+ EASTER SIX + YEAR A +

Lexegete ™ | Year A | Mark

__________________________________

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER • April 29, 2011

Acts 17:22-31

Psalm 66:8-20 (8)

1 Peter 3:13-22

John 14:15-21 [ or/and John 15:1-8 ]

1a. CONTEXT: John 15:1-8

Our text is a parable within the "Farewell Discourse" of chapters 13-17. A farewell discourse functions to teach about discipleship and has the following elements: talk of death, prediction of hard times, a listing of virtues and vices, a legacy and succession of authority. Our texts contains a virtue and a vice and talk of death. The discourse is aggressive and challenging and functions to put the best face forward in trying times.

The first two verses give the topic of the parable and may come from the early stage of the Johannine community when the Temple cult is being replaced by the new Jesus cult. I date the rest of the parable to the excommunication period.

The Old Testament background is the metaphor of Israel as the vine and God as the vinedresser, cf. Is. 5:1ff. God chooses the vine and judges the vine if it does not produce good grapes, i.e. keep covenant fidelity. This parable has been reworked by the Johannine community. Jesus is now the vine, not Israel. The branches are members of the church. The Father will

judge those members who are not faithful to the new covenant.

1b. TEXT: John 14:15-21 / John 15:1-8

2. ANALYSIS: John 15:1-8

John 15:1 -' Ego eimi 'he ampelos 'he 'alethine, kai ho pater mou ho georgos

'estin - "I am the true vine" does not equal "I am" in the divine sense,

according to most commentators. In viewing this parable from the

excommunication period I read "I am" in the divine sense. The issue

leading up to the expulsion from the synagogues is found in 5:18, "...called

God his own Father, making himself equal to God." Alethos and its

counterpart, alethinos, found here are vintage Johannine words which mean

"genuine" or "dependable."

15:2 - me pheron karpon -- The new virtue in the Johannine community is

"bearing fruit." This is an aggressive and challenging criterion for

membership in the church. "Bearing fruit" means eternal life, (4:36).

karpon pheron means to die (12:24). It means "loving" others in the group,

i.e. laying down one's life for one's friends (15:13).

"Bearing fruit" is to do what Jesus did, keep the Father's commandment,

10:18. This new virtue means the death of members of the church as it

meant for Jesus, (16:2). It functions to help members feel good about

their excommunication from the synagogue. The opposite of this is the

new vice, "not bearing fruit." This may refer to the "crypto-Christians"

who didn't want to express their faith publicly for fear of expulsion from

the synagogues. 12:42-43. (See Brown, THE COMMUNITY OF THE BELOVED

DISCIPLE, pp. 22, 71). It may also refer to other believers who lacked

genuine faith and left the church, (6:60-66).

katharei - is a double meaning word. In the agricultural sense it means to

remove or cut off dead or living parts or branches of a plant to improve its

growth or shape. Yet this is what is going to happen to the members who

don't bear fruit. Vawter (see JEROME BIBLICAL COMMENTARY 63:148) notes

this word-play. To the members of the Johannine community, katharizo

meant purified or cleansed (cf. 13:10,11). They have already been purified

through hearing and receiving Christ's words and abiding with him. "Being

purified" means being bold and risking one's life. Hence ultimate

purification comes from dying, not from Jewish purity rites. This teaching on discipleship is consistent with the synoptics, cf. Mark

8:34-6, but has a highly sectarian flavor here.

15:6 - kai synagousin auta kai eis to pur ballousin kai kaietai--The

sectarian language continues here and echoes verse 2. In reaction to their

expulsion from the synagogues, the community is tightening group

membership. They are advocating the excommunication of members who

are unwilling to go public with their faith. One has to do what Jesus did or

be expelled from the church.

15:7 - 'ean meinete 'en emoi kai ta remata mou en humin meine, ho ean

thelete aitesasthe kai geneisetai humin -- "Abiding" (meinete) is a key

word in the fourth gospel. In 1:33 the Spirit abided on Jesus which

signified his holiness/purity. The former disciples of the baptizer abided

with Jesus in 1:39 and Jesus abided with the Samaritans in 4:40. The

"abiding" resulted in their belief in Christ and their holiness/purity as

linked to Jesus' holiness. If one abides with Jesus that person is holy and

pure in the covenant community. "Ask whatever you will, and it shall be

done for you." This promise is repeated in 15:16 and 16:23-24. It is the

promise of the Holy Spirit (14:15-17,26) who will be Christ's legacy, and

will guide, comfort, and continue to teach them, 16:13l. The promise

implies peace and joy (15:11, 16:24) and ultimately eternal life (4:36).

15:8 - en touto edoxasthe ho pater mou, hina karpon polun pherete kai

geneisthe 'emoi mathetai -- Death leads to glorification (21:19). Just as

God was glorifieda through Jesus' death (13:31,32), so will God be

glorified through the deaths of the disciples. This functions to make death

acceptable. There are going to be hard times and you will die, but that

will bring about your eternal joy with God.

The parable is written for members of the Johannine community during a

trying time. Earlier sign faith was good enough for membership. Later, cf.

4:4-42, faith based on Jesus' words was the criteria for membership.

Now doing works or "bearing fruit" is the new criteria for membership.

By laying down their lives the Johannine Christians will prove their

discipleship.

3. STRATEGY: John 15:1-8

In keeping with the Easter season and upcoming Rogation days, I

want to use the vine metaphor for a sermon on Discipleship. I suggest

pointing out the sectarian attitude of the Johannine community during this

stage of development particularly with regard to membership criteria. a I

would contrast this with the other membership model of the Church which

emphasizes building up the body. As an illustration, I would point out that

a gardener prunes and ties back large, leafy, viney plants like cucumbers

or squash, so other plants have an opportunity to grow in the garden.

Staying with the metaphor, it is clearly the case that sometimes in the

church we see some fellow members of the body who are overshadowed or

in some obstructed by others, perhaps even by ourselves. Sometimes we

must learn not only how to lead or point to "the way," but to know when we

are standing in the way of others' growth in grace. As Christ's disciples,

it bodes well for us to be " pruned " by Word and Sacrament, so that other

members have an opportunity to grow in their faith as well. A sermon

along these lines, coming at this time in the calendar year, might link up

easily with the preoccupations of those who are cultivating gardens or

pruning their vines.

4. REFERENCES: John 15:1-8

Brown, Raymond E. THE COMMUNITY OF THE BELOVED DISCIPLE. New York,

NY: Paulist Press, 1979.

Vawter, Bruce, C.M. "The Gospel According to St. John," ch. 63 of THE

JEROME BIBLICAL COMMENTARY, ed. R.E. Brown, J.A. Fitzmyer and R.O.

Murphy. Englewood Cliffs,N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968.

5. MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: John 15:1-8

For the imagery of vines and growth, I particularly like the following for

this Sunday:

THOU HALLOWED CHOSEN MORN OF PRAISE (HB 198),

NOW THE GREEN BLADE RISETH (HB 204, LBW 148), if not used previously

during this Easter Season.

WE PLOW THE FIELDS AND SCATTER (HB 291, LBW 362).

To capture some of the flavor of the Johannine community described

above, a good choice would be:

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, GIVE THANKS TO THE RISEN LORD! (HB 178).

Some other possible hymns for today are as follows:

SON OF GOD, ETERNAL SAVIOR (LBW 364)

DEAR CHRISTIANS, ONE AND ALL (LBW 299)

NOW WE JOIN IN CELEBRATION (LBW 203)

SENT FORTH BY GOD'S BLESSING (Ash Grove: LBW221).

Exegete: Lance B. Almeida †

6. FURTHER READING: John 14:15-21

Today's reading is one of the few occasions during Year A where the

LBW Lectionary and the New Common Lectionary are in agreement while

the Book of Common Prayer Lectionary diverges. Since this is the

exception rather than the rule [and since John 14:15-21 reappears in Year

B of the BCP Lectionary], we have covered Jn. 15:1-8 this week. A few notes and one reference on John 14:15-21 follow. While it is not the "final" word of Easter, it does convey a mood of farewell which carries over from John 14:1-14. It is clear that the closest followers of Jesus are apt to feel cast adrift in the wake of Jesus'

presence among them. The Spirit is promised as a parakletos, for comfort

and counsel(see Jn. 14:15-17, 25-6). This theme is picked up in the readings for Pentecost in the BCP Lectionary under Jn. 14:8-17.

One of the central features of this pericope as well as others in John is

the bold fusion of love and loyalty in Jesus' way of speaking, especially in

14:21--"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, that is the one

who loves me; and all who love me will be loved by God, and I will love

them and manifest myself to them" (AILL). To fully comprehend this , it

is important to use the word "love" with the utmost care. The passage is

referring specifically to the verb 'agapao, not to some romantic notion of

"love." But in our attempt to "agapize" the love we see around us , we

often end up explaining it away, do we not? One strategy for preaching

this text may be not to preach it but teach it, i.e., to illuminate the

whole way in which the church speaks of love. Without setting up straw

persons, examples of contemporary distortions of "love" are readily

available. Likewise, careful observation reveals many valid and vivid

illustrations of agape in the life of God's people, in our own personal lives

and even in the daily papers. If not, we are--of all who commend or

command "love "--most miserable!

But it is crucial that we not lapse into snap formulations that make a

law out of love. The Fourth Evangelist is not here laying down a new law.

Instead, he is describing for us the conditions under which it is truly

possible to live by the commandments of Jesus by loving one another.

An apt analogy for this union/communion, even in this age of

disintegration, is Marriage, something mysterious and sacramental. The

vows in the Book of Common Prayer (1979) and others like them, say little or

nothing of "obedience" in marriage, yet it is hard to conceive of an open

and honest marriage which excluded sheer, mutual obedience, that love

may abound. (Obviously, we are not speaking here of the one-way

obedience of one spouse to the other as ritualized in the not too distant

past, but a shared, loving, two-way obedience.)

Finally, it is possible to see in this farewell message of Jesus a glimpse

into the future, not only the Parousia (14: 18f.) , but also a future that is

brimming with the energy and synergy that obtains in the love of God and the grace of God (compare 14:12-14 with 14:21). This passage is not a job description for sainthood, but it is a message of hope and joy for sinners who simply come to "know" Jesus.

Lexegete™ © 2011

by Tischrede Software

Dartmouth, Massachusetts

http://www.Yourobdtsvt.blogspot.com

+ L E N T + F I V E + AD, 2011 +

Lexegete™ | Year A | Matthew

Fifth Sunday in Lent • April 10, 2011

Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 130 (5)
Romans 8:6-11
John 11:1-45

Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, your Son came into the world

to free us all from sin and death. Breathe upon

us the power of your Spirit, that we may be

raised to new life in Christ and serve you

in righteousness all our days, through

Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who

lives and reigns with you and the

Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation
I am the resurrection | and the life;
whoever believes in me will | never die. (John 11:25, 26)

1a. CONTEXT - John 11: 1-45

Our text occurs near the end of the first half of John. In this section Jesus reveals to the world glory (doksa)--both his and the Father's (2:1-12:50). In the next section (13:1-20:29) Jesus receives glory, the height of which is his crucifixion. Our passage, together with chapter 12, is the transition from the first part of the gospel to the second. It gives the narrative motivation for the succeeding chapters: namely, the resurrection of Lazarus by Jesus, which serves to crystallize into a

definite plot the opposition of the religious leaders. (On theories of sources, including the semeia source, editing, and possible Synoptic connections see Haenchen, 67-69; and Schnackenburg, 318-20, 341-44.)

The author is unknown to us. In recent years his community has been identified as being in Asia Minor, Syria, and possibly even Samaria. The usual date assigned to the final version is somewhere in the 90's.

1b. TEXT- John 11: 1-45 (ESV)

11:1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus [1] was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, [2] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles [3] off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. [4] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, [46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.]

NOTES

[1] 11:6 Greek he; also verse 17


[2] 11:16 Greek Didymus

[3] 11:18 Greek fifteen stadia; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters

[4] 11:25 Some manuscripts omit and the life

2. ANALYSIS- John 11: 1-45

John 11:1-4 Scene 1 - Message to Jesus; Jesus' Response. The name Lazarus immediately connects this chapter with chapter 12 (12:1, 9, 17).

Vs. 2 makes a similar connection to 12: 1-8, the annointing for burial performed by Mary. Jesus responds oddly to the sisters' message, predicting that Lazarus will not die and that his illness is (a) huper teis doxeis tou theou; and (b) hina doxasthe ho huios tou theou. Jesus throughout this gospel seeks the glory of the Father (7:18, e.g.); in seeking the Father's glory, Jesus himself is glorified, since he and the Father are one. How will the upcoming action glorify them? First, through the revealing of the life-giving power in Jesus, and secondly, by leading to the cross, which is the final and greatest glorification (12:16, 23, 28; 13:31-33;17:1, 4-5).

11:5-16 Scene 2: Jesus and the Disciples. The disciples object to returning to Judea (vs. 8; see 8:59; 10:31, 39), asking Jesus, "Are you going (hupageis) there again?" Elsewhere hupago refers to the threat of death in rather explicit ways (7:3, 8:22), but it more frequently refers to Jesus' returning to the Father (7:33; 8:14, 21;13:3,33,36; 14:4,5,28; 16:5, 10,17).

The way by which he returns is the crucifixion. It is therefore interesting that in 11:44, Jesus directs the bystanders to "Unbind him, and let him go" (hypagein). It is the act of Jesus in "hypago-ing" Lazarus that provides the opportunity for him to hypago to the Father (see also 12:11). Jesus explains his euphemism about Lazarus' death (vs. 15)! hina pisteusete foreshadows the meaning and function of the Lazarus event. Thomas reminds us once again that this entry into Judea will result in Jesus' death (vs. 16).

11:7-17 Scene 3: Jesus and Martha. The word "tomb" mnemeion (vs.17), assumes an unusual importance. It is used in John in three settings: (a) in 5:28-29 Jesus predicts the nearness ofthe hour when all in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God and come forth; at one level, that is exactly what is to happen in this miracle story; (b) in our current pericope

in verses. 17, 31, and 38; (c) in the burial and resurrection of Jesus (19:41, 42; 20:1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 11). Thus Lazarus and Jesus are closely linked by the use of the term.

Martha expresses her confidence in Jesus (vs. 21), and vs. 22, with its kai nyn oida, carries a strong confessional sense. At the center of the miracle story is the great revelation in vs. 25a: 'ego eimi he 'anastasis kai he zoe. Jesus is the Revealer; as in the other ego eimi sayings, he here reveals who he is. Yet that is not to say that in some metaphysical sense Jesus "is" resurrection and life. Rather, the nouns describe what Jesus does for humanity: i.e., he raises and gives life to the

one who believes in him. While Martha expects a future resurrection of the dead, the one with the resurrection power stands before her now.

The death in vs. 25b is biological death; such death does not end the life found in Jesus. The death of vs. 26 is death in relationship to God (spiritual death), a death which is not possible for the believer (note the ou mh of vs. 26a). The significance of believing is underlined by Jesus' final question, "Do you believe this?" Martha's confession in vs. 27 is solemn and formal: she calls him kyrie, and says, pepisteuka, literally,

" I have believed" (the perfect tense), which has the sense of "I firmly believe."

11:28-37 Scene 4: Jesus, Mary, and the Jews. While she repeats the first sentence of her sister (ves. 32 and 21), Mary's faith is only at the miracle-working stage; she is unable to take the next step taken by Martha. The reaction of Jesus in vs. 33 is anger.

The verb is 'enebrimesato, which literally means to snort like a horse. It is normally used for anger (Mark 1:43, 14:5, e.g.). He is angry at the inability of Mary and the Jews to understand who he is (vss. 25-26). They wail (klaiontas) and mourn, while Life stands before them. And so when these unseeing people tell Jesus to "come and see" (vs. 34), he can only weep (edakrysen). Vs/ 37 reminds the reader of 9:1-34, the healing of the blind man. By recalling that episode, John links the healing of the blind man and the raising of the dead man. Who is Jesus? He is and Light and the Life of humanity.

11:38-44 Scene 5: Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead. Once more Jesus snorts like a horse, this time at the remark in vs. 37. In vs. 39 Jesus commands; Martha objects, but she has good reason. The common belief among Jews at the time was that the soul stayed with the body for three days; after that period the soul entered the realm of the dead and the body began to decay. By the fourth day there is no possibility that the soul can reenter the body. Besides that, by now "he stinks" (hozei). Jesus' response in vs. 40 once more reminds us of earlier themes: vss. 4, 25-26. The key, though, as in the earlier exchange with Martha, is believing. Only by faith can one identify in the miracles the glory of God.

The miracle itself is characteristically brief and emphasizes the power of Jesus' effective word. The soudarion (vs. 44) was a cloth band that went over the head and under the chin; it was used to keep closed the mouth of the corpse. In John the word is used only here and for Jesus in 20:7, where, however, the soudarion had been laid aside in his resurrection. Jesus will leave behind forever the burial clothes which Lazarus will have once again to don.

11:45-53 Scene 6: Reactions. The fear of the leaders is outlined in vss. 47-48: Jesus and his signs are too popular. As more believe in him (as Messiah? see 6: 14-15) the Romans will become interested and will destroy "our place," meaning the temple ("holy" is not in the Greek) as well as the nation. To that Caiaphas responds, vss. 49-50. At one level, his statement simply means tht it would be better to get rid of one man,

Jesus, so that the nation and its institutions (including the positions of the priests and Pharisees!) could continue. At another level, the meaning is that Jesus dies for the nation and for the scattered children, i.e., the Gentiles, thus creating one new people of God (cf. the oneness theme in 17:11, 21-23). The final result of the meeting is the coalescence of disgruntled feelings into a definite plan (vs. 53). Jesus, the giver of life to Lazarus, must die.

3. STRATEGY- John 11: 1-45

One of the difficulties in preaching on this text on this Sunday is the proximity of Passion Sunday and Easter Sunday over the following two weeks. It will be difficult to avoid preaching about resurrection!

Perhaps the provisional nature of the "resurrection" of Lazarus (really a temporary resuscitation) can serve as a brake to our overly much anticipating Easter.

What then can be dealt with?

(a) Jesus glorifies the Father; the Father will glorify Jesus. But how?

Through the cross. An exploration of the topic of true glory, particularly given the current penchant in popular American religion for gloryland theology, could be quite helpful.

(b) At this point in Lent a consideration of the place of belief in Jesus and the meaning of his death would be most appropriate; one could built especially on vss. 25-26, 40, 42.

(c) Christ brings life to humanity; humanity in turn tries to kill the life-giver.

(d) Through faith God frees us to live life as God intended us to live. This theme would be especially approppriate if the first two lessons were used.

(e) Christ gives (eternal) life now. One could explore the Johannine idea--frightening that it is--that there is nothing the believer or unbeliever will have in the eschatological future besides what she or he has now. Life and death are present tense experiences.

4. REFERENCES - John 11: 1-45

Brown, Raymond E. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN (i-xii). Anchor Bible 29. Garden City: Doubleday, l966.

Bultmann, Rudolf. THE GOSPEL OF JOHN: A COMMENTARY, trans. G.R. Beasley-Murray, gen. ed. Philadelphia: Westminster, l971.

Haenchen, Ernst. JOHN 2: A COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN CHAPTERS 7-21. trans. Robert W. Funk. Hermeneia. Philadelphia: Fortress, l984.

Kysar, Robert. JOHN. Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament.

Minneapolis: Augsburg, l986.

Schein, Bruce E. FOLLOWING THE WAY: THE SETTING OF JOHN'S GOSPEL. Minneapolis: Augsburg, l980.

Schnackenburg, Rudolf. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN, Volume 2. trans. Cecily Hastings et al. London: Burns & Oates, l980.

5. MUSIC SUGGESTIONS- John 11: 1-45

AN EXCELLENT ENTRANCE HYMN IS LBW #265 (HB 6/7) , "Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies," especially if the glory theme from John is developed.

Two hymns are good sermon possibilities: LBW #97, "Christ, the Life of All the Living" and LBW # 464, "You Are the Way." Both would work well with the theme of life.

LBW #207, "We Who Once Were Dead" would be an excellent communion hymn, as would LBW #210(HB 174), "At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing," especially vss. 1-5.

ELW SUGGESTIONS:

Gathering: Through the Night of Doubt ands SOrrow (ELW 327, LBW 355)

The Day: Abide with Me (ELW 629, LBW 272)

Offertory: Come to the Table – 481

Communion: My Faith Looks Up to Thee (ELW 759, LBW 479)

Sending: In the Cross of Christ I GLory (ELW 324, LBW 104)

Exegete: Walter F. Taylor, Jr.

Dr. Taylor is the Ernest W. and Edith S. Ogram Professor

of New Testament Studies, and Director of

Graduate Studies at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.

6. FURTHER READING

For an interesting examination of the Easter theme of Resurrection,

see the work RESURRECTION, by Pheme Perkins ( Garden City,NY:

Doubleday, 1984). Perkins, a member of the theology faculty at Boston

College is one of the outstanding New Testament theologians today.

she received her PhD from Harvard and has published numerous books and articles in the field of New Testament studies. Hers is the rare ability to be able to bridge the great gulf that exists between the academic specialists in thelogy and ordinary laypersons (Luther's "simple ploughmen"). RESURRECTION has been compared with Raymond Brown's BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH for its thoroughness and thoughtfulness. During the brouhaha over the “gospel” of Judas a few years ago, Perkins issued an Excellent critique in AMERICA:

http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=4814

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