Lectionary Readings: Sunday, April 6, 2025
The Converging of Scriptures for Lent 5, Year C
Lectionary Readings
Sunday, April 6, 2025
Lent 5, Year C
Enter the Story
As we draw closer to Holy Week, this week’s readings invite us to let go of old ways of thinking and embrace God’s transformative love. They remind us that faith is not about clinging to what was, but about making space for something new—new life, new priorities, and new ways of seeing ourselves and the world.
John 12 gives us the intimate moment of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet—a radical act of love in contrast to Judas’ fixation on control.
Philippians 3 speaks of letting go of past achievements and failures to embrace the new identity that comes from knowing Christ.
Isaiah 43 reminds us that God is always doing something new, inviting us to move forward rather than staying trapped in the past.
Psalm 126 celebrates the joy of restoration, reminding us that sorrow does not have the last word.
This week, we reflect:
What do we need to release in order to fully embrace God’s newness?
How do we practice extravagant love in a world that values efficiency over devotion?
Are we open to seeing God at work in unexpected ways?
Weekly Collect (Book of Common Prayer)
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Monday, 3.31.25 - John 12:1-8
Introduction
John’s Gospel, written around 90–100 CE, is deeply theological, emphasizing Jesus’ identity as the embodiment of God’s love. In this passage, we find Jesus at a meal in Bethany, just days before his death. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume and wipes them with her hair—a profoundly intimate and countercultural act of love.
Judas objects, arguing that the money could have been given to the poor, but Jesus affirms Mary’s generosity, pointing to his coming death. This moment highlights the tension between transactional thinking and extravagant love—a theme that runs throughout Jesus’ ministry.
John 12:1-8 (NRSVue)
1 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.
3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus's feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said,
5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?"
6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)
7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.
8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
Key Insights
Mary’s anointing is an act of defiant love—she sees Jesus for who he truly is and responds with devotion.
Judas represents a mindset of scarcity and control, contrasting with Mary’s abundance and surrender.
Jesus does not dismiss the poor but challenges a false righteousness that uses justice as a cover for selfishness.
How do we embody Mary’s kind of love in a world that often prioritizes efficiency over deep connection?
Tuesday, 4.1.25 - Philippians 3:4b-14
Introduction
Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, written around 60–62 CE, is one of his most personal and joyful letters, despite being written from prison. In this passage, Paul reflects on his past—a life shaped by status, law, and personal achievement—and declares that he now considers all of it “rubbish” compared to knowing Christ.
This is a radical shift: Paul is moving from a faith based on credentials and perfectionism to a faith based on trust and transformation. He describes faith as a journey, always pressing forward toward a greater reality in Christ.
Philippians 3:4b-14 (NRSVue)
4b If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.
8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.
10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,
11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Key Insights
Paul is not dismissing his past but recognizing that true identity is found in relationship, not accomplishment.
Faith is not static; it is a journey of becoming.
Letting go of ego and status is necessary for experiencing real transformation.
Where are we clinging to old identities instead of embracing the newness Christ offers?
Wednesday, 4.2.25 - Isaiah 43:16-21
Introduction
The Book of Isaiah spans multiple historical periods, and this section, written during Israel’s exile in Babylon (6th century BCE), offers a word of hope to a people longing for restoration. The prophet reminds them of God’s past faithfulness—leading them through the Red Sea—but then challenges them not to dwell on the past because God is doing a new thing.
This passage is about divine creativity and liberation—God is not bound by old patterns, and neither are we.
Isaiah 43:16-21 (NRSVue)
16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18 Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old.
19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
20 The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people,
21 the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.
Key Insights
God’s past faithfulness is a foundation, but not a limitation—faith calls us to expect newness.
Exile is not the end of the story; transformation is possible.
God’s liberation is not just about restoring the past but about creating a new future.
Are we open to seeing God’s work beyond what we expect or assume?
Thursday, 4.3.25 - Psalm 126
Introduction
Psalm 126 is a song of joy and restoration, likely written after Israel’s return from exile. It acknowledges both past deliverance and present longing, recognizing that while restoration has begun, the fullness of God’s promise is still unfolding.
This psalm speaks to the reality that faith often holds both joy and longing, celebration and struggle, at the same time.
Psalm 126 (NRSVue)
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them."
3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
Key Insights
Faith holds space for both joy and longing—God’s work is ongoing.
Past restoration gives us confidence in future renewal.
Those who “sow in tears” will reap with joy—grief is not the end of the story.
Where do we need to trust that God is still at work in our lives?
Friday, 4.4.25 - Find the Intersections
1. Extravagant Love vs. Calculated Control
Mary’s anointing of Jesus is an act of uninhibited love (John 12).
Paul abandons status and self-righteousness for relationship with Christ (Philippians 3).
Isaiah challenges the people to embrace a future shaped by God’s generosity (Isaiah 43).
2. New Life Requires Letting Go
Paul releases his old identity to move forward in faith (Philippians 3).
God calls Israel to look ahead, not just backward (Isaiah 43).
Psalm 126 holds the tension between remembering and hoping.
3. From Sorrow to Joy
Mary's act of devotion anticipates Jesus' death but also points to resurrection (John 12).
Paul's journey from loss to gain mirrors the paschal mystery (Philippians 3).
Psalm 126 promises that tears will turn to rejoicing.
4. Transformative Devotion
Mary's act transforms a dinner into sacred worship (John 12).
Paul's encounter with Christ transforms his understanding of righteousness (Philippians 3).
God promises to transform the desert into flowing streams (Isaiah 43).
5. Present Hope
Jesus affirms Mary's present act of love over future possibilities (John 12).
Paul presses on toward the goal in the present moment (Philippians 3).
Isaiah calls people to perceive God's new thing happening now (Isaiah 43).
Faith is not about preserving the past but stepping into the new thing God is doing. This week, may we have the courage to embrace transformation and love extravagantly.
