Lectionary Readings for Sunday, March 30, 2025 (Lent 4, Year C)
The interwoven story of Christ in the Scriptures
Lectionary Readings
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Lent 4, Year C
Enter the Story
Lent is often thought of as a season of self-denial, but at its core, it is a journey back home—to our truest selves, to God, and to beloved community. This week’s readings reveal a God who is relentlessly loving, a faith that is about reconciliation rather than exclusion, and an invitation to experience joy in grace rather than fear in judgment.
Luke 15 offers one of Jesus’ most famous parables—the story of a father who refuses to let shame define his children.
2 Corinthians 5 calls us to live as new creations, shaped by God’s work of reconciliation, not by human divisions.
Joshua 5 marks the moment when Israel steps into a new reality of freedom, no longer dependent on manna but sustained by the land itself.
Psalm 32 celebrates the joy of letting go of guilt and stepping into the liberating grace of divine forgiveness.
This week, we reflect: How is God calling us to embrace grace more fully? Where do we need to let go of old ways of seeing ourselves, others, and even God? How do we become ambassadors of reconciliation in a divided world?
Weekly Collect (Book of Common Prayer)
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Monday, 3.24.25 - Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
Introduction
Luke’s Gospel, written around 80–90 CE, frequently portrays Jesus as breaking social and religious boundaries to reveal a God of radical inclusion. Luke 15 contains three parables of lostness and restoration, but it is the parable of the so-called “Prodigal Son” that captures the heart of Jesus’ message.
The story is not just about the younger son who leaves home and returns—it is equally about the father’s refusal to define his children by their worst moments and the older son’s struggle to accept grace. Jesus tells this parable to challenge those who resist an expansive vision of God’s love—the religious leaders who were upset that he welcomed sinners.
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 (NRSVue)
1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."3 So he told them this parable:11b "There was a man who had two sons.12 The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.' So he divided his assets between them.13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living.14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need.15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.16 He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything.17 But when he came to his senses he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."'20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.21 Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'22 But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate,24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.25 Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.27 He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.'28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.29 But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!'31 Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'"
Key Insights
This parable is not just about repentance—it is about a father who refuses to let shame have the final word.
The younger son expects judgment but receives a feast. Grace defies expectations.
The older son struggles with fairness, showing how hard it is for us to accept grace for others.
Jesus challenges a world that divides people into the “worthy” and “unworthy.” God’s love makes no such distinction.
Where do we resist grace—both receiving it and giving it?
Tuesday, 3.25.25 - 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Introduction
Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, written around 55-57 CE, speaks to a community struggling with identity, division, and understanding what it means to follow Christ in a complex world. Here, Paul offers a profound vision of transformation—those in Christ are a new creation, and the work of Jesus is to reconcile, not condemn.
Paul insists that believers are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation—to live in a way that reflects God’s radical peacemaking. Faith is not about drawing lines of separation but about breaking them down.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (NRSVue)
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer.17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God.21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Key Insights
Faith transforms how we see ourselves and others—no one is defined by the past.
Reconciliation is at the heart of the Gospel. God is not counting sins but restoring relationships.
We are called to participate in reconciliation—not in exclusion or judgment.
What if we saw every person as a “new creation” rather than through the lens of their past?
Wednesday, 3.26.25 - Joshua 5:9-12
Introduction
The Book of Joshua, written sometime after the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE), tells the story of Israel’s transition from wandering in the wilderness to inhabiting the Promised Land. In this passage, God declares that the “disgrace of Egypt” has been rolled away, marking a new chapter of freedom.
For the first time, the Israelites eat from the land instead of manna. This moment is about trusting in God’s provision in a new way—one that requires participation, cultivation, and shared abundance.
Joshua 5:9-12 (NRSVue)
9 The Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt." And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.10 While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal, they kept the Passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho.11 On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain.12 The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
Key Insights
This passage is about moving from survival to flourishing.
Freedom is not just about leaving Egypt; it is about embracing a new way of living.
God’s provision shifts—from manna to the work of co-creating with God in the land.
How are we being invited to embrace a deeper trust in God’s abundance?
Thursday, 3.27.25 - Psalm 32
Introduction
Psalm 32 is a song of release and renewal—a celebration of what happens when we stop carrying the weight of guilt and instead embrace God’s forgiving love. Written in the post-exilic period, this psalm moves beyond the idea of sin as legal failure and presents it as a burden we carry that God longs to lift.
The psalmist describes the joy of being fully seen and fully loved, a reminder that grace is not about shame but about restoration.
Psalm 32 (NRSVue)
1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.2 Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit.3 While I kept silent, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the guilt of my sin.6 Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.10 Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Key Insights
Confession is not about punishment—it is about freedom.
God’s grace does not demand perfection, only honesty and openness.
Shame isolates, but God’s love restores connection.
Where do we need to let go of guilt and step into divine grace?
Friday, 3.28.25 - Find the Intersections
1. God’s Grace is Bigger Than Shame
The father embraces the prodigal son without conditions (Luke 15).
Paul declares that in Christ, no one is defined by their past (2 Corinthians 5).
Psalm 32 celebrates the joy of being fully seen and fully forgiven.
2. Reconciliation Over Judgment
God is making all things new, not counting sins (2 Corinthians 5).
The father’s love disrupts the logic of fairness (Luke 15).
Psalm 32 shows that forgiveness leads to joy, not condemnation.
3. From Survival to Flourishing
Israel moves from manna to cultivating the land (Joshua 5).
The prodigal moves from hunger to feast (Luke 15).
The psalmist moves from silence to song (Psalm 32).
4. New Identity, New Creation
Israel's "disgrace of Egypt" is rolled away (Joshua 5).
In Christ, we become new creations (2 Corinthians 5).
The prodigal receives new robes, ring, and status (Luke 15).
5. Divine Welcome Transforms Community
The father's feast invites the whole household to celebrate (Luke 15).
We become ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5).
God's forgiveness leads to communal rejoicing (Psalm 32).
Lent is not about earning love but about awakening to the love that has always been there. This week, may we embrace grace for ourselves and extend it to others.
What Intersections did you find?