For
Sunday, January 27, 2019, 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C, Readings: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19, 1
Corinthians 12:12-31a, Luke 4:14-21
Accordingly, the
priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who
could hear with understanding. [Nehemiah
8:2a]
By [the statutes of
the LORD] also is your servant enlightened...cleanse me from my secret
faults...O LORD my strength and my redeemer. [Ps 19: 8a, 11 a, 12 b, 14b]
Just as the body is
one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one
body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one
body ~ Jews or Greeks, slaves or free ~ and we were all made to drink of one
Spirit. [1 Cor 12:12-13]
[Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit,]
stood up to read, and the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah was given to him. He and unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me...he has anointed me to bring good
news to the poor...proclaim release to the captives and recovery of
sight to the blind..." [Luke 4:14a, 16b,
17-18a]
The prophet Nehemiah tells us that the people of Israel gathered
together to hear again the law of Moses which God had given them. Ezra read the
law of God, with interpretation, with the sense of it given so the people
understood and the day was declared holy to our Lord. The people were sent on
their way and told to send portions of their feast to those for whom
nothing is prepared. The Psalmist tells us the heavens declare
the glory of God and reminds us that God's law is perfect and God's
statutes are just and rejoice the heart. And there is the
verse from the Psalm and the Book of Common Prayer: Let the meditations
of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
Comforted and bolstered by the knowledge of the Lord's
presence within us, we can imagine the members of the Church in Corinth
gathering to listen to Paul's letters. He begins with the reminder that we
were all baptized into one body...and made to drink of one spirit.
Continuing on from last week's reading of the gifts of the Spirit, Paul
takes us further into the anatomy of the Body of Christ as created by God. He
dissects our non-hierarchical arrangement of parts, well, except for God giving
the greater honor to the inferior member. So very many members
~ digits, organs, and limbs ~ all created in the image of God, and all one body
~ all ordinarily the same and each extraordinarily different. ALL parts of the
body ~ individually and corporately, locally and planetarily ~ are created and arranged by
God, the ultimate and pre-eminent Architect, Electrical, Chemical, Plumbing,
and Systems Engineer. We are endowed from before birth with different gifts
that are not our own, but in our human lives are to be given out to and received
from each other, so as to have the same care for another...if one
member suffers, all suffer...if one member is honored, all rejoice together in
it.
And then, in the Gospel, we
move to the gathering in the Synagogue as Jesus returns to his home town, to
his home congregation, and was asked to read the words of Isaiah. Quite an
honor? Perhaps a test? He unrolled the scroll, read from it, and then rolled
up the scroll...and sat down. He just sat down! Everyone was watching
and so he told them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your
hearing." Today is the key word, the principle concept.
He was reading Isaiah's words The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me... He just announced his ministry,
designating himself through the words of Isaiah to the congregation where he
grew up. Is that an audible gasp travelling through the millennia?
As we gather together to listen to God's Law and Word, let we who hear
with understanding be conscious of the Spirit within us. Let us seek
the gifts that are unique to us as individuals and honor the gifts of
others. The waters of Baptism flow in a variety of ways and directions and
the entire Body has been given the waters of the Spirit to hydrate our souls,
to cleanse our hearts even of its secret faults, and to purify our intentions
whether known or unknown to the other members. Let us gather often, drink deeply
of one Spirit again, experience the Good News while we strive for the greater gifts as living members of the Body of Christ.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader:
~ O Lord of Strength and Glory, fill us with the power of Your Spirit to bring Your Good News to
all we meet. Cleanse us from our secret faults and enlighten the workings of
our bodies, minds, and souls to be mindful instruments of Your justice and
honor.
O
Christ, our Teacher
RESPONSE: We are Your Hands, Your Feet,
and Your Voice
~ O Lord of Strength and Glory, grant us Your acceptable and heartfelt words to reach the hearts and minds of
all who govern the countries of this world, our nation, and our local
community. Endow them with the courage and compassion to act now on behalf of the poor, the blind and
the sick, and to free those who are oppressed and held captive. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
Christ, our Teacher
We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your
Voice
~
O Lord of Strength and Glory, relieve the pain of those who suffer from
illness, anxiety, or addiction, and refresh all who provide care and comfort. We now join our voices to pray aloud for
those in need…
O
Christ, our Teacher
We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your
Voice
~ O Lord of Strength and Glory, lift the heavy weight of
mourning, as those who have now left us in this life, rejoice and dance in Your
everlasting light. We pray
especially for:
O
Christ, our Teacher
We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your
Voice
~ O Lord of Strength and Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently…
O
Christ, our Teacher
We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your
Voice
~ O Lord of Strength and Glory, we give You thanks and praise for all who are anointed in the
Spirit to lead us in Your Church, opening the scrolls of Your Word, and guiding
us toward the fulfillment of our purpose in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
Christ, our Teacher
We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your
Voice
The
Celebrant adds: O God of Freedom and Favor, overflow
us with the desire to drink deeply of the Spirit and to seek and use the unique
gifts bestowed upon us for Your purpose. Teach our hearts, again, to care for
and honor each other as the Body of Christ, as we strive to be ever greater in Your
service. We ask through Jesus, our Master and Ideal; and the Holy
Spirit, the Fount of our Wisdom, who together with You are One God, forever,
and ever. Amen.
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