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh