May 28, Pentecost (John 20:19-23)

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ost folk who trot off to church faithfully on a Sunday don’t realize what they’re missing when a lector or celebrant proclaims a biblical text. Because frequently there’s only so much time anyone, whether clerical or lay, can devote to a Sunday service, it’s neither possible nor practical to proclaim an entire book or chapter or even a whole segment of John or Numbers, for instance. Many biblical stories do, however, offer tantalizing clues to those who are curious enough to probe a bit in their leisure time.

Such phrases as “After these things” (Gen. 22:1) or “On the third day” (John 2:1) at the beginning of a reading immediately invite the careful listener to ask “What things, pray tell?” or “What happened on days one and two, I wonder?”