Sunday April 18 Easter 3
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Psalm 148
These three psalms are especially appropriate on Sundays, the mini-anniversary of the resurrection. All creation praises God—the heavens, the earth—including fog, sea monsters, and “creeping things” (perhaps even insects or worms)—and humanity—rulers, young people and old people—all things without exception praise God together. Notice that the sequence is taken from the first creation story in Genesis: first the heavens, then creatures of the water, then creatures of the land, and finally people.
Psalm 149
Songs of joy at God’s victory. The joy of military victories toward the end of the psalm was their way of saying that God has conquered all injustice.
Psalm 150
A scene of riotous joy as every conceivable instrument and every creature praises God.
Daniel 4: 1-18 What’s Daniel about?
The king has another dream, this time of a great world-tree being cut down and of someone becoming like an animal. The king demands that Daniel interpret the dream.
John 21: 15-25 What’s John about?
We are now reading the very end of John’s gospel. Probably in deep discouragement following Jesus’ execution, the disciples had returned to their former life of fishing on Lake Galilee but then experienced Jesus providing a huge catch of fish and then preparing breakfast for them. Today’s passage describes what happened following the breakfast: Peter re-commits himself to Jesus in light of his previous denials of even knowing him. Jesus dispels a rumour that he would return before the disciple John died—perhaps a rumour that had become believed when the gospel was written. The implication is that Jesus is saying that he won’t return but that Holy Spirit, as he promised, will guide them. The resurrection is happening to the disciples.
The writer, John, is suggesting this can happen to all of us. Appropriate on the second Sunday after Easter.
This week’s collect:
O God,
your Son made himself known to his disciples
in the breaking of bread.
Open the eyes of our faith,
that we may see him in his redeeming work,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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