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 O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Collect The petition is “O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire;… There are two images one is love poured into our hearts and the second the good results of that love. The Collect RCL B seems most in tune with each selection relating to these themes. Both the Gospel and Epistle deal explicitly with God’s love for us as encouragement for us to love one another. And Acts is the Baptism of the gentile Cornelius.  RCL A and C both look to [A] John 14:15-21 and then [C] 23-29 the verses together are a discourse on the fact that the Love of Jesus manifests itself in love of His commandments and that God will then love. A way of saying that God is faithful. The commandment intended is that we should love one another. The Collect A subtext for the 6th Sunday of Easter is the reach of the Church first to Gentiles in [B] Acts 10:44-48 and then in Europe in Athens in Acts 17:22-31 and Acts 16:9-15 in Lydia a woman in Greece and a seller of purple cloth  And finally, a glimpse of the joy to come in RCL C’s Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5  “And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” Evangelism. The Theme for the day? Acts 17:22-31 Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, `To an unknown god.'Acts 17:22-31 What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. Acts 17:22-31 From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him-- though indeed he is not far from each one of us.  Acts 17:22-31 For `In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, `For we too are his offspring.'  Since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he Acts 17:22-31 commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." Context To get the feel of this we need to move a few steps back in the story. Paul has been active for a while in Asia Minor this is part of what is sometimes called Paul’s Second Journey. But in a dream, he is instructed to travel to Macedonia. St. Paul Entering Macedonia Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia Acts 16:6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.  7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;  8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.  9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.  The reading is later in this adventure At Philippi, Paul silences a valuable, sooth saying slave, so that she will not interfere with his speaking. Her owners have Paul arrested. In prison Paul is freed but does not leave and the jailer is converted.  Paul moves or is moved by his followers to Thessalonica and Beroea. He stirs up trouble in these places as well and ends up in Athens.  A more sophisticated approach The encounters in Philippi and Thessalonica apparently have had an effect on Paul. Here Paul even though distressed by the Idols, seems to engage rather than confront the Athenians, depicted here as people interested in new thoughts and arguments. After the preliminaries he appears before the council of the Areopagus, or the hill itself, west of the Acropolis, where the incident in the reading unfolds.  ATHENS By the 1st cent. A.D. Athens had become a provincial city of the Roman Empire, important only for its schools of philosophy. Its first known Christian connection was this incident, probably in about 51 AD on Paul’s second missionary journey. The first Christian philosopher Paul’s arguments seemingly respect the Athenian view of life and he argues to move them to belief, a more subtle approach than previously. An ‘unknown god’ was used when a heathen did not know which god to thank for something. The quotes are from classical Greek Literature. Omitted part of the Reading Acts 17:32 “When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 At that point Paul left them. 34 But some of them joined him and became believers, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. “ Dionysius was a member of the governing power known as an Areopagite or member of the Areopagus. Results At least after this there were no riots. The Oxford Dictionary rates this sermon as less than successful because of the few converts. But one of the converts was Dionysius a member of the governing power of the Areopagite; and Damaris about whom nothing else appears. At a later point that ‘Dionysius The Areopagite,’ is credited with a work titled “on divine names” about the nature of God and dedicated to “to my fellow Presbyter, Timothy, Dionysius The Presbyter.   DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE.  Known in antiquity as the first bishop of the Church at Athens.  Later, confusion was caused by the attempt to identify him with Dionysius of Paris and to assign to him a number of writings on theology now thought to be from the 5th century. Paul In this sequence we see Paul as a developing figure, from an earlier confrontational style to a more subtle approach that seems to have been more successful with the Athenian audience. The Raphael Cartoons These were commissioned from the great Italian Renaissance painter Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520) in 1515 by Pope Leo X (reigned 1513-21). They were planned as full-scale designs for a set of ten tapestries that Leo X intended to cover the lower walls of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The cartoons and tapestries depict the acts of St. Peter and St. Paul, represented as twin founders of the early church, and the Papacy. The cartoons were sent to Brussels in 1517, where several sets of tapestries were woven from them. Subsequently, they returned to Italy, and in 1623 seven of the cartoons were purchased by the English King Charles I (reigned 1625-49) for use in the recently established tapestry factory at Mortlake. These have remained in England ever since. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, Raphael attained the zenith of his reputation, and was widely regarded as the greatest painter in history. Consequently, the Raphael Cartoons became some of the most famous, and widely imitated, paintings in the world. Since 1865 they have been on loan from the Royal Collection to the Victoria & Albert Museum. Raphael, Paul Preaching at Athens, 1515-16
Bodycolour on paper mounted onto canvas, 304 x 404cm
Victoria & Albert Museum/The Royal Collection  Paul is depicted preaching to a group of councilors at the Areopagus (the seat of the judicial council) at Athens.  Behind Paul are two figures paying him rapt attention: the bearded man is Janus Lascaris, the director of the new Greek academy in Rome, and the plump, clean-shaven man is Pope Leo X.  As Leo was interested in the reform of preaching, and considered Paul the 'Prince of Preachers,' Raphael's depiction of him listening closely to Paul showed that he was following in Paul's footsteps.  Leo had also recently set up a Greek academy in Rome, so the inclusion of the portrait of its director was not only appropriate to the scene's Athenian setting (Lascaris was Greek), but may have been a veiled compliment on Leo's promotion of classical scholarship.  Raphael Tapestries in Sistine Chapel, February 17–23, 2020
A tribute to mark the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death in Rome in 1520
Note Paul Preaching, lower right; tapestry is reversed image from cartoon Giovanni Paolo Pannini,
Ruins with St Paul Preaching, 1735
Oil on canvas, 63 x 48 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
 

Pannini was a specialist in painting scenes with Roman ruins. So, while the structures are recognizable Roman ruins, the idea of Paul preaching in a classical setting is based on the narrative of Paul preaching in Athens. Psalm 66:7-18 Jubilate Deo7 Bless our God, you peoples; * make the voice of his praise to be heard;  8 Who holds our souls in life, * and will not allow our feet to slip.  9 For you, O God, have proved us; * you have tried us just as silver is tried.  Psalm 66:7-18 Jubilate Deo 10 You brought us into the snare; * you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.  11 You let enemies ride over our heads; we went through fire and water; * but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.  Psalm 66:7-18 Jubilate Deo 12 I will enter your house with burnt-offerings and will pay you my vows, * which I promised with my lips and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble.  13 I will offer you sacrifices of fat beasts with the smoke of rams; * I will give you oxen and goats.  14 Come and listen, all you who fear God, * and I will tell you what he has done for me.  Psalm 66:7-18 Jubilate Deo 15 I called out to him with my mouth, * and his praise was on my tongue.  16 If I had found evil in my heart, * the Lord would not have heard me;  17 But in truth God has heard me; * he has attended to the voice of my prayer.  18 Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, * nor withheld his love from me.  Psalm 66:7-18 Jubilate Deo Psalm 66 is described as a Liturgy of praise and thanksgiving. The form is that of a Hymn with even an indication of the musical interlude or chorus – Selah.   The section we have is an individual thanksgiving and promised sacrifice in fulfillment of a vow. The Oxford Annotated version has an extra verse not in the BCP  Note variance in Translations BCP 66 7 Bless our God, you peoples; * make the voice of his praise to be heard;   8 Who holds our souls in life, * and will not allow our feet to slip.  9 For you, O God, have proved us; * you have tried us just as silver is tried.  10 You brought us into the snare; * you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.  Oxford 66  7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah  8 Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,   9 who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.   10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.   11 You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs;  1 Peter 3:13-22 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence 1 Peter 3:13-22 Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than 1 Peter 3:13-22 to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.  1 Peter 3:13-22 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you-- not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him Context In 1 Peter we have been dealing with endurance, first because it will be short, then because suffering unjustly is Christ like. Now we deal with suggestions for daily living, last week it was pointed out that we are precious to the Lord, the stone rejected by the builders. Now we come to the real point, Evangelism! Selective Editing The lectionary skips over the prior section that urges obedience and plain dressing for women. “Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands. . .”  Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. These are troubling to modern ears. The rest of the story. . . . . Why are wives to be obedient. The comment is directed at the wife whose husband is a non-believer, so that he can be converted! 1 Peter 3:3 Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” Husbands are called to be considerate. And all are told to repay evil with a blessing. Why? The answer to the why is in the reading Conversion “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” Doctrinal Conflict “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” Articles of Religion 1. The Articles of Religion are found at Page 867 of the Book of Common Prayer. 2. In 1558 Elizabethan Settlement these 39 matters of doctrine were discussed but never adopted until much later. 3. At the formation of the Episcopal Church these were accepted as modified. These represent solutions to issues in the past and cast light on the core tenants but are no longer ‘required.’ 4. The BCP: “As established by the Bishops, the Clergy, and the Laity of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, in Convention, on the twelfth day of September, in the Year of our Lord, 1801. XXXI. Of the one Oblation of Christ finished upon the Cross.  The Offering of Christ once made is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin, but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifices of Masses, in the which it was commonly said, that the Priest did offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits. John 14:15-21 Jesus said to his disciples, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. John 14:15-21 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." Continue from Week five Today’s reading continues from where the text ended last week. We are told that the way to show God that you love him is to keep his commandments not Fight crusades Capture Holy Places or Persecute those who do not believe. HOLY SPIRIT In Christian theology, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, distinct from, but consubstantial, coequal and coeternal with, the Father and the Son, and in the fullest sense God.  In John's Gospel, His full mission will lie in the future, after Jesus has been glorified. Ideas about the Holy Sprit were a relatively late development. The Holy Spirit “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth” Nicene Creed We believe 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. John’s The five sayings about the Paraclete The five sayings about the Paraclete, in John, contain the only formal teaching about the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.  These may have been a separate collection before their inclusion in John  John 14.15-17;  John 14.25-26;  John 15.26;  John 16.4-11;  John 16.12-15. John 14.15-17- Todays Reading   John 14.25-26; Will teach you all and remind what I said John 15.26; The spirit of truth will testify on my behalf John 16.4-11; The world is wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment   John 16.12-15. He will declare what is mine/the Father to you. Paraclete – Counselor / Comforter / Advocate A Greek term meaning "called to the side of" and hence "advocate"  the Fourth Gospel's teaching about the Holy Spirit is set forth in terms of the Paraclete, who continues the work of Jesus himself recalling things the earthly Jesus taught or revealing things He was unable to convey. Because knowledge of the resurrection is needed to properly understand.