Reflection on the Word in our Worship
[Jesus] unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “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, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
-Luke 4:17-19 (ESV)
[The Gospel] means that the perfect righteousness of the new Man can be extended to every other man, however sinful, who will receive it in repentance and faith. He does not need to be a Jew; he does not need to belong to the same tribe, or the same culture, or even the same century, as Jesus; he does not need to be religious or clever or influential. The mere fact that he is a sinful man means that Jesus came to save him, and to make him also a son of God. Even I, therefore, can bring every one of my sins to him, and know that in respect of all of them he has faced the same kind of temptation and emerged victorious: he is ‘one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin’. At every point at which I have failed, he has achieved a righteousness which will cover my sin. On that righteousness, and not on my sin, God will look; he will ‘only look on me as found in him’—in Jesus. As I claim the perfect obedience of the Son of God, the second Adam, for my own, it is to me that God will say ‘Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.’ And what is thus good news for me, whoever I may be, is good news equally for me to pass on to my neighbour, whoever he may be.
-Michael Wilcock (emphasis added)
The Collect for The Third Sunday of Epiphany
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, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Word:
(Click on the links below to read Sunday's passages)
Old Testament Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-12
Psalm 113 (below playlist)
New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
Gospel Reading: Luke 4:14-21
Psalm 113
1 Praise the Lord. Sing praises, you servants of the Lord; *
O praise the Name of the Lord.
2 Blessed be the Name of the Lord, *
from this time forth for evermore.
3 The Lord’s Name be praised *
from the rising up of the sun to the going down of the same.
4 The Lord is high above all nations, *
and his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God, who has his dwelling so high, *
and yet humbles himself to behold the things
that are in heaven and earth?
6 He takes up the lowly out of the dust, *
and lifts the poor out of the ashes,
7 That he may set them with the princes, *
even with the princes of his people.
8 He gives the barren woman a home to dwell in, *
and makes her to be a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord.