Sunday, April 5, 2020

Maundy Thurs, Good Fri, Holy Sat Readings & Commentaries


Maundy Thursday


The Collect of the Day
Almighty Father, whose dear Son on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood:  Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

1st Reading:  Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14
In chapter 11 of Exodus, God has declared the tenth and final plague he will bring upon the Egyptians, that of the death of the first-born, both human and livestock.  Before the plague begins, he introduces the celebration of the Passover, which will become Israel’s greatest yearly celebration.  It marks how the Israelites were spared this plague, by a “passing over” the Israelite houses with blood on their doorposts and lintels.  Passover in Hebrew is pesach, hence the word that most languages use for the Easter feast, and we use in English as an “Easter adjective,” paschal.

12:1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:  2 This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. 4 If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.
[5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7 They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10 You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.]
11 This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

Psalm 116:1, 10-17
Psalm 116 is part of a collection of psalms (113-118) recited during Passover, and sometimes referred to as the “Hallel” psalms. Psalm 116 is a long thanksgiving for healing, the latter portion of which has also been associated with Maundy Thursday because of the “lifting up of the cup” image. The “cup of salvation” could also be translated the “cup of freedom.”  As we begin the Psachal Triduum, we are reminded that it is our liberation from bondage that is at stake.

1     I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of
                           my supplication, *
              because he has inclined his ear to me whenever
                           I called upon him.
10   How shall I repay the Lord *
              for all the good things he has done for me?
11   I will lift up the cup of salvation *
              and call upon the Name of the Lord.
12   I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
              in the presence of all his people.
13   Precious in the sight of the Lord *
              is the death of his servants.
14   O Lord, I am your servant; *
              I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
              you have freed me from my bonds.
15   I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
              and call upon the Name of the Lord.
16   I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
              in the presence of all his people,
17   In the courts of the Lord’s house, *
              in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.  Hallelujah!

2nd Reading:  1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Paul’s brief description of the fundamental acts of the Eucharist is important because it repeats what is found in the Gospel story of the Last Supper, indicating the very early adoption of this liturgical remembrance and proclamation. Paul adds an interpretation:  when we do this, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”  This does not negate the resurrection but acknowledges that the fulfillment of resurrection will happen when “he comes.” It might be helpful to understand what Paul means here by recalling Jesus’ three-fold claim in John’s Gospel that when he is lifted up, he will draw all people to himself (John 3:14, 8:28 and 12:32).

11:23 I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Gospel Reading:  John 13:1-17, 31b-35
John does not tell the Last Supper story we expect. Instead “during supper” (which here is not the Passover meal), Jesus begins his final teaching with a profound act that summarizes not only his teaching but his way of life. Jesus becomes the servant. Peter resists and Jesus is sharp with him (echoes of the “Who do you say that I am?” incident in the synoptic Gospels). The new commandment Jesus gives is more than calling his disciples to love one another, but to do so as Jesus has loved them, as servant.

13:1 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 31b Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”



Good Friday

The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

1st Reading:  Isaiah 52:13—53:12
Our first reading is the fourth of the “Servant Songs” from the prophet Isaiah, originally written about 539 b.c.e., some six hundred years before the death of Jesus.  This poem was striking in ancient Israel, seeing the power of God revealed in weakness.  It is no wonder that Christians many centuries later would use it to help make sense of Jesus’ death—that God has chosen this way to make his people whole.

52:13 See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 Just as there were many who were astonished at him—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals—15 so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. 53:1 Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. 4 Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. 9 They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. 11 Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Psalm 22
Psalm 22 has long been associated with Holy Week.  The first line is what Jesus is said to have announced from the cross in Mark’s and Matthew’s Gospel.  As a whole it is a psalm of lament, a plea to be rescued from enemies.  It puts forward one of the great questions of faith:  Why do the faithful suffer?

1     My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *
                 and are so far from my cry
                 and from the words of my distress?
2     O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *
                 by night as well, but I find no rest.
3     Yet you are the Holy One, *
                 enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4     Our forefathers put their trust in you; *
                 they trusted, and you delivered them.
5     They cried out to you and were delivered; *
                 they trusted in you and were not put to shame.
6     But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *
                 scorned by all and despised by the people.
7     All who see me laugh me to scorn; *
                 they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,
8     “He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; *
                 let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”
9     Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *
                 and kept me safe upon my mother’s breast.
10   I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *
                 you were my God when I was still in my mother’s womb.
11   Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *
                 and there is none to help.
12   Many young bulls encircle me; *
                 strong bulls of Bashan surround me.
13   They open wide their jaws at me, *
                 like a ravening and a roaring lion.
14   I am poured out like water;
       all my bones are out of joint; *
                 my heart within my breast is melting wax.
15   My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;
       my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *
                 and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.
16   Packs of dogs close me in,
       and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *
                 they pierce my hands and my feet;
                 I can count all my bones.
17   They stare and gloat over me; *
                 they divide my garments among them;
                 they cast lots for my clothing.
18   Be not far away, O Lord; *
                 you are my strength; hasten to help me.
19   Save me from the sword, *
                 my life from the power of the dog.
20   Save me from the lion’s mouth, *
                 my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.
21   I will declare your Name to my brethren; *
                 in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.
22   Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *
                 stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;
                 all you of Jacob’s line, give glory.
23   For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;
       neither does he hide his face from them; *
                 but when they cry to him he hears them.
24   My praise is of him in the great assembly; *
                 I will perform my vows in the presence of those who
                                                       worship him.
25   The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
       and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *
                 “May your heart live for ever!”
26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, *
                 and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.
27   For kingship belongs to the Lord; *
                 he rules over the nations.
28   To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *
                 all who go down to the dust fall before him.
29   My soul shall live for him;
                 my descendants shall serve him; *
                 they shall be known as the Lord’s for ever.
30   They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *
                 the saving deeds that he has done.

2nd Reading:  Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
In the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus is the final and eternal high priest, who has shared the human condition and so enables us to “receive mercy and find grace.” Melchizedek is the mysterious priest-king who Abraham encounters in Genesis 14:17-20, and who is mentioned in Psalm 110:4.  The writer uses this figure to underscore Jesus’ independent high priesthood, dependent on nothing but his own sacrifice.

4:14 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Or this

2nd Reading:  Hebrews 10:16-25
Our second reading begins with a quote from Jeremiah 31:33-34.  The writer of Hebrews asserts that Jesus has inaugurated this new covenant, which consists primarily of the forgiveness of sins. He has achieved this by becoming the great high priest who has entered the sanctuary for the final and decisive time. Our response is to remain faithful to his promise and strengthen one another. Another translation of verse 24 is, “Let us keep holding one another in our thoughts such that an explosion of love and good works results.”

10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,” says the Lord:  “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,” 17 he also adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19 Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Gospel Reading:  John 18:1—19:42
John’s account of the passion differs in many respects from the other Gospel writers.  Here Jesus is much more confident and in control and remains so until the very end when he decides when it is time to “give up his spirit.”  Jesus has talked about his “lifting up” three times in John’s Gospel.  He promised then he would draw the whole world to himself.  In fact, what he does is make a new family, not born of blood, but of his spirit.

18:1 Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5 They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. 11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” 12 So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. 15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17 The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. 19 Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20 Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. 28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32 (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) 33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. 39 But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 40 They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.

19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3 They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9 He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” 13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16 Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; 17 and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.

The People Stand.

18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 25 And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

A period of silence is observed.

31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35 (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36 These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”

38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.



Holy Saturday

The Collect of the Day
Almighty Father, whose dear Son on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood:  Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

1st Reading:  Job 14:1-14
In our first reading, Job reflects on death.

14:1 A mortal, born of woman, few of days and full of trouble, 2 comes up like a flower and withers, flees like a shadow and does not last. 3 Do you fix your eyes on such a one? Do you bring me into judgment with you? 4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one can. 5 Since their days are determined, and the number of their months is known to you, and you have appointed the bounds that they cannot pass, 6 look away from them, and desist, that they may enjoy, like laborers, their days. 7 For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. 8 Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground, 9 yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth branches like a young plant. 10 But mortals die, and are laid low; humans expire, and where are they? 11 As waters fail from a lake, and a river wastes away and dries up, 12 so mortals lie down and do not rise again; until the heavens are no more, they will not awake or be roused out of their sleep. 13 O that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14 If mortals die, will they live again? All the days of my service I would wait until my release should come.

Or this

1st Reading:  Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24
Our first reading reflects on death as an affliction brought on by God, but by the end of the reading the turn is made to hope.  God’s faithfulness trumps his wrath.

3:1 I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath; 2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; 3 against me alone he turns his hand, again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and broken my bones; 5 he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; 6 he has made me sit in darkness like the dead of long ago. 7 He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has put heavy chains on me; 8 though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; 9 he has blocked my ways with hewn stones, he has made my paths crooked. 19 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! 20 My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16

1      I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of
                                my supplication, *
                because he has inclined his ear to me whenever
                                I called upon him.
10   How shall I repay the Lord *
                for all the good things he has done for me?
11   I will lift up the cup of salvation *
                and call upon the Name of the Lord.
12   I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
                in the presence of all his people.
13   Precious in the sight of the Lord *
                is the death of his servants.
14   O Lord, I am your servant; *
                I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
                you have freed me from my bonds.
15   I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
                and call upon the Name of the Lord.
16   I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
                in the presence of all his people,
17   In the courts of the Lord’s house, *
                in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

2nd Reading:  1 Peter 4:1-8
Our second reading includes the belief held by the early church that between his death and resurrection Jesus descended to the realm of the dead, to offer the Gospel to those trapped there. Orthodox icons depict this by showing Jesus standing on the broken gates of hell, lifting Adam and Eve to new life.

4:1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), 2 so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God. 3 You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme. 5 But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does. 7 The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 27:57-66
Our Gospel reading is Matthew’s version of the burial of Jesus, which uniquely includes the story of the religious’ leaders attempt to forestall any talk of resurrection.

27:57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Or this

Gospel Reading:  John 19:38-42
John’s story of Jesus burial includes two key characters who have appeared earlier in John’s Gospel: Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. This gives witness to the truth that not all the religious leaders were foes of Jesus.

19:38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

The Scripture quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  All rights reserved.  The Collect of the Day and the Psalm translation are from The Book of Common Prayer.  Commentaries are copyright © 2020, Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY  14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All rights reserved. Permission is given to copy for group study.

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