5th Sunday of Easter
Acts11:1-18, Psalm 148, Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:31-35
Jesus’ command for his followers to be known as loving disciples is transposed from the foot-washing scene of Maundy Thursday to the 5th Sunday of Easter. The resurrected infant church is now afoot and abroad, fishing for people, nourishing and tending to God’s lambs.
The word of new converts among the Gentiles—or nations, ethnos in Greek—reaches the base camp in Jerusalem, and Peter has some explaining to do for sitting and eating with them (Acts 11:1-3). His responses to the inquiry ring as true today as they did then, especially for Christians of the Lutheran Tradition who believe, teach, and confess that no one can come to Christ except by the power of the Holy Spirit.* If the same Spirit that the first disciples received was upon those strangers and had caused them to believe, who was Peter to hinder God (16-18)?
At the closing of the book of Revelation, and therefore the Christian Scriptures, the Lamb, who became our Shepherd and Lord by being one with God, has accomplished the full reconciliation of humanity with their Creator, Provider, Protector, and Preserver by making all things new. God now dwells with God’s people (21:3; see also Ez. 37:27), and therefore there will be no more crying and pain (verse 4; see also Is. 25:8), for the Lamb sitting at the throne declares, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end(6).”
The Psalmist sings:
“Let them praise the name of the LORD,
who commanded, and they were created,
Who made them stand fast forever and ever,
giving them a law that shall not pass away.
young men and maidens,
old and young together.
Let them praise the name of the LORD
whose name only is exalted, whose splendor is
over earth and heaven (Psalm 148:5-6, 12-13; Evangelical Lutheran Worship).”
*The Small Catechism: art. ii, par. 6; The Large Catechism: Of the Creed, art. iii, par. 36–37).
Bridging Faith 