Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 16, 2022 (Epiphany 2C)

First Reading: Isaiah 62:1-5

In Sunday’s first reading, the people have returned from exile to Jerusalem, site of Mount Zion where the temple had stood. Now the joyous celebration of return is over now, and the people recognize that a long, hard time of rebuilding lies ahead.

Detail from The Marriage at Cana (1571-1572), oil painting on canvas by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588). Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany. (Click image to enlarge.)

“I will not keep silent … I will not rest,” pledges the prophet, promising to continue calling on God’s help until the temple and the city are rebuilt. God delights in the people and the land, the prophet says. like a bridegroom and will bring the people joy. Then, in Sunday’s Gospel we will hear another story of God blessing a new marriage – in a wedding feast at Cana.

Psalm: Psalm 36:5-10

We drop into the middle of Psalm 36 to hear the Psalmist celebrating God’s love. These trusting verses compare God’s faithful righteousness to the lasting, immovable strength of the mountains and the deep seas. God’s love is so broad that it extends to all humanity and to all animal life, we sing. God gives us shelter, abundant food and drink. God’s priceless love shows us a perfect model that can serve us well as we, in our small, imperfect ways, seek to build good relationships in our lives.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

The Christian community at Corinth, in Greece, probably consisted of fewer than 100 people, about the size of an average Episcopal church; but it had plenty of issues with differences of opinion, arguments and even cliques that called for Paul’s pastoral touch in this letter sent to them from far away. Through the rest of the Sundays after Epiphany we will read from three particularly beautiful chapters in this letter. This Sunday and next week we’ll hear Paul’s poetic thoughts about the people of God as Christ’s body, with each member of the church enjoying certain gifts and being responsible for particular duties, much as each part of our bodies has its own function.

Gospel: John 2:1-11


The miracle of water turned into wine at the wedding feast at Cana is surely one of the most beloved of the Gospel stories. But why do we hear it during Epiphany? As we go through the season, we will hear a series of “epiphanies” in which Jesus is revealed to the people of the world. Here, called on to sustain the joy of the wedding party by providing new wine, Jesus objects at first that it is not yet “his time.” But his mother won’t take no for an answer, and his newly gathered disciples are amazed at his glory and believe in him.