Devotions for the Third Week after the Epiphany

Monday of Epiphany III – Prayer of the Week

Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

In much of medieval Europe the three days prior to Ascension Day (the 40th day after Easter – this always falls on a Thursday) were given over to prayers for God’s deliverance from a variety of calamities. They were called “Rogation Days.” In England, the people would gather at one church and march to another behind a processional cross, but not usually in a straight line. There would be several banners, one of which always included a lion. A large stuffed dragon was held aloft on a pole and carried in the procession as well. The group would stop at several points along the way, offering prayers that there would be favorable weather, good crops, that plagues and pestilence would be kept away, and on Wednesday especially, they prayed for peace. By starting and stopping at various parishes and visiting points between, the whole of an area would be covered in these prayerful processions. At the end of the procession there would always be a special service in which prayers were offered for the health of the people.

Of course, these events also became a time of festivities and communal celebration after a long winter and as crops had sprouted in the fields, promising a harvest soon to come. After the procession, food and drink were served. One witness recollected that people may have had a hard time making it home because they had been “misled by the spirit of the buttery.” The buttery was the room where the ale was kept.

The days were not all the same. As they progressed the dragon moved further and further back in the procession. By the last day he was at the end and all the stuffing had been taken out of his long tail so that it drooped to the ground. He became a sad, defeated figure.

We pray today with those medieval peasants that God extends the hand of His majesty to heal and defend us. Those peasants of medieval England saw something true. We are not praying just for this day’s challenge to be thwarted or that war not come to winnow our young men and women. We are praying that Satan’s power be undone and his schemes come to naught, that he be pushed to back of the line, a defeated and pathetic figure. Our Lord, the Lion of Judah, walks before us.

Tuesday of Epiphany III – Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law... 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. 6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground... 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

I knew a woman who used to hang around at the unemployment office. She was looking for certain fellows who had been laid off at the sawmills in the timber collapse of the last century. They would ask if they could take the forms home and bring them back, but, at the time, that was not allowed. They had to fill them out at the office. She would watch this interchange and sit down by them. These men had asked to take it home because they would have their wife fill it out. They could not read or write. Grading lumber, operating a giant sawmill, or shepherding logs in a mill pond did not require literacy but other competencies. Most had dropped out of school to claim jobs which paid better than their teachers. But now those jobs were gone. This woman would gently offer to help them fill out the forms. She respected these men but realized that they had suddenly been cast into a world in which they were ill-equipped to manage.

This passage from Nehemiah is important to the world in which you live. It was the Jewish people returning from Exile who started to pay close attention to what the Torah said. It appears from II Kings 22 that even the elites and religious leaders were not paying attention to it in the days before the Exile. Paying attention to the Torah, however, meant being literate, able to read and understand. Nehemiah organized the folks into a square and had it read aloud for them. Soon synagogues would be built, and Rabbis would be teaching. A Bar Mitzvah ceremony involves demonstrating that one can read the Torah.

Christianity has also been integral to your reading. Early Christians were among the first adopters and developers of a new technology call the codex. You would call it a book today. Luther made printing presses profitable in the sixteenth century and revolutionized reading, urging that the town councils of Germany establish schools to teach both boys and girls so they could read the Gospel too. That bit about teaching girls was especially novel in the 16th century.

Jesus has worked a great work in our world, bringing so many to be able to read. Today, we are living in an age of dissolution. Many societal norms and expectations are being cast aside and tragically being smart and educated is often disparaged. Christians will do well to remember that reading gives a human being an exposure to the Word of God and is thus a positive good. The people of Nehemiah’s time were urged in this passage to rejoice and go home to eat and drink in the joy of the Lord. They heard that in a book. Help a child learn to read. God’s kingdom comes that way too.

Wednesday of Epiphany III – Psalm 19:1-14

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

2 Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech, nor are there words,

whose voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

In them he has set a tent for the sun,

5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,

and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

and its circuit to the end of them,

and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is sure,

making wise the simple;

8 the precepts of the LORD are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is pure,

enlightening the eyes;

9 the fear of the LORD is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules of the LORD are true,

and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

and drippings of the honeycomb.

11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?

Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;

let them not have dominion over me!

Then I shall be blameless,

and innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

It seems like many years ago, but it was not, just in the before COVID time. My family and I took a trip to the southwest, particularly the Grand Canyon and the national parks of Utah. We stopped for a while in Great Basin National Park which is just over the border from Utah in Nevada. The park headquarters has very muted lighting at night because they are preserving a “Dark Skies” area. Much of our world is flooded by light at night preventing us from really seeing the stars. The park is high, the skies were clear, and the lack of light made it very dramatic.

The rangers did a little presentation that night, setting up telescopes in the parking lot and inviting us to peer at some of the wonders above us. We saw the great moons of Jupiter which Galileo had noticed centuries before, a large nebula, and more.

The psalmist looked into an ancient and darkened sky and wondered at what he saw. The heavens declare God’s glory and the skies proclaim his handiwork. We know so much more about those skies than the psalmist, but that does not make the wonder any less profound. God made all this, the nebulae, the black holes, the quasars, and the giants planets and stars. Did you hear that scientists have one ghastly place where they think it rains diamonds?

Our God is the rock and the redeemer whose favor and blessing we need, whose favor and blessing we have in Christ.

Thursday of Epiphany III – I Corinthians 12:12-31a

12 For 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. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

In 2005, hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, killing more than 1,800 people. Local officials pleaded for help and over 300 boat owners showed up at the Acadiana Mall and launched into the turbid and dangerous waters which had inundated the city. They were credited with rescuing over 10,000 people. They quickly took the name of “Cajun Navy.” Not much to look at, they were a motley assortment of bass boats, johnboats, and the usual cast of aquatic conveyance you see sitting in the driveways and front yards of the area. Their operators were not the people you might dub “heroic” in other circumstances. They were good old boys who might have spent too much time fishing with a beer in hand. If you have ever spent time in this part of the world, you know the sort of folks we are talking about. But they know how to operate a boat.

Paul speaks today of a body which is made up of many parts, an image of a diverse and sometimes chaotic Christianity. My son one year attended Christmas morning services in Bethlehem and was somewhat taken aback by the large contingent of Indian Christians who had all come wearing Santa hats with flashing lights embedded in them.

God does call different sorts of people, some of whom might even make me uncomfortable, into His body, the Church. I have worshiped with ex-convicts, military heroes, the developmentally disabled, and some holding PhD’s from prestigious institutions of learning. There have been steely women who have navigated challenging events and quietly competent men who surprised me with skills I could not imagine. There were foolish and wise, great and small, every imaginable dichotomy. The same Holy Spirit blows through them all.

We might be tempted to look askance as we drive by that rundown house with an old truck and a fishing boat parked haphazardly in the front lawn. Those are not always good places, and the folks inside can be difficult. Or God might just be stocking up resources for a day when I need to be rescued from floodwaters lapping at my rooftop. Jesus walked by the shores of Galilee and summoned fisherman to become fishers of men. He has room and purpose for all sorts of folks in His kingdom.

Friday of Epiphany III – Luke 4:16-30

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” 23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.

I remember the first sermon I ever preached. I was assigned to a large congregation in the St. Louis area along with several other seminary students. The head pastor, a wise and experienced fellow pulled me aside and said I was to preach at the Saturday evening service on the weekend after Easter. The text was the doubting Thomas account in John 20. Because I had graduated from college midyear, I was in my first term of seminary that spring. I was very green.

I labored over that sermon. I have long since lost that file. It was probably on a floppy disk anyway. Who could read that? Even if I could, I would not want to. One of my Old Testament professors attended that service with his wife and his six or seven children. It was the weekend after Easter and so the congregation was small. I remember the professor walking out, shaking my hand, and saying, “That was very interesting.” I was too afraid to ask what he meant by that comment.

This is Jesus’ first sermon we have recorded in the Gospels. It is in Jesus’ hometown synagogue. It did not go well, in fact, it went far worse than my first sermon. At first, they marvel at what he says, but then they are enraged, take him outside the village and are about to kill him. It is not Jesus’ time to die at the hands of these people. He passes through their midst. I have had people not like a sermon, but this seems a little extreme.

But look again at what he says. He claims to be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy and then challenges them in what they believe, noting God’s love is even for people they are sure are heading to hell. It is a scandalous message: Jesus is the Messiah and God loves everyone. We hardly think it scandalous today. But is that because we have heard and believed it or is it because we really have not thought through all the implications of that profound truth? I am not sure. Were these people perhaps having the other appropriate reaction to a true sermon? Is our bland “Good sermon, Pastor,” on the way out of church the wrong response? When the Gospel is proclaimed, should the response be either hallelujah or hatred?