Sunday, January 3, 2021

The lectionary passages for the Second Sunday after Christmas are:
     First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3
     Psalm 148
     Second Reading: Gal. 4:4-7
     Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

The lectionary passages for Epiphany of the Lord are:
     First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
     Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
     Second Reading: Ephesians 3:1-12
     Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

The liturgical color for the day is: White

Since most congregations will not have an Epiphany service mid-week, the lectionary texts for the Epiphany of the Lord are likely the ones most preachers will select for the Lord’s Day.

The real wisdom of the sages of old was not their gifts or their keen insight that this burst in the sky was worth seeking after.

Their real wisdom—the real epiphany here—was found in the fact that they sought out the new-born king.  They sought out and sought-after Jesus.  That’s their real wisdom—they knew—they knew Jesus was for them too.  That’s their part of the Christmas miracle.  The knowing that Jesus was for them.

From the shepherds we learn that Jesus was not sent merely to the religious elite, but to the ordinary folks.  The laborers in the fields, the regular ones, they are the ones to whom the angels announce, “born to you a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”  The lesson of the shepherds is that he came for the ordinary folks.

And from the wise guys, from these delightful Magi of old, we learn that Jesus was not merely for the traditional folk.  He was for all.  Yes, for them too—that odd band of star following folk.  For those foreigners who were not familiar with the land, not familiar with the Scriptures which announced Bethlehem.  Jesus was for them too.  They knew it, that’s their wisdom.

They sought after Jesus—if our new year takes shape around that dynamic, then we too have had an epiphany.

Rev. Dr. Daris Bultena
General Presbyter and Stated Clerk