Category Archives: Epiphany

Epiphany 4B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 31, 2021

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Hearing God’s voice. Listening for God’s call. This theme echoes in many of our readings through the season of Epiphany, as each week’s Gospel shines more light on the reality of Jesus as Messiah.

Christ heals a man possessed in the synagogue of Capernaum

Christ heals a man possessed in the synagogue of Capernaum. Eleventh century Romanesque fresco in the former bell house of Lambach Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Austria. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our first reading brings us to Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Torah, the story of God’s covenant with Israel. The people have reached the promised land, and the long narrative of their travels is drawing to a close. Moses is dying, and now the people worry how they will know God’s wishes once their prophet is gone. Moses reassures them that God will raise up another prophet from among them, and that God will expect them to pay attention when this prophet utters God’s words.

Psalm: Psalm 111

The Psalms – the Hebrew Bible’s book of hymns and worship poetry of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem – take many forms. Some ask God’s favor. Others weep in lament. Some offer thanks for past blessings. And some of the most joyous, such as today’s familiar verses, exultantly sing God’s praise. All of God’s work, all of God’s majesty and splendor, all of God’s justice last forever, the Psalmist exults. God feeds us. God’s covenant redeems us, and the people shout “Hallelujah!” “Praise God!”

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

These passage might not seem to say much to us in modern times, but it offers us a fascinating insight into understanding Paul as a pastor working with his flock. A question had arisen about whether it was acceptable to eat meat that had been sacrificed in pagan temples. This was a common practice in pagan Greece, where meat from animals who had been sacrificed in the temples were made available to the public. Paul accepts the notion of Corinth’s Jewish Christians that pagan gods aren’t really God at all, so sharing temple food could be morally neutral to Christian believers who are strong in their faith. But the rest of Paul’s conclusion transcends time: Even if we do nothing wrong, our actions may influence others who are not so strong – in this case of the Corinthians, for example, recent converts from paganism. “If food is a cause of their falling,” says Paul, “I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.”

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

We are still in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel, and the ministry of Jesus is getting under way. Jesus, who now has a group of followers, goes to Sabbath services in Capernaum, a small town near the Sea of Galilee where we often find him in Mark’s Gospel. Two remarkable things happen there: First, this young rabbi amazes the congregation with profound teaching that reveals him as one “having authority,” in contrast with the less authoritative scribes. Then Jesus further astounds the people by commanding a noisy unclean spirit to come out of a troubled man. Unclean though the spirit may be, it shouts wisdom, declaring Jesus “the Holy One of God.”

Epiphany 3B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 24, 2021

First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Listen for these themes in Sunday’s readings: God’s love is steadfast: When we do wrong, when we repent, return and hear God’s good news, God is quick to forgive and welcome us back.

Jonah preaching to the people of Nineveh

Jonah preaching to the people of Nineveh (17th century), oil painting on canvas by Andrea Vaccaro (1604-1670). Museo de Bellas Artes of Seville, Spain. Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading we hear the ancient story of Jonah, the reluctant prophet, who ran away when God called him to prophesy to the people of Nineveh, and ended up taking an unwanted journey in a giant fish. Now, spewed out on the beach, Jonah feels more cooperative. The prophecy that God commanded him to give has great effect: All the people of this great city accept Jonah’s call to fast and repent! Then God shows forgiving mercy, and decides not to destroy the people after all. (In the following verses that conclude this short book, Jonah is more than angry about this turn of events, but God’s mercy abides.)

Psalm: Psalm 62: 6-14

Wait for God, hope in God, the Psalmist sings. Trust God above all else. When all others fail, God, our strong rock and our refuge, will reward our trust in God’s power and steadfast love. Others cannot be trusted, the Psalmist tells us over and over again: “On the scales they are lighter than a breath.” But God is always there, always holding the power, always ready to repay us all according to our good deeds.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31

Much like last week’s reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul’s instructions to the Christians of Corinth sound daunting and harsh. Give up our husbands and wives? Don’t buy possessions, mourn our dead or rejoice our victories? This passage makes clear why we must be more than cautious about reading Paul’s directions to his First Century flock as if they direct our activity in the 21st. Hear these verses in Paul’s context: He was certain that this world was passing away as the Kingdom of God drew near; he was sure that Christ would return very soon, bringing a new way of life. Nothing was more important than that; not husbands and wives, not mourning or joy.

Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

The public ministry of Jesus as told by Mark has begun! On the first Sunday after Epiphany we heard Mark’s account of John baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan, when a dove came down from heaven declaring to Jesus that he is the son of God. Now in Sunday’s Gospel events are moving fast. John has been arrested, and Jesus has taken over John’s call to prophesy repentance and declare the good news of God’s kingdom. Then Jesus calls his first disciples, who follow him immediately without any discussion or question, and the long journey toward the cross and resurrection begins.

Epiphany 2B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 17, 2021

First Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

Sunday’s Lectionary readings prompt us to think about listening for God’s voice in the world … and about taking care to discern just what we hear.

Samuel Relating to Eli the Judgements of God upon Eli's House

Samuel Relating to Eli the Judgements of God upon Eli’s House (1780), oil painting on canvas by John Singleton Copley (1738-1815). Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading, the boy Samuel – who will grow up to be a prophet when Israel becomes a kingdom under Saul – hears a mysterious voice calling him in the night. He thinks that it his guardian Eli, the high priest and judge (which was the title of the Israelites’ leader in the days before kings). But Eli, who was sleeping, eventually realizes that Samuel is hearing the voice of God. Eli advises the boy to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” After Samuel reports what he has heard from God, Eli accepts it, even though it is bad news for Eli and his blasphemous sons who had corrupted the priesthood.

Psalm: Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17

It may be difficult for us to discern what God asks of us, the Psalmist sings, but we can rely on God’s full and complete knowledge of our every thought. God knows us, God knows when we move forward and when we sit down; God knows every word that we speak and every word that we think. Chanting, “How deep I find your thoughts, O God! How great is the sum of them,” the Psalmist assures us that, although we can never know all that God wills for us, there is joy and hope in listening for God’s voice.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

On a casual reading, this passage from 1 Corinthians might make us groan,“Oh, no, Paul is ranting about sexuality again.” If we check the context of these verses that seem to address immorality and sleeping around, though, we find – as we often do in Paul’s letters – he is addressing pastoral advice to a loving, but sometimes troublesome, church community. The Christinas of Corinth have been arguing. They’re split into factions. Some haven’t been behaving well. Some even believe that their baptism makes it okay for them to behave immorally! Paul’s direction is simple: Listen for God’s voice through the Holy Spirit. Remember that our bodies are parts of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit, and honor God by doing the right thing.

Gospel: John 1:43-51

After his brief encounter with John at the Jordan, Jesus begins calling his apostles one and two at a time, according to the account in John’s Gospel. Andrew and Simon Peter first heard Jesus’s call. Then he called Philip, who in turn wants to get his friend Nathanael into the growing band. But Nathanael is wary at first. This Jesus comes from Nazareth? That’s not where the Messiah is supposed to come from! But when Jesus speaks to Nathanael in words that seem to echo the Psalm’s phrases such as “My body was not hidden from you.” Nathanael – who is named as an apostle only by John – hears Jesus’ call and delightedly accepts him as the Son of God and King of Israel.

Epiphany 1B/Baptism of Our Lord

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 10, 2021

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-5

We remember the Baptism of Jesus this Sunday, and all our readings speak of creation and new life through God in Word and Spirit.

The Baptism of Christ

The Baptism of Christ )c.1510-20), oil painting on oak wood by Joachim Patinir (c.1480-1524). Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our first reading presents the familiar opening verses of the ancient creation story in Genesis. Glimpsed through its firm monotheism, we can see an emerging idea of God in three persons: God the Creator presides. The Word that God speaks makes the light shine in the darkness. God’s spirit wind breathes over the face of the water. In the beginning God created heaven and earth, and it was good. In the beginning was the Word.

Psalm: Psalm 29

This striking, poetic psalm portrays God’s spirit wind as a majestic and powerful storm. Such a storm, breaking mighty cedars, shooting flames, and shaking the wilderness, might send us running for shelter. But it is also the kind of memorable storm symphony that might lead us outside to feel the rain and the wind touch our faces as the towering clouds roll by. It is an apt image for the God who reigns over all creation, giving us strength and peace.

Second Reading: Acts 19:1-7

In last week’s second reading we heard Paul pray that God would give God’s Spirit of wisdom and revelation to the Ephesians, enlightening their hearts. Now we turn to the Acts of the Apostles, written a generation or two later, and find Luke’s account of Paul in Ephesus, introducing a dozen Ephesians to the Holy Spirit. They had received John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance previously, but had not heard of the Holy Spirit. Now, as Paul baptizes them in the Spirit in Jesus’ name, they joyfully speak in tongues and prophesy as the Holy Spirit comes to them.

Gospel: Mark 1:4-11

Now God’s Spirit moves over the waters again, this time embodied as a dove coming down while Jesus emerges, dripping, from Jordan’s water, baptized by the prophet John. Jesus looks up, sees the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove, and he hears God’s voice from above, telling him that he is God’s Son, God’s Beloved, in whom God is pleased. Before all this, John defers to Jesus’ greater power to baptize with the Holy Spirit. He proclaims that Jesus is the more powerful one who is coming after him and whose sandals he is not worthy to untie.

Last Epiphany A/Transfiguration

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 23, 2020

First Reading: Exodus 24:12-18

Significant things happen on mountain tops, where earth and heaven come close together.

The Transfiguration of Christ

The Transfiguration of Christ (c.1480), oil painting on panel by Giovanni Bellini (d.1516), Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

On Transfiguration Sunday, roughly midway between Christmas and Easter, we come to the mountain top. As we turn from the incarnate light of Epiphany toward the penitential pathway of Lent, our readings show us the awe and fear of humans encountering the divine. In the first reading we see Moses going up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from a mighty God cloaked in clouds and fire. In the verses that came just before this reading, though, Aaron and the other leaders dined and drank with a much more accessible divine being. Humanity continues to wrestle with the contrasting ideas of an intimate God who knows our deepest thoughts, and a transcendent God who surpasses human understanding.

Psalm: Psalm 2

This Messianic hymn of praise envisions God as a mighty king, and more: King of Kings, to whom earthly kings must submit with fear and trembling. Those who seek to break away from God’s power and that of God’s anointed, the Messiah, will earn only divine derision and terrifying rage, the Psalmist sings. Such actions have consequences. But when God’s anointed is set on the holy hill of Zion, the temple, the psalm concludes, happy are all who take refuge in God.

Alternative Psalm: Psalm 99

This hymn of praise offered as an alternate reading to Psalm 2 also envisions God as a mighty king, at whose appearance the people tremble and the earth shakes. Yet, recalling that Moses and Aaron received God’s law and teaching, it also shows us a forgiving and kind God, a doer of justice, equity and righteousness. It mirrors the Exodus reading in showing a God of both distant might and present love.

Second Reading: 2 Peter 1:16-21

Modern bible scholars generally accept that this letter, perhaps the last written in the New Testament, is not the work of Simon Peter, the apostle. It was almost certainly written in Peter’s name by a leader in the early church a century or more after the Crucifixion. Still, it opens a window into the thinking of the second-century church, when believers were trying to understand why Jesus had not returned as soon as had been expected. Everything they have heard about Jesus is true, the letter reassures them, speaking as if in Peter’s own voice: Peter himself was present at the Transfiguration. Trust in God and wait for the dawn and the morning star.

Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9

Using images that recall Moses on the mountain, in words that echo God’s approving words at Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan, Matthew’s account shows us Jesus with the ancient prophets Moses and Elijah. Jesus is transfigured, glowing in dazzling light, revealed as both human and divine. It’s no wonder that Peter, James and John were terrified to hear the voice of God, but Jesus reassures them with a loving touch. Then, for the first time in this Gospel, Jesus speaks of his coming resurrection.

Epiphany 6A

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 16, 2020

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

As we live through the Epiphany season, waning winter’s days are growing longer and the slant of noonday light perceptibly rises. Lent may lie just ahead, but Spring is drawing near.

Moses's Testament and Death

Moses’s Testament and Death (1481-1482), oil painting on fresco by Luca Signorelli (1450-1523). The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. (Click image to enlarge.)

In Sunday’s first reading the people have reached the banks of the Jordan after 40 years wandering in the desert. As they prepare to cross into the promised land, Moses preaches the core of Old Testament teaching: Follow God’s commandments, and you will inherit the land. Defy God’s wishes, and you will lose the land and die. From Sinai to the Jordan, he people have repeatedly heard this covenant: Be righteous, be just. Care for the poor and the weak; the widow, the orphan and the stranger. And when the people fail, the prophets will rise up to remind them of God’s promise, which will play out in the loss of the land, the destruction of the Temple, and exile.

Alternate First Reading: Sirach 15:15-20

We rarely hear readings from Sirach, one of the books known as Apocrypha that come at the end of the Old Testament. Called “The Wisdom of Jesus, ben Sirach” in the original Greek, Sirach was renamed Ecclesiasticus in Latin after the Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity as the state religion. Sirach is in the genre of wisdom literature: brisk, memorable advice akin to the Book of Proverbs. Sunday’s alternate first reading reminds us that we are given free will. God does not force us to keep God’s commandments – we may choose either fire or water – but God is all-knowing and wise and does not wish us to sin.

Psalm: Psalm 119:1-8


Today we hear only the first eight of the 176 verses that make up this, the longest of the Psalms. This introductory passage introduces us to the long psalm’s message: Torah, God’s teaching, is so wonderful that it inspires us to love it and follow it as law. Those who follow that teaching and walk in God’s ways will be rewarded. In chanting this psalm we pray that God will keep us steadfast in following this teaching, these laws.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Paul continues making his case to the quarreling factions that have formed in his little church at Corinth. Last week’s passage might have given the impression that Paul was praising the Corinthians for a spiritual maturity that enabled them to understand the ways of God. But no! Paul makes it clear in the verses we read Sunday that the Christians of Corinth still have a long way to go. Their quarreling factions, he warns, show that they are like babies not yet weaned from milk, utterly unready for spiritual food. When we work together as God’s servants, he adds, God uses us to build and grow in common purpose.

Gospel: Matthew 5:21-37


The Sermon on the Mount takes up three full chapters in Matthew’s Gospel, and in this, our third Gospel drawn from it, we are still in the first of the three! In last Sunday’s portion we heard Jesus say that he did not come to change the Law and the Prophets (the literal translation for the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible). Now, however, he begins interpreting the law as the Talmudic scholars did, reading it in new, radical, and challenging ways. It’s not just “Do not kill” but do no harm of any kind; we must even respond to our enemies in peace! Do not commit adultery? Not just that, but treat women with respect! Do not bear false witness? No, do more: Be honest, be true, say exactly what you mean!

Epiphany 5A

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 9, 2020

First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-12

To follow in God’s way, we are called to be righteous, to practice justice; to be light to the world and the salt that flavors and preserves our lives. These themes resonate through Sunday’s readings.

Sermone della Montagna (Sermon on the Mount

Sermone della Montagna (Sermon on the Mount, 1481-1482), fresco by Cosimo Rosselli (1439-1507). Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. (Click image to enlarge.)

Righteousness and justice are the essence of God’s call, Isaiah insists to the people returning from exile in the first reading and Jesus, too, will ask in his Sermon on the Mount. Being righteous and just requires us to go beyond mere fasting and ritual practice to stand against oppression, feed the hungry, house the homeless, and clothe the naked. Righteousness heals our souls and lights up our lives, as the light of Epiphany that shines in winter’s darkness will illuminate the way of our God.

Psalm: Psalm 112:1-9, [10]

Take care not to hear the “Prosperity Gospel” in today’s Psalm. Yes this ancient worship hymn imagines God rewarding the righteous with earthly power and riches in exchange for their good acts. But look deeper and it echoes Isaiah’s call in the first reading: The righteousness of those who follow God and delight in God’s commandments will endure forever. Those who are gracious and merciful, who deal with others generously and act with justice, will “rise in the darkness as a light for the upright.” The wealth we gain by living justly is not measured in gold and silver but by the example we set for others, showing the way to God.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

We continue in the opening chapters of 1 Corinthians as Paul makes his pastoral case to the bickering, divided church community at Corinth. We missed the opening of this argument as we marked the Presentation of Our Lord in last Sunday’s readings; it’s worth looking back to 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 to read it in full. But we get the gist of it this week as Paul invites the people to be humble. He reminds them that Christians appear foolish in the eyes of the world because they follow a Messiah who suffered the shame of crucifixion. In reality, though, he declares, we actually share God’s hidden and secret wisdom: The Holy Spirit provides new life through the mind of Christ.

Gospel: Matthew 5:13-20

We come in to the middle of the Sermon on the Mount this week, just after Jesus has taught the crowd the Beatitudes, promising God’s kingdom to the poor, the hungry, the thirsty; those who mourn, the meek; the humble, and all who are persecuted and oppressed. You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, Jesus tells the people. With those gifts comes responsibility, too: We are called to show God to the world through our good works. Jesus says he has not come to change the Torah – “the Law and the Prophets” – which calls us to be just and righteous: We are to love God, and love our neighbors as ourselves.

The Presentation of Our Lord

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 2, 2020

First Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

The feast of the Presentation of our Lord falls 40 days after Christmas. When it falls on a Sunday, as it does this year, it takes precedence over the usual liturgy for the season of Epiphany.

Simeon's Song of Praise, Nunc Dimittis

Simeon’s Song of Praise, Nunc Dimittis (c.1700-c.1710). Oil painting on canvas by Aert de Gelder (1645-1727). Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands. (Click image to enlarge.)

The readings reflect on the presentation of the baby Jesus and the ritual purification of his mother, Mary, in the Jerusalem temple. First we hear the Prophet Malachi speak of purification too, using the metaphor of a refiner tho purifies gold and silver with heat and fire: poetic words that the composer Handel will later adopt for a beautiful aria in The Messiah. For Malachi, the refiner’s cleansing fire stands as a symbol of Israel’s duty to restore the Temple and its priesthood upon the people’s return from exile.

Psalm: Psalm 84

Consider this psalm from two perspectives as we hear it: We may regard it from our own perspective, singing out our joy in knowing that God will provide protection, favor and honor to us when we trust in God. But think, too, about the perspective of creation: God provides nests for the small birds, for sparrows and swallows too. God hears not only our prayers, but provides pools of water for thirsty travelers and for all creatures who thirst as they go through desolate valleys.

Alternate Psalm: Psalm 24:7-10

This passage comes from one of the many psalms that tradition attributes to King David himself. The full psalm is thought to have been a processional chant as the priests and congregation approached the Temple. In the first verses the priest calls out, “Who shall stand in his holy place? Who has the right to come in and worship? “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,” the crowd sings back. Then, in the verses we hear on this Sunday, the joyous chorus celebrates God, the King of Glory, creator of the earth and all that is in it.

Second Reading: Hebrews 2:14-18

Christians in some parts of the Roman Empire faced frightening persecution late in the 1st century, a situation that prompted many Jewish Christians to abandon their new faith and return to Judaism, which at the time was not under such severe persecution. The Letter to the Hebrews urges them to stay strong and persevere in faith. It names Jesus as Son of God and great high priest, God who became fully human like us and freed us from death through his sacrifice and resurrection. Because Jesus was so tested, the writer of Hebrews argues, Jesus will help those who are being tested.

Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

Now Joseph and Mary come to the temple for her ritual purification and to present the infant Jesus in accord with the practice that a firstborn son be presented to God. They offer two small birds as sacrifice, an option reserved for poor families who couldn’t afford a lamb. Then Simeon enters. An elderly man, Simeon had heard the Holy Spirit’s promise that he would see the Messiah before he died. He joyfully takes the baby, blesses Jesus and his family, and utters the verses that we know as the Nunc Dimittis, the Song of Simeon: “Lord, you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised; For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, whom you have prepared for all the world to see.”

Epiphany 2A

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 19, 2020

First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7

On Sunday we follow up on last week’s account of the baptism of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel, this time hearing the intriguingly different version in the Gospel according to John.

The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew

The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew (c.1603-1606). Oil painting on canvas by
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610). Hampton Court Palace, The Royal Collection,
London, England. (Click image to enlarge.)

We build toward it in our first three readings, each offering us a different perspective on the idea of waiting with faith and hope for God. The first reading echoes last week’s Isaiah passage, presenting the second of the prophet’s four descriptions of the servant, the suffering savior who would lead the people back to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon. Once despised, the servant will rise up, bringing God’s saving power not to Israel and Judah alone but to all the nations, to the ends of the Earth.

Psalm: Psalm 40:1-12

In verses reminiscent of Isaiah’s people waiting in exile for their suffering servant savior to come, we hear the Psalmist waiting patiently and with deep trust and faith for God to act. Though they were once left desolate in mire and clay, alone in a pit, the Psalmist sings, God will place them on a new, secure footing and given them a new song of praise. Although surrounded by too many evils to count and blinded by iniquities until his heart fails, the Psalmist remains firm in hope that God’s faithful, steadfast love will eventually bring mercy, deliverance and safety.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

During the remaining Sundays after Epiphany we will read from Paul’s first letter to the people of Corinth – a major Greek trading and seafaring city. In these opening verses, Paul’s friendly greetings give us insight into the letter that follows. The congregation in Corinth probably wasn’t large, but it was splitting into bickering factions, each with its own ideas about Christian practice. Faith in Christ has already given them gifts that have made them strong, Paul reminds the people of the church. He urges them to hold on to those gifts and be steadfast as they wait for Christ’s coming, an event that many in those days thought would happen soon.

Gospel: John 1:29-42

Listen closely as we hear John’s perspective on Jesus’ baptism, a very different scene than we heard from Matthew last week. This time, John the Baptist sees Jesus coming, immediately declares him “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” and tells the crowd that Jesus came before him and ranks ahead of him. Then it is John the Baptist, not Jesus or the crowd, who tells of seeing the Spirit coming down like a dove and remaining on Jesus, revealing him as the one who would baptize not with water but with the Spirit: The Son of God. Did John actually baptize Jesus in the midst of all this? The Gospel doesn’t say. But Jesus’ first disciples, seeing this encounter, recognize Jesus as Messiah and start to follow him.

Epiphany 1A/Baptism of our Lord

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 12, 2020

First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9

Listen through Sunday’s readings as John baptizes Jesus on the banks of the Jordan: God’s spirit comes down to the people. Justice and righteousness are served, the oppressed are set free, and all is made new again.

Bautismo de Cristo (The Baptism of Christ

Bautismo de Cristo (The Baptism of Christ, c.1567), medium oil painting on panel by Juan Fernández Navarrete (1526-1579). Museo del Prado, Madrid. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the prophet Isaiah’s call to Israel in exile, we hear an idea that will be reflected in the baptism of Jesus: God who created all things will choose a servant to lead them. God will send the people out as we are sent out in baptism, living a covenant to be a light to the world and to bring righteousness to all the nations.

Psalm: Psalm 29

Visualize this as we chant Sunday’s Psalm: Whether we huddle in the basement, listening to the radio for news, or venture out onto the porch to watch in fearful awe, we know how it feels to live through a powerful thunderstorm. Lightning flashes like fire. Thunder shakes everything. Giant oak trees seem to whirl, and large limbs come crashing down. We may sense God’s power in the frightening storm, but we also feel the comfort that comes with knowing God’s protection and peace.

Second Reading: Acts 10:34-43

In the verses of Acts leading up to this reading, God has showed Peter in a dream that Gentiles, too, are to be included in Jesus’ way. Now Peter, alive with the Holy Spirit, tells the Roman centurion Cornelius, an early Gentile Christian, that God’s message through Jesus is for everyone and every nation. God’s generous gift of grace to all without partiality surely reflects God’s righteousness to all the nations as we heard in the reading from Isaiah.

Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17

All four Gospels tell of Jesus coming to John the Baptist, who was baptizing crowds in the Jordan River “for repentance and the forgiveness of sins.” Only in Matthew, however, do we hear what seems an obvious question: Why would Jesus need to repent or be baptized? Jesus should be baptizing John, not the other way around, John says. But Jesus insists, asking John to baptize him “to fulfill all righteousness,” echoing Isaiah’s call to go out in righteousness to be a light to the world and bring justice to all the nations. John agrees, and then we experience a vision of the Trinity on Jordan’s bank as Jesus, the Son, comes up from the water to see the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, while Jesus hears the Creator God declare Jesus the beloved son.