Epiphany Week 3

Psalm: Psalm 19
Old Testament: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Gospel: Luke 4:14-21
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Today we look at the beginning of Jesus' ministry as Luke presents it. We are all familiar with this passage, but I will try to draw our attention to a few things. First, we have to place this passage in the context of the Lukan narrative. Jesus' public life and ministry began when he was baptized and the Holy Spirit descended on him, which we looked at two weeks ago. Next, and directly before our passage today, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. We have discussed this episode before in terms of the preparation this event was. The temptations no doubt served multiple purposes both for Jesus and for us who read about them, but I would just point out today, 1. the Spirit led and sustained him, and 2. The temptations represent and prepare Jesus for the challenges he will face during his ministry.

Epiphany Week 2

Psalm: Psalm 36:5-10

Old Testament: Isaiah 62:1-5

Gospel: John 2:1-11

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

We have been in the New Testament and particularly the Gospel passages for a while, so I want to bring attention to the reading from Isaiah 62 this week. Some of you may know that this chapter is actually the Point Loma Nazarene University chapter. Phineas Bresee, the university's founder and first president, was drawn to this passage in a moment of crisis early in the university's history along with doubtless other times when the words provided hope. Currently, Bresee's Bible sits outside the president's office opened to Isaiah 62. Those who have seen this Bible testify to the presence of fingerprints and smudges particularly on this page. So what drew Bresee to this chapter and what can we take from it?

Epiphany Week 1

Psalm: Psalm 29

Old Testament: Isaiah 43:1-7

Gospel: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Epistle: Acts 8:14-17

On this first Sunday after Epiphany we look at the baptism of Jesus. (You will notice that the Church Calendar follows the life of Christ from his birth, through his death, and then to the Ascension after Easter Sunday.) Last week you may remember that we looked at the visit of the Magi and the epiphany they received in the form a of star to travel and worship Jesus. The baptism of Jesus is a form of Epiphany as well, both to those who witnessed it and perhaps even to Jesus himself. First we will look at how Luke presents the account, then we will look at what this may have to say about the Epiphany season, and finally we will try to get at what this may have to say to us today.

Epiphany Sunday

Psalm: Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Old Testament: Isaiah 60:1-6
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
Epistle: Ephesians 3:1-12

Today is Epiphany Sunday! Epiphany is always January 6th but since that is usually not a Sunday, many churches celebrate it on the Sunday afterwards. Hopefully we all know what epiphany is, but as a reminder it is the time specifically when we celebrate God's revelation (epiphany) to the Gentiles. We read about the magi this week because they represent foreign people who are brought into a relationship with the Lord. The magi received a special revelation, in the form of a star, and come to worship Jesus, the King of the Jews. They represent all Gentiles who come from afar, yet if they follow the Star are able to encounter Jesus. It is also significant that in Matthew, it is a few Gentiles, pagan astrologers even, who are the first to worship Jesus.

Second Sunday After Christmas

Psalm: Psalm 147:12-20
  or Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21
Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14
  or Sirach 24:1-12
Gospel: John 1:1-9, 10-18
Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14

Happy New Year to all! But despite it being 2016 on the calendar, we are still in the Christmas season in the church calendar. It is interesting that we read the beginning of John during the Christmas season but also appropriate since this is the "Christmas story" according to John. John does not give us any type of birth narrative as we imagine it at Christmas time, but he does give us an "origin" story if we can call it that for God-One without beginning. John starts his Gospel by saying "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." John doesn't start with Elizabeth or Joseph and Mary, he starts at the Beginning, capital B. In these words he is of course echoing Genesis 1. And we understand also that by "beginning," he means the beginning of time, since God has no beginning.