[Propertalk] READINGS for the FOURTH SUNDAY of EASTER

[Charles Wohlers]

The following are the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 3, 
according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, 
Canadian BAS, and the Church of England (Common Worship) lectionaries. All 
readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the 
Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries 
are identical to the RCL for this day.

Throughout the Easter Season, if the OT alternative is used for the C of E, 
the Acts reading should be used for the second reading.



FIRST READING:  Acts 4: 5 - 12  (RCL)
                                 Acts 4: 8 - 12  (Roman Catholic, Can. BAS)

Acts 4:5 (NRSV) The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in 
Jerusalem, 6 with An'nas the high priest, Ca'iaphas, John, and Alexander, 
and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 When they had made the 
prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what 
name did you do this?" 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to 
them, "Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are questioned today because 
of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has 
been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of 
Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of 
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. 
11 This Jesus is
"the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
it has become the cornerstone.'
12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under 
heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."


Genesis 7: 1 - 5, 11 - 18, 8: 6 - 18, 9: 8 - 13   (alt. for C of E)

Gene 7:1 (NRSV) {The Great Flood} Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the 
ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are 
righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all 
clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not 
clean, the male and its mate; 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the air 
also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the 
earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and 
forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from 
the face of the ground." 5 And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the 
seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great 
deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 The rain 
fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah 
with his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives 
of his sons entered the ark, 14 they and every wild animal of every kind, 
and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps 
on the earth, and every bird of every kind-every bird, every winged 
creature. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in 
which there was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and 
female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him 
in.
17 The flood continued forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, 
and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters swelled 
and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the 
waters.

8:6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had 
made 7 and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were 
dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the 
waters had subsided from the face of the ground; 9 but the dove found no 
place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters 
were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took 
it and brought it into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, 
and again he sent out the dove from the ark; 11 and the dove came back to 
him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; 
so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited 
another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any 
more.
13 In the six hundred first year, in the first month, on the first day of 
the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the 
covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the ground was 
drying. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the 
earth was dry. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Go out of the ark, you and your 
wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you 
every living thing that is with you of all flesh-birds and animals and every 
creeping thing that creeps on the earth-so that they may abound on the 
earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." 18 So Noah went out with 
his sons and his wife and his sons' wives.

9:8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 "As for me, I am 
establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and 
with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic 
animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the 
ark. {Gk: Heb adds [every animal of the earth] } 11 I establish my covenant 
with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a 
flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." 12 God 
said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and 
every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I 
have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant 
between me and the earth.


PSALM 23   (all but Roman Catholic)

Psal 23:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff-- 
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long.


Psalm 118: 1, 8 - 9, 21 - 23, 26, 21, 29   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 118:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to put confidence in mortals.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to put confidence in princes.

21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.

26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD.
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
29 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.


SECOND READING:   1 John 3: 16 - 24   (RCL)
                                        1 John 3: 18 - 24   (Can. BAS)

1Joh 3:16 (NRSV) We know love by this, that he laid down his life for 
us--and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 How does God's 
love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister 
in need and yet refuses help?
18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and 
action. 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will 
reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is 
greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our hearts 
do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22 and we receive from him 
whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his 
Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 All 
who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this 
we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.


1 John 3: 1 - 2   (Roman Catholic)

1Joh 3:1 (NRSV) See what love the Father has given us, that we should be 
called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does 
not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children 
now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: 
when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.


GOSPEL:  John 10: 11 - 18   (all)

John 10:11 (NRSV) "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his 
life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not 
own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away--and 
the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away 
because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. 
I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know 
the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that 
do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to 
my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the 
Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to 
lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this 
command from my Father."



Chad Wohlers
East Bridgewater, Mass.   USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu