Break Open the Word

The Fifth Sunday in Lent Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 Romans 8:6-11 Saint John 11:1-45                                                                                         BACKGROUND: The Approach to Holy Week and the Paschal Mystery Often, when listening to the lectionary, we listen only to the relationships (if any) among the various readings for the day, and limit the relationship to that.   What is really true, however, is that often there is an on-going relationship from Sunday to Sunday, so that the listener’s ability to understand a particu...

The Fourth Sunday in Lent I Samuel 16:1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 Saint John 9:1-41                                                                                         BACKGROUND: Samuel The books attributed to this prophet, judge, military leader, and kingmaker in the Hebrew Scriptures were most likely not written by him.   There is the evidence to too many hands, and with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are significant variants.   The book, however, is important in our understanding Israel as it moves from a loose...

The Third Sunday in Lent Exodus 17:1-7 Psalm 95 Romans 5;1-11 Saint John 4:5-42                                                                                         St. Elias BACKGROUND: Background: The Books of Moses IV The second of the strands that formed the Five Books of Moses is the E strand, which stands for the Elohist.  This editor uses another name for God, Elohim, which is usually translated as “God” in most English Bibles.  The E tradition is a northern tradition.  After the Davidic kingdom split, around 922 BCE, a whol...