Reading
Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1: 4-10) Reflection Do you ever find yourself searching for an excuse to get out of something that you don’t really want to do? Not just an excuse to others, but often to your own conscience. I’m always glad to have a conflict when there’s an event, I know that I should attend, but I’m afraid that I’ll be uncomfortable if I do. How many excuses have you come up with for veering from your New Years’ resolution so far this January? I think Jeremiah’s excuse when God calls him is a pretty good one. Who will listen to a boy? But God tells Jeremiah “No excuses.” When God is with us, we should not be afraid. How can you stop making excuses and do something uncomfortable with God’s help? --Erin Hayes Prayer: Awesome God, thank you for creating me and guiding me. Help me to address injustices and do uncomfortable things, trusting that you are with me always. Amen. Our devotions are based on this Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). The RCL is a three-year cycle of readings telling the story of our Christian faith and corresponding to the season church calendar. On any given Sunday, we are hearing and praying and examining the same Scripture with millions of Christians around the world. In our current Year C, the Old Testament readings progress through the Prophets and have the theme of the day that it is connected to the Gospel reading. The Psalm, a song the congregation sings in response to the Old Testament reading, most often corresponds to the theme of the Hebrew Lessons and/or that of the Gospel Lesson. The lesson from the Epistles or from Acts typifies the church’s focus on the meaning of Christ for today. The Gospel lesson is connected to the season of the Church Year. This year, our gospel readings are from Luke, who writes that Jesus is the universal Savior and the perfect Son of Man. In the current season of Epiphany, Christ is revealed, the disciples are called, and we see the early ministry of Jesus.
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