Second Sunday after Epiphany - 2024

 

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany.

Psalm 48. Magnus Dominus.

GREAT is the Lord, and highly to be praised * in the city of our God, even upon his holy hill.

2 The hill of Sion is a fair place, and the joy of the whole earth; * upon the north side lieth the city of the great King: God is well known in her palaces as a sure refuge.

3 For lo, the kings of the earth * were gathered, and gone by together.

4 They marvelled to see such things; * they were astonished, and suddenly cast down.

5 Fear came there upon them; and sorrow, * as upon a woman in her travail.

6 Thou dost break the ships of the sea * through the east-wind.

7 Like as we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God; * God upholdeth the same for ever.

8 We wait for thy loving-kindness, O God, * in the midst of thy temple.

9 O God, according to thy Name, so is thy praise unto the world’s end; * thy right hand is full of righteousness.

10 Let the mount Sion rejoice, and the daughters of Judah be glad, * because of thy judgments.

11 Walk about Sion, and go round about her; * and tell the towers thereof.

12 Mark well her bulwarks, consider her palaces, * that ye may tell them that come after.

13 For this God is our God for ever and ever: * he shall be our guide unto death.  

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son * and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be * world without end. Amen. 

 

The Collect.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who dost govern all things in heaven and earth; Mercifully hear the supplications of thy people, and grant us thy peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 45.1-15

Psalter: Psalm 96, 97 | 45, 46

Epistle Reading: Romans 12.6-16

Gospel Reading: St. Mark 1.1-11 

Homily 

This was from my letter to my congregation this past week: 

As you have guessed, I read a bunch of books. Last year I read 67, most of which I wrote reviews on. Some were children’s books, others were history, and the rest were on various biblical and theological subjects. 

On occasion I read books I have read before. Recently I picked back up a book that I’ve read through three times since it was published (in 2006) and just started on my fourth time reading it. It’s a small book written by Dale Ralph Davis titled, “The Word Became Fresh: How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts”. Though it sounds like a technical book for preachers, yet it has so many precious, surprising jewels in it that it is perfect for anyone who spends time reading the Bible, especially the Old Testament. 

I want to share one of those jewels with you today (from page 48). As Davis was describing how stories in the Old Testament come in packages, he highlights an example from Genesis 25:12-26, which has to do with Ishmael and Isaac. It’s three whole paragraphs that contain what I call a ‘reading surprise’. Sit back, open your Bible, and enjoy Davis’s comments as I give you this whole section:

 

“Take a second example: Genesis 25:12-26. This text consists of two sections side-by-side, a dull list (vv. 12-18) and a birth story (vv. 19-26). Let’s start with the birth story.

 

What do we have here? Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah. Looks like it’s going to be Abraham-and-Sarah, Act II. You can do the math: no children for the first twenty years of their marriage (vv. 20, 26). And then only two. This lights up that ‘dull’ list in verses 12-18, the non-chosen line of Ishmael. Ishmael had none of Isaac’s problem. Ishmael had a full set of twelve sons (vv. 13-19). No problems with fertility or reproduction in Ishmael’s clan. But – again – it looks like the covenant line is pretty helpless and hopeless, like it will never get off the ground because of another beautiful but barren woman. Compared to Ishmael, the church can’t even succeed in mere biology.

 

So when one sees Genesis 25:12-18 over against 25:19-26, the picture comes into focus: here is the power and prominence and fertility of the people of this age versus the weakness and helplessness of the covenant line. All of which suggests to us that Christ’s people look pretty fragile and flimsy and few amid the success stories of this age. The kingdom is often present only in its mustard-seed form. So don’t be overly upset when the church doesn’t seem to be ‘flourishing,’ when she is beaten down and nearly brought to eclipse, when she looks like nothing among the real powers of the world, for God often does things the hard way, the weak way. So we don’t look very impressive up against the world? So what else is new? And…so what?”

 Hopefully Davis’s observation cheers you as much as it cheers me. And yes, I think you should get the book and dive into it. You will find it to be a treasure trove that will draw you closer and closer to God.