Patrick Comerford
Sunday next [21 March 2021] is the Fifth Sunday in Lent and the beginning of Passiontide. The readings in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland, are:
The Readings: Jeremiah 31: 31-34; Psalm 51: 1-13 or Psalm 119: 9-16; Hebrews 5: 5-10; and John 12: 20-33.
There is a direct link to these readings HERE.
Introducing the Readings:
Throughout the Sundays in Lent, the RCL Old Testament readings this year (Year B) focus on covenantal relationships with God:
● On the First Sunday in Lent (21 February 2021), Genesis 9: 8-17 told the story of God’s covenant with Noah, his descendants and ‘every living creature of all flesh.’
● On the Second Sunday in Lent (28 February 2021), the reading (Genesis 17: 1-7, 15-16) looks at God’s covenant with Abraham and his ‘offspring after you throughout the generations … an everlasting covenant.’
● On the Third Sunday in Lent (7 March 2021), the reading (Exodus 20: 1-17) looks at the Ten Commandments, the symbol of that Covenant given in the Sinai wilderness.
● On the Fourth Sunday in Lent, yesterday (14 March 2021), we heard the story of the rebellion against that covenant and the serpent of bronze which we interpret as a symbol of the promise of Christ’s coming (Numbers 21: 4-9).
● On the Fifth Sunday in Lent (21 March 2021), next Sunday, we hear of the promise to Jeremiah of a new covenant that will be like the covenant between a husband and wife and that shall be written in the hearts of the people (Jeremiah 31: 31-34).
● On the Sixth Sunday in Lent (Palm Sunday, 28 March 2021), the theme of rebellion against God is addressed once again, with the promise of a new covenant ushered in by the suffering servant (Isaiah 50: 4-9a).
Jeremiah 31: 31-34
So, next Sunday (21 March 2021), the Fifth Sunday in Lent, the Old Testament reading (Jeremiah 31: 31-34) follows those readings about Covenant and rebellion against Covenant with the promise of a true Covenant.
After the fall of Jerusalem in the year 587 BC, God now promises to ‘make a new covenant’ with the whole people, both Israel and Judah. It will be unlike the covenant made at Sinai, which they broke (verse 32), even though God was their ‘husband.’
The law, once written on stone tablets, will be written ‘on their hearts’ – the people will be faithful, and following the Law will now be a matter of conscience. All will know the Lord, for each will recognise God in all actions, and each will approach God in a godly way. God will forgive them for turning against him and forget how they have strayed from his way.
Psalm 51: 1-13:
This psalm speaks of rebuilding Jerusalem (verse 18), so we know that it was written during, or shortly after, the Exile. The emphasis is on an individual’s sin, and prayers for personal pardon and restoration. The psalmist seeks cleansing from ‘iniquity’ (verses 2 and 9) and ‘sin[s].’
The idea of life-long sinfulness (verse 5) is also found in Genesis 8: 21: ‘… for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth’ (although the psalmist may simply be confessing that he has been thoroughly sinful). In verse 6, he knows that God will seek truth in his very being; this is where he will receive understanding (‘wisdom’).
Perhaps verse 8b says the Psalmist is ill – because of his sin. He even asks God to hide his face from his sins (verse 9), to be so gracious and compassionate as to turn a blind eye.
May God restore him, bring him back to godliness, give him a clear conscience, a ‘clean heart’ (verse 10), a ‘new’ and a ‘right’ (God-oriented) ‘spirit.’ Only God can purify. May God give him joy and sustenance, through his ‘holy spirit’ (verse 11).
or
Psalm 119: 9-16
This is the second stanza (of 22, one for each consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) of the longest psalm. Each of the eight verses of this stanza begins with beth (ב), the second letter. The whole psalm is in praise of the Law, the expression of God’s covenant with humanity in the Old Testament, and of keeping it. The emphasis is on the love and desire for the word of God in Israel’s law, rather than on legalism.
As in other stanzas, various words are used for law. Here they are ‘word,’ ‘commandments,’ ‘statutes,’ ‘ordinances,’ ‘decrees,’ and ‘precepts.’ Cleansing (verse 9), joy (verses 14 and 16) and meditation (verse 15) are key notions. Knowledge and wisdom are more to be desired than ‘riches’ (verse 14). The psalmist seeks to avoid sin, and to live in God’s ways.
Hebrews 5: 5-10:
The author has spoken of the Jewish high priesthood. Earlier, he has said that a (human) high priest was ‘put in charge of things pertaining to God’ (verse 1), on behalf of the people, to offer sacrifices for their sins. Since he himself from time to time offended God by sinning unintentionally, ‘he is able to deal gently’ (verse 2) with others who commit such sins, and ‘must offer sacrifice for his own sins’ (verse 3) as well. Further, one could only become a high priest when called by God – ‘one does not presume to take this honour’ (verse 4).
Now the author tells us how Christ, whom he sees as a high priest, is like (and unlike) a Jewish high priest. Christ too was called by God (verse 5). Some manuscripts of Luke 3: 22 record that, at his baptism, the ‘voice’ speaks the words quoted here. But Christ, as in Psalm 110: 4, is different: he is a priest ‘forever’ (verse 6).
Melchizedek figures in Genesis 14: 17-20, where he brings bread and wine, and blesses Abram. In Hebrews, he resembles the Son of God and lives for ever. He is a supernatural figure foreshadowing the eternity of the Son of God (see 7: 2-3).
During Christ’s earthly life (‘the days of his flesh,’ verse 7), he prayed to God, to the one who could deliver him from death. But, although he was already God’s ‘Son’ (verse 8), he ‘learned obedience.’ He obeyed the will of the Father and submitted reverently (verse 7), which involved suffering and death.
But the Father heard his plea, and he rose again from death. He was then ‘made perfect’ (verse 9). His priesthood was completed in his sacrifice for the sins of us all, and he was raised to be with the Father. In this way, he brings salvation to all who follow him. This salvation is forever (unlike the limited duration of that brought by the Jewish high priests in the Temple. He is the high priest for ever.
‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus’ … a carving of Saint Philip on the pulpit in Saint Philip’s Church, Leicester (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)John 12: 20-33:
In this Gospel reading, we are in the days before Palm Sunday, and the days before Passover. The Sabbath immediately preceding Passover is known as Shabbat HaGadol (שבת הגדול), the ‘Great Sabbath.’ (This year, this Sabbath falls on Saturday 20 March 2021.) The haftarah or prophetic portion read on that Sabbath (Malachi 3: 4-24) speaks of the ‘great day’ of God on which the Messiah will appear.
Malachi is an anonymous prophet – the name Malachi simply means – my messenger. But in this passage, he also says:
You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What do we profit by keeping his command or by going about as mourners before the Lord of hosts? Now we count the arrogant happy; evildoers not only prosper, but when they put God to the test they escape’ (Malachi 3: 14-15).
Whether that portion had already become established as a reading by the time Saint John’s Gospel was written, the Sabbath before the Passover was already one that was imbued with expectations of the appearance of the Messiah, and the readers of this Gospel, at this stage, would expect to hear Jesus speaking about those who have turned away from serving God.
At the time of the Passover (‘the festival’), some Gentiles (‘Greeks’) travel to Jerusalem, probably because they believe in God. Their request ‘to see Jesus’ (verse 21) to understand his message, is conveyed to him by ‘Andrew and Philip’ (verse 22), the two disciples with Greek names.
Christ takes this opportunity to announce that his ‘hour’ (verse 23), his time of self-revelation, determined by God, has come. He can now tell what it means for the Son to be glorified. When Christ is glorified, then all people will truly be able to see him. But this is not the time for interviews.
He uses an example from nature to speak of the significance of his death: the paradox that a ‘grain of wheat’ (verse 24) only bears fruit after it seems to have died and has been buried. Christ’s death makes possible salvation for others.
That the meaning of life eludes those who live it up is also a paradox; self-centeredness ends up destroying a person. (‘Hate,’ verse 25, is a Semitism for love less.)
Serving Jesus involves following his example; this will be honoured by the Father (verse 26).
In verse 27, Christ struggles with his impending death: should he ask the Father to free him from the need to suffer and die?
No, he says: such avoidance would negate his mission; his death is God’s will (verse 28a). The voice from heaven reassures: his lifework and teaching have been signs of God’s glory, of his power and presence; God will act again in raising him.
The crowd misses the point of the message (verse 19), so Christ tells them that God has spoken so that they may believe that he comes from God; he already knows this (‘not for mine,’ verse 30).
This is when (‘now,’ verse 31) those who wilfully turn away from him (‘this world’) are condemned (it is they who are judged, not him), and when the devil (‘the ruler of this world’) ceases to have power over people.
When he is ‘lifted up from the earth’ (verse 32), when he is crucified and exalted in glory, the salvation of all will be possible.
This is the paradoxical ‘kind of death’ (verse 33) he will endure.
Some thoughts for consideration:
In these last days of Lent, as we start looking ahead to Holy Week and to walking with Christ on his way to the cross, the Gospel readings talk about what is going to happen and what he is going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, we see the Disciples at a point where they realise that this is a solemn time, but they are unsure about what is going to happen, and they are anxious and afraid.
But these are days of anxiety and fear for many in our world today. At home in Ireland today, we are living through a major pandemic crisis and one long lockdown after another. Nor should we allow this to distract us from the reality that we also have a major housing crisis, the figures for homelessness and child poverty and neglect are at a distressing level, hospital waiting lists that were growing longer have grown even longer due to the pandemic demands on hospital beds, many refugees and asylum seekers find no hope and many are forgotten and unseen in ‘direct provision.’
Looking further afield, street violence in America cities that has abated only mildly, the continuing wars in Syria and Yemen, unrest in Myanmar, the crisis facing Europe following ‘Brexit,’ and the rise of the far right across Europe are chilling. Indeed, the forgotten economic crisis in Greece could still be a reminder that the bad times could still return to Ireland at some time in the future.
Nor should we forget that this too is a world troubled by wars, the climate crisis, natural disasters and famines too, a world where those seeking democracy are treated as enemies in their own countries, a world where human rights are being eroded once again, and a world where people are martyred for their religious beliefs and slaughtered because of their nationality or ethnicity.
In this time of flux and change, there are plenty of would-be prophets of doom telling us how afraid we ought to be, that if we do not conform and fall into line something even worse may befall us … joined, paradoxically by the pedlars of conspiracy theories on the far-right telling those who are easily-duped that fear is being created through the pandemic to control society
But what if Christ is right this morning? If he is right, then we have no need to fear. We need to follow. When Christ is lifted up, he draws all people to him: the Greeks who are telling the Apostles Philip and Andrew that they want to see Christ, but are put on hold; the Pharisees who fear Christ is stirring up the people; the prophets of doom; and the peasants just trying to get by.
The God who Christ proclaimed, the God who created the universe, is still drawing the universe toward the justice for which it aches. That God is calling. The days are surely coming. God wants to inscribe God’s just and liberating word on our hearts, and for all, from the least to the greatest, to know it, to experience it, and to celebrate it.
John 12: 20-33 (NRSVA):
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.
27 ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say — “Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ 30 Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
Liturgical resources:
Liturgical colour: Violet.
The canticle Gloria may be omitted in Lent.
Traditionally in Anglicanism, the doxology or Gloria at the end of Canticles and Psalms is also omitted during Lent.
With Passiontide, which begins today, many of the liturgical provisions, including the Penitential Kyries, Introduction to the Peace, Preface, and Blessing, move from those for Lent to those for Passiontide:
Penitential Kyries:
Lord God,
you sent your Son to reconcile us to yourself and to one another.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus,
you heal the wounds of sin and division.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Holy Spirit,
through you we put to death the sins of the body – and live.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
The Collect of the Day (the Fifth Sunday in Lent):
Most merciful God,
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
delivered and saved the world:
Grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross,
we may triumph in the power of his victory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Lenten Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent:
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts
that we, worthily lamenting our sins
and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Collect of the Word:
O God,
our Redeemer,
in our weakness we have failed
to be your messengers of forgiveness and hope:
renew us by your Holy Spirit,
that we may follow your commands
and proclaim your reign of love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Introduction to the Peace:
Now in union with Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near through the shedding of Christ's blood; for he is our peace. (Ephesians 2: 17)
Preface:
Through Jesus Christ our Saviour,
who, for the redemption of the world,
humbled himself to death on the cross;
that, being lifted up from the earth,
he might draw all people to himself:
Post Communion Prayer:
God of hope,
in this Eucharist we have tasted
the promise of your heavenly banquet
and the richness of eternal life.
May we who bear witness to the death of your Son,
also proclaim the glory of his resurrection,
for he is Lord for ever and ever.
Blessing:
Christ draw you to himself
and grant that you find in his cross a sure ground for faith,
a firm support for hope,
and the assurance of sins forgiven:
Suggested hymns:
Jeremiah 31: 31-34:
125, Hail to the Lord’s anointed
382, Help us, O Lord, to learn
638, O for a heart to praise my God
Psalm 51: 1-13:
397, Alleluia! Alleluia! Opening our hearts to him
297, Come, thou Holy Spirit, come
614, Great Shepherd of your people, hear
208, Hearken, O Lord, have mercy upon us
553, Jesu, lover of my soul
305, O Breath of life, come sweeping through us
638, O for a heart to praise my God
557, Rock of ages, left for me
or:
Psalm 119: 9-16:
383, Lord, by thy word my rule
384, Lord, thy word abideth
638, O for a heart to praise my God
Hebrews 5: 5-10:
259, Christ triumphant, ever reigning
226, It is a thing most wonderful
652, Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
431, Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour
228, Meekness and majesty
291, Where high the heavenly temple stands
John 12: 20-33:
668, God is our fortress and our rock
43, Holy is the seed-time, when the buried grain
484, Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
227, Man of sorrows! What a name
656, Nearer, my God, to thee
278, Now the green blade rises from the buried grain (omit verse 3)
237, O my Saviour, lifted
241, Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle
473, Síormoladh is glóir duit, a Athair shíorai (All glory and praise to you, Father, above)
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.
The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000).
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