Isaiah 9:1-4
Epiphany 3A
Consistent with the season of Epiphany, the Lectionary readings from the Old Testament continue to focus on the Servant Messiah as the light of the world. It’s a message we need to hear because we live in particularly dark times, as did the nation of Judah to whom these words were addressed. The time […]
Psalm 29
Epiphany 1A
[…] knows all too well that the there are times when the choice of readings doesn’t make sense. That is not the case for this First Sunday after Epiphany when we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. The “main” reading from the Gospels is, of course, about the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. At […]
Genesis 45:3-11, 15
Epiphany 7C
The theme for this Sixth Sunday of Epiphany is the same in all four Lections—reversal of fortune. Psalm 37 and Luke 6:27-38 talk about loving enemies, thus reversing the usual response to those who abuse us. I Corinthian’s 15:35-50 expounds the great doctrine of the resurrection of the body, which reverses the apparent victory […]
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Epiphany 2C
All four of the lectionary readings for this second Sunday after Epiphany share a similar emphasis on God’s abundant grace to his people. Psalm 36 sings God’s praise for his love and power poured out on his people. Using gorgeous language Isaiah 62 promises the exiles that their God will restore them to their […]
Psalm 62:5-12
Epiphany 3B
[…] of them—first, the contrast between the quiet trust of the Psalmist and the frantic clamor of our times and, second, the connection between this Psalm and the Epiphany of Christ. Verse 5 sets the tone for the entire Psalm, transforming the indicative of verse 1 into self-talk, an exhortation to actually do what he […]
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Epiphany 4C
[…] Word given by God would do those negative things. Why in the world would we preach on a text like this, and especially in this season of Epiphany, when we’re supposed to focus the church’s attention on the glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ. The call of Jeremiah to his ministry of judgment […]
Isaiah 58:1-9a, (9b-12)
Epiphany 5A
[…] in Ordinary Time right now. But the Revised Common Lectionary helps us keep the glory shining for a bit longer by calling this the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany. The Lectionary throws us a curveball, however, with this hard-hitting text about fasting. What on earth does this social justice passage have to do with Epiphany? […]
Exodus 34:29-35
Last Epiphany C
Fittingly, the season of Epiphany ends with Transfiguration Sunday. With the possible exception of his resurrection, Christ’s Transfiguration was the most spectacular exhibition of his glory in his life. Indeed, the Transfiguration was arguably even more glorious than the Resurrection, because Jesus resurrected body did not have about it the unmistakable glory of his […]
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Epiphany 1C
The Sunday text near Epiphany is the Sunday we commemorate the Baptism of the Lord. And yet, in the gospel of Luke, we pretty much miss the whole thing! Luke describes it in the past tense: Jesus was one of “all” the people who were baptized by the John the Baptist. Instead, Luke’s baptism […]
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Epiphany 4C
For this 4th Sunday after Epiphany, the lectionary returns for a 3rd time in a row to Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians, particularly this section focused on the divisions in that church created by their abuse of spiritual gifts. Having emphasized that all the gifts come from the same Spirit for the common […]
Search Results: epiphany