Fifth Sunday After The Epiphany
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle C
The Church Year Theological Clue
The thematic and theological framework of the Christian tends to be rather "thin" by the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany; the manifestation of Jesus to the world and the beginning of his ministry remain, however, to inform the church about Jesus in its worship and work. The readings tend to reinforce the weak signals that are being sent out by the kerygmatic content of the church year, mainly because they have been selected with the theological themes of Epiphany in mind. As also happens in the Pentecost cycle/season, these readings establish the content of Sunday liturgy and preaching, rather than the readings being selected to amplify and/or illustrate the theme of the cycle, season, and/or day. The entire first half of the year is built around the Lectio Selecta method ("limited" Lection Selecta in Epiphany) of choosing lections which do just this. Festivals are the ultimate example of how this system should work; their biblical and theological content actually determines what passages of the Bible should be read and preached upon. The Sundays of the cycles and seasons have the theological content of the festivals built into them, and that is one reason why it is important to have a festival as the climax of a cycle/season, as well as at the beginning or in another place in it. The Transfiguration, in those churches that read that gospel on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, theologically "lights up" the manifestation themes of the Sundays that precede it, because people who are liturgically "informed" know that it will soon be celebrated.
The Prayer Of The Day
The contemporary collects and prayers for this Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany fail to amplify the theme that the Gospel for the Day expresses ("I will make you fishers of [people]"); rather, they seem to be, in Year/Cycle C, more in harmony with the second reading than the gospel. This classic collect for the First Sunday after the Epiphany, however, tends to be more harmonious to the "call/ministry" theme of Luke 5. It reads: "O Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen."
This could be one of those Sundays when, remembering that the same Prayer of the Day is used in all three years/cycles of the lectionary, one might substitute a more suitable prayer for the printed Prayer of the Day. (Liturgical committees need to get to work and prepare two more sets of prayers for the Sundays and festivals of the church year, as well as revise some of those now in the worship books and lectionaries.)
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 85:7-13 (E); 85:8-13 (L) - This psalm was appointed for the Second Sunday in Advent in the liturgical churches, and it has been commented upon in the materials for Year/Cycle B of Lectionary Preaching Workbook III.
Psalm 138:1-5, 7-8 (RC) - It is the opinion of some Old Testament scholars that this was composed as a song of thanksgiving after Isaiah's call in the temple. This much is obvious, at least; the theme of this psalm certainly expresses the prophet's reaction; he thanks God "with my whole heart" and bows down "toward your holy temple," because he knows God to be a God of love and faithfulness. He knows that God is with him in all that he does in the name of the Lord, and that God will help him to be faithful to his high calling.
Psalm prayer (138 - LBW) - "Lord God, you keep the proud at a distance and look upon the lowly with favor. Stretch out your hand to us in our suffering, perfect in us the work of your love, and bring us to life in Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Readings
Isaiah 6:1-8 (RC); 6:1-8 (9-13) (L, C) - This familiar reading relates Isaiah's wondrous vision in the temple of the Lord God, where he "saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple." Angelic creatures attended him, and they sang out, much as the angels sang when Jesus was born, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." Isaiah's vision caused him to realize his unworthiness, his sin, and he could not contain himself: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." An ember from the fire at the altar was the means God used to assure him of his forgiveness and prepare Isaiah for his work as a prophet of the Lord: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven." But Isaiah, whose lips had been seared by the burning coal, was able to answer God's "Whom shall I send ...?" with that famous reply, "Here am I! Send me."
This reading has been appointed, not to parallel Jesus' call to ministry, but to complement the call of Simon, James and John in the Gospel for the Day. It threatens to over-shadow the call by Jesus, but the result is the same; the fishermen respond immediately by following Jesus, thereby becoming "fishers" of people; Isaiah's mission was quite different (in verses 9-13), because he was, in a sense, supposed to lull the people to sleep until the appointed time when the Lord would initiate an action to redeem his people and reconcile them to himself. But the purpose of choosing this reading for this Sunday is to emphasize the calling of Isaiah by God and to, reflect on his willing response to that call.
Judges 6:11-24a (E) - The vision of God that Gideon experienced, began with an angelic visitor sitting under the oak tree at Ophrah; it took place under very different circumstances than the vision of Isaiah. It happened outdoors, while the people of Israel were under the control of the Midianites, instead of in the temple; Gideon was "beating out wheat in the wine press" in order to hide it from the Midianites; the children of Israel were suffering hunger as well as the loss of their freedom, because they had sinned against the Lord God. The angel told Gideon to prepare food, which he did, and place it on a rock, and that was when the vision reached its climax; an explosion of flame consumed the food and Gideon knew that the angel, who vanished, was indeed the angel of the Lord: "For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face." Isaiah had a vision of God, but Gideon had to settle for the "angel of the Lord." Nevertheless, God assured him of his "peace" and that he would not die, and gave him the strength to answer the call to do battle against the Midianites and free God's people once again.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (RC, E, C) - In this powerful chapter that declares that the gospel is believable only because Jesus rose from the grave ("If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins"), Paul sums up the good news that has been proclaimed to them, reminding them of his call to be an apostle of the risen Lord. The Corinthians, who are not only enmeshed in a controversy over "speaking in tongues," are uncertain about the resurrection of the dead. Paul sets them straight and that's why this chapter is so important. Jesus would simply be a martyr, probably long forgotten, were it not for the fact that he not only died, but was resurrected from the grave on the third day. Paul ties his call to the appearance of the risen Lord to him (on the road to Damascus, Luke tells us in Acts). Paul became an apostle because the risen Lord visited him and called him to his service! That's why this reading was selected for this Sunday in Epiphany by most of the churches. A theology of the cross would not be complete, if there were no resurrection of the Lord. And the faith would be a fraud - no good news, at all.
Luke 5:1-11 (RC, E, L, C) - Jesus' ministry had already begun, according to Luke's story, before he had called Peter and the other disciples to become his disciples. What started out to be another teaching/preaching incident in Jesus' public ministry became a dramatic miracle that changed the lives of the three men mentioned by Luke, Simon, James, and John. Jesus sent them out to fish on the lake once more, and despite the fact that they had been unsuccessful the night before, they went out and caught so many fish that their two boats began to sink. That prompted Simon to confess his sinful condition, his unworthiness, to Jesus: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." But Jesus reassured him and the others, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." So, Luke writes, that they "left everything" and followed him when they reached shore.
Luke highlights the call of Simon Peter in his account of this incident, rather than the call to the three fishermen; it was to Simon that he said, "Do not be afraid ..." Simon had heard Jesus teach, had seen him cure his mother-in-law's fever and, perhaps, had witnessed other miracles but he had seen nothing like this. As surely as Gideon or Isaiah, or Paul after him, Simon was convinced that God had visited him in the miracle that Jesus did. Luke could have added, at this point, that "Jesus manifested his glory" to Simon and the others and they immediately became his disciples, left everything, and followed him.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Luke 5:11 (RC, E, L, C) - "Jesus Goes Fishing." - Someone gave me a small sign which reads: "Work Is For People Who Don't Know How To Fish." I have hung it right next to my computer/word processor, partly to remind me of the importance of balancing work and recreation, but also to keep me informed about the nature of my calling to the ministry of our Lord. The sign makes me think of the little boy and the preacher, who asked the children in a Sunday church school class which Bible study they liked. One liked the story of the baby Moses being rescued from the river; another was intrigued by the story of Daniel in the lion's den; several just loved the story of Jesus' birth, Christmas. Finally, one little boy put up his hand and the pastor asked him what his favorite Bible story was. He answered, "The one where the men were loafing around and then decided to go fishing."
1. The disciples-to-be had been fishing all night but they caught nothing. So Jesus commandeered one of their fishing boats and used it as a floating platform by which to teach the people who had surrounded him at the lake. They wanted to hear more from the teacher.
2. Oddly enough, nothing remains of his teaching on that occasion, probably because it was overshadowed by what happened when the lesson was over. Sent back out on the lake by Jesus, the fishermen took so many fish that their boats almost sank. And Peter said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
3. Instead of leaving them, Jesus' reply had a kind of built-in "come with me" in it, and "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching [people]," It was Jesus, not Simon and the others, who really knew how to fish, for people, that is. And through this miracle, this manifestation of "God with us," they were convinced that this man had been sent by God and that what they had heard him teach was really true.
4. Jesus didn't let them "wiggle off the hook! " But they really didn't try to get away, or to stay behind and go back to fishing on the lake. Imagine! They left everythIng and followed him and they knew nothing about the cross and the empty tomb at that point nor that following Jesus would cost them their lives. What does that say to you and me?
Isaiah 6:1-8 (RC, L, C) - "Holy Smoke."
1. There was a fire at the altar of the Lord in the temple, and where there's fire there's smoke: "the house was filled with smoke."
2. Could it be that smoke got in Isaiah's eyes, and that he really didn't see a vision of God? He said, "My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" - and six seraphim? How smoky was it in the temple?
3. Isaiah knew that he was a sinner, and unworthy of any kind of consideration by the Lord God, but when one of the seraphim picked up a coal and touched his lips - and how that must have burned - he heard an absolution - "your guilt has been taken away" - and a question, "Whom shall I send?"
4. He might have had smoke in his eyes, but when the fire touched his lips it burned all the way into his heart and set it on fire! And he answered God's call, "Here am I! Send me." God did.
(Note: In this type of a sermon, the preachers have to "weave in" the story of their people and their own stories, too. Should he or she wish to do a first-person narrative [taking up where Isaiah leaves off], it would be well to read Peter Marshall's sermon about his call, "The Tap on the Shoulder," in Mr. Jones, Meet The Master. One's intention, in such a sermon would be to help people reflect on their call to the ministry of Jesus Christ.)
1 Corinthians 14:12b-20 (L) (E - for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany) - "On Speaking In Tongues. "
1. Like many contemporary Christians, the Corinthian congregation had members who wanted to experience the "manifestation of the Holy Spirit," and believed that the greatest manifestation of the Spirit was in "speaking in tongues."
2. Paul told them that anyone desiring to speak in tongues should also pray for the Spirit for the ability to interpret "tongues," so that the words would be understood by the person who utters them and other believers. Without comprehension, speaking in tongues is a "mindless" exercise, according to Paul.
3. He also taught that speaking in tongues is not beneficial in public worship services; "five words" that are spoken "with my mind" - that is, that make sense to people - are much more profitable to people than "ten thousand words in a tongue." Tell the story of Jesus to people!
4. And Paul capped all of this with an exhortation to become mature in the faith - "do not be children in your thinking; be babes in evil, but in thinking be mature." An emotional response to the Spirit has to be balanced by intellectual understanding, if people are to be mature Christians. Speaking in tongues is not enough!
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (RC, E, C) - "Synopsis Of The Story."
1. "Get the story straight!" That's what Paul was saying to the congregation at Corinth.
2. The death of Jesus on the cross, his resurrection, and his manifestation to his disciples, to other beliefs and, finally, to Paul, as the risen Lord is the heart of the gospel.
3. That is the gospel which was preached to them and to us by Paul and other preachers. It doesn't really matter too much who the preacher is, as long as the gospel is proclaimed.
4. Jesus is Lord. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! And that's the manifestation which his word, the gospel, makes evident to all who believe.
The thematic and theological framework of the Christian tends to be rather "thin" by the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany; the manifestation of Jesus to the world and the beginning of his ministry remain, however, to inform the church about Jesus in its worship and work. The readings tend to reinforce the weak signals that are being sent out by the kerygmatic content of the church year, mainly because they have been selected with the theological themes of Epiphany in mind. As also happens in the Pentecost cycle/season, these readings establish the content of Sunday liturgy and preaching, rather than the readings being selected to amplify and/or illustrate the theme of the cycle, season, and/or day. The entire first half of the year is built around the Lectio Selecta method ("limited" Lection Selecta in Epiphany) of choosing lections which do just this. Festivals are the ultimate example of how this system should work; their biblical and theological content actually determines what passages of the Bible should be read and preached upon. The Sundays of the cycles and seasons have the theological content of the festivals built into them, and that is one reason why it is important to have a festival as the climax of a cycle/season, as well as at the beginning or in another place in it. The Transfiguration, in those churches that read that gospel on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, theologically "lights up" the manifestation themes of the Sundays that precede it, because people who are liturgically "informed" know that it will soon be celebrated.
The Prayer Of The Day
The contemporary collects and prayers for this Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany fail to amplify the theme that the Gospel for the Day expresses ("I will make you fishers of [people]"); rather, they seem to be, in Year/Cycle C, more in harmony with the second reading than the gospel. This classic collect for the First Sunday after the Epiphany, however, tends to be more harmonious to the "call/ministry" theme of Luke 5. It reads: "O Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen."
This could be one of those Sundays when, remembering that the same Prayer of the Day is used in all three years/cycles of the lectionary, one might substitute a more suitable prayer for the printed Prayer of the Day. (Liturgical committees need to get to work and prepare two more sets of prayers for the Sundays and festivals of the church year, as well as revise some of those now in the worship books and lectionaries.)
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 85:7-13 (E); 85:8-13 (L) - This psalm was appointed for the Second Sunday in Advent in the liturgical churches, and it has been commented upon in the materials for Year/Cycle B of Lectionary Preaching Workbook III.
Psalm 138:1-5, 7-8 (RC) - It is the opinion of some Old Testament scholars that this was composed as a song of thanksgiving after Isaiah's call in the temple. This much is obvious, at least; the theme of this psalm certainly expresses the prophet's reaction; he thanks God "with my whole heart" and bows down "toward your holy temple," because he knows God to be a God of love and faithfulness. He knows that God is with him in all that he does in the name of the Lord, and that God will help him to be faithful to his high calling.
Psalm prayer (138 - LBW) - "Lord God, you keep the proud at a distance and look upon the lowly with favor. Stretch out your hand to us in our suffering, perfect in us the work of your love, and bring us to life in Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Readings
Isaiah 6:1-8 (RC); 6:1-8 (9-13) (L, C) - This familiar reading relates Isaiah's wondrous vision in the temple of the Lord God, where he "saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple." Angelic creatures attended him, and they sang out, much as the angels sang when Jesus was born, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." Isaiah's vision caused him to realize his unworthiness, his sin, and he could not contain himself: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." An ember from the fire at the altar was the means God used to assure him of his forgiveness and prepare Isaiah for his work as a prophet of the Lord: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven." But Isaiah, whose lips had been seared by the burning coal, was able to answer God's "Whom shall I send ...?" with that famous reply, "Here am I! Send me."
This reading has been appointed, not to parallel Jesus' call to ministry, but to complement the call of Simon, James and John in the Gospel for the Day. It threatens to over-shadow the call by Jesus, but the result is the same; the fishermen respond immediately by following Jesus, thereby becoming "fishers" of people; Isaiah's mission was quite different (in verses 9-13), because he was, in a sense, supposed to lull the people to sleep until the appointed time when the Lord would initiate an action to redeem his people and reconcile them to himself. But the purpose of choosing this reading for this Sunday is to emphasize the calling of Isaiah by God and to, reflect on his willing response to that call.
Judges 6:11-24a (E) - The vision of God that Gideon experienced, began with an angelic visitor sitting under the oak tree at Ophrah; it took place under very different circumstances than the vision of Isaiah. It happened outdoors, while the people of Israel were under the control of the Midianites, instead of in the temple; Gideon was "beating out wheat in the wine press" in order to hide it from the Midianites; the children of Israel were suffering hunger as well as the loss of their freedom, because they had sinned against the Lord God. The angel told Gideon to prepare food, which he did, and place it on a rock, and that was when the vision reached its climax; an explosion of flame consumed the food and Gideon knew that the angel, who vanished, was indeed the angel of the Lord: "For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face." Isaiah had a vision of God, but Gideon had to settle for the "angel of the Lord." Nevertheless, God assured him of his "peace" and that he would not die, and gave him the strength to answer the call to do battle against the Midianites and free God's people once again.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (RC, E, C) - In this powerful chapter that declares that the gospel is believable only because Jesus rose from the grave ("If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins"), Paul sums up the good news that has been proclaimed to them, reminding them of his call to be an apostle of the risen Lord. The Corinthians, who are not only enmeshed in a controversy over "speaking in tongues," are uncertain about the resurrection of the dead. Paul sets them straight and that's why this chapter is so important. Jesus would simply be a martyr, probably long forgotten, were it not for the fact that he not only died, but was resurrected from the grave on the third day. Paul ties his call to the appearance of the risen Lord to him (on the road to Damascus, Luke tells us in Acts). Paul became an apostle because the risen Lord visited him and called him to his service! That's why this reading was selected for this Sunday in Epiphany by most of the churches. A theology of the cross would not be complete, if there were no resurrection of the Lord. And the faith would be a fraud - no good news, at all.
Luke 5:1-11 (RC, E, L, C) - Jesus' ministry had already begun, according to Luke's story, before he had called Peter and the other disciples to become his disciples. What started out to be another teaching/preaching incident in Jesus' public ministry became a dramatic miracle that changed the lives of the three men mentioned by Luke, Simon, James, and John. Jesus sent them out to fish on the lake once more, and despite the fact that they had been unsuccessful the night before, they went out and caught so many fish that their two boats began to sink. That prompted Simon to confess his sinful condition, his unworthiness, to Jesus: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." But Jesus reassured him and the others, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." So, Luke writes, that they "left everything" and followed him when they reached shore.
Luke highlights the call of Simon Peter in his account of this incident, rather than the call to the three fishermen; it was to Simon that he said, "Do not be afraid ..." Simon had heard Jesus teach, had seen him cure his mother-in-law's fever and, perhaps, had witnessed other miracles but he had seen nothing like this. As surely as Gideon or Isaiah, or Paul after him, Simon was convinced that God had visited him in the miracle that Jesus did. Luke could have added, at this point, that "Jesus manifested his glory" to Simon and the others and they immediately became his disciples, left everything, and followed him.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Luke 5:11 (RC, E, L, C) - "Jesus Goes Fishing." - Someone gave me a small sign which reads: "Work Is For People Who Don't Know How To Fish." I have hung it right next to my computer/word processor, partly to remind me of the importance of balancing work and recreation, but also to keep me informed about the nature of my calling to the ministry of our Lord. The sign makes me think of the little boy and the preacher, who asked the children in a Sunday church school class which Bible study they liked. One liked the story of the baby Moses being rescued from the river; another was intrigued by the story of Daniel in the lion's den; several just loved the story of Jesus' birth, Christmas. Finally, one little boy put up his hand and the pastor asked him what his favorite Bible story was. He answered, "The one where the men were loafing around and then decided to go fishing."
1. The disciples-to-be had been fishing all night but they caught nothing. So Jesus commandeered one of their fishing boats and used it as a floating platform by which to teach the people who had surrounded him at the lake. They wanted to hear more from the teacher.
2. Oddly enough, nothing remains of his teaching on that occasion, probably because it was overshadowed by what happened when the lesson was over. Sent back out on the lake by Jesus, the fishermen took so many fish that their boats almost sank. And Peter said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
3. Instead of leaving them, Jesus' reply had a kind of built-in "come with me" in it, and "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching [people]," It was Jesus, not Simon and the others, who really knew how to fish, for people, that is. And through this miracle, this manifestation of "God with us," they were convinced that this man had been sent by God and that what they had heard him teach was really true.
4. Jesus didn't let them "wiggle off the hook! " But they really didn't try to get away, or to stay behind and go back to fishing on the lake. Imagine! They left everythIng and followed him and they knew nothing about the cross and the empty tomb at that point nor that following Jesus would cost them their lives. What does that say to you and me?
Isaiah 6:1-8 (RC, L, C) - "Holy Smoke."
1. There was a fire at the altar of the Lord in the temple, and where there's fire there's smoke: "the house was filled with smoke."
2. Could it be that smoke got in Isaiah's eyes, and that he really didn't see a vision of God? He said, "My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" - and six seraphim? How smoky was it in the temple?
3. Isaiah knew that he was a sinner, and unworthy of any kind of consideration by the Lord God, but when one of the seraphim picked up a coal and touched his lips - and how that must have burned - he heard an absolution - "your guilt has been taken away" - and a question, "Whom shall I send?"
4. He might have had smoke in his eyes, but when the fire touched his lips it burned all the way into his heart and set it on fire! And he answered God's call, "Here am I! Send me." God did.
(Note: In this type of a sermon, the preachers have to "weave in" the story of their people and their own stories, too. Should he or she wish to do a first-person narrative [taking up where Isaiah leaves off], it would be well to read Peter Marshall's sermon about his call, "The Tap on the Shoulder," in Mr. Jones, Meet The Master. One's intention, in such a sermon would be to help people reflect on their call to the ministry of Jesus Christ.)
1 Corinthians 14:12b-20 (L) (E - for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany) - "On Speaking In Tongues. "
1. Like many contemporary Christians, the Corinthian congregation had members who wanted to experience the "manifestation of the Holy Spirit," and believed that the greatest manifestation of the Spirit was in "speaking in tongues."
2. Paul told them that anyone desiring to speak in tongues should also pray for the Spirit for the ability to interpret "tongues," so that the words would be understood by the person who utters them and other believers. Without comprehension, speaking in tongues is a "mindless" exercise, according to Paul.
3. He also taught that speaking in tongues is not beneficial in public worship services; "five words" that are spoken "with my mind" - that is, that make sense to people - are much more profitable to people than "ten thousand words in a tongue." Tell the story of Jesus to people!
4. And Paul capped all of this with an exhortation to become mature in the faith - "do not be children in your thinking; be babes in evil, but in thinking be mature." An emotional response to the Spirit has to be balanced by intellectual understanding, if people are to be mature Christians. Speaking in tongues is not enough!
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (RC, E, C) - "Synopsis Of The Story."
1. "Get the story straight!" That's what Paul was saying to the congregation at Corinth.
2. The death of Jesus on the cross, his resurrection, and his manifestation to his disciples, to other beliefs and, finally, to Paul, as the risen Lord is the heart of the gospel.
3. That is the gospel which was preached to them and to us by Paul and other preachers. It doesn't really matter too much who the preacher is, as long as the gospel is proclaimed.
4. Jesus is Lord. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! And that's the manifestation which his word, the gospel, makes evident to all who believe.
