Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 29. 2009

Scripture Introductions
by Stewart Clarke

(Again, there are comments in parentheses that you may wish to skip.  
Of course, you are invited to edit, disregard or put these aside to prepare your own.  
The whole intent is to respect God, the Bible, and our congregations.)

Mar. 29, 2009, Fifth Sunday in Lent.

In our first reading this morning, we hear Jeremiah speak of a new covenant. If we stop to think of it, 
the very idea of a covenant between God and humans is shocking.  That God cares about what happens 
to humans may be more shocking, indeed.   The Greeks and Romans never thought of it.  
Nature idols may have brought people closer to the earth, but the people sought to placate (or manipulate) 
their gods.  In contrast, God initiated a covenant between God and Abraham, God and Jacob, 
God and the people as mediated with Moses.  In spite of humans repeatedly failing in their agreement uniting them 
with God, God persisted in seeking and renewing covenants.  So Jeremiah announces a new 
and more profound covenant, written not in stone but on the heart, not transmitted by word of mouth or instruction, 
but innate.   (It seems even retroactive: the house of Israel had been conquered and deported a century before!)  
(By the way, the reference to God as husband harks back to the powerful prophesy of Hosea, 
and is picked up again in Jesus' parable about the bridegroom. It comes from a very different age, 
and does not sit well with some readers today.)

Let's listen and may God speak to us through the words of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

We may wish to offer thanks and praise after the Gospel reading, with pauses for reflection 
after the other readings, or we may say something like:  May we be alert to God's covenant 
with us and within us. Amen.



The Psalm picks up the emphasis on the heart.  It represents God as faithful, but the writer as faulty.  
Remarkably, the poet claims to have sinned only against God, having, apparently, 
a completely clean conscience about his neighbours.  On the other hand, there is a reference to sin 
and conception that has been used repeatedly to sully sex and sexual relations. 
(There is a reference to hyssop, as a cleanser, but I know of no identification of hyssop.)

Even so, let us..

Psalm 51:1-12 (VU p.776)



The Epistle reading is from the letter to the Hebrews, where the author may refer to Christ 
as an adopted Son, challenging some traditional statements about Jesus, but surely encouraging 
any who have, themselves, been adopted. He also makes a quick reference to Melchizedek, 
('Mel-KIZ-edek' = "King of righteousness"), who blessed Abraham, and became the model 
of the ideal king-priest.  The reference to learning through suffering may have been encouragement 
to the Christians of that time.

Let us listen attentively to the message in:

Hebrews 5:5-10

May we give praise for God's love in Christ Jesus.



In the Gospel reading, we have a gem of a passage about the breadth of the covenant in Jesus.  
Greeks, who were Gentiles, of course, or converts to Judaism,  come to see Jesus, 
but make a point of speaking to Philip, whose Greek name (Lover of horses) and his link with Galilee 
may have made him seem more approachable.  They speak to Jesus, whose reply of losing and saving life 
must have had special resonance for Christians whose lives were at risk because of their belief.  
Jesus' final statement, in this passage, speaks of both Cross and Ascension, which will draw everyone to him.  
(There is no reference to "men" in the Greek, although it has been popular in translations.  
The Greek says, simply, "everyone!")

Let us rise to honour and be open to the Good News for us in:

(Or: Let us listen closely for the Good News for us in:)

John 12:20-33

May we rejoice in God's love, and inspired to follow Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

It is appropriate to follow the readings with thanks and praise. 

(Comments to Stew at stewclarke@eastlink.ca.)