Readings for Sunday June 5

Grace and Peace of our Lord and Savior to all,

First, an announcement: This Sunday gospel singer and guitar/banjo/mandolin/ukulele player Mike Turner will bring his skills and testimony to our worship at Grey Eagle. This special event is for ALL our worshiper in BOTH churches. Peace United Church people, please take advantage of this special worship service. Service begins at 9 AM and will include communion. Regular worship service with communion will still happen at 10:30 AM at Peace United – South.

This week we celebrate Ascension Day and the 7th Sunday of Easter. According to Luke in Acts 1:3 Jesus appeared to the disciples and others for 40 days following his resurrection. He then gathered his disciple and ascended to heaven. Ascension Day is always on a Thursday in the sixth week after Easter which is June 2nd this year. The first set of scriptures is for Ascension Day while the second is for the 7th Sunday of Easter (though it also includes the ascension text).

Ascension Day:
Acts 1:1-11 – The writer of Acts, assumed to be Luke but not directly named, addresses this account to his friend Theophilus. He then recounts the final words of Jesus and describes how Jesus left them.

Psalm 47 – The Psalmist celebrates God’s rule over all peoples and nations.

Ephesians 1:15-23 – Paul gives thanks for the faithfulness of the church in Ephesus. He prays that they will receive wisdom and power, the power that God gave Jesus in the resurrection and in the heavenly places.

Luke 24:44-53 – When appearing to the disciples Jesus opens their minds (helps them to understand and truly know?) to the scripture and how he fulfilled them. Verses 50-53 are a shorter version of Jesus’ ascension.

Seventh Sunday of Easter:
Acts 1:6-14 – Same as above with the added dimension of the disciples returning to Jerusalem to pray.

Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 – The Psalmist praise God for all that God is and all that God does. God drives away the wicked and brings rains to the earth. God is father of the orphans, protector of widows, and gives homes to the homeless.

1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11 – This is our final reading in 1 Peter and, in the first section, Peter returns to the theme of suffering because of our hope and faith in Christ because Christ suffered for us. In the second section Peter gives a list of things all Christians should be doing: be humble, cast anxiety on Christ, be disciplined, keep alert, and resist the devil.

John 17:1-11 – The lectionary divides John 17 into three chunks for the 7th Sunday of Easter in each of the cycle’s years. Chapter 17 is Jesus’ Prayer for his disciples, those who come after them, and for the world. This Sunday we get the first part, Jesus’ prayer for the disciples.

There is a lot to read this week and I pray that your spirits will be strengthened and lifted as you study God’s Word.