God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Cor 1:9
Almighty God,
whose Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, is the
light of the world: may your people, illumined
by your word and sacraments,
shine with the radiance of his glory,
that he may be known, worshipped, and
obeyed to the ends of the earth;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
- Isaiah 49:1-7
- Psalm 40:1-14
- 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
- John 1:29-42
next week
- Isaiah 9:1-4
- Psalm 27:1-10
- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
- Matthew 4:12-25
Epiphany 2
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The Fourth Gospel emphasises John the Baptiser’s role as the bridge between the First and New Testaments; he is the last great prophet who identifies Jesus as the Messiah. In his vision of the Spirit of God “resting” upon and within Jesus, the Baptiser realises that this is the chosen Servant of God who has come to inaugurate the Messianic era of forgiveness and reconciliation (today’s first reading, the second of Isaiah’s “servant” songs, describes the mission of the servant: to bring Israel back to the Lord and, through her, extend the Lord’s salvation to every nation and people on earth).
By our baptisms, we are called to be witnesses and prophets of the “Lamb of God” along the Jordan Rivers of our homes, schools and workplaces.
Christ’s presence among us is a time for new beginnings: an invitation to walk from the shadows of hatred and mistrust to the light of understanding and peace, a chance for healing our brokenness and mending our relationships with one another, a call to be seekers of hope and enablers of reconciliation in our own time and place.
Through our own acts of compassion and generosity, of justice and forgiveness, we proclaim that “the Lamb of God” walks in our midst, that the love and mercy of God has dawned upon us. © Connections/MediaWorks
You can download a copy of the Pew Sheet here
Epiphany-2-A-2020
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