Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 (JB)

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and ourselves not to burden you beyond what is essential.

Some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, ‘Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.’ This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had a long argument with these men it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders.

Then the apostles and elders decided to choose delegates to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; the whole church concurred with this. They chose Judas known as Barsabbas and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood, and gave them this letter to take with them:

‘The apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of pagan birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We hear that some of our members have disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds. They acted without any authority from us, and so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with Barnabas and Paul, men we highly respect who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written in this letter. It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these essentials: you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from fornication. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.’

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 (NRSV)

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Certain individuals came down from Judea

and were teaching the brothers,

“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses,

you cannot be saved.”

And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension

and debate with them,

Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed

to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question

with the apostles and the elders.

Then the Apostles and the elders,

with the consent of the whole church,

decided to choose men from among their members

and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.

They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers,

with the following letter:

“The brothers, both the Apostles and the elders,

to the believers of Gentile origin

in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.

Since we have heard that certain persons who have gone out from us,

though with no instructions from us,

have said things to disturb you and have unsettled your minds,

we have decided unanimously to choose representatives

and send them to you,

along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

who have risked their lives

for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ

We have therefore sent Judas and Silas

who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth

“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us

to impose on you no further burden than these essentials:

that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols,

and from blood and from what is strangled,

and from fornication.

If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.

Farewell.”

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Ps 66:2-3, 5-6, 8 (JB)

R. O God, let all the nations praise you!

or

R. Alleluia.

O God, be gracious and bless us

and let your face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth

and all nations learn your saving help. R.

Let the nations be glad and exult

for you rule the world with justice.

With fairness you rule the peoples,

you guide the nations on earth. R.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

May God still give us his blessing

till the ends of the earth revere him. R.

Rev 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 (7 EASTER C) (JB)

A reading from the book of the Apocalypse

Come, Lord Jesus!

I, John, heard a voice speaking to me: ‘Very soon now, I shall be wtih you again, bringing the reward to be given to every man according to what he deserves. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Happy are those who will have washed their robes clean, so that they will have the right to feed on the tree of life and can come through the gates into the city.’

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to make these revelations to you for the sake of the churches. I am of David’s line, the root of David and the bright star of the morning.

The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come’. Let everyone who listens answer, ‘Come’. Then let all who are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of life, and have it free.

The one who guarantees these revelations repeats his promise: I shall indeed be with you soon. Amen; come, Lord Jesus.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 (JB)

A reading from the book of the Apocalypse

He showed me the holy city coming down out of heaven.

In the spirit, the angel took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel or crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I saw that there was no temple in the city since the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need the sun or the moon for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb was a lighted torch for it.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 (NRSV)

A reading from the book of Revelation

In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain

and showed me the holy city Jerusalem

coming down out of heaven from God.

It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel,

like jasper; clear as crystal.

It has a great, high wall with twelve gates,

and at the gates twelve angels,

and on the gates are inscribed the names

of the twelve tribes of the Israelites;

on the east there were three gates,

on the north three gates,

on the south three gates,

and on the west three gates.

And the wall of the city has twelve foundations,

and on them are the twelve names

of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

I saw no temple in the city;

for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it,

for the glory of God is its light,

and its lamp is the Lamb.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

John 14:23 (JB)

Alleluia, alleluia!

All who love me will keep my words,

and my Father will love them and we will come to them.

Alleluia!

John 14:23 (NRSV)

Alleluia, alleluia!

All who love me will keep my words,

and my Father will love them and we will come to them.

Alleluia!

John 14:23-29 (JB)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him

and make our home with him.

Those who do not love me do not keep my words.

And my word is not my own;

it is the word of the one who sent me.

I have said these things to you

while still with you;

but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father will send in my name,

will teach you everything

and remind you of all I have said to you.

Peace I bequeath to you,

my own peace I give you,

a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

You heard me say:

I am going away, and shall return.

If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father,

for the Father is greater than I.

I have told you this now, before it happens,

so that when it does happen you may believe.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 17:20-26 (7 EASTER C) (JB)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

May they be joined as one.

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Holy Father,

I pray not only for these,

but for those also

who through their words will believe in me.

May they all be one.

Father, may they be one in us,

as you are in me and I am in you,

so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.

I have given them the glory you gave to me,

that they may be one as we are one.

With me in them and you in me,

may they be so completely one

that the world will realise that it was you who sent me

and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.

Father,

I want those you have given me

to be with me where I am,

so that they may always see the glory

you have given me

because you loved me

before the foundation of the world.

Father, Righteous One,

the world has not known you,

but I have known you,

and these have known

that you have sent me.

I have made your name known to them

and will continue to make it known,

so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,

and so that I may be in them.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 14:23-29 (NRSV)

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Those who love me will keep my word,

and my Father will love them,

and we will come to them and make our home with them.

whoever does not love me does not keep my words;

and the word that you hear is not mine,

but is from the Father who sent me.

“I have said these things to you while I am still with you.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father will send in my name,

will teach you everything,

and remind you of all that I have said to you.

“Peace I leave with you;

my peace I give to you.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled,

and do not let them be afraid.

“You heard me say to you,

‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’

If you loved me,

you would rejoice that I am going to the Father,

because the Father is greater than I.

And now I have told you this before it occurs,

so that when it does occur, you may believe.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.