[Propertalk] READINGS for the FIFTH SUNDAY of EASTER

[Charles Wohlers]

The following are the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 22, 
according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, 
Canadian BAS,and the Church of England (Common Worship) lectionaries. All 
readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the 
Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries 
are identical to the RCL for this day.



FIRST READING: Acts 7: 55-60   (RCL)

Acts 7:55 (NRSV) But filled with the Holy Spirit, he [Stephen] gazed into 
heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 
56 "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at 
the right hand of God!" 57 But they covered their ears, and with a loud 
shout all rushed together against him. 58 Then they dragged him out of the 
city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet 
of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, 
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out in a 
loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said 
this, he died.


Acts 6: 1 - 7   (Roman Catholic)

Acts 6:1 (NRSV) Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in 
number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows 
were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. 2 And the twelve 
called together the whole community of the disciples and said, "It is not 
right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 
Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, 
full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, 4 while 
we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word." 
5 What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man 
full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Proch'orus, 
Nica'nor, Ti'mon, Par'menas, and Nicola'us, a proselyte of An'tioch. 6 They 
had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on 
them.
7 The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased 
greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the 
faith.


Genesis 8: 1 - 19   (alt. for C of E)

Gene 8:1 (NRSV) But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the 
domestic animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow 
over the earth, and the waters subsided; 2 the fountains of the deep and the 
windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was 
restrained, 3 and the waters gradually receded from the earth. At the end of 
one hundred fifty days the waters had abated; 4 and in the seventh month, on 
the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of 
Ar'arat. 5 The waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth 
month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.
6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had 
made 7 and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were 
dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the 
waters had subsided from the face of the ground; 9 but the dove found no 
place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters 
were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took 
it and brought it into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, 
and again he sent out the dove from the ark; 11 and the dove came back to 
him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; 
so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited 
another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any 
more.
13 In the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the 
month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the 
covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the ground was 
drying. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the 
earth was dry. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Go out of the ark, you and your 
wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you 
every living thing that is with you of all flesh--birds and animals and 
every creeping thing that creeps on the earth--so that they may abound on 
the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." 18 So Noah went out 
with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. 19 And every animal, every 
creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out 
of the ark by families.


PSALM 31: 1 - 5, 15 - 16   (RCL)

Psal 31:1 (NRSV) In you, O LORD, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name's sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
6You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken heed of my adversities,
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.

15 My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.


31   In te, Domine, speravi    (ECUSA BCP)

1   In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame; *
  deliver me in your righteousness.

2   Incline your ear to me; *
  make haste to deliver me.

3   Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
for you are my crag and my stronghold; *
  for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.

4   Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me, *
  for you are my tower of strength.

5   Into your hands I commend my spirit, *
  for you have redeemed me,
  O Lord, O God of truth.


15   My times are in your hand; *
  rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
  and from those who persecute me.

16   Make your face to shine upon your servant, *
  and in your loving-kindness save me.”



Psalm 33: 1 - 2, 4 - 5, 18 - 19, R. v. 22 (Roman Catholic)

Psal 33:1 (NRSV) Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
2 Praise the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.

4 For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

18 Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.


NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Peter 2: 2 - 10   (RCL)
                                    1 Peter 2: 4 - 9   (Roman Catholic)

1Pet 2:1 (NRSV) 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, 
so that by it you may grow into salvation-- 3 if indeed you have tasted that 
the Lord is good.
4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and 
precious in God's sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built 
into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual 
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in 
scripture:
"See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,
"The stone that the builders rejected
has become the very head of the corner,"
8 and
"A stone that makes them stumble,
and a rock that makes them fall."
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own 
people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you 
out of darkness into his marvelous light.
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God's people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.

Note: If one of the Old Testament alternatives is used for the first 
reading, the Acts reading should be instead used here.


GOSPEL: John 14: 1 - 14   (RCL)
                  John 14: 1 - 12   (Roman Catholic)

John 14:1 (NRSV) "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, 
believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. 
If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for 
you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will 
take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you 
know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we 
do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to 
him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father 
except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now 
on you do know him and have seen him."
8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." 
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you 
still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you 
say, "Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and 
the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; 
but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in 
the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me 
because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who 
believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do 
greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do 
whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 
14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.


Chad Wohlers
East Bridgewater, Mass.   USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu