Arise!: 2024 After Epiphany Sermon Seeds Series
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
— Isaiah 60:1 NRSV
“Epiphanies awaken the soul.”
― Adrienne Posey
Epiphanies spark delight in the midst of discovery. At the same time, the manifestation of any promise, hope, and prophecy can also generate fear, resistance, and uncertainty. The full range of emotions may be experienced and explored. In the Christian tradition, we remember that the Christ story is ripe with these moments. The wise people find a young Jesus with his parents and greet him as a king. John the Baptist prepares the people with a message of repentance and facilitates a Triune moment as he officiates the baptism of Jesus. Even his eventual death will reveal his identity in the world.
This season after Epiphany, Sermon Seeds will focus on the text from the Psalms in conversation with the Old Testament text. Because the Revised Common Lectionary selects those passages, as well as the Epistle, in relationship to the Gospel, those accounts may also enter the conversation. Part of the discovery comes from recognizing the connectivity of the biblical corpus.
The theme for the season comes from the words of encouragement found in the prophecy of Isaiah. Circumstances about to change, and the prophet exhorts the people to meet the moment with expectation, wonder, and enthusiasm. Their faithfulness will be rewarded. Their hopes will be realized. Their vindication will be revealed. Glory is coming… and is coming toward them.
Isaiah 60 declares that the light is on them. They are not to be spectators or even passive beneficiaries. Rather, they will become like magnets with a strong attractional force…for the glory of God. The community of faith have been commissioned as active participants in their restoration and flourishing. During this season, our themes will consider various ways in which the biblical texts encourage us to Arise! For the glory of God.
Arise!
January 7, 2024 (Baptism of Christ): Psalm 29 in conversation with Genesis 1:1-5 | “The Voice”
January 14, 2024: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 in conversation with 1 Samuel 3:1-20 | “The Knowing”
January 21, 2024: Psalm 62:5-12 in conversation with Jonah 3:1-5, 10 | “The Waiting”
January 28, 2024: Psalm 111 in conversation with Deuteronomy 18:15-20 | “The Works”
February 4, 2024: Psalm 147:1-11, 20c in conversation with Isaiah 40:21-31 | “The Lifting”
February 11, 2024 (Transfiguration Sunday): Psalm 50:1-6 in conversation with 2 Kings 2:1-12 | “The Rising”
The Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology (lindsayc@ucc.org), also serves as a local church pastor, public theologian, and worship scholar-practitioner with a particular interest in the proclamation of the word in gathered communities.