Each year the Gospel reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter is taken from Jesus’ great prayer in John 17, the conclusion of his farewell discourse. Jesus invites us into what Raymond Brown describes as a "heavenly family conversation" between himself and God.
This prayer, like Jesus’ other prayers (John 11:41-42 and 12:27-28), is meant to be overheard by us.
It is the Feast of Christ the King, the final Sunday of the church’s liturgical year. All of today’s passages reflect on kingships—those of David, God and Jesus. Although Christians in America are far removed from any direct experience of a king, these passages can teach us about our own political life.
I was drying dishes and absentmindedly singing the song that had been stuck in my head for days when my husband suddenly came barreling down the staircase and into the kitchen. Looking frantic, he asked me what had happened. We were both confused; he was convinced that I had cried out in pain, and he fully expected to walk in on a grisly cooking incident.
We quickly realized the source of the miscommunication. The song I’d been singing was Lady Gaga’s “Judas,” and I sounded like a lady in distress as I belted out, “Judas, Juda-a-a.”
The texts for this week are challenging. The Gospel reading, an excerpt from Jesus’ high priestly prayer, is difficult to read aloud. It feels awkward to eavesdrop on Jesus’ intimate moments with God, and one can get lost in the anguish of a savior about to die.
They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. —Psalm 1, verse 3
A visual response to the words of the first Psalm, Charles Dupree's Blue Tree flourishes in its watery environment. Its deep roots and fine branches inspire confidence that the tree will have strength and flexibility sufficient to withstand storms. Dupree works in the medium of encaustic—a specially formulated wax mixed with pigment that creates unique textural effects. As is so often true of modern and postmodern works, the medium is much of the message. The artist says, "As priest and artist, I love the mysterious effects of wax. Wax is to the canvas what incense is to the worship space. Light, smoke and the wonder of God inform all of my work."
