Epiphany +5: Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
A weekly Epiphany devotional post for these 8 weeks of witness. Join us!
You can read here for a brief description of the liturgical season of Epiphany, and see previous Epiphany daybook 2019 posts here. Blessed Epiphany, friends!
Note: If you're reading this in email, the formatting usually looks much better at the website. Just click the post title to get there.
Look: The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, Eugene Delacroix
(source)
Not much time to add commentary this week, but can I just say that I had fun curating a U2 cover with a 19th-century painting as way to imagine Peter and the others searching for fish and coming up empty. Then taking Jesus at his word and casting their nets again….
Listen to my entire playlist on Spotify: Epiphany - Come, Follow. Add it to your account by clicking ‘Follow.’
Read:
Sunday (2/10) - Isaiah 6; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11
Monday, (2//11) - Psalm 80; Isaiah 58:1-12; Galatians 6:11-18; Mark 9:30-41
Tuesday, (2/12) - Psalm 78:1-39; Isaiah 59:1-15a; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Mark 9:42-50
Wednesday, (2/13) - Psalm 119:97-120; Isaiah 59:15b-21; 2 Timothy 1:15-2:13; Mark 10:1-16
Thursday, (2/14) - Psalm 146, 147; Isaiah 60:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:14-26; Mark 10:17-31
Friday, (2/15) - Psalm 88; Isaiah 61:1-9; 2 Timothy 3:1-17; Mark 10:32-45
Saturday, (2/16) - Psalm 87, 90; Isaiah 61:10-62:5; 2 Timothy 4:1-8; Mark 10:46-52
Excerpts from Sunday’s readings:
““In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “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!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
*
”I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.”
*
”For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”
*
”On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”
Sunday Scripture readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year C). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (Year 1), using the Psalm selections for Morning Prayer.
Pray:
“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.”
Do:
Be still
In today’s Old and New Testament passages we see the reaction of those who’ve encountered the voice of Christ. The reflex for both Isaiah and Peter is worship and then action. Set your time for 5 minutes and sit in quiet - no music, no words, no language. Don’t be discourage when distracting thoughts interrupt; consider repeating the words of Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me.” Take a few deep breaths and repeat as necessary. Try this as many days this week as you are able.
You can find other activities for Epiphany at this post: 12+ Ways To Keep Celebrating With the Rest of the World (loads of links)
(See all Epiphany Daybook posts from 2018 here.)