Epiphany week 3

Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 4-9 

Old Testament: Isaiah 9:1-4 

Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23 

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

We are at another week of Epiphany, and the theme remains the same; however, this week I want to take us in another direction in terms of what an epiphany means. Often when we are writing or doing homework or a work project we might have a moment of epiphany where something is suddenly made clear and we are able to move forward with the task. But other times, that doesn’t happen, so we ask for help or do more research and then are able to move forward. In these cases, we typically come to some resolution and find an answer if not necessarily the only answer to the problem. I’m sure we can all relate to being in this situation, hoping for an epiphany.

Epiphany Week 2

Psalm: Psalm 40:1-11 

Old Testament: Isaiah 49:1-7 

Gospel: John 1:29-42 

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Today we are still in the time of Epiphany and our New Testament reading celebrates that. But first let us look at the Old Testament passages and see how they speak to this theme. The season of Epiphany is a time when we celebrate the revelation of who God is revealed in Jesus. But it is also a time when we are reminded that we are to reveal God to the nations.  It is this idea that the Psalmist celebrates; he writes that the faithfulness of God to rescue him will cause many to see and trust in the Lord (vs. 1-3). He also writes that he has not hidden the Lord’s righteousness and lovingkindness, but has proclaimed it to the people (vs. 9-10).  The second half of the Psalm, which isn’t assigned, is a cry to the Lord to again rescue the writer. He recognizes that the Lord is the one who can deliver him, like he has done in the past, and a natural response is to tell others what the Lord has done.

Epiphany Week 1

Psalm: Psalm 29 

Old Testament: Isaiah 42:1-9 

Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17 

Epistle: Acts 10:34-43

There are a couple of themes that emerge this week in our scripture readings. The first one is the voice of God. In the Psalms the voice has control over all nature and is “powerful” and “majestic.” It is a voice that can literally shake the wilderness. In Isaiah 42 we have the contrast between the voice of the Servant who “will not cry out or raise His voice” and the Lord God who speaks and declares new things before they come to pass. We move into the New Testament and the voice of the Father speaks from heaven and declares that Jesus is his “Beloved Son.” Finally, in Acts we read about Peter preaching the Holy Spirit filled word in Cornelius’ house. Through the Holy Spirit, the proclamation of Peter is the culmination of all that has gone before. God is now revealed and active in the proclaimed word.

Chirstmas Week 2/ Epiphany

Psalm: Psalm 147:12-20 

Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14 

Gospel: John 1:1-9, 10-18 

Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14

Today is the day of Epiphany, or Three Kings Day as it is also known. Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas season when the church celebrates the arrival and worship of the wise men of Jesus. Epiphany means “to reveal” or have something made clear. The wise men recognized and revealed to the whole world that Jesus was worthy to be worshiped. The wise men represent the nations of the world coming to the feet of Jesus in worship. What the wise men do has broader implications than just recognizing that Jesus is God, or providing Jesus’ family with gifts, they anticipate that Jesus’ life and mission is not only for the Jews, but also for the nations.

Despite our readings today not being directly related to Epiphany or the wise men, this idea is present. In John, Jesus is the Light and the Word who has come into the world. It is the darkness that opposes Jesus, not necessarily the nations. In fact, perhaps one of the meanings of verses 12-13 is that those who believe in Jesus name are children of God, not necessarily those who are of line of the Jews. Jesus came to redeem not only the Jews, but all the nations, and even all of creation.