The Fifth Sunday in Lent 2025

Join us for the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2025

Join us at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Burlington, Wisconsin, on April 6, 2025, for the Fifth Sunday in Lent. The service will start at 9:00 AM at our 116 E Chandler Blvd church. We offer in-person worship and live-streaming options for those who prefer to attend online.

Join Us Online

For those unable to attend in person, we provide various ways to participate in our worship services:

Livestream/Replay

Our services are streamed live on Sundays at 8:50 AM. You can join us live or watch the replay at your convenience.

Podcast

Our podcast allows you to listen to our service on the go or during your quiet time. Each episode includes the opening hymn and peace sharing. Episodes are typically available on Sunday afternoons or by the following Monday.

Check out our past podcast episodes or find us on your favorite podcast platform. Please subscribe so you won’t miss a chance to worship with us.

The Collect for the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2025

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Scripture Readings for the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2025 (Year C)

Old Testament: Isaiah 43:16-2

¹⁶Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, ¹⁷who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:¹⁸Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. ¹⁹I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. ²⁰The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people,²¹the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.

Psalm: Psalm 126

¹ When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *
       then were we like those who dream.
² Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
      and our tongue with shouts of joy.
³ Then they said among the nations, *
      “The Lord has done great things for them.”
⁴ The Lord has done great things for us, *
      and we are glad indeed.
⁵ Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *
      like the watercourses of the Negev.
⁶ Those who sowed with tears *
      will reap with songs of joy.
⁷ Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
      will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

Epistle: Philippians 3:4b-14

⁴If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. ⁷Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. ⁸More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, ¹¹if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ¹²Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Gospel: John 12:1-8

¹Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ²There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. ³Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ⁵“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” ⁶(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)⁷Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

Reflection on the Readings

As we approach the culmination of the Lenten season, our readings encourage us to reflect on themes of renewal, joy, and devotion. In Isaiah, God declares, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). This reminds us of the constant opportunity for transformation in our lives. Psalm 126 echoes this idea, illustrating the journey from sorrow to joy and the restoration from faith. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he urges us to press on toward our spiritual goals, highlighting the importance of prioritizing our relationship with Christ above all else. Finally, the Gospel of John presents Mary’s act of anointing Jesus’ feet with costly perfume, which profoundly demonstrates selfless love and devotion.

As we meditate on these scriptures, let us open our hearts to the new things God is doing in our lives, embrace the joy from His restoration, and commit ourselves to acts of love and service.

We look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday, whether in person or online. May this Lenten season be a time of deep reflection and spiritual growth for us all.