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Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A, April 13, 2008

First reading, Acts 2:14a, 36-41

The Literary Situation: This is the ringing conclusion of the apostle Peter's first public preaching (and continuation of last Sunday's first reading). The passage is also a summary of the whole gospel message: Who Jesus is, how he saves us, and how we should respond. It deserves a strong, dignified proclamation.

The Theological Background: The titles "Lord" and "Christ" have more significance than meets the eye. "Lord" was a title reserved for God alone. When early Christians realized that God had been made flesh in the person of Jesus, they dared to give him this divine title. "Christ" is the Greek form of the Hebrew word "Messiah," meaning anointed one, that is to say "king," which is to say "long-awaited successor to Kind David," and so the fulfillment of all the hopes based on memory of David's glorious reign. That's what it means to give Jesus the title "Christ."

Your Proclamation: So Peter is telling people: You crucified your God and Messiah, but he has risen from death and offers you forgiveness of your sins. Of course they were cut to the heart. Your job as lector is to let today's congregation hear words that have that power.

So pause dramatically between the words of Peter's last sentence:

"God ... has ... made ... both... LORD ... and ... CHRIST ...... this Jesus whom you crucified."

Don't be afraid of overdoing it. It should give you, the lector, goose pimples to proclaim this; the congregation's response will be milder, but significant, which is just right.

Second Reading, 1 Peter 2:20b-25.


Our Liturgical Setting: The second reading continues our journey through the first letter of Peter. The "shepherd" reference in the last verse links this to the day's gospel.

Proclaiming It: Three kinds of contrast call for our attention and expressive proclamation:

Keep these contrasts in mind; pretend your hearers don't have the text in front of them. You'll know what to do at the lectern.
Several other commentaries on these passages. All are thoughtful, all quite readable, from the scholarly to the popular.
Links may be incomplete more than a few weeks before the "due date."
Lutheran pastor and college teacher Dan Nelson's notes for a study group:
Dan covered our first reading on April 14,
and covers our second reading and gospel today. 		Father Roger Karban's 2002 reflections on these readings

his 2005 column

and his 1999 column on the same readings

Father Karban's most recent columns

Father Frank Cleary's 2002 column from the Saint Louis Review. The Text This Week; links to homilies, art works, movies and other resources on the week's scripture themes Saint Louis University's excellent new site for Liturgy preparation

Most welcome here is Reginald Fuller's commentary on all the readings.

The Lectionary selections in the frame at the left, if any, are there for your convenience. The publishers of the page in that frame have no connection, except for membership in the one Body of Christ, with the publisher of this page. Likewise the publishers of the pages on the links above.

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Last modified: Sat Mar 12 15:14:58 CST 2005