Scriptures and Reflection Questions for May 20

Scriptures and Reflection Questions
Easter 7, Year B
May 20, 2012
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Collect

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great
 triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your
Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ
 has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in
 glory everlasting. Amen.
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Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary
Year B
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How to use this page:

Print this and read a different passage each day and think about it.  Some questions
are offered to help stimulate your reflection.  You'll find your experience of worship
on Sunday will be intensified.

For a method to read and pray with the scriptures you might try to use the ancient
practice of Lectio Divina (Divine Reading).  We've written some instructions on
how to use Lectio with the Sunday Scriptures at the following link:
www.stpaulsfay.org/id272.html

We use the Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Psalm 1
1 John 5:9-13
John 17:6-19

____________________________________________

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about
one hundred twenty persons) and said, "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled,
which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide
for those who arrested Jesus-- for he was numbered among us and was allotted his
 share in this ministry. So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the
time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of
 John until the day when he was taken up from us-- one of these must become a witness
with us to his resurrection." So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who
 was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know
everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place
in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own
place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added
to the eleven apostles.

_________________________________________

When have you been chosen?  What did that feel like?  What happened?

When have you not been chosen?  What did that feel like?  What happened?

_________________________________________

Psalm 1

Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, *
     nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful!

Their delight is in the law of the Holy One, *
     and they meditate on that law day and night.

They are like trees planted by streams of water,
     bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *
     everything they do shall prosper.

It is not so with the wicked; *
     they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, *
     nor the sinner in the council of the righteous;

For the Holy One knows the way of the righteous, *
     but the way of the wicked is doomed.

                                                     The Saint Helena Psalter
_________________________________________

How would your describe your own roots?  In what are you planted?  What is your
fruit?

_________________________________________

1 John 5:9-13

If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the
testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son
of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have
made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning
his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in
his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does
 not have life.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you
may know that you have eternal life.

_________________________________________

What does it mean to you to have life in the Son?

_________________________________________

John 17:6-19

Looking up to heaven, Jesus prayed, "I have made your name known to those whom you
gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have
kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for
 the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them
 and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf
of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours
 are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in
your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While
I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded
 them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that
the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these
things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I
have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong
to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take
them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do
not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in
the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent
them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may
be sanctified in truth."

_________________________________________

How do you experience God's protection in your life?

How do you experience Christ's joy in your life?

How do you experience the Holy Spirit's sanctification in truth in your life?

_________________________________________
 

The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Our Rule of Life:
  We aspire to...
     worship weekly
     pray daily
     learn constantly
     serve joyfully
     live generously.

Check our website: www.stpaulsfay.org

Scriptures and Reflection Questions for May 13

Scriptures and Reflection Questions
Easter 6, Year B
May 13, 2012
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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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary
Year B
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to use this page:

Print this and read a different passage each day and think about it.  Some questions
are offered to help stimulate your reflection.  You'll find your experience of worship
on Sunday will be intensified.

For a method to read and pray with the scriptures you might try to use the ancient
practice of Lectio Divina (Divine Reading).  We've written some instructions on
how to use Lectio with the Sunday Scriptures at the following link:
www.stpaulsfay.org/id272.html

We use the Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17

____________________________________________

Acts 10:44-48

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of
the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking
in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, "Can anyone withhold the water for
baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" So he
 ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him
to stay for several days.

___________________________________________

What kind of courage or vision must it have taken for Peter, a Jew, to so freely
 incorporate Gentiles into the Christian community through baptism?  Imagine the
 arguments pro and con.  What do you think you would have done had you been Peter?
_____________________________________________

Psalm 98

Sing a new song to God, *
     who has done marvelous things.

With your right hand, O God, and your holy arm, *
     you have won for yourself the victory.

You have made known your victory; *
     your righteousness have you openly shown in the sight of the nations.

You remember your mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *
     and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

Shout with joy to God, all you lands; *
     lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.

Sing to God with the harp, *
     with the harp and the voice of song.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn, *
     shout with joy before God who reigns in majesty.

Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *
     the lands and those who dwell therein.

Let the rivers clap their hands, *
     and let the hills ring out with joy before God, who will come to judge the earth.

God shall judge the world in righteousness *
     and the peoples with equity.

                                                        Saint Helena Psalter

_________________________________________

How do you express your joy and gladness to God?
What poetry might you use to describe your experience of the divine in nature?
_________________________________________

1 John 5:1-6

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone
who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children
of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this,
 that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world,
our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus
 is the Son of God?

This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only
but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for
the Spirit is the truth.

_____________________________________________

How does love fulfill the commandments?
How does John's epistle imagine our loving and believing to bring victory?
______________________________________________

John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide
in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have
kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to
 you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has
greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends
if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the
 servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends,
because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You
did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit
that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.
I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another."

________________

How do you keep your attention so that you can "abide in love"?
What's the hardest part about the commandment to "love one another"?
What's especially compelling about Jesus' teaching to abide in love and to love
one another?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Our Rule of Life:
  We aspire to...
     worship weekly
     pray daily
     learn constantly
     serve joyfully
     live generously.

Check our website: www.stpaulsfay.org