Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 | Pentecost 23 (Cycle C)

• George Reed Here or There? Luke 24:44-53; John 17:6-19 In the Ascension lections we have the paradox that Jesus is leaving so that he can stay in the world. Conversely, in the Seventh Sunday of Easter lections we have Jesus talking about the disciples not belonging to the world and yet they are still in the world. What does it mean to belong and to not belong at the same time? We will look at these scriptures and some current folk who dealing with this issue....more The Name of Names What's in a name? Ever since God gave Adam the privilege of naming all the creatures, humankind has had a fascination with names. Names are important. Parents take great care when they select a name for their baby. They know the name will be with this new person for a lifetime and will identify him or her to other people....more David Kalas What Goes Up "What goes up must come down." So goes the old saying, in an axiomatic testament to the gravitational reality in which we human beings live. But what of something -- or someone -- not bound by gravity?       This Sunday is Ascension, and all three of our texts this week invite consideration of that event. Both the Luke and Acts selections tell the actual story of Jesus' ascension, and the passage from Paul alludes to it (God "seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places")....more Keith Hewitt Evac Captain Mark Randall winced as the wind picked up and reflexively tried to reach for the kerchief around his neck -- bit back a yelp as the pieces of his arm shifted beneath the splint strapped to his chest. Not a good idea, he thought, and caught the eye of one of the two men in BDU's standing a discreet distance away. "Pfizer -- could you pull my kerchief up?"...more Janice Scott What About Other Religions? Many years ago I met a churchwarden who had grown up within a Jewish background but who had converted to Christianity quite late in life. She had had an amazing conversion experience which had affected her deeply and as a result had become an ardent Christian. She was particularly zealous about Christian mission to the Jews, wanting to convert all Jews to Christianity. When I asked whether she thought Jesus was the only way to God, she looked astonished and said yes, of course! She believed all non-Christians to be outside the kingdom of God, and was quite angry with me when I disagreed with this verdict. She quoted John 14:6 where Jesus says to Thomas, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."...more Anna Shirey Sent Out as Christ First Thoughts: As we enter this celebration of Ascension and prepare for Pentecost, we're going to use this lesson to focus on the mission of the church. Because we know that when Christ ascended it wasn't the end of God's mission on earth, but a new beginning. We are able to understand something the early disciples struggled with, which is that the kingdom of God wasn't going to come through Jesus' efforts alone but through the faithful commitment of his followers. It's important for us to keep in mind that Jesus' actual ministry involved only a small area of the world....more

Author of Lectionary Scripture Notes

Dr. Norman A. Beck

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