The theme for the third Sunday after the Epiphany is the concept of time.
The word time is mentioned in each of the lessons. It was time for Jesus to
begin His ministry and to call disciples, time for Jonah to preach to the
people, and time for them to repent. It was time for Christians to live in the
light of the end of time. As we seize the time to serve God in this generation,
we have security in the knowledge of God’s nature. The Hymn for the Day has its
focus on Christ our true and only light.
Psalm 113:1-2,
4, 7-8—The Antiphon, is taken from Psalm 113:3, “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to
be praised! These words are taken from a hymn to the Lord celebrating His
high majesty and his mercies to the lowly. It was probably composed originally
for the temple liturgy. As the Lord is enthroned on high, He is exalted over
all creation.
Often it may appear that the negativity of
this world overwhelms and crowds out the positive; that evil trumps virtue.
After all, we’re living in a fallen world, outside of Eden. Troubling news
makes its way to the front page of the newspaper. Often times television news
rooms add one happy feature at the end of their broadcast just to keep you
watching and to close out the day on a positive note. The Psalmist reminds us
that the Lord of heaven orders all things. He is exalted on high. He reaches
down to care for us offering us His salvation. In this Epiphany season, we see
that this infant born to us at Christmas is none other than Jesus; the Savior
of our world.
Collect for
Psalm 113: Lord Jesus, surrendering the brightness of your glory, you became
mortal so that we might be raised from the dust to share your very being. May
the children of God always bless your name from the rising of the sun to its
going down, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and
forever.[1]
We praise
You, O Lord because You came down to save us in Christ. Hallelujah! Amen[2]
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