Fifth Sunday of Easter 2026: May 3

Alleluia! We continue our journey through the glorious season of Easter. On May 3, 2026, we will celebrate the Fifth Sunday of Easter. We will gather to hear readings that speak to the heart of the Christian faith: the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ, our hope amid suffering, and the promise of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

The Apostle Paul proclaims to the pagan philosophers of Athens that the God they worship is unknown to them. Peter encourages persecuted believers to stand firm in their faith and hope. Jesus assures his disciples that he will not leave them orphaned, but will send them the Holy Spirit. Together, these readings invite us to a deeper understanding of what it means to know God and to love Christ.

Join us for worship in the way that suits you best! You can worship with us in person, via Live Stream, Video Replay, or Podcast.

If You Cannot Join Us In Person for the Fifth Sunday of Easter 2026!

We understand that you may not always be able to attend in person; that’s why we offer several virtual options.

Livestream/Playback

Join us live at 8:50 AM for the organ prelude, followed by the service at 9 AM. After the livestream ends, you can watch the video replay anytime.

Podcast

Did you know that we are available on all major platforms? Our podcast covers everything from the opening hymn to the sharing of the peace.

The Collect for the Fifth Sunday of Easter 2026

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter 2026

First Reading: Acts 17:22–31

22 Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. 23 For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. 26 From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. 28 For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ 29 Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. 30 While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Psalm 66:7–18

The Epistle: 1 Peter 3:13–22

13 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. 21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

The Gospel: John 14:15–21

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Reflection on the Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter 2026

The God Who Is Not Far from Us

First Reading – Acts 17:22–31

Paul stands before the Areopagus, the council of philosophers in Athens, to proclaim the Christian faith to those who have not yet heard the gospel. His opening is masterful: he commends his audience for their religiousness and notes their dedication to honoring various deities. But then he directs their attention to an altar he has observed, inscribed “To an unknown god”—a god whose identity is obscure to them. Paul’s message is that he comes to reveal to them the very God they worship in ignorance.

Paul begins not with Scripture (as he does when preaching to Jews) but with the creation and the human condition. The God he proclaims is not merely a tribal deity but “the God who made the world and everything in it” and is “Lord of heaven and earth.” This God does not dwell in human-made temples, nor does he need anything from human hands, for he is the source of all life and breath. Instead, God has made all nations from one ancestor and has determined the times and boundaries of human habitation—not for arbitrary reasons, but “so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him.”

This last phrase is key: God has arranged the world so that humans might seek him. Paul quotes their own poets: “In him we live and move and have our being” and “For we too are his offspring.” The unknown God, whom they worship in ignorance, is not distant or inaccessible. On the contrary, God is intimately present to all people. Paul’s challenge is that they stop fashioning gods of gold, silver, and stone—images formed by human imagination—and instead turn to the God who has been present to them all along, drawing them toward knowledge of himself.

Psalm 66:7–18

This psalm celebrates God’s mighty power and the deliverance he brings to his people. God rules by his might forever, and his eyes keep watch on all nations. Yet this is no distant, aloof ruler. Instead, the psalmist invites all peoples to bless God and to hear the sound of his praise, for God “has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.”

The psalm then moves into the language of testing and trial: “You have tested us, O God; you have tried us as silver is tried.” The image is deliberate—as silver is refined in the fire to remove impurities, so God tests the faith of his people. The psalmist speaks of being brought into a net and having burdens laid upon the back, of letting people ride over their heads, of going through fire and water. These are the afflictions that test faith. Yet the conclusion is one of deliverance and abundance: “You have brought us out to a spacious place.”

The response is thanksgiving. The psalmist comes into God’s house with burnt offerings and fulfills the vows made “when I was in trouble.” The final verses invite others to witness what God has done: “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.” The one who has been tested and refined, who has passed through fire and water, now testifies to others of God’s faithfulness.

Epistle – 1 Peter 3:13–22

Peter addresses persecuted Christian communities who are facing hostility for their faith. His opening question might seem naive in the context of persecution: “Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?” Yet Peter clarifies: even if suffering comes, those who suffer for doing what is right are blessed. They are not to live in fear but to sanctify Christ as Lord in their hearts.

Peter then offers practical guidance: “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” Notice that the Christian is to be ready to defend their faith, but not with aggression or arrogance. The defense is to be gentle and reverent—a firm but humble witness to the hope they possess.

Peter then turns to the example of Christ. Christ suffered for sins—not for his own sins (for he was righteous), but “the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” This is the foundation of Christian faith: Christ’s sacrificial death brings us into relationship with God. He was “put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” His resurrection is the vindication of his righteousness and the breaking of death’s power.

Peter then speaks of Christ’s proclamation to “the spirits in prison”—a mysterious passage, but one that emphasizes that the resurrection and exaltation of Christ have cosmic significance. Even those held in prison by death and evil have had the gospel proclaimed to them. And through baptism, we who believe are saved—not by the water itself, but through the appeal to God for a good conscience, grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Gospel – John 14:15–21

In the Upper Room Discourse, Jesus speaks to his disciples about his imminent departure and what it will mean for them. His opening condition is simple: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Love for Jesus is demonstrated through obedience—not obedience as a burden or a means of earning favor, but obedience as the natural expression of love.

Jesus then promises something extraordinary: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” The word “Advocate” (Paraclete in Greek) can also be translated as Helper, Comforter, or Counselor. This Advocate is “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.” The world cannot perceive the Spirit because the Spirit operates in the realm of faith and truth, which the world, in its rebellion against God, refuses to recognize. But the disciples know him, “because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”

Jesus then addresses their anxiety about his departure: “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.” Though Jesus is ascending to the Father, he will not abandon his disciples. His coming to them will be mediated through the Spirit. The resurrection is not the end of his relationship with them; it is transformed into a spiritual presence that is perhaps even more intimate.

Jesus makes a remarkable promise about the future: “On that day, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” This highlights the concept of mutual indwelling—a profound union among the Father, the Son, and the believer. Jesus concludes by revisiting the themes of love and obedience: “Those who have my commandments and keep them are the ones who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Fifth Sunday of Easter 2026 Reflection Wrap-Up

The readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter offer a clear perspective on what it means to know God and to live as a Christian. In the book of Acts, Paul addresses pagan philosophers, telling them that the unknown God they seek is not far away; instead, He is intimately present, inviting all people to gain a deeper understanding of Him.

In Psalm 66, we hear the testimony of someone who has endured suffering and has found deliverance. This individual calls others to witness the great things God has done. In First Peter, we are reminded that suffering for doing good, although challenging, is a blessing. Our faith is anchored in Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus comforts His disciples as He prepares to leave them. He assures them that they will not be left alone or orphaned; instead, they will receive the Holy Spirit. Through love and obedience, they will experience a deep connection with both the Father and the Son.

To truly know God, as our Collect reminds us, is to experience everlasting life. This understanding goes beyond simple intellectual knowledge; it represents a profound and transformative union with the living God through Jesus Christ. We are called to love Him, keep His commandments, and allow His Spirit to dwell within us, transforming us more fully into the image of Christ Himself.

Alleluia! Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

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