Lectionary 14/05/2026
- Ascension Day - Years ABC
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God had gone up with a shout
God had gone up with a shout
by Andrew Pratt
God had gone up with a shout, sound the trumpets, humble humanity raised into light. Stunned by the after-shock, standing in wonder, orphaned disciples were thrust into night. Ours is their heritage born out of history, yet God transcends all the life that we know: grounding and …
There we were, off up a mountain again
There we were, off up a mountain again
by Andrew Pratt
Dramatic monologue: There we were, off up a mountain again Ascension Acts 1: 1-11 There we were, off up a mountain again. My legs were aching. Not as young as I used to be. Near the summit, thank goodness, but I expect he could hear me moaning. He turned and faced us. Was it imag…
Up! Up and away! Was it really that crazy
Up! Up and away! Was it really that crazy
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: Up! Up and away! Was it really that crazy Ascension Acts 1: 1 – 11; Acts 1: 6 – 14; Psalm 47; Luke 24: 44 – 53 Up! Up and away! Was it really that crazy? Seems too much like magic, so hard to believe. His ministry ended. The cross was behind him. Disciples commissioned, so …
Gazing up to heaven
Gazing up to heaven
by Marjorie Dobson
Meditation: Gazing up into heaven Ascension Acts 1: 1-11 Gazing up into heaven can often seem much safer than coming down to earth. In the heavens there are stars and planets and vast spaces to wonder at. Lost in contemplation, the worries of the world become insignificant and fa…
Psalm 47 - with Caution - Monologue
Psalm 47 - with Caution - Monologue
by Marjorie Dobson
Psalm 47 – with caution - monologue Ascension Psalm 47 1. Sit on your hands, people, or hold them firmly to your sides; whisper your praise to God, but not too emotionally. 2. God is a Vast Presence, the Unseen Power over everything on earth. 3. He’s won all our battles for us an…
Reflection on John 17: 1-11
Reflection on John 17: 1-11
by Marjorie Dobson
Reflection on John 17: 1-11 Ascension John 17: 1-11 Facing the biggest crisis of his life, with friends ready to betray him and enemies waiting to execute him, Jesus still took time to pray. Though he anticipated death, he believed that God’s glory would be shown as death was d…
Responsive prayer: God of all grace
Responsive prayer: God of all grace
by Marjorie Dobson
Responsive prayer: God of all grace Ascension 1 Peter 4: 12-14, 5: 6-11 God of all grace, you call us to be known as Christians, but warn us that it will not be an easy way to live, so … when injustice is strong, but unstoppable - God, hear our prayer. When we experience, or hear…
Clouds and Glory Year A - Ascension Day - Year A
Clouds and Glory Year A - Ascension Day - Year A
by SPCK - David Adam
Ascension Day Acts 1. 1-11 or Daniel 7. 9-14 : Psalm. 47 or Psalm. 93 : Ephesians 1. 15-23 or Acts 1. 1-11: Luke 24. 44-53 Risen and Ascended Lord, you have promised to be with us always; teach us to be aware of your presence, and to abide in your love, that we may walk in the wa…
Mark for Everyone - Two Extra Endings
Mark for Everyone - Two Extra Endings
by SPCK - N T Wright
Mark For Everyone MARK 16.9–20 Two Extra Endings... ...These are the two ‘extra’ endings of Mark. They are not found in the best manuscripts, but are added in to several others in a bewildering variety of ways. The shorter, first one (in double square brackets) doesn’t have a ver…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Here Comes the Sequel
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Here Comes the Sequel
by SPCK - N T Wright
Here Comes the Sequel!Acts 1.1-5 The English playwright Alan Bennett wrote a famous play about the equally famous madness of a well-known king. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, England had four kings in succession all called ‘George’, and the third of them – George I…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - When, What and How?
Acts for Everyone part 1 - When, What and How?
by SPCK - N T Wright
When, What and How? Acts 1.6-8 ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ Any parent who has been on a car journey with small children will know the question – and the tone of voice in which it’s usually asked. Sometimes the child is so eager (or so bored), so quickly, that the question gets ask…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Ascension!
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Ascension!
by SPCK - N T Wright
Ascension! Acts 1.9-14 We were having supper with some friends who had recently moved to western Canada. ‘So,’ my wife began, ‘does Vancouver feel like home?’ ‘It’s not home,’ replied the wife energetically. ‘It’s heaven!’ ‘Well, my dear,’ commented her husband, a theologian, rep…
Monologue/ drama: The Sceptic
Monologue/ drama: The Sceptic
by Marjorie Dobson
Monologue/ drama: The Sceptic They’re a funny lot, these Jesus-followers! Have you heard the latest tale they’re telling? It seems that their leader has disappeared again – this time he’s gone off up to heaven! Well, I know some of the old stories say that other leaders have been…
Hymn: Beginning with blessing
Hymn: Beginning with blessing
by Andrew Pratt
Beginning with blessing and bounded with praise where earth touches heaven, the birth of new days. A waiting would follow, the Spirit would come, and those who still followed were acting as one. Verse 2 follows Tune: PADERBORN Metre: 11.11.11.11 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words ©…
Hymn: Necessary separation
Hymn: Necessary separation
by Andrew Pratt
Necessary separation, Jesus’ parting frees the saints, now their calling is to action, living love without constraints. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: ANIMAE HOMINUN; ALL FOR JESUS Metre: 8.7.8.7 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 27/4/2012 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, www.sta…
Hymn: We do not know, we cannot tell
Hymn: We do not know, we cannot tell
by Andrew Pratt
We do not know, we cannot tell, the reason or the season, the time of things that are to come, the time of God's completion. At last the spirit will reform, will counter alteration, will clear the way for Love to rule, God's final consummation. The image of a cloud would shape a …
Hymn: When Jesus walked in Galilee
Hymn: When Jesus walked in Galilee
by Michael Docker
When Jesus walked in Galilee The people gathered round To hear him speak of God's own love And marvel at the sound; And marvel at the sound of God Like music all around; When Jesus walked in Galilee The people gathered round When Jesus died on Calvary His followers ran away; The …
Open with God Book - The Ascension Of Christ Prayer
Open with God Book - The Ascension Of Christ Prayer
by Christine Odell
General prayer for worship or meetings Based on Acts 1:1-11 God of today, of yesterday and of tomorrow. we find it very hard to let go of much in our lives; we want to hold on to what we love like the disciples who held on to the ascending Jesus with their heaven-cast eyes...
Luke for Everyone - Jesus' Promise and Ascension
Luke for Everyone - Jesus' Promise and Ascension
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus’ Promise and Ascension Luke 24.36-53 Luke’s closing scene, for all its joy and excitement, brings into focus for us the real problem of what happened at Easter. What sort of a body did Jesus have? How could it at the same time be solid and real, with flesh and bones, able t…
Psalms for Everyone - The Outrageous Confession
Psalms for Everyone - The Outrageous Confession
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Outrageous Confession Psalm 47 In church yesterday we made our usual outrageous confessions, such as the declaration that Jesus is Lord. They are outrageous because the day’s news seems to belie them. Dozens of people have died in an attack on a mosque in Pakistan. Car bombs …
Paul and the Faithfulness of God - The Story Retold: Bible
Paul and the Faithfulness of God - The Story Retold: Bible
by SPCK - N T Wright
Chapter TWO LIKE BIRDS HOVERING OVERHEAD: THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL (ii) The Continuous Story (b) The Story Retold: Bible The long tradition of retelling the story of Israel, not only on the large scale (as in the Pentateuch itself, the books from Joshua through to 2 …
Paul and the Faithfulness of God - The Story Retold : After AD 70
Paul and the Faithfulness of God - The Story Retold : After AD 70
by SPCK - N T Wright
Chapter TWO LIKE BIRDS HOVERING OVERHEAD: THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL (ii) The Continuous Story (d) The Story Retold: After AD 70 It might have appeared that with the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 the great narrative had come to an end. Some of the most important r…
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - The Inheritance and the Spirit
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - The Inheritance and the Spirit
by SPCK - N T Wright
PART 2 PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT PRAYERS OF PAUL THE INHERITANCE AND THE SPIRIT Ephesians 1: 11-14 Not far from where I was born there is an ancient castle. It stands imposingly, high above the banks of a river, defying anyone to attack it. These days, the likely attacks come …
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Knowing the Power of The King
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Knowing the Power of The King
by SPCK - N T Wright
PART 2 PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT PRAYERS OF PAUL KNOWING THE POWER OF THE KING Ephesians 1: 16-19 ‘So how strong is it?’ My friend was showing me his new telescope. It was set up in an upstairs room, looking out towards sea...
PAUL AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD - From Tiberius to Vespasian
PAUL AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD - From Tiberius to Vespasian
by SPCK - N T Wright
2. The Reality of Empire (IV) From Tiberius to Vespasian: AD 14–70 The fifty years after Augustus’s death saw the empire, in terms of the personal rule of the emperor, both consolidated and threatened. Consolidated, in that after a few years of Tiberius’s rule the old republican …
The Living God - Forebears of faith: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
The Living God - Forebears of faith: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
by SPCK - Alister McGrath
Which God Are We Talking About? 1 Forebears of faith: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Everyone loves exploring their family history. Sometimes it’s just because we enjoy finding out things about the past. I was fascinated to discover that a relative had been one of the last people to ge…
The Living God - A Personal God: love and faithfulness
The Living God - A Personal God: love and faithfulness
by SPCK - Alister McGrath
A personal God: love and faithfulness 2 Every educationalist knows that one of the best teaching aids is a memorable image. Here’s a one-liner from the journalist Sydney J. Harris (1917– 86) that I came across years ago when trying to work out how best to instil the basics of Chr…
LWPT Meditations - Ascension Day - Year A
LWPT Meditations - Ascension Day - Year A
by Susan Thorne
Meditation – Ascension Day Acts 1:1-11 Psalm 93 Ephesians 1:15-23 give you the spirit Luke 24:44-53 Luke tells us twice about the Ascension, when Jesus returned to heaven to be with the Father. In his gospel, the Ascension account rounds off the entire story of Jesus’ earthly lif…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Is the Earth Vulnerable?
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Is the Earth Vulnerable?
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Is the Earth Vulnerable? Psalm 93 I just saw a fabulous picture of the earth taken from above the North Pole. I know in theory that Canada, Greenland, Russia, Norway, and Alaska almost meet in the Arctic, but I am so used to the regular Mercator Projection world map that I don’t …
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - A Question of Power
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - A Question of Power
by SPCK - John Goldingay
A Question of Power Psalm 110 My wife keeps going on about power. I don’t take it personally. Actually, it works in my favor, because her fixation lies with the way contemporary Western thinking is preoccupied by questions about who has power and about how power features in the r…
Ascension Day
Ascension Day
by liane Kensett
A short video that highlights the mystery of Easter. The lighting of the Christ candle represents that God raised Jesus. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Jesus is alive. Extinguishing the candle signifies the darkness of Christ's death and the mystery of Easter as Jesus goes awa…
Journeying With Mark Year B - Easter
Journeying With Mark Year B - Easter
by SPCK - Woodward, Gooder and Pryce
6 Easter Exploring the text Probably one of the best-known features of Mark’s Gospel is its ending – or, depending on your perspective, its lack of ending. Unlike the other Gospels, the accounts of resurrection in Mark are sparse in the extreme. In Matthew an angel appears to Mar…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The Teacher's vindication
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The Teacher's vindication
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The Teacher’s vindication The Resurrection, Matthew 28 This atmosphere of supernatural intervention openly visible to all continues into Matthew’s resurrection account, as does his desire to tie up the loose ends and explain the difficulties. While Mark ends with a characteristic…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The ox plods a long, slow journey
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The ox plods a long, slow journey
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The ox plods a long, slow journey Luke’s style and structure Unlike Mark’s disorderly rushing about, Luke writes an ‘orderly account’ (1.4). His preface has a calm, literary self-confidence, and this continues into the main narrative. While Mark introduces everything ‘and immedia…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Those who are burdened with heavy loads
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Those who are burdened with heavy loads
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Those who are burdened with heavy loads The ministry of the ox The keynote for Luke’s portrait of Jesus is set in his initial visit to the synagogue at Nazareth (4.16–30). Luke’s story is three times longer than the equivalent accounts which occur much later in Mark and Matthew (…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - He rides again
Four Gospels, One Jesus - He rides again
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
He rides again The Resurrection, Luke 24 A good ending to a story ties up the various threads; the best sort of ending opens up new horizons. Mark’s gospel ended with the enigma of the empty tomb and an absent Jesus; Matthew had the supernatural happenings and the Teacher commiss…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - From four gospels back to one Jesus
Four Gospels, One Jesus - From four gospels back to one Jesus
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
From four gospels back to one Jesus This basic unity of story outline within the plurality of portraits brings us to the second set of questions regarding the relationship of the four images to the search for the historical Jesus: what continuity is there between Jesus himself an…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book IV
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book IV
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Book IV (Psalm 90-106) Book IV opens with “A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God.” It is the only psalm in the Hebrew Psalter ascribed to Moses. Its words are a plea to God for mercy: “Turn [shub], O YHWH! How long? Change your mind [nakham] concerning your servants” (90:13, my trans…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book V
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book V
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Book V (Psalms 107-150) Book V of the Psalter opens with Psalm 107, a community hymn celebrating God’s graciousness in delivering the community of faith from exile in Babylon. The psalmist says: “Let the redeemed of YHWH say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book II
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book II
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Book II (Psalms 42-72) Book II of the Psalter, like Book I, contains many lament psalms. But unlike Book I, not all of the psalms are attributed to David. The Korahites, who were, according to the book of Chronicles, temple singers during the reigns of David and Solomon, mix thei…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Risk of Serving the Powerless
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Risk of Serving the Powerless
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
The Risk of Serving the Powerless Chapters 11–16, set in Jerusalem, parallel chapters 1–8, set in and around Galilee; each section has a major speech of Jesus in the middle: chapter 4 (parables) and chapter 13 (eschatological discourse)…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Passion of Jesus
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Passion of Jesus
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
The Passion of Jesus Jesus’ conflict with the Jerusalem authorities escalates. Our labels for these authorities are problematic at best: “Jewish” is anachronistic; “religious” as opposed to “political” is modern and Western. In first-century Jerusalem, the temple authorities, who…
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - Mark's gospel A Drama in Three Acts
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - Mark's gospel A Drama in Three Acts
by BRF - Dick France
MARK’S GOSPEL- A DRAMA in THREE ACTS After a prologue which sets the scene, Mark’s story unfolds in three main sections, each of which has a distinct geographical setting: 1:1–13 Prologue (set in ‘the wilderness’) 1:14—8:21 Act 1: Galilee 8:22—10:52 …
52 Reflections on Faith - Ascension day: Presence not absence
52 Reflections on Faith - Ascension day: Presence not absence
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Ascension Day: Presence, not absence Ascension Day is one of the most important days in the Church’s calendar. It has been celebrated since the fourth century and has played a significant part in the life and culture of many Christian countries. It forms a fundamental part of the…
Times and Seasons - Full Service - Ascension - Year B
Times and Seasons - Full Service - Ascension - Year B
by Andrew Pratt and Marjorie Dobson
Ascension - Year B Service Contains: Hymn: Christ is alive! Let Christians sing or Beginning with blessing Prayer: Unexpected God, Psalm 47 or Psalm 93 Reading: Acts 1:1-11 Poem: The times and seasons are beyond Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23 Luke 24:44-53 Hymn: The Saviour when to h…
52 Reflections on Faith - Christ the King: Overcoming Suffering
52 Reflections on Faith - Christ the King: Overcoming Suffering
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
25 Christ the King: Overcoming Suffering On the feast of Christ the King, at the very end of the church’s year, it’s useful to note just how many different sorts of crucifix there are. Go into a few different churches in your area and you’ll soon see quite a variety. Look also at…
50 Praise, Pray and Play Sessions - Ascension
50 Praise, Pray and Play Sessions - Ascension
by BRF - Rona Orme
The account of the ascension, when Jesus was taken into heaven, completes the reports of his life on earth. Jesus talked about going away so that God would send another helper, the Holy Spirit. It may be helpful to show the diagram of the church year to show the sweep of the year…
52 Reflections on Faith - Remembrance: Hope against hope
52 Reflections on Faith - Remembrance: Hope against hope
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Remembrance: Hope against hope Remembrance Sunday is a sombre day. It’s the day of the year set aside for remembering all those who died in the two World Wars of 1914–18 and 1939–45. Always held on the Sunday nearest to 11 November, it marks the cessation of violence at the end o…
The Womens' Bible Commentary - The Beginning
The Womens' Bible Commentary - The Beginning
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
The Beginning Acts begins with an anticonquest ideology that “anesthetizes and sanctifies the exploitative act to make it acceptable” (Dube, 60). Through a command of Jesus (1:8), Luke authorizes Jesus’ followers to travel to other lands and bear witness…
THE ASCENSION WHERE IS HEAVEN? A Meditation John Hill
THE ASCENSION WHERE IS HEAVEN? A Meditation John Hill
by John Hill
THE ASCENSION WHERE IS HEAVEN? A Meditation John Hill Where is heaven? It undoubtedly is a question which has confounded intrigued, fascinated people for centuries. There have been several theories put forward as to where it might be, but no one has convincingly proved where it i…
The Womens' Bible Commentary - The Apocalyptic Visions
The Womens' Bible Commentary - The Apocalyptic Visions
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
The Apocalyptic Visions These chapters, which were written in the very different historical circumstances of the persecution of Jews by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167–164 BCE, present a correspondingly different critique of power…
embodying mark - 8 Into the Silence
embodying mark - 8 Into the Silence
by SPCK - meda a a stamper
8 Into the Silence They have been in the story all along, but silent and invisible, unnamed like the woman with her alabaster jar, until now. Even once some of them are named, at the death and the burial (15.40 – 41, 47), still they are motionless and voiceless…
Vine Video - Ascension Sunday - 16th May 2021