<HTML><HEAD></HEAD>
<BODY dir=ltr>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">
<DIV>The following are the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 18,
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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>FIRST READING: Acts 7: 55-60 (RCL) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Acts 6: 1 - 7 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Genesis 8: 1 - 19 (alt. for C of E) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>PSALM 31: 1 - 5, 15 - 16 (RCL) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 31:1 (NRSV) In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; </DIV>
<DIV>do not let me ever be put to shame; </DIV>
<DIV>in your righteousness deliver me. </DIV>
<DIV>2 Incline your ear to me; </DIV>
<DIV>rescue me speedily. </DIV>
<DIV>Be a rock of refuge for me, </DIV>
<DIV>a strong fortress to save me. </DIV>
<DIV>3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; </DIV>
<DIV>for your name's sake lead me and guide me, </DIV>
<DIV>4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, </DIV>
<DIV>for you are my refuge. </DIV>
<DIV>5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; </DIV>
<DIV>you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God. </DIV>
<DIV>6You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, </DIV>
<DIV>but I trust in the LORD. </DIV>
<DIV>7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, </DIV>
<DIV>because you have seen my affliction; </DIV>
<DIV>you have taken heed of my adversities, </DIV>
<DIV>8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; </DIV>
<DIV>you have set my feet in a broad place. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>15 My times are in your hand; </DIV>
<DIV>deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. </DIV>
<DIV>16 Let your face shine upon your servant; </DIV>
<DIV>save me in your steadfast love. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psalm 33: 1 - 2, 4 - 5, 18 - 19, R. v. 22 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 33:1 (NRSV) Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous. </DIV>
<DIV>Praise befits the upright. </DIV>
<DIV>2 Praise the LORD with the lyre; </DIV>
<DIV>make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>4 For the word of the LORD is upright, </DIV>
<DIV>and all his work is done in faithfulness. </DIV>
<DIV>5 He loves righteousness and justice; </DIV>
<DIV>the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>18 Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, </DIV>
<DIV>on those who hope in his steadfast love, </DIV>
<DIV>19 to deliver their soul from death, </DIV>
<DIV>and to keep them alive in famine. </DIV>
<DIV>22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, </DIV>
<DIV>even as we hope in you. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Peter 2: 2 - 10 (RCL) </DIV>
<DIV>
1 Peter 2: 4 - 9 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV>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: </DIV>
<DIV>"See, I am laying in Zion a stone, </DIV>
<DIV>a cornerstone chosen and precious; </DIV>
<DIV>and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." </DIV>
<DIV>7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not
believe, </DIV>
<DIV>"The stone that the builders rejected </DIV>
<DIV>has become the very head of the corner," </DIV>
<DIV>8 and </DIV>
<DIV>"A stone that makes them stumble, </DIV>
<DIV>and a rock that makes them fall." </DIV>
<DIV>They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
</DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV>10 Once you were not a people, </DIV>
<DIV>but now you are God's people; </DIV>
<DIV>once you had not received mercy, </DIV>
<DIV>but now you have received mercy. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Note: If one of the Old Testament alternatives is used for the first
reading, the Acts reading should be instead used here. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>GOSPEL: John 14: 1 - 14 (RCL) </DIV>
<DIV>
John 14: 1 - 12 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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." </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Chad
Wohlers<BR>Woodbury, VT USA<BR>chadwohl@satucket.com<BR><A
href="mailto:cwohlers@bridgew.edu">cwohlers@bridgew.edu</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>