The Seventh Sunday of Easter 2025: Unity

Join us at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Burlington, Wisconsin, for our Seventh Sunday of Easter 2025 service on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at 9:00 AM. This Sunday, we reflect on the unity of believers and the promise of the Holy Spirit as we prepare for Pentecost.

For those unable to attend in person, we offer a live stream, podcast, and replay video of the service, ensuring everyone can participate in this meaningful celebration.

Join us online

We know you cannot always join us in person, but we offer you a few ways.

Livestream/Video Replay

You can watch us live or whenever you have time. The video goes live at 8:50 AM if you want to catch the prelude, or closer to 9 AM for the service. The replay will be available right after the live stream ends.

Podcast

We have a podcast available for you to enjoy at home, on the go, or whenever you prefer to listen. You can find it here later that Sunday or through your favorite podcast player.

Collect for the Day – The Seventh Sunday of Easter 2025

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter 2025.

Acts 16:16–34

Paul and Silas were imprisoned for casting out a spirit from a slave girl. An earthquake freed them, but they chose to stay, leading to the conversion and baptism of their jailer and his whole household.

¹⁶One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. ¹⁷While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” ¹⁸She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. ¹⁹But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. ²⁰When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews ²¹and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” ²²The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods.²³After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. ²⁷When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”³¹They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³²They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. ³⁴He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Psalm 97

A hymn that celebrates God’s reign, His justice, and the joy of righteous people.

¹ The Lord is King;
   let the earth rejoice; *
       let the multitude of the isles be glad.
² Clouds and darkness are round about him, *
       righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.
³ A fire goes before him *
       and burns up his enemies on every side.
⁴ His lightnings light up the world; *
       the earth sees it and is afraid.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, *
       at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
⁶ The heavens declare his righteousness, *
       and all the peoples see his glory.
⁷ Confounded be all who worship carved images
   and delight in false gods! *
       Bow down before him, all you gods.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *
       because of your judgments, O Lord.
⁹ For you are the Lord,
   most high over all the earth; *
       you are exalted far above all gods.
¹⁰ The Lord loves those who hate evil; *
       he preserves the lives of his saints
       and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light has sprung up for the righteous, *
       and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, *
       and give thanks to his holy Name.

Revelation 22:12–14, 16–17, 20–21

A vision of Christ’s imminent return and an invitation to drink from the water of life.

¹²“See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” ¹⁴Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. ¹⁶“It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” ¹⁷The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

²⁰The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! ²¹The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

John 17:20–26

Jesus prays for all believers to be united, mirroring the unity between the Father and the Son.

²⁰”I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²²The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, ²³I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

²⁴Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Reflection for the Seventh Sunday of Easter 2025.

This Sunday’s readings highlight themes of unity, faithfulness, and the anticipation of the Holy Spirit. Paul and Silas’s unwavering faith led to unexpected conversions. Psalm 97 reminds us of the joy that comes from God’s justice. The book of Revelation offers hope in Christ’s return, while Jesus’s prayer in the Gospel of John emphasizes the importance of unity among believers.

As we gather, we’re called to embody this unity and prepare our hearts for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

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All are welcome—come as you are and join us in worship and fellowship as we celebrate the risen Lord and the new life he offers to all.