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.
Psalm113:1-2, 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.
We praise You, O Lord because You came down to save us in Christ. Hallelujah! Amen
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