Scripture Reflections for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
Year A, Lectionary 55
God accompanies us in our journey back to God with the Advocate, Counselor, Intercessor, Paraclete. The Holy Spirit allows us into communion with the Father and the Son, like when Philip went down to Samaria and helped gather the people into God's church. Today we are to continue attracting others to Jesus by inviting them with our hope-filled lives.
Hate feeling lost on Sundays at church? Searching for a better explanation of the Bible than what you hear from your pastor's sermon? Check out the following collection of audio, video, and text commentaries from various Christian experts for a better understanding of today's scripture that deal with: Accompany • Attentive • Baptism • Commandment • Communion • Confirmation • Death • Devil • Environment • Evangelize • Faith • Grace • Holy Spirit • Hope • Joy • Love • Mission • Mother • Orphan • Presence • Recognize • Relationship • Resurrection • Sacrament • Samaritan • Serve • Sight • Suffering • Translation • Trust • Unity •
“Sometimes the persecution, the crisis, the health challenges may be what God needs in order to take us to the next level of success. For many times we do not progress when we insist on remaining in our comfort zones.”
“So what is confirmation? It is a special grace of the Holy Spirit that can only be given by the Apostles and their successors and it's tied to the ritual of the laying on of hand. It's different than baptism but it's tied to baptism and it completes baptism.”
“What is the reason for my hope in a very painful time in our world? It's the fact that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.”
“God loves first and obedience is the form life takes when we remain in that love”
“Christ came so we could have life. So we have to determine what is life-giving about our church and what isn't. And we have to uplift the life-giving aspects and reform the death-dealing aspects.”
“As Christians, Jesus has invited us to let go of our burdens, to give the burdens to him, to give our burdens to the Holy Spirit so as to enjoy the ride to eternity”
“I encourage all of us to live in a way that no one who meets you doubts they are loved”
“Nothing and no one is separate in God's love”
“Even when you sin, even when I sin, he remains in us, do you realize that?”
“That is what Jesus wants for his disciples. Not denial of reality, not fake positivity, but deep confidence in the presence of God.”
“If the Incarnation, Christmas time, is Jesus being present in one place, then Pentecost is Jesus being present in every place. And so the Holy Spirit is what makes Jesus alive for us today.”
“the Spirit, people of God, helps you and I when we feel a little bit befuddled, disoriented even with these openings to still remain grounded in the right things. Grounded in the work of loving one another, laying down our lives as we're called to do”
“Whatever lessons the future holds for all of us, teachers or not, may we always remain open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, live a life of joy, find hope in the young people around us and keep love at the center of all of our relationships just as Christ did”
“We ourselves must remember we have hope because of what God does, so let that hope radiate in all that we do”
“Let us remember that we already have been given the gift of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, who is urging us on saying 'giddy up, giddy up, I am by your side. I am right with you. I will not let you fail.'”
“The Spirit of truth demands that we stand in solidarity with those who are marginalized, persecuted, and forgotten and advocate on their behalf”
“God gives no individual anything for the sake of that individual, amen? It is always meant for the whole.”
“When I think of that sign and look at the words, letters of 'hope' I like to say that it stands for 'holding on, proclaiming, Evangelion'”
“the resurrection stories did not begin with the resurrected body of Christ, did not begin with the resurrected body. What did it begin with? It began with the empty tomb.”
“Do not give God leftovers. Who in here want a relationship with a human being where you getting from that other human being leftovers? Come on y'all.”