mamabishop: Fifth Sunday After Epiphany February 5, 2023

The Collect

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Old Testament Isaiah 58:1-9a

Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

Psalm 112:1-9

1 Hallelujah! Happy are they

who fear the Lord *

and have great delight

in his commandments!

2 Their descendants will be

mighty in the land; *

the generation of the upright

will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches

will be in their house, *

and their righteousness

will last for ever.

4 Light shines in the darkness

for the upright; *

the righteous are merciful

and full of compassion.

5 It is good for them to be

generous in lending *

and to manage their

affairs with justice.

6 For they will never be shaken; *

the righteous will be kept

in everlasting remembrance.

7 They will not be afraid

of any evil rumors; *

their heart is right; they

put their trust in the Lord.

8 Their heart is established

and will not shrink, *

until they see their desire

upon their enemies.

9 They have given

freely to the poor, *

and their righteousness stands

fast for ever; they will hold up

their head with honor.

The Epistle 1 Corinthians 2:1-12

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.

The Gospel Matthew 5:13-20

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Yesterday was very cold and the winds were whipping up strange clouds of white dust. It took us awhile to realize that the clouds were being formed by dried salt from the road and driveways. The weather in January was very mild but now February is packing a punch of cold. The best gift we have these days is the sunshine, which helps to brighten the otherwise bleak midwinter. This time of year, it is easy to be overwhelmed by bleakness, hunkering down indoors and dwelling on our own real problems. We are called to be salt and light in others' darkness and loss. We have been blessed with the power to be both, and yet it is all too common for us to extinguish our lamps, turn inward and stop trying. May we shine this day, knowing we are empowered by God's love every day.

Radiant Creator, source of all life

you daily give us all that we need

you send rain and snow, sun and wind

to nurture this sacred planet, our home.