Lectionary Reflection
Year A, Epiphany 3
Revised Common Lectionary
Old Testament – Hebrew Scripture
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Isaiah 9: 1-4 (RCL)
- There will be no gloom for those
who were in anguish. In the former time he brought
into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land
of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make
glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the
Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
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- The people who walked in darkness
- have seen a great light;
- those who lived in a land of
deep darkness--
- on them light has shined.
- You have multiplied the nation,
- you have increased its joy;
- they rejoice before you
- as with joy at the harvest,
- as people exult when dividing
plunder.
- For the yoke of their burden,
- and the bar across their shoulders,
- the rod of their oppressor,
- you have broken as on the day
of Midian.
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| New
Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989
by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Church of Christ in the
USA, and used by permission. |
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Reflection
on Isaiah 9: 1-2
by the Rev Tom Harries
A sermon celebrating
and giving thanks for the sun could grow out of the image of
light shining on those who were in darkness, which appears in
the Isaiah passage and then is quoted in Matthew. Some ideas
to play with:
- Before the birth of stars the universe was
very dark.
- Before the birth of our sun, there was little
light or warmth in this region of space that eventually became
our solar system home.
- In the same way that Jesus enlightens and
enlivens our spiritual lives, the Sun lights and powers our
physical selves.
- Of course without light we cannot see.
- But beyond that, almost all the energy we
depend upon to power our bodies and our industry came from
the sun and was stored in chemical form by plants and plankton.
- Enough light falls on the earth each day
to provide all our energy needs many times over, had we but
more effective ways of converting or utilizing it.
- I know it's a terrible word play, but one
could say we are released from physical darkness and cold
the by sun, and from spiritual darkness and suffering by the
Son.
One could move
to a conversation about the need to limit the drivers of global
climate change by talking about the fine balance between absorbing
what we actually need and allowing the rest to bounce or radiate
back into space.
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The
Rev Tom Harries was priest-in-charge
of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion, St. Peter, MN;
Total Ministry Mentor in Central Minnesota; and Co-chair of
MEESC, when he originally wrote this reflection in 2007.
Tom and we welcome your comments. Please address your comments
or additional reflections to Tom
Harries or any MEESC
member, or mail them:
MEESC
c/o C. Morello
4451 Lakeside Drive
Eveleth, MN 55743-4400 USA |
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