Sunday, January 22, 2023

The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers for Sunday, January 22, 2023 — Third Sunday after the Epiphany

https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/revised-common-lectionary-complementary/2020/01/26?version=NIV
Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23

The Sunday Lectionary Readings
Sunday, January 22, 2023 — 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Call to Unity
Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23

Opening Statement
In the darkness of winter, these scriptures shine forth with the light of grace. Isaiah speaks of light coming to those in the deep darkness of anguish; Psalm 27 calls the Lord “my light”; and Jesus fulfills the promise of Isaiah as he begins his ministry. The light of God calls people to rejoice and to follow Jesus into a ministry of teaching, preaching, and healing. The light of God calls us to remember our essential unity and our need for one another. By the light of love, we find that the foolishness of the world is the power of God.


Prayer for Unity


Opening Prayer
(Isaiah 9, Psalm 27, Matthew 4)
God of light and love, we come this morning with eyes stinging from the brightness of your glory. We have become so accustomed to the darkness, that your radiant light sometimes overwhelms us. Open our eyes to the light of your dawn, that our souls may be flooded with love and mercy and joy. Open our hearts to receive your message of comfort and peace and security, that we may find rest in your loving, protective presence. Open our spirits to follow the path you put before us, that we may lead lives committed to your Way. Amen.


The Collect
(Book of Common Prayers)
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer of Confession
(Isaiah 9, Psalm 27,1 Corinthians 1, Matthew 4)
God of our light and our salvation, sometimes we prefer to live in darkness, embracing the safety and anonymity of the shadows; sometimes we delight in our divisions, believing we are better than others; sometimes the yoke of our calling feels too heavy, and we seek to slip out from under the bar across our shoulders. Forgive our fear. Forgive our aversion to the light. Forgive our unresponsiveness to your call. Forgive our willful blindness and deafness to the Way. Help us know deep in our souls that you are our light and our salvation, our joy and our wonder, our very life. Hear us as we cry aloud in our need. Amen.


Words of Assurance
(Psalm 27)
Our God of light and love hears us when we cry aloud. We have nothing to fear. Know that this God of light wraps us in comforting arms, lifts us from the darkness of our guilt and sin, and forgives us once and for all. Know that we will dwell in safety in God’s house, now and forevermore.


Prayer of the Day
Lord God, your loving-kindness always goes before us and follows after us. Summon us into your light,  and direct our steps in the ways of goodness that come through the cross of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.


First Reading
Light shines for those in darkness
9:1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

2  The people walking in darkness
     have seen a great light;
   on those living in the land of deep darkness
     a light has dawned.
3  You have enlarged the nation
     and increased their joy;
   they rejoice before you
     as people rejoice at the harvest,
   as warriors rejoice
     when dividing the plunder.
4  For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
     you have shattered
   the yoke that burdens them,
     the bar across their shoulders,
     the rod of their oppressor.

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions


Psalm 27:1-6
God is light and salvation

Dominus illuminatio

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear?
the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?

When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh,
it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell.

Though an army should encamp against me,
yet my heart shall not be afraid;

And though war should rise up against me,
yet will I put my trust in him.

One thing have I asked of the LORD; one thing I seek;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life;

To behold the fair beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

Heavenly Father, please give us the confidence we need and seek in You. Please show us the way of life; shine Your light upon us and before us; guide us as we seek to faithfully follow You. We do seek to live in Your presence both now and forevermore. We see Your beauty all around us, and long to worship You in the beauty of holiness, even as we pray in Jesus’ name:
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.”

Second Reading
An appeal for unity in the gospel
10:1 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.


Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. Jesus preached the good news of the kingdomand cured every sickness among the people. Alleluia. (Matt. 4:23)


The Gospel
Christ revealed as a prophet
4:12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
     the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
     Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
     have seen a great light;
   on those living in the land of the shadow of death
     a light has dawned.”

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.


Here end the Lessons


Click HERE to read today’s Holy Gospel Lesson message


We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.


Closing Prayer
In the name of the Father and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God of love and mercy,
You call us to be your people,
You gift us with Your abundant grace.
Make us a holy people,
radiating the fullness of your love.
Form us into a community of people who care,
expressing Your compassion.
Remind us day after day of our baptismal call
to serve with joy and courage.
Teach us how to grow in wisdom and grace
and joy in Your presence.
Through Jesus and Your Spirit,
we make this prayer. Amen.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets].

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Responsive Readings from the Common Book of Prayer (1789).

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2023, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2022 was Year A. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers for Sunday, January 22, 2023
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23

“Fishing for People” The Gospel Message for Sunday, January 22, 2023 — 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany


Our Gospel message comes to us today from the 4th chapter of Matthew, beginning with the 12th verse.

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. (Matthew 4:12-23)

Dear Heavenly Father, you have revealed yourself to us through your Word, recorded in the Scriptures, spoken by the prophets, but most clearly, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your Word become flesh. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, open our hearts and minds to your Word, so that we might perceive your presence among us, embrace your truth for our lives, and gain the courage to witness to others of your redeeming grace. This we ask in Christ’s holy name. Amen.


“Fishing for People”


Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Savior, who is the fisher of people. Amen.


Our gospel lesson is the familiar lesson of the call of the first four disciples. Jesus returns to Galilee to begin his public ministry after hearing that John is now in prison. Jesus starts by preaching to the people that they must repent, for the kingdom of God is near.


God’s time was now breaking upon the earth. It was the time that salvation would come in the form of Jesus. The time was now beginning to be fulfilled. The people who walked in a great darkness were going to see the light. The light of the Epiphany was now upon the earth and was beginning His ministry.


“Time’s up! You’ve been waiting how many years for the Messiah to show up? Well, I’m here. And right on time.” God’s people can trust in the perfect timing of God. He may not always come when you want Him, but He is always right on time, and when He shows up, it’s with supreme authority.


We’ll be a lot happier if we remember that sometimes God answers our prayers by saying, “Not yet.” A man once asked God how long a million years was to Him. God replied, “It’s just like a single second of your time, my child.” So the man asked, “And what about a million dollars?” The Lord replied, “To me, it’s just like a single penny.” So the man gathered himself up and said, “Well, Lord, could I have one of your pennies?” And God said, “Certainly, my child, just a second.”


The timing of God is perfect.


God’s timing was now at hand. The time had been fulfilled, the Messiah had come, and He had to begin His ministry.


And one of the first things he did was to call four ordinary men to follow him, to be his disciples. Jesus had a dream about His ministry. It would be a ministry that would reach out to those who were in deep darkness. Jesus needed others to make His plan a reality.


He needed others to dream along with him.


But dreams can be dangerous.


In 1988, Hollywood came out with a movie about a man named Tucker. It was the story of a man who tried to fight the Detroit auto industry by creating a car named after himself. In one scene, Tucker recalls how, as a young boy, his Italian-born mother would warn him, “Don’t get too close to people; you’ll catch their dreams.” She had meant to say, “you’ll catch their germs.” But in broken English, she had mistakenly used the word “dreams.” So Tucker grew up keeping himself from others lest he catches their dreams. Dreams are dangerous, after all, for they have the power to change the human soul and to overthrow the status quo. Just ask anyone whose heart was filled with fear when a black preacher declared on national television, “I have a dream.” Dreams are dangerous things. They are to be feared. They are to be avoided at all costs.


But merely avoiding other people’s dreams out of fear of what might happen can cause us to miss the wonder of what does happen. Jim Egan worked at computer fairs helping customers decorate their booths. In the ’70s, Egan was approached by a couple of long-haired kids who wanted some chrome displays to make their booth “look flashy.” They were short of cash but offered him some stock in their new company as a trade. Egan, who had seen businesses come and go in his twenty-year career, said he would accept only hard cash. So Steve Wozniak and Steven Jobs did without the chrome, fixed up their booth, and kept their stock in Apple Computer to themselves. Presumably, Jim Egan is still decorating booths for hard cash. To be caught up in another person’s dream can be dangerous, but to avoid that same dream could be disastrous. So to dream or not to dream, that is today’s question.


Jesus had a dream, and he let others catch it. The four disciples were not afraid of Jesus’ dream as the text says: “At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:20)


At once, they did not give it a second thought. At once, they caught that dream of Jesus and left everything behind to follow him. At once, they left family and friends to follow this man they had just met. They left their comfortable trade at once, which was probably making them a comfortable living as they were professional fishermen. They gave that all up to follow Jesus, not knowing where they would go or what they would do for sure, or what they would do to sustain their lives, but at once, they left and followed Jesus.


And Jesus wants us to catch that dream, also. He wants us to go fishing, fishing to spread the forgiveness and grace of Christ to others.


But sometimes we do it all wrong, as seen in the following:


“On a beautiful autumn day a few years ago, we went with some friends to float the Muskegon River not far from our home. It was during the Salmon run, and it was something to behold. We lived near the world-class tailwaters of Lake Michigan, where Salmon as big and nearly as fast as torpedoes cruise the river in the fall. There were seven of us on the river together that day: Tim and three of his sons, myself, Kyle and Chuck.


We planned to put in just below the Croton Dam and float down a few miles fishing and enjoying the bracing autumn day. We had taken up fly-fishing, but Tim had rigged a spin-casting rod with some spawn. We had gone on ahead with the younger boys while the older boys were taking their time seeking out fishing holes. They had Trout in mind. We were mostly canoeing with plans to take a few Salmon if they were trying to jump in the boat. The older boys had fly rods, and they were mostly ignoring the Salmon and fly-casting for Brown Trout and Rainbows.


The first time I saw a Salmon cruise by upstream, I was shocked at its size. It was a huge, very fast fish. But about an hour into our trip, we rounded a bend, and ahead of us, three or four huge Salmon were churning the water like a washing machine. It was a spectacle impossible to ignore. I quickly grabbed the rod and began frantically casting into the pool. For the next few minutes, it was like we were taken with a fever. Tim and I are both professional men, but we lost all reserve and reflection and began to flail the water with our lures. My first cast landed on the bank, and the second cast snarled in an overhanging tree. Tim waded over into the whole to get my line free while I made wild gestures upstream so the boys would know we had found a hole inhabited by monster fish.


Upriver the guys saw we were into something, and they began to paddle fast to see what it was. By the time they were close enough for us to gesture to indicate the size of the monster Salmon, the big fish were gone, and the hole was as still as a church on Monday morning. In our enthusiasm to land a big fish, we had so fouled the hole that there would be no fishing there for the rest of the afternoon. The worst part was that we had to put up with the boys ribbing us for the rest of the day.” — Kenneth L. Pierpont


Jesus called himself a fisher of men and expected that all who considered themselves his disciples would follow him in the same pursuit. If we are not careful in our eagerness to catch people for God, though, we can drive them away. This especially happens when people don’t feel that we genuinely care for them. When they sense we see them as a project or a Sunday School assignment, we are clumsy fishermen. When we just unload our canned speech on them while we are keeping them at a distance relationally, they will usually not hear with their hearts. We want to be ready to give the message of the gospel. Without it, no one will ever have eternal life. We need to tell it well and tell it often, but if we are not careful to accompany the words of the gospel with the music of genuine love, we will foul the hole and ruin the fishing.


Sometimes we get so caught up in ourselves that we cannot feel the hurt, the pain of those living around us, and we ruin the fishing. We foul up the fishing hole.


Notice the last verse of our lesson. Jesus has asked the four to follow Him. Then it says: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). Jesus took the disciples and did not foul up the fishing hole but went and told the good news to all who would listen and reached out to the sick and the infirm.


Jesus did not make so much noise with his preaching that he scared the people away as the fishermen did in our story. No, Jesus preached and reached out to those that needed Him the most.


I think Jesus would like us to be like the girl in the following:


Mary was a little girl who was asked to run an errand for her mother shortly before supper. She dashed away to the store to get a loaf of bread. But supper was on the table, and the family all gathered, and still no Mary. Finally, she came skipping in with the loaf of bread. Her mother scolded her for fooling around on the way home. Mary said she had seen Susan, and Susan’s doll just broke. Her mother asked, “Did you help Susan fix her doll?”


“No,” Mary said, “I helped her cry!!!”


I helped her cry!! Isn’t that what the good news of the gospel is all about? Jesus is with us in our time of need and helping us cry. Jesus, standing with us, giving us a shoulder to lean on.


We are not to foul up the fishing hole with our noise about the gospel, but we are to be there alongside those who, yes, need to hear the gospel but, more importantly, feel the gospel in their lives. People need to feel the gospel from our helping hand.


Will you go at once and become a fisher of people?


Let us pray: Dear Lord, how easy it is to get wrapped up in our own lives and priorities and forget there is a sea of men, women, and children who need to know Your love and salvation. Give us a longing, Father, and the desire to fish for men, women, and children and be faithful witnesses until You return to take us home to be with You forever. Amen.



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Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Sermon contributed by Rev. Tim Zingale.
The call of the first four disciples.

The Morning Prayer for Sunday, January 22, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Sunday, January 22, 2023


Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and l will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28, RSV


Dear Father in heaven, grant us the inner quiet we need so that we may come into your presence and hear you speak, forgetting all the things that try to force themselves upon us. May we experience your true and living support. Keep our hearts glad and thankful for everything, even in grief, anxiety, and suffering. In this thankfulness we can remain with you, and Jesus Christ can help us, Jesus, whom you have given as our support and helper in all that most deeply concerns us. We entrust ourselves to you. Keep us in your Spirit. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Sunday, January 22, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Sunday, January 22, 2023

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
God has a wonderful plan for your life. But you must humble yourself before Him and ask Him to reveal this to you. When you knock on the door of His heart through prayer and thanksgiving, He opens Himself up to you. The greatest blessings we can receive are not material in nature. They are the blessings of His infinite love and care for us. He delights in showering us with good things—but we must present our requests to Him.

Read all of Matthew Chapter 7

Listen to Matthew Chapter 7


Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Travel the World from Home — Jaffa: Where Peter Had A Change Of Heart

 

The Holy Land:
Connecting the Land with Its Stories
Jaffa: Where Peter Had A Change Of Heart
Season 2 — Episode 5

Jaffa, or Joppa as it's sometimes called, is a small port on the Coastal Plain. It's the location where Peter experienced a peculiar vision that was one of the defining moments of his life. As Jack Beck walks us through this interesting Bible story, we begin to see the incredible importance it had on Peter's life and what it holds for our lives today. Just as Peter had to do some soul searching, we will too as we answer these questions: Will I trust God and follow Him when I only see part of the picture? What might I be missing out on when I don't respond to God in faith?

In Episode 5, Peter was staying with friends in the uniquely Jewish sea port of Jaffa. It was a comfortable place for him because the people he interacted with were like him—fishermen, boat builders, sailors, and mostly Jews. But as he was relaxing on a rooftop by the sea one day, a mysterious vision broadened his understanding of religion, faith, and people. Peter was zealous in serving God the "right way," and God showed him how His church is broader and more diverse than he ever expected. Shortly afterward, Peter found himself up the coastline in Caesarea at the home of a God-fearing Gentile named Cornelius who wanted to know more about God. Peter witnessed how the Holy Spirit worked, and he came to understand how the gospel message is for everyone—not just Jews.

So follow Jack to Jaffa and watch as he brings the story of Peter's vision to life so you can decide for yourself: Just like Peter, will I step out in faith trusting that God has a plan?



Season 2 — Episode 5 | Jaffa: Where Peter Had A Change Of Heart