 St Alban’s Episcopal Church Bolivar, Missouri Saturday, January 14, 2023 2 Epiphany A Prophets: Isaiah, King, Heschel -and you? The Collect for Sunday Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of God’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who was with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The First Reading for Sunday Isaiah 49:1-7 Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.” And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength – he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, “King shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” Two more who chose to shine: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King  This is the weekend of the remembrance of the Baptist pastor, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. It is also the remembrance, in Judaism, of the death of King’s friend, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. We shall hear more about them, their friendship and faith, and their prophetic courage and hope, on Sunday. But as we prepare for worship on Sunday, I hope you will take very seriously the Collect for this second Sunday after the Epiphany. That gathering prayer asks something quite daring: that ordinary people like each of us, strengthened by the Word of God and the sharing of the sacraments, would shine with the radiance of God’s glory. And then the statement that if we do shine in this way, people everywhere will know, worship and obey God.   |
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