Spirit-Timed Disclosure: Who Jesus Is and Who We Are – June 2021 Lectionary Previews

May 14, 2021 by Rev. Dr. Neal Presa

The Gospel lections for June 2021 are from the Gospel according to Mark. In the characteristic form of the book of Mark, Jesus Christ traveled from place to place, an itinerant preacher/healer who breathlessly encountered young and old, healthy and ill, rich and poor, the lawgivers and the law rebels. The book's account is a rapid-fire succession of one scene after another. The overall sense is of the Savior on the move, empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, on a mission to disclose the presence and power of the kingdom of God. But it was a disclosure in its nascent stage, the fullness of which awaited the resurrection. The confidence of the early Christian communities to recount the oral tradition of these events decades after their occurrences, chronicling the works and words of Jesus after the decisive event of his rising from the dead, meant that God's people got “it;” that the resurrection unlocked the full identity of Jesus, the Son of God. It also meant that the first Easter morning, when in tandem with the feast of the Pentecost, now effects and enables the evangelistic witness of God's people to proclaim with passion, truth, joy, and love who Jesus is, who we are, and our need of the Savior. Our lections take us on a quick journey with Jesus. What we find – in this liturgical season of Pentecost – the Holy Spirit taking us on a tour, as it were, with Jesus, his disciples, the crowds, the scribes and Pharisees, and other casts of characters along the way. And on this journey, we are seeing Jesus inching towards the full disclosure of who he is, but waiting until Spirit-time, when the spirit empowers, inspires, and enables God's people to bear witness of God's presence and love in the world.

June 6, 2021 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Mark 3:20-35		June 13, 2021 3rd Sunday after Pentecost Mark 4:26-34
June 20, 2021 4th Sunday after Pentecost Mark 4:35-41		June 27, 2021 5th Sunday after Pentecost Mark 5:21-43

Neal D. Presa is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Presbyterian Foundation. He is an Associate Pastor and Coordinator for the Faith & Work Initiative at the Village Community Presbyterian Church (Rancho Santa Fe, CA), Visiting Professor of Practical Theology at the International Theological Seminary (West Covina, CA), Visiting Professor and Scholar at the Union Theological Seminary (Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines), Research Fellow of Practical and Missional Theology at the University of the Free State (Bloemfontein, South Africa), and a Fellow of the Center for Pastor Theologians (Oak Park, IL). He previously served as Moderator of the 220th General Assembly (2012-14) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Ecumenically, he is the Co-Vice Chair of the current Third Round of Bilateral Dialogues between the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and for nearly six years, he led the Caribbean and North American Area Council of both the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, serving on the executive committees of both organizations and representing the Alliance at the World Council of Churches Faith & Order Plenary Commission. To connect with Neal via LinkedIn, go to: linkedin.com/in/NealPresa For his publications, go to: www.NealPresa.com