By This the World Will Know: Fifth Sunday of Easter
Happy Resurrection Day, friends! Easter Sunday kicks off a seven-week festival in the liturgical calendar known as Eastertide or The Great Fifty Days. I'll be posting daily each day of the Easter Octave and each Sunday following that. May you know new life, peace, and hope today, tomorrow, and forever.
Read all the way to the end of the post for a way you can help us practice resurrection!
LOOK: Cheers, Yong You - Source
Artist’s statement: “Cheers presents a cup-touching (toasting) scene from daily life, which reminds me of the presence of the Holy Spirit when we take the Eucharist. The presence of the dove representing the Holy Spirit at the upper center of the painting indicates that everyday life is a path to sanctification.” —Yong You
LISTEN: Getting Ready (from Revelation 19), Maverick City & UPPERROOM - Lyrics | Spotify | YouTube
READ: Acts 13:44-52; Psalm 145; Revelation 19:1-9; John 13:31-35
Daily readings for the second week of Eastertide
Monday (5/16) Psalm 56-57; Psalm 64-65; Leviticus 16:1-19; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Tuesday (5/17) Psalm 61-62; Psalm 68; Leviticus 16:20-34; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 6:7-15
Wednesday (5/18) Psalm 72; Psalm 119:73-96; Leviticus 19:1-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28; Matthew 6:19-24
Thursday (5/19) Psalm 71; Psalm 74; Leviticus 19:26-37; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; Matthew 6:25-34
Friday (5/20) Psalm 106; Leviticus 23:1-22; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Matthew 7:1-12
Saturday (5/21) Psalm 75-76; Psalm 23, 27; Leviticus 23:23-44; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Matthew 7:13-21
PRAY: Collect for Fifth Sunday After Easter, the Book of Common Prayer
Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
DO: Send me a photo and caption of yourself practicing resurrection. (email them to me or post and tag me on IG or FB).
If you need inspiration, here’s a list of 50 ways to celebrate all 50 days! Choose 1 idea or 50, but whatever you do, do it with gusto!
Send me a photo and caption of yourself practicing resurrection!
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Send me a photo and caption of yourself practicing resurrection! 〰️
Lyrics from "King of Kings":
And the church of Christ was born
Then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this Gospel truth of old
shall not kneel shall not faint
by His blood and in His Name
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ
Who has resurrected me
As you are scrolling through, linger a few extra seconds and take in the truth of these lyrics... where do you feel His freedom, or resurrection?
#practiceresurrection2022 #freeinjesus #theinvitationproject
JOY B. (TX)
I learned a long time ago that as soon as I figured out a routine for one part of my life, another thing would quit working altogether. I began to put the word “routine” in the same category as “tips”, “techniques”, and “spanx”. Routines have their place but they also have a limited lifespan. But the word ROUTE I can get behind. A familiar pathway, a preferred direction from one point to another - I can work with that.
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The spiritual practice of a Rule of Life has helped me keep moving in the direction of Jesus through all kinds of societal and personal disruption. (After thinking about today’s prompt, maybe I’ll start calling it a Route of Life?) A Rule of Life maps practices of listening and love to help route and reroute me through the ubiquitous detours of my days. They help me orient my life in the restful ways of Jesus.
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This spring I’ve added a little step to my Sundays (a new routine, if you will). On the days I’m driving alone, I add a few blocks to my route home to stop at this quiet little beach in our neighborhood. I walk the sand in my church clothes and, if I’m lucky and no one else has gotten to it before me, I sit on the park bench for a while. I try to time my arrival home to meet my husband, the pastor, who will want a listening ear - some one else to bear witness with him to the beautiful and unpredictable life in our little congregation. But first, I sit on the bench in silence. I let the noise of the morning (often my own inner noise more than anything else) fly into the breeze skimming the surface of the Long Island Sound. Sometimes I snap a photo, sometimes I say hello to a neighbor enjoying the beach, sometimes I don’t. It’s just a little restful pause on my route home to practice listening and love. As a routine, it will probably change when the hotter weather arrives, but for now it’s what helps me get home.
TAMARA M. (CT)
You can read here for a brief description of the liturgical season of Eastertide, and see previous Eastertide posts here.
Sunday Scripture readings are taken from Year C of the Book of Common Prayer 2019 (Anglican Church of North America). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and include both Morning and Evening Psalms (Year 2)