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One of the interesting things about the season of Easter – and to a lesser extent, Advent and Lent – the ordinary pattern of our Sunday readings is changed. For example, in Year A, when we read from the Gospel of Matthew, our Sunday readings are taken (more-or-less) sequentially from Matthew’s gospel, and the first reading, drawn from the Hebrew Scriptures, bounces off the Gospel – either providing another example of a healing, or an allusion or incident that the Gospel somehow fulfills. But during Easter, the first readings are taken from Acts of the Apostles, the second reading is a semi-continuous reading of I Peter, and the Gospels are seemingly more random – chosen to highlight particular Easter themes.
Today, on this fifth Sunday, the second reading from the first letter of St Peter provides a powerful reflection on what being living stones is all about. Perhaps because Simon was renamed as Rocky – aka Peter – he had a great reason to spend time reflecting on what being a rock is all about. This dense passage brings together many scriptures from across the bible to provide the basis for the christian life and the call to worship God as a ‘chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation’ that has been set apart to sing the praises of God.
