Lectionary Week 14, Covenantide 1

Confessional Readings

The Exaltation of Christ
Westminster Larger Catechism 51-57
Westminster Shorter Catechism 28
Belgic Confession 20
Heidelberg Catechism 46-50

Old Covenant Readings

Exodus 19-24

New Covenant Readings

Matthew ch. 28, Mark ch. 16, Luke ch. 24, John chs. 20-21, Psalm 2, 45, 110

Psalms

(Of Moses) 90
(Of God’s Law) 119:1-32

About Covenantide

Traditionally, the season between Easter and Pentecost has been called by the Christian church Eastertide and was a time for reflecting on the resurrection of the Christ. Biblically, however, there is a deeper significance to this period suggested by the fact that Easter falls on the same date as the Passover and Pentecost on the same date as the Feast of Weeks. The Passover marked the LORD’s great deliverance of His people through the Exodus in the midst of the judgment on Egypt. It was the fulfillment of the covenantal promise He made with Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14. As for the Feast of Weeks, according to Jewish tradition, that marked God’s giving of the Law to His people at Sinai, thus the beginning of the national covenant between God and Israel. The New Testament parallels these events. The work of Christ Jesus on the cross is the great deliverance of God’s people in the New Testament. Like the Passover lamb, Christ’s blood will cause the LORD’s judging wrath to pass over His people in the judgment, in this case, in the eschatological Final Judgment. For His people, the LORD has brought that forward that judgment: becuase Christ atoned for our sins, so we are spared the judgment we were so rightly due. The parallel continues as well with Pentecost and the Feast of Weeks. While the Feast of Weeks marked the LORD giving His covenantal law, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and His dwelling in the hearts of believers, the LORD is enabling His people to have His law written in their hearts to confirm His indissoluble bond with them (Jer. 31:34).

Given these parallels, it is better to focus in this season on God’s covenants with His people (hence the term, “Covenantide”).  The readings for this period reflect this focus.  The Old Testament readings goes from Exodus 19 through the entire book of Leviticus, which covers God’s giving of the Law at Sinai.  The Psalms include the one Psalm of Moses (Ps. 90) the Psalms of the Law (preeminently Psalm 119, which focused on God’s Law), and the Psalms of Ascent (which God’s people would sing as the ascended Mount Zion for worship). Regarding the New Testament, after the resurrection accounts in the Gospels and some Messianic psalms in the first week of readings, the remainder of the New Testament readings are largely associated with the Apostle Peter, namely the Gospel of Mark (widely considered to have been tied to Peter’s ministry), and the epistles of James, Peter and Jude.