WEEKLY READINGS

The First Lesson

I Corinthians 15:35-44

Reader: A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Not then, someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? In what kind of body do they come?" Fool! What you plant is not brought to life unless it dies. Now about what you plant, you do not plant the body that will be, but a bare seed, for example, of wheat or of some other grain. Yet God gives it a body as God wills, and to each kind of seed its own body. Not all flesh is the same flesh, rather there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. Yet there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, while the glory of the heavenly is one kind, and that of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon, yet another glory of the stars; each star even differs in glory.

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is planted is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is planted in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is planted as a physical body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

The Psalm

Psalm 49:5-15

5. Why shoud I fear in eveil days,

when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

6. Those who trust in their wealth

and praise of the abundance of their riches?

7. Certainly, it cannot redeem a person,

or can one give it to God as their ransom.

8 For the redemption-price of a soul is costly,

they come ti an end, forever.

9. Shall one live eternally

and never see the Pit?

10. For when one sees the wise, they die;

the foolish and ignorent perish together

and leave to others their wealth.

11. Their graves are their homes for all time,

their dwelling places for generation to generation,

although they put their name on lands.

12. Humanity will not recline in grandeur;

rather they are like the animals that perish.

13. This is the way of the foolish,

those pleased with their own words. Selah

14. Like sheep they are set for Sheol;

Death shall be their shepherd.

The upright shall rule over them until the morning,

and their form shall waste away;

Sheol shall be their abode.

15. But God will ransom my soul,

from from the grasp of Sheol she will take me. Selah

The Gospel

John 21:4-14

Celebrant: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John.

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Now when morning came, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, do you have any fish prepared?" They answered him, "No." Then he said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and they were not able to drag it in because of the abundance of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Messiah!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Messiah, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full fo fish, for they were not far from the land, only two hundred cubits [about a hundred yards] off.

As soon as they turned back to land, they saw a fire there, with fish laid over it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish--one hundred fifty-three--and with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and eat." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Messiah. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. Now this was the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Celebrant: The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

From A Woman's Lectionary for the Whole Church Year W by Wilda C. Gafney