Exploring the Sunday Gospel – Seventh Sunday of Easter

Christ has gone up on high

and has led captivity captive. Alleluia!

Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter and the Sunday following Ascension Day. Today’s Gospel reading from chapter 17 of John’s Gospel concludes the long farewell discourse, before Jesus goes out to face his arrest, with what is often called Jesus’ high priestly prayer. In this prayer Jesus looks forward with confidence to returning to the Father. What John expresses in this high priestly prayer, Luke symbolises through the Ascension which links the close of Luke’s Gospel with the opening of the Acts of the Apostles. The Feast of the Ascension (kept on the Thursday before the Seventh Sunday of Easter), is seen as Jesus going to his Father and as his enthronement.

For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited you to reflect on the image of royal robes. In today’s picture, Teddy Horsley is reflecting on his Christus Rex.

Risen and ascended Christ,

we proclaim you to be our King.

As you have called us to serve you,

help us to live up to our calling;

for you are the King of glory,

now and always.

Amen.

Next Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost, celebrating how the Holy Spirit came to the apostles and settled on them like tongues of fire. The image to help us prepare for next Sunday’s theme is fire. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.

Preparation Resources

Education Resources