Category Archives: Epiphany

Last Epiphany C/Transfiguration

Posted on by
Reply

First Reading: Exodus 34:29-35

Radiant light shines through Sunday’s readings for the Feast of the Transfiguration, and Moses appears in all four of them.

Transfiguration of Christ

Transfiguration of Christ (c.1487), oil painting on panel by Giovanni Bellini (c.1430-1516).
National Museum of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

Take a closer look, and find a consistent emphasis on God’s covenant with the people to follow God’s commandments to love God and our neighbors. In the first reading, we see Moses bringing the commandments down the mountain, his face transfigured in light by his encounter with the Holy One.

Psalm: Psalm 99

This mighty ancient hymn envisions God as a powerful king receiving loud chants of praise. In the temple in Jerusalem, images of two cherubim – scary angels depicted as lions with wings and human faces – were placed atop the Ark of the Covenant to serve as God’s throne. The Psalmist understands God as no petty tyrant but a mighty ruler who demands justice, holding the people to their covenant call to love their neighbors and care for the widow, the orphan and the stranger in our midst.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

In his second known letter to his congregation at Corinth, Paul recalls the Exodus story about Moses coming down the mountain with his face shining. Invoking the the image of the veil that Moses used to conceal his transcendent glow, Paul turns it around to express the idea that Jesus “unveils” God’s covenant in all its shining glory. For those who believer in Christ, Paul says, the veil is removed and they can see the image of God as if reflected in a mirror by the Holy Spirit. Be truthful, Paul urges the believers in Corinth. Do not hide behind a veil, but be steadfast and bold.

Gospel: Luke 9:28-36, [37-43a]

Jesus and his apostles Peter, John and James go up on the mountain to pray. Suddenly Elijah and Moses join him, and Jesus’ face and clothing shine in dazzling light. The three, the Gospel says, were talking about Jesus’ departure (or exodus in the perhaps significant Greek original), which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Then a cloud forms around them and God’s voice is heard, repeating the words that God spoke from a cloud at Jesus’ baptism in the Gospel for the first Sunday of Epiphany: “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” Jesus and the terrified apostles come down from mountain, and life returns to what is normal for Jesus: He astounds the crowd by casting out a child’s angry demon.

Epiphany 7C

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 20, 2022 (Epiphany 7C)


First Reading: Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Love without boundaries and live as God would have us live. Love your enemies. Turn your other cheek. Do not judge. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

St. Luke writing. Ancient Byzantine icon.

St. Luke writing. Ancient Byzantine icon. (Click image to enlarge.)

Throughout Sunday’s readings, culminating in another passage from Luke’s Sermon on the Plain, we are called to listen for God’s desire that we forgive even those who have hurt us. In Sunday’s first reading, we learn that Joseph, even after having been sold into slavery by his brothers, has risen from that challenge to become a chief advisor to Pharaoh. Now Joseph’s brothers, fleeing famine back home, arrive in Egypt, where they find Joseph in his new, powerful position. The brothers are terrified, fearing revenge But Joseph forgives them, just as God forgave the wrongs of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Psalm: Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42

Trust in God and do good, we hear the Psalmist sing. Don’t worry about evildoers. Don’t be jealous of those who do wrong. Those evildoers will wither like grass, but those who follow God’s ways will receive their heart’s desire. Throughout this portion of Psalm 37 we hear parallels with Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Plain: Be patient. Don’t strike out in anger. These things only lead to evil. Trust in God, rather, knowing that the meek shall inherit the land. Wait for God with patience and confident trust. Follow God’s ways and be rewarded.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50

Paul moves toward the conclusion of his extended reflection on resurrection and how it works. In a typical Pauline form, he sets up an opposing question about what kind of body the resurrected will have, then shouts “Fool!” at this imagined debate opponent. Using metaphors of seeds and sowing, he points out that seeds of grain cannot come to life as plants unless they first die by being buried in the earth. Just as God then gives each kind of seed its own body, so it is with resurrection: Our physical bodies perish, but what is raised cannot perish. Adam, the first human, came from dust, but Christ, like a second Adam, came from heaven. In resurrection we will bear his image.

Gospel: Luke 6:27-38

Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Plain becomes even more challenging as the teaching of Jesus reverses our expectations. Last week we heard the blessings that will come to those who suffer, and the woes that await those who revel in riches. Now Jesus poses the difficult, counter-intuitive challenge that we must love our enemies and do good to those who hate and hurt us. We are to do to others not as they do to us but as we would want them to do to us. Then Jesus emphasizes that this Golden Rule is not to be followed with any hope of reward: “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same,” he says. “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.”

Epiphany 6C

Posted on by
3

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 13, 2022 (Epiphany 6C)


First Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10

Easter is late this year, April 17, so Ash Wednesday doesn’t come until March 2. The extra weeks that this leaves after Epiphany offer readings that we only occasionally hear.

Poverty and Wealth

Poverty and Wealth (1888), oil painting on canvas by William Powell Frith (1819-1909). Private collection. (Click image to enlarge.)

This week we’ll hear Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, which is a little more edgy than Matthew’s familiar Sermon on the Mount. The rest of Sunday’s readings also offer nutritious food for thought. For our first reading, in a division that might remind us of Luke’s blessings and woes, Jeremiah separates the cursed – who turn from God to trust in mortals and must wither and die – from the blessed, who trust in God and will be deeply rooted and nourished like plants near

Psalm: Psalm 1

The Psalmist, too, seems to divide all humankind into two parts in this, the first of the 150 Psalms. Echoing the covenant that God gave to Moses and the people at Mount Sinai, they sing praise for righteousness and its rewards while warning about the dangers of following the ways of the wicked. Using metaphors that echo the thoughts of Jeremiah in the first reading, the Psalmist promises delight for the righteous, who will thrive and bear fruit like trees planted near water. Not so for the wicked, the verses continue. They will be doomed like chaff that the wind blows away.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

In the closing chapters of First Corinthians, Paul continues working out his theology of salvation through Christ’s resurrection. Writing at least a generation before Mark (the first of the Gospels), Paul’s words offer us a glimpse at the ideas evolving in an infant Christian community whose oral tradition went back to the adult ministry of Jesus less than 20 years earlier. Paul challenges those who doubt that Christ’s resurrection means that we, too, are freed from the fear of death. If Christ was not raised, Paul says, then our faith has been in vain and our sins have not been forgiven. But in fact, Paul insists, Christ was raised from the dead; he is the first fruit of all who die and will now live again.

Gpspel: Luke 6:17-26

We read this version of the Beatitudes from Luke’s Sermon on the Plain three years ago when Easter also fell late, but before that it hadn’t come up since 2007. It’s unfortunate that we hear it so seldom, as its contrasts with Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes from his Sermon on the Mount give us plenty to think about. Having spent the night on a mountain in silent prayer, Jesus comes down to a level place and talks to his just-chosen disciples and a huge crowd of followers. His series of beatitudes take a more edgy tone as he follows a series of blessings with a series of woes. Blessed are the poor – the actual poor, in contrast with Matthew’s “poor in spirit” – the hungry, those who weep and those who are reviled. Luke shows Jesus also declaring woe to the rich, those who are full of food and wealth, those who laugh as they receive constant praise. Listen for this liberating preference for the poor and downtrodden throughout this year of Luke.

Epiphany 5C

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 6, 2022 (Epiphany 5C)


First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8

It is difficult for prophets to resist the power of God’s call to serve. We hear this through Sunday’s readings in God’s call to the Prophet Isaiah; the Psalmist’s conversation with a faithful God; Paul’s call as an apostle of Christ, and Jesus calling his apostles at the Sea of Galilee.

The Miraculous Draft of Fishes

The Miraculous Draft of Fishes (1515), drawing in preparation for a tapestry by Raphael (1483-1520). The Royal Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, London. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading, Isaiah is granted a terrifying vision of a gigantic God on a throne surrounded by six-winged seraphim. This appearance is so majestic, so startling, that the prophet fears for his life, shouting that he is but an unworthy creature with unclean lips. But God sends a seraph carrying a hot coal to touch Isaiah’s lips and thus blot out his sin. Then Isaiah eagerly accepts God’s call, responding faithfully, “Here I am! Send me!”

Psalm: Psalm 138

Echoing the hope for return from exile and eventual salvation that we heard in the Isaiah reading, Psalm 138 thanks and praises God’s love and faithfulness. When we called, the Psalmist sings, God answered us and gave us strength. The litany of praise goes on: Although God is high, God cares for the lowly; God keeps us safe when we walk in the midst of trouble. The love of the Lord endures forever, the Psalmist sings. God will not abandon the works of God’s hands.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

In the second-to-last chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul begins summing up. He turns to the good news of Christ’s resurrection, declaring its central place in Christian theology. Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised on the third day, and was then seen by the Apostles and by hundreds of followers. Acknowledging his unfitness to serve Christ as one who persecuted the church, Paul declares himself the least of the apostles. He was the last to see Christ, he writes, but now he has been forgiven in spite of his sins and chosen to serve, not through his own merits but through God’s saving grace.

Gospel: Luke 5:1-11

Jesus has left behind his angry neighbors who wanted to throw him off a cliff following his challenging remarks in his home synagogue in Nazareth. He moves on, followed by crowds, and now, in Luke’s account, he calls his first apostles. Jesus, teaching a huge crowd near the lake of Gennesaret (Galilee), got into Simon’s boat to address the people. Then he told Simon to head for deep water and put out his fishing nets. Simon was doubtful, since they had fished all night without success. But he trusted Jesus, and caught more fish than the nets could hold. Peter, in a response that might remind us of Isaiah’s fearful plea to God, dropped to his knees and told Jesus to leave him, a sinful man. But Jesus, told him not to be afraid. Jesus called them, and Simon, James and John eagerly dropped everything and followed him.

Epiphany 4C

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 30, 2022 (Epiphany 4C)


First Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10

If not us, then who? If not now, when? We hear this familiar call to mission echoed through Sunday’s readings, beginning with Jeremiah, one of the great prophets of the Hebrew Bible.

Jesus ejected from the synagogue.

Jesus ejected from the synagogue. Ancient French painting, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague. (Click image to enlarge.)

Jeremiah foresaw destruction and exile for Jerusalem because the people had forgotten their covenant to follow God’s way. But like most of the prophets, Jeremiah was not eager for his role. Jeremiah thought he was too young for such a chore. “I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy,” Jeremiah said in response to God’s call. But God, reminding Jeremiah that God had consecrated him as a prophet before he was born, gave strength to Jeremiah’s spirit and sent him out with the words and the authority to warn his people.

Psalm: Psalm 71:1-6

The Psalmist sings in harmony with God’s message to Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” In the Psalm, too, we sing gratitude to God who sustains us and who has been our strength since before we were born, since we were carried in our mother’s womb. We sing only the first seven of the entire Psalm’s 24 verses on Sunday, but the message of this Psalm is consistent throughout: God is our rock and refuge. We sing thanksgiving for God’s presence and protection. Our trust in God’s strength gives us hope.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Now we hear Paul’s beloved celebration of love, a passage that the Book of Common Prayer suggests for use in weddings. Paul is not speaking of romantic love here, of course; the Greek word “agape” represents a gentle but powerful selfless love. Agape binds us all as worshipers in Christian community. Agape gives us the strength to carry out God’s work together. These words complete the readings that came before it in the previous two Sundays, in which Paul spoke of the way that God gives us all different gifts and calls us to different duties. We all work together like the parts of the body; each is important and all are necessary. Now we learn that love is the glue that holds the community together: Faith, hope and love abide, but love is the most important of all.

Gospel: Luke 4:21-30

Last Sunday we heard Jesus impressing his neighbors in the synagogue at Nazareth, declaring that he had come to fulfill Isaiah’s call to bring good news to the poor. Today, in Luke’s account, Jesus pushes them a little too far. First, he predicts that they will reject him because they knew him when he was a child: “No prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.” Then he indicates that his good news might be for all the poor, not just the poor who are our friends and neighbors and part of our community: He reminds them of two Hebrew Bible stories in which God’s grace was given to Gentiles. At this they rise up, drive him out of town and threaten to throw him off a cliff. But Jesus slips away from his captors and goes back to Capernaum in Galilee to continue his work.

Epiphany 3C

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 23, 2022 (Epiphany 3C)

First Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Torah – The body of God’s teaching, so holy and beloved that it is understood as law – informs our Sunday readings.

Christ in the Synagogue at Nazareth

Christ in the Synagogue at Nazareth (1658), oil painting on canvas by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (1621-1674). National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin. (Click image to enlarge.)

We begin with a reading from the minor prophet Nehemiah, who tells of the scribe Ezra reading the Torah to the people of Jerusalem, now settled back at home after the exile and regaining familiarity with the written tradition. It is clearly a holy moment when Ezra opens the Torah scroll and spends the entire morning reading and interpreting the text. The people, understanding the text perhaps for the first time, weep with joy at the revelation.

Psalm: Psalm 19

Today’s Psalm sings the praises of Torah, not as harsh legislation but nurturing teaching that inspires us. A hymn of worship and praise, this Psalm first celebrates God’s glory and creation, then rejoices in the Torah. God’s teaching revives our souls, turns our innocence into wisdom, makes our hearts leap up and our eyes sparkle, the Psalmist sings. We gain enlightenment from God’s teaching; in following its precepts there is great reward.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Last Sunday, in the verses just before these, we heard Paul declare that each member of the church receives different spiritual gifts. Now Paul continues this theme with a striking metaphor: He likens the church to Christ’s body in the world. Every member of the church – like every bodily part – plays a different but important role. The foot, the ear, the hand, the eye: Each has its job, each is critical to the body’s operation, and all are important. Just as this is true for the body, Paul says, so it is for the church.

Gospel: Luke 4:14-21

Returning home from his baptism in the Jordan and his time in the desert, Jesus begins his public ministry according to Luke in the synagogue in his childhood home in Nazareth. Unrolling the Torah scroll of the Prophet Isaiah, Jesus reads verses that will define his mission, ideas that echo his mother’s song and God’s covenant with the people at Sinai. This scripture is fulfilled in him, he declares. He claims as his own the duty to bring good news to the poor and the oppressed and to declare the year of Jubilee in which slaves are freed and debts are forgiven.

Epiphany 2C

Posted on by
Reply

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.

The Marriage at Cana

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.

Epiphany 1C/Baptism of Our Lord

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 9, 2022 (Epiphany 1C/Baptism of Our Lord)

First Reading: Isaiah 43:1-7

The 12 Days of Christmas are over, and we are back to green altar colors and vestments as the season after Epiphany has begun.

Battesimo di Cristo (The Baptism of Christ)

Battesimo di Cristo (The Baptism of Christ, c.1470-1475). Oil and tempera painting on panel by Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488) and Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Uffizi Gallery, Florence. (Click image to enlarge.)

The Gospel stories during this season will remind us of events that manifested the divinity of Jesus: The arrival of the Magi, which we heard in preview last Sunday; and now the baptism of Jesus by John at the Jordan. Our first reading from Isaiah and the following Psalm invoke images of water; the second reading, from Acts, and the Gospel speak of baptism. In the first reading, Isaiah assures the Israelites in exile that they will return to Jerusalem, kept safe by God through fire and water.

Psalm: Psalm 29

In Psalm 29, a thundering hymn from the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, the faithful sing of God’s power as seen in a great tempest. God is upon the mighty waters, the Psalmist sings. God’s voice is powerful. We hear it in thunder and lightning, wind and noise, flashing fire and mighty winds that shake the earth and topple trees. But these are not things to fear, the Psalmist assures us. They are signs of the mighty power and majesty of God. As the storm comes to a close, we are left with God’s promises of strength and peace. We share in these gifts through our baptism.

Second Reading: Acts 8:14-17

The Acts of the Apostles, the second act of Luke’s Gospel, tells the exciting story of Paul, the disciples, and other church leaders taking the new Way of Jesus across the ancient Mediterranean, spreading the Good News to Jews and Gentiles alike. Sunday’s short reading gives us a glimpse of Peter and John baptizing new Christians in Samaria. The Samaritans were longtime enemies of the Jews (which is why the Good Samaritan was so surprising), but now the apostles don’t venture boldly out to welcome and embrace the Samaritan converts and baptize them in the Holy Spirit.

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

As Luke offers his account of the baptism of Jesus, he musters images of water and fire that seem to echo what we heard in the readings from Isaiah and Psalms. In previous verses, the people had wondered if John the Baptist was the Messiah, but John told them that the one who is coming – Jesus – is far more powerful than he. Now John steps aside – this Lectionary passage skips three verses explaining that Herod put John in prison. We then learn that Jesus has been baptized, whereupon the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove, and God’s voice from heaven announced that Jesus is God’s son, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.

Last Epiphany B/Transfiguration

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 14, 2021

First Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-12

Our Gospels in the season after the Epiphany follow Jesus through the early years of his public ministry as told by John and Mark, gradually unveiling his status as leader, teacher, and healer.

The Transfiguration of Christ

The Transfiguration of Christ (1605), oil painting on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Museum of Fine Arts of Nancy, France. (Click image to enlarge.)

This week we conclude this rather brief journey from Christmastide to Lent with the revelation of Jesus as prophet and messiah. Sunday’s readings glow with the light of God revealed in shining glory: Elijah’s fiery chariot; the rising sun and consuming flame of God’s justice; God’s light to the world, and finally the Transfiguration of Jesus with the patriarchs Elijah and Moses on a mountain top. Our first reading tells the ancient story of Elijah taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot while Elisha, his young successor, looks on in awe.

Psalm: Psalm 50:1-6

This week we read only a portion of Psalm 50, about one-fourth of its 23 verses. But it is a memorable passage, a resounding hymn of worship and praise, calling the people who have joined in covenant to come together in worship. Come near, the Psalmist shouts, and hear the God of gods speak, revealed in glory, calling the earth together from sunrise to sunset. God will speak and not keep silence, we sing, standing before a consuming flame while surrounded by a raging storm, calling the heavens and the earth to witness God’s judgment.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

God brought light into the world, and God shows us the glory of God’s image in Christ. Because they believe, Paul tells the people of Corinth in his second letter to them, they can see the light that those who do not believe do not see. For those who do not believe, he continues, that light is veiled by worldly concerns. Christians are called to proclaim Jesus, not ourselves, Paul declares. We are to serve others humbly for Jesus’ sake.

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9

On the first Sunday of Epiphany, we watched John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan, where Jesus heard God’s voice saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Now Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to a mountain top, where Jesus is joined by Moses, the giver of the law, and Elijah, who was transported into heaven to await the arrival of the Messiah. Jesus’ face and garments glow in a scene reminiscent of Moses receiving God’s commandments as his face glowed on another mountain. Jesus is revealed as Messiah as his friends look on in awe, and God’s voice rings out again with the same refrain: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Epiphany 5B

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 7, 2021

First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31

God is very large. We are very small. God is very powerful. We are very weak.

Christ Healing Peter's Mother-in-Law

Christ Healing Peter’s Mother-in-Law (c.1650-1660), pen drawing with watercolor wash, by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn ((1606–1669). Fondation Custodia, Paris. (Click image to enlarge.)

In Sunday’s first reading, the Prophet Iāsaiah musters striking poetic language that likens the people to grasshoppers and their earthly rulers to dandelion puffs blown apart in the wind. As the people begin to ponder the challenges of return from exile, Isaiah portrays a transcendent God who is far beyond our imagining. And yet, the prophet foretells, this mighty, eternal and all-powerful God will lift us up on eagles’ wings and give us the power and the strength to follow God’s ways.

Psalm: Psalm 147:1-12, 21c

Echoing Isaiah’s message in one of the six exultant hymns of praise that conclude the book of Psalms, the Psalmist celebrates the glory of the powerful, all-knowing God who counts and names even the stars of heaven, and who has guided the people home from exile and bound their wounds. God is unimpressed by the powerful and the strong, the Psalmist sings, but gently tends the broken and the brokenhearted. God lifts up the lowly, but casts the wicked to the ground, we sing, celebrating a liberating theological idea that we hear again in the Song of Mary and the teaching of Jesus.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

It’s tempting to argue with Paul’s message in these verses. Even for a worthy purpose, it’s not good to pretend to be something you’re not. But that’s not really what he is saying. Paul is getting at something deeper than just being a moral chameleon when he claims to have been “all things to all people.” As in last week’s discussion about eating meat sacrificed to idols when Paul warned Christians not to be a stumbling block to others, Paul urges the people of Corinth to love one another and work together. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Jewish, Gentile, strong or weak, he tells the people. Honor each other in your differences. Then unite to share the good news of the Gospel.

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

The season after Epiphany is ending early this year because Easter, and Lent before it, fall relatively early. In this Sunday’s Gospel, we’ll hear another of Mark’s accounts of Jesus healing, throwing out demons, and telling the Good News before we move along to the Transfiguration, Ash Wednesday and Lent. In this Gospel passage, Jesus goes from the synagogue at Capernaum to the home of his friends Simon and Andrew, where he cures Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever, a scary symptom in those days before modern medicine. Restored to health and strength, she gets up to serve them. The Greek word for “serve” used here is “διηκόνει,” from which we get the word “deacon.” The same word is later used in Acts to name those who came forward to support the Apostles who were busy spreading the Gospel. Just as Simon’s mother-in-law served Jesus and the apostles, deacons vow to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.