Monday prior to Epiphany 5

 

[1]

Psalm 119:1-6; antiphon, Psalm 112:12—In the Introit for Sunday, we pray, Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me Your statutes!  This Psalm is an acrostic based on the Hebrew letter Aleph.

We meditate on the Word of our Lord and we walk blameless as we are directed by Him who speaks to us in and through that same word.

The Antiphon begins; Blessed are You, O LORD. The psalmist seems to interrupt his thoughts on the connection between God’s word and a pure life with this expression of praise. The greatness of these ideas and the reality of them in his life have made this praise necessary.

Teach me Your statutes. This demonstrates the humility of the psalmist. Though filled with God’s word and a desire for purity, he sensed his constant need for instruction by God. He didn’t simply need to read God’s statutes; he pleaded with God to teach him.

This saying is written in the front of some Bibles: “This book will keep you from sin. Sin will keep you from this book.” The psalmist understood this principle, and longed for God to be his teacher, and to keep him in God’s great book.

We need to be disciples or learners. [2]

An Excellent Way of Life

The life of a Christian is the primary subject of this Sunday. It is a way of life that is better than living by the letter of the Law. According to Isaiah, true fasting results in meeting the social needs of people. In the Epistle gives the source of Christian living – a gospel of power and not the wisdom of man. Christ is the Word of life. We ask that we may see and hear Him as the Life.

Light is the dominant theme of Epiphany. A candle is a symbol of the season. Christ is the light of God whose glory is manifested throughout the season. Epiphany 5 continues the theme of life but with a different twist. Now Christians are the light of the world because they are in Christ. In the Gospel, Jesus tells His followers, “You are the light of the world,” Isaiah in the Old Testament says the light shines out of those who properly fast. In the Epistle lesson, the source of the light is in the crucified Christ proclaimed by Paul.

Collect for Psalm 112: Lord Jesus You are the light shining in darkness for the upright. Teach us to love one another as Yu love us, that we might bring peace and joy to the world and find the happiness of Your home where You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Collect for Psalm 119: Lord, you are just and your commandments are eternal. Teach us to love you with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves, for the sake of Jesus our LORD. [3]

Collect for Monday of the week of Epiphany 4: Father in heaven, from the days of Abraham and Moses until this gathering of your church in prayer, you have formed a people in the image of your Son. Bless this people with the gift of your kingdom. May we serve you with our every desire and show love for one another even as you have loved us. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen [4] -30 January, 2023—

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[1] Luther’s Seal, © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[2] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-119
[3] Collect for Psalm 112 and 119, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. III © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
[4] Ibid, Collect for Monday of the week of Epiphany 4,