Dear Friends,
The great Epiphany theme of ‘revelation’ runs throughout the readings set for this Sunday (links below). Each passage unveils to us a moment in which God’s purposes are manifest to the world and to our lives.
In our Old Testament reading from Isaiah, the servant of the Lord is called from the womb to be ‘a light to the nations’ and to reveal God’s salvation beyond Israel. This anticipates the broader revelation of God’s glory which this season celebrates: the light of God shines not just for one people, but for all humanity. The servant’s words, ‘the Lord called me before I was born’ speaks to us of the wonderful intimacy God seeks with us before he challenges us to make him known to the ends of the earth.
St Paul reminds us, in our passage from 1 Corinthians, that those who are called to follow Christ are sanctified and sustained by grace. Believers are bound in a common purpose of thanksgiving. Just as the Corinthians were ‘called to be saints’, so too are we called to bear witness to God’s love through our lives and in our communities.
Finally, in our Gospel, John the Baptist bears witness to the ultimate revelation of God’s love: ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’. This is the heart Epiphany—Emmanuel, God with us in the person of Jesus. As the disciples begin to follow Christ, their eyes are opened as they live and journey with the one who is revealed as the true light of our dark world.
Yours in Christ,
Ian
