Sunday April 3 Lent 5
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Psalm 118
An enthusiastic song of thanksgiving for everything God has done for us—God has protected us from evil forces, and we give praise in the temple and in processions. Appropriate for a Sunday as an anniversary of the triumph of Easter Day.
Portions of the second half of this psalm are traditionally sung on Easter Day.
Exodus 3.16-4.12 What’s Exodus about?
God promises to rescue the people from slavery and to drive out the aboriginal nations so the Israelites may have a place to live. God will ensure that they are given wealth by their Egyptian neighbours and that Pharaoh will be convinced, by God’s power, to let the people go. Moses requests miraculous signs to prove to the people that God is acting, and God provides three miraculous demonstrations to convince the people to accept Moses’ leadership. When Moses feels inadequate as an orator, God responds by pointing out that God invented speech and hearing and therefore God can provide whatever ability Moses may need.
Much later Jesus will feed four thousand people in the area in which the seven nations were to be exterminated, and seven baskets will be taken up. (Only six nations are listed here—different lists appear in different places—but seven became the accepted number of the aboriginal nations.) Jesus will insist that God cares for those whom the ancient scriptures had condemned to extermination.
John 8:46-59 What’s John about?
When John was writing his gospel perhaps seventy years after Jesus’ earthly life there was strong opposition to the idea that Jesus had been speaking for God.
John recounts detailed memories of how Jesus would have responded to such accusations. The religious leaders accuse Jesus of claiming to be greater than Abraham. Jesus says that Abraham was delighted to see him. The leaders respond that he cannot have personally known Abraham. Jesus replies with the famous “I AM” which was the name of God which God told Moses. John understands that Jesus is eternal—the “I AM” means “I was, I am, I will be”—so when people reject him they do so because they choose not to know the eternal God.
This week’s collect:
Most merciful God,
by the death and resurrection
of your Son Jesus Christ,
you created humanity anew.
May the power of his victorious cross
transform those who turn in faith
to him who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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