Third Sunday of Easter (Year B) April 14 (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 2:1-5; Luke 24:35-48)

Peter had jarring news for those gathered around him. In their view, Jesus was a renegade and had died a disgraceful death. The whole matter should have ended there, but God had other plans. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — the God of all Israel — had raised Jesus up and glorified Him.

Second Sunday of Easter (Year B) , April 7 (Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 118; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20:19-31)

“There was not a needy person among them” — this was the source of their unity and their strength. They were of one heart and soul.

Resurrection of the Lord (Year B) March 31 (Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Psalm 118; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18)

The early followers of Jesus burned with the desire to communicate what they had seen, heard and experienced. If they were from the second or third generations of believers, they were able to rely on the testimony of those who had gone before them.

Passion (Palm) Sunday (Year B) March 24 (Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2: 6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47)

The prophet Isaiah has given us a perfect job description of one who walks with God and can legitimately claim to speak for the Lord. The description is easily distinguished from typical human behaviour and attitudes by what is noticeably missing: ego and self-seeking. This individual becomes an instrument in God’s hands and a conduit for God’s words and intentions.

Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year B) March 17 (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33)

Treaties, contracts and covenants are always in need of updating. Conditions and people change, and the longer an agreement remains in force, the more frayed at the edges it becomes. The older version is not put through the shredder — it forms the basis of the new agreement and can be considered its continuation.

Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year B) March 10 (2 Chronicles 36:14-17a, 19-23; Psalm 137; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21)

Why had God allowed Jerusalem to be destroyed and the people to be driven into exile? The author of Chronicles was attempting to make sense of the devastation and ruin that had befallen his land and people. There was more than enough blame to go around. Both the priests and the people had fallen into corruption and pollution of the worst sort. In the eyes of the author, things like this do not just happen — there is always a cause, and most of the time the cause is human in origin.

Third Sunday of Lent (Year B) March 3 (Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18, 22-25; John 2:13-25)

Many people do not know quite what to do with the Decalogue, aka the Ten Commandments. Some want to toss it out the window as irrelevant and outdated. Others will salute it and insist on its importance. Conservative “family values” politicians sometimes use it as a club to beat society, but when cornered, they are often unable to explain — or sometimes even to name — all 10 of the commandments. 

Second Sunday of Lent (Year B) Feb. 25 (Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18; Psalm 116; Romans 8:31b-35, 37; Mark 9:2-10)

The story of the sacrifice of Isaac is one of the weirdest and most disturbing stories in the Bible. Isaac was the long-promised son and heir — the promise that had kept Abraham and Sarah going for so many years. And now God was commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son — just like so many of the other forms of religious worship in that time.

First Sunday of Lent (Year B) Feb. 18 (Genesis 9:8-15; Psalm 25; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15)

Rainbows are beautiful to behold and often they are double or even triple in nature. Many hopes and dreams attach themselves to the rainbow — riches, happiness, acceptance and a better world someplace else. But it serves another purpose in Genesis — it is a memo or reminder to God of the covenant with Noah and his descendants. It reminds God not to destroy the Earth by water again — as if God needed reminders!

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Feb. 11 (Leviticus 13:1-2, 45-46; Psalm 32; 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1; Mark 1:40-45)

People tend to fear what they do not understand or what is unfamiliar. The advanced stages of leprosy can be a very disturbing sight. Although the cure is now readily available, the disease is still active in some parts of the world. In its advanced stages, the sufferer loses fingers and extremities and their facial features are often disfigured. Leviticus dealt with the problem as best it could, calling for isolation and preventative measures.