Year A – Easter 7
Full-text of the Appointed Lessons (RSV and NRSV), with instructions for lectors
May 17 – 7 Easter – RCL
ILLUMINATION for the First Lesson
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A, May 17, 2026
Acts 1:6-14
Jesus continues to teach the disciples until he ascends to heaven. He leaves them with the promise that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
A reading (lesson) from the Acts of the Apostles:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: When the apostles had come together…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
When the apostles had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away; and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
New Revised Standard Version
When the apostles had come together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
ILLUMINATION for the Second Lesson
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A, May 17, 2026
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Peter tells believers not to be surprised by the world’s hostility toward their faith. In fact, they should see suffering for Jesus’ sake as a privilege because it is a promise that they will share in his glory.
A reading (lesson) from the Letter of Peter:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: Beloved, do not be surprised …
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
New Revised Standard Version
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
ILLUMINATION for the Gospel Lesson
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A, May 17, 2026
John 17:1-11
Jesus’ prayer for his disciples on the night before he died recounts his life’s work, and looks ahead to the work in which his followers have been called to join him.
A reading (lesson) from the Gospel according to John:
(Lead in with) RSV: Jesus lifted up his eyes…; NRSV: Jesus looked up to heaven…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc. If read by an ordained person as the eucharistic gospel, conclude with The gospel of the Lord.
Revised Standard Version
Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made. I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word. Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee; for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine; all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”
New Revised Standard Version
Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
May 17 – 7 Easter – BCP
ILLUMINATION for the First Lesson
(And for the Alternate Second Lesson)
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A, May 17, 2026
Acts 1:(1-7) 8-14
Jesus continues to teach the disciples until he ascends to heaven. He leaves them with the promise that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
A reading (lesson) from the Acts of the Apostles:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: (vs. 1) In the first book…; (vs. 8) Jesus said to the apostles…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
[In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But]
(Jesus said to the apostles,) ”You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away; and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
New Revised Standard Version
[In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But,]
(Jesus said to the apostles,) “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
ILLUMINATION for the Alternate First Lesson
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A, May 17, 2026
Ezekiel 39:21-29
The Lord has executed his righteous judgment for his people’s lack of faith, sending them into exile. He now will demonstrate his boundless mercy by restoring them to glory.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: Thus says the Lord God…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Thus says the Lord God: “I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment which I have executed, and my hand which I have laid on them. The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward. And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for my holy name. They shall forget their shame, and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations any more; and I will not hide my face any more from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord GOD.”
New Revised Standard Version
Thus says the Lord GOD: I will display my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward. And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt treacherously with me. So I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for my holy name. They shall forget their shame, and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they live securely in their land with no one to make them afraid, when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have displayed my holiness in the sight of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will leave none of them behind; and I will never again hide my face from them, when I pour out my spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord GOD.
ILLUMINATION for the Second Lesson
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A, May 17, 2026
1 Peter 4:12-19
Peter tells believers not to be surprised by the world’s hostility toward their faith. In fact, they should see suffering for Jesus’ sake as a privilege because it is a promise that they will share in his glory.
A reading (lesson) from the First Letter of Peter:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: Beloved, do not be surprised …
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God. For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.
New Revised Standard Version
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief maker. Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name. For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, what will be the end for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinners?” Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good.
ILLUMINATION for the Gospel Lesson
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A, May 17, 2026
John 17:1-11
Jesus’ prayer for his disciples on the night before he died recounts his life’s work, and looks ahead to the work in which his followers have been called to join him.
A reading (lesson) from the Gospel according to John:
(Lead in with) RSV: Jesus lifted up his eyes…; NRSV: Jesus looked up to heaven…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc. If read by an ordained person as the eucharistic gospel, conclude with The gospel of the Lord.
Revised Standard Version
Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made. I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word. Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee; for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine; all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”
New Revised Standard Version
Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
The Living Word | Lectionary Preaching Aids
Exploring the Texts
“Jesus ascends to his Father and their shared glory, that is, the Holy Spirit. This Trinity of love — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — is one God and one Love. Jesus ascends, however, as the Son of God in whom human nature has been inseparably united in one divine person.”
“And you will tell and display a divine mystery in the untidy work of human compassion. You will show that God is the father of orphans, the protector of widows, a homebuilder for the desolate, prosperity to prisoners, rain from heaven, the restorer of what languished, a dwelling for flocks, a provider for the needy (Ps. 68:6-10). “
“For active Christians praying aloud is normal. … We could all pray in silence; but typically Christians fall silent due to disagreement or an inability of leaders to form a coherent prayer with any degree of confidence. Ordinarily, Christ would have us live and pray together.”
Preaching Today
Charles Robertson: Power to Press On
“This power that Jesus promises is grounded in presence, the Divine Presence, Immanuel, God with us — not just in the good times, the times of smooth sailing, but precisely when the wind and the waves threaten to overwhelm us. God’s presence is never so important as in those moments when he seems most absent.”
Sarah Puryear: Entering Into God’s Great Drama
“This isn’t a place for the disciples to linger in wistfulness or build elaborate shrines while waiting for Jesus’ return. Jesus will return, they assure the disciples — but now there is something for the disciples to go and to do.”
Jeremy Worthen: Pray Like Jesus
“We share in the pleading of Christ that the glory of the cross would be known, that the truth of God’s Word would keep us and sanctify us, and that the depth of God’s love would draw us deeper and deeper into union with him and unity with one another as the Son of God dwells within us and amongst us and unites us to his prayer, his life, his glory.”
Classic Texts
J.B. Lightfoot: The Over-Curious Spirit
“The angels’ address is a rebuke to idle speculation in regions beyond the reach of human knowledge. It is a warning against substituting that which is visionary, for that which is real, in religion. It is more especially a denunciation of this over-curious spirit, in those provinces into which it is most eager to intrude itself, in matters relating to the Ascension, the Reign in Heaven, the Second Advent of Christ.”
Thomas A’Kempis: Suffer with Christ
“How can your patience be rewarded if no adversity test it? How can you be a friend of Christ if you are not willing to suffer any hardship? Suffer with Christ and for Christ if you wish to reign with him.”
George Whitefield: Enthusiast
“A great noise has been made of late, about the word enthusiast, and it has been cast upon the preachers of the gospel, as a term of reproach; but every Christian, in the proper sense of the word, must be an enthusiast; that is, must be inspired of God or have God, by his Spirit, in him.”
Articles on God’s Timing
David Baumann: Waiting on God
“Job had to wait a long time before God answered his appeal; Saul had to wait in Tarsus for a time before Barnabas came to find him and call him to come to Antioch to launch his apostolic ministry. These are just two examples in the long history of waiting on God.”
Boone Porter: A Different Sort of Time
“As Christians we look forward to that heavenly country where earthly time will be no more. We cannot imagine eternity as timeless in the sense of everything being frozen in ice, but rather as a new sort of time, a time free of mortality.”
Eugene Schlesinger: The Fullness of Time
“The long patience of God left unanswered the cries of the incarnate Christ, allowing him to sink down into death. And the long patience of God continued to wait all through Holy Saturday. Until, finally, in the light of Easter, those cries to be delivered from death were answered and the Savior was raised into immortality. By some measures, this answer might seem to have come three days too late, but in the wisdom of God, it was perfect timing.”
Articles on Absence and Presence
Brandt Montgomery: Anamnesis in Christ’s Eucharistic Presence
“In Christ’s real presence is the commission to be his Body in the world that loves and serves others as he loves and helps us still. That is our call through anamnesis — to do Jesus’ will on this earth.”
Jonathan Mitchican: What Mary Received in the Eucharist
“The intimacy that Mary knew with her Son in the Holy Eucharist would have been even deeper than the bond she shared with him before, because in the Eucharist is found not only the flesh but the gift of eternity.”
Sarah Puryear: Why Episcopalians Should Read the Pope’s Latest Letter
“Francis emphasizes simply that Jesus is present. … Francis defines Christian faith not as an idea or a series of thoughts or a reliance on other people’s memories about Jesus: “Christian faith is either an encounter with Him alive, or it does not exist” (no. 10).”
Articles on Readiness
Terence Chandra: Being an Advent People
“This, I believe, is the Advent experience: Readying ourselves for the coming of God’s kingdom by practicing its ways, and doing so with such intention and purpose that we begin to catch glimpses of it here and now, as if the façade of reality is already beginning to crumble and a new and delightful world is beginning to shine — here and there — amid the cracks.”
Elisabeth Kincaid: Cultivating Virtue
“There are undoubtedly praiseworthy actions made out of a person’s own power without the grace of God. For the Christian, this is not sufficient …. To these must be added something more. It is plain that gospel obedience ‘is a very different mode of obedience from any which natural reason and conscience tell us of — different, not in its nature, but in its excellence and peculiarity.’”
Richard Kew: Am I Ready to Die?
“In many respects I had surrendered to the North American tendency to smother what is difficult with lashings of saccharine sentimentality. The pastor’s temptation is to soft-pedal hard truths, and thereby deceiving ourselves that we are communicating when in truth we are watering the message down.”
