FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

18 May 2025

NOTES ON THE READINGS

Cantate Sunday!
Easter Joy and the Power of Praise

Easter joy continues to unfold in the Sundays between Easter and Pentecost. Did
you know that the Fourth Sunday after Easter — also known as the Fifth Sunday
of Easter — is called Cantate, from the Latin for “Sing”? It’s named after Psalm
98:1:
“O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things.”
What a beautiful and fitting name for this Sunday!

Acts 16:23–34

Prisoners, Yet Free
Paul and Silas travel through Europe sharing the message of Jesus — a message
of peace, justice, and the breaking down of social barriers. They hope others will
be just as captivated by it.
But things take a different turn. Their message unsettles people, challenges
power structures, and makes them appear politically dangerous.
They are arrested, beaten, and chained. Yet they do not complain.
They pray. They sing. Loudly.
So loudly that the other prisoners hear them — and then the chains fall, the
doors open, and their mission moves forward.
1945. A German prison.
A man is behind bars for proclaiming a faith that unites Jews and Christians — a
truth some find threatening. He writes prayers, letters, poems.
Though imprisoned, he is inwardly free.
His name is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his faith still inspires. His words escaped
those prison walls, smuggled out by a sympathetic guard, and live on today.
2015. Syria.
Yarmouk is under siege. The war has brought terror and destruction.
Among the ruins, Aeham Ahmad plays his piano — a protest in sound.

His music carries hope. It frightens the oppressors.
He becomes a threat to ISIS.
And so he flees, eventually finding refuge in Germany, where he uses his music
to raise awareness and compassion for others.
The Power of Song and Spirit
Music, praise, and prayer hold a mysterious strength.
They don’t always save lives. They don’t erase pain.
But they unlock inner freedom — a freedom so powerful that it unsettles even
those in power.
Paul and Silas’ jailer tends their wounds.
Bonhoeffer’s writings spread beyond his cell.
Aeham’s music breaks through the silence of fear.
In praise and protest, hearts are changed. Chains — both visible and invisible —
are broken.

Revelation 21:1–5a

Easter: A New Peace
John the Seer shares a breathtaking vision:
A new heaven and a new earth.
No more tears. No death. No pain.
God among His people.
Can we still believe this in a world marked by war, injustice, and fear?
We must.
This vision is not only for the future — it is also breaking in here and now.
Every story of resurrection, of restoration, is a glimpse of this promise.
And when John describes the New Jerusalem — “as a bride adorned” — we also
hear a whisper of hope for the Holy Land.
In the face of despair and devastation, we dare to pray for peace in the Middle
East.
From Christmas to Easter, this hope continues:
A new world is possible — and already unfolding.
Let us make it real where we are.

John 13:31–35

The Way of Love: Practicing Nonviolent Communication
This gospel reading, taken from Jesus’ farewell words, points toward the new age
that begins in resurrection.
Its theme is simple and profound: love.
The love of God, shown in Jesus.

The love we are called to show one another.
To love doesn’t mean we avoid truth or disagreement.
It means we learn to speak, act, and respond with respect, empathy, and
attentiveness — holding firm to our beliefs while honoring the humanity in
others.
This is the heart of Nonviolent Communication,
Listening without judgment
Speaking without aggression
Disagreeing without dehumanizing
To change the world, we must begin in our own spheres:
Our homes, schools, workplaces, and churches.
Let us treat one another with dignity and grace.
Let the world see, through our love, that we belong to Jesus.

Adapted from sermon notes by Ursula Kuhn
https://sustainable-preaching.eu/2019/05/19/fifth-sunday-of-easter/