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Third Sunday after Epiphany • Year A
January 25, 2026
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Historical Collect
Almighty and eternal God, graciously look down on our weakness. Reach out to us with your majestic Right Hand, and satisfy us with his glory. We ask through the same Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Gelasian Sacramentary, 7th Century)
Thematic Collect
Merciful God, your Son proclaimed the nearness of your kingdom, calling others to follow as his disciples. Help us to receive the gift of your grace given through the cross and to follow as his disciples; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Common Thread
The overwhelming imagery of our readings for this Sunday is light and darkness (though in the Epistle we must work out the connection to the metaphors). A light has shone upon those who dwell in darkness. That light is the given Son of God. He is both our light and the power of God for salvation. Those who follow him will now walk in the light, though they dwell in lands of great darkness.
First Reading • Isaiah 9:1–4
Both darkness and light are part of the life of Jesus, the child born to us. He grew up in the so-called dark lands of Galilee. The Jews called Jesus a Samaritan (John 8:48), and he did not deny this assertion (John 8:49). Nothing good could come from there, Nathaniel insists with a question (John 1:46). It was considered evil, backward, and dark. Moreover, Galilee was looked down upon even by other Samaritans. Yet from such ignoble gloom shines the Light of the World.
Psalm • Psalm 27:1–9 (10–14)
We often live in the Galilean landscape of gloom. These are the feelings, at any rate, that threaten to snuff out all light. We are afraid; we seem to be assailed by foes on every side; armies surround us. The psalmist shares our difficulty; he lived in just such a place. Nevertheless, though he was really hounded and surrounded in the darkness, the Lord was his light and salvation. When we gaze upon the beauty of the Lord instead of staring ahead into the bleak day of trouble, we, too, are lifted high upon the Rock. It is there, encamped in God upon the Christ, that we have the best vantage of the Light.
Second Reading • 1 Corinthians 1:10–18
Do we follow the latest promise-maker on the television or do we follow Christ, the Promise of the Father? We seek counterfeit light to our eternal demise. There is only one Light in the darkness, and he shined brightest on the world’s darkest day (Mark 15:33). This is the bright promise of the cross. Trust; even in deepest gloom, believe! This “word of the cross” seems madness to those who will not trust the promise. But to those who believe — who are being saved — it is the very power of God.
Gospel • Matthew 4:12–25
The baptizer has been arrested and sits in a dark cell, awaiting Herod’s order. Undoubtedly, he knows his end is near. It is within this dark context that the evangelist proclaims that “a light has dawned.” It does not matter how desperate are the times we live in, for Jesus is still the dawning light of a new day. The call remains the same: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In such dark times, disciples are called to follow Jesus.
Leave Your Nets use this hymn for today, written by Pastor Mark Ryman based on Matthew 4:12-23.
Resources
Links to Worship Resources for this Service
