55thth Sunday of Easter Sunday of Easter

May 3, 2015May 3, 2015

Acts 8:26-40Acts 8:26-401 John 4: 7-211 John 4: 7-21

John15: 1-8John15: 1-8

St Athanasius of St Athanasius of Alexandria Alexandria

Coptic Pope of Coptic Pope of Alexandria, Confessor Alexandria, Confessor

& Doctor of the & Doctor of the ChurchChurch

298 - 373298 - 373St. John’s Episcopal Church, Centreville VA Adult Lectionary Forum 2015

Bio

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St. Athanasius

(c.298– 2 May 373)

Outside the New Testament, Athanasius is probably the man to whom we chiefly owe the preservation of the Christian faith. He lived in Alexandria, Egypt, the chief center of learning of the Roman Empire. In 313, Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which changed Christianity from a persecuted to an officially favored religion. Six years later, Presbyter Arius of Alexandria began to teach "God begat Jesus, & before he was begotten, he did not exist." Athanasius was at that time a newly ordained deacon, secretary to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, & a member of his household. His reply to Arius was that saying the Word by the Father is an eternal relation between Them, and not a temporal event. Censured by Egypt’s bishops, Arius went to Nicomedia, from which he wrote letters to bishops worldwide, arguing his position. In 325, Emperor Constantine tried to resolve the dispute by calling a council of 317 bishops in Nicea. Athanasius accompanied his bishop to the council & became recognized as a chief spokesman for the view that the Son was fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. Athanasius’ party was overwhelmingly in the majority, so the Council adopted a shorter version of what we now call the Nicene Creed, declaring the Son to be "of one substance with the Father." In 328, Alexander died & Athanasius succeeded him as bishop of Alexandria. He defended the deity of Christ against emperors, magistrates, bishops & theologians. For this, he was regarded as a trouble-maker by Constantine & his successors, and was banished from Alexandria 5 times by various emperors. Christians who believed in the Deity of Christ came to see that once they were prepared to abandon the Nicene formulation, they were on a slippery slope that led to regarding the Logos as simply a high-ranking angel. The more they experimented with other formulations, the clearer it became that only the Nicene formulation would preserve the Christian faith in any meaningful sense; so they reaffirmed the Nicene Creed at the Council of Constantinople in 381, a final triumph Athanasius didn’t live to see.

Collect for Easter 5BCollect for Easter 5BAlmighty God, who gave to your apostles Philip and James grace and strength to bear witness to the truth: Grant that we, being mindful of their victory of faith, may glorify in life and death the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Centreville VA -- Adult Lectionary Forum 2015

Prayer for Easter 5B [St. Athanasius]Prayer for Easter 5B [St. Athanasius]Uphold your Church, O God of truth, as you upheld your servant Athanasius, to maintain and proclaim boldly the catholic faith against all opposition, trusting solely in the grace of your eternal Word, who took upon himself our humanity that we might share his divinity; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

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The narrative for the 5th Sunday after Easter represents a critical moment in an emerging church as it moves beyond Judaism & Judea.

Philip Begins His Outreach1st 7 chapters of Acts on nascent Christ movement in Jerusalem--Early ethnic split between Jewish Hellenists & Hebrews--Hellenists ~ Greek-speakers--Hebrews ~ Aramaic speakersStephen & Philip were hellenists-- Stephen intensifies conflict within Judaism--Philip, plays key role expanding Christ movement beyond Jerusalem & Judea into wider Roman world--Philip first pushes acceptance & apostolic verification of Jesus’ message among the SamaritansPhilip’s witnessing to eunuch an important step in evangelism--Ethiopian couldn’t worship in Temple, not due to race, nationality, or status, but because of his sexual identity--Philip has opportunity to share Christ with one who he otherwise would not have had access--Eunuch seizes opportunity to accept Christ--Philip sees opportunity to save a fellow human being thru Christ

36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; & the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" 37 He commanded the chariot to stop & both of them went down into the water & Philip baptized him.

26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up & go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.“ 27 So he got up & went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Ethiopian Queen Candace, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 & was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it."

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Centreville VA Adult Lectionary Forum 2015

Time Stamp: c. 80 AD

It all begins with God’s love. Lest we forget this essential fact of our faith, John makes it crystal clear. God is both a source & definition of love. God is love. God loves as the sun shines: love expresses who God is.

God’s Love•God’s love •--not an abstract concept•--It is passion in action•--God makes love real and present via Jesus’ life-giving presence among us•Gift & witness of Holy Spirit confirms we are God’s beloved•--Not reliant on initiative or worthiness•--Don’t have to reach out to God or even believe in Him to be loved•--Don’t have to clean up our act before God can love us•--Don’t have to measure up to some standard to be lovable•God showers love on us -- deserved or not!•Bottom Line: Just as God is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17 b).

7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God & knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us & sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

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St. John’s Episcopal Church, Centreville VA Adult Lectionary Forum 2015

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment,& whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Those who say, "I love God," & hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

1 I am the true vine, & my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch bearing fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You’ve already been cleansed by the word I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

Time Stamp: c. 30 AD

Like the good shepherd of last week’s text, this week’s image of the vine is another extended metaphor, which also borrows from & adapts Old Testament imagery for Israel.

Fruit of the Vine Are We•Text is 1st half of larger unit, 2nd of which appears next week. Larger passage is part of even larger message (thru John 16:4)•Today’s text divides has 2 parts intro’d with Jesus’ “I am” at John 15:5•Recall parable of absentee landlord •--Sends son to tenants after they kill or beat earlier emissaries•--Son also dies•John uses similar metaphor•--Father himself tends Son-vine, pruning it for abundant fruitfulness•--God’s precision tending is perfect balance of light and shade•--Prune ~ Remove•--Prune ~ Cleanse (work of love)•Thrust of passage ~ Fruitfulness.•--Bear fruit ~ 2 times in 8 verses•--Fruit-bearing not by force of will•--Fruit happens organically when vine is true & gardener good

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St. John’s Episcopal Church, Centreville VA Adult Lectionary Forum 2015

5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me & I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch & withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, & burned. 7 If you abide in me, & my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, & it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit & become my disciples.