Worship Helps for Epiphany 3

Artwork: Synagogue During Torah Reading

Artist: Edward Moyse

Worship Theme: Jesus reveals himself as the Anointed one with the Father’s authority to proclaim himself as fulfillment of prophecy. The Word made flesh points to the Word and boldly proclaims, “Fulfillment.” This bold proclamation carries joy to the very heart of the body of Christ and emboldens its members to proclaim the same.

Old Testament: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

All the people gathered together at the public square that is in front of the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. ²So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the congregation, both men and women and all who were able to understand what they heard. ³From dawn until midday in front of the public square in front of the Water Gate, he read from the scroll, while facing the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

⁵All the people could see Ezra as he opened the scroll, because he was elevated above all the people. As he opened the scroll, all the people stood. ⁶Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen! Amen!” while they lifted up their hands and then knelt and bowed down with their faces to the ground.

⁸So they read from the Book of the Law of God clearly and interpreted it, and the people understood what was read.

⁹Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites, who helped the people understand, said to all the people, “Today is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or cry!” because all the people were crying as they heard the words of the Law. ¹⁰Nehemiah said to them, “Go, eat rich food and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, because today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

1. In today’s gospel Jesus opens the scroll of Isaiah and reads. In this lesson, from what books did Nehemiah read as he stood in Jerusalem and opened the scroll?

2. How did the people respond to what Nehemiah read?

3. Why were the people not to weep, but to celebrate?

Epistle: Acts 4:23–31  

²³After Peter and John were released, they went to their own friends and reported everything the high priests and the elders had said. ²⁴When they heard this, with one mind they raised their voices to God and said, “Master, you are the God who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. ²⁵By the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David, your servant, you said: Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? ²⁶The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers are gathered together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

²⁷“For certainly, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and people of Israel, were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. ²⁸They did whatever your hand and your plan had decided beforehand should happen.

²⁹“Now Lord, look at their threats and give to your servants the ability to keep on speaking your word with all boldness ³⁰as you stretch out your hand to heal and as signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

³¹After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. Also, everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

4. When Peter and John were released from imprisonment, the believers in Jerusalem responded with prayer. Why did they begin by reminding God of all he had made?

5. Why did the believers turn next in their prayer to what God had said in Psalm 2, about a thousand years earlier?

6. Were Herod and Pilate helpless pawns on God’s chessboard?

Gospel: Luke 4:14–21  

¹⁴Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area. ¹⁵He was teaching in their synagogues and being honored by everyone.

¹⁶He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. ¹⁷The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ¹⁸The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, ¹⁹and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

²⁰He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

7. What Scripture did Jesus read in Nazareth’s synagogue?

8. What amazing words did Jesus use to conclude his reading?

Answers:

1. Nehemiah read from the law of Moses, the first five books of the Bible. (We are not sure whether he read from all the books, some of the books or perhaps just the book of Deuteronomy, the last book of Moses.)

2. The people responded by lifting their hands and saying, “Amen. Amen.” Then they bowed low. “They worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.”

3. Nehemiah told them to celebrate, not weep, “for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

4. The believers did not need to help God with his forgetfulness; he is not forgetful. By mentioning all God had made, they were praising him and reminding themselves that God is all-powerful, so he could handle their frightening situation.

5. When the believers quoted Psalm 2, they were praising God and reminding themselves that God always keeps his promises. He fulfills his Word. What he had done in the past, he would do again in the future.

6. No. Herod and Pilate were not helpless pawns on God’s chessboard, though they did what God had decided ahead of time. They conspired against Jesus. (The fact that God runs all things, yet people are responsible for their own evil deeds, will always mystify us.)

7. In his hometown’s synagogue, Jesus read the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61.

8. After Jesus read from Isaiah 61, he explained: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” In other words, Jesus was emphatically declaring that he was the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah, that he was our long-foretold Savior. The people who first heard Jesus make this claim were furious (Mark 4:28-29).

Putting your faith into action

Jesus used Isaiah 61:1-6 as his sermon in Nazareth, recorded in Luke 4. After so many centuries the prophet’s words were finally being fulfilled! He is the Servant of the LORD that Isaiah foretold. He had come to free us from our sin. Instead of cowering prisoners, we are now towering oaks! Isn’t it sad that the people of Nazareth rejected him and even tried to kill him? How many countless millions have done the exact same thing? May we always take the prophet’s words seriously, so that we hold Jesus in our hearts as our one and only Savior.

A reading from the Book of Concord for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

Keeping of the Sabbath is not restricted to a certain time, as with the Jewish people.  It does not have to be just on this or that day.  For in itself no one day is better than another.  Instead, this should be done daily.  However, since the masses of people cannot attend every day, there must be at least one day in the week set apart.  From ancient times Sunday ‹the Lord’s Day› has been appointed for this purpose.  So we also should continue to do the same, in order that everything may be done in an orderly way.

This is the simple meaning of the commandment: People must have holidays.  Therefore, such observances should be devoted to hearing God’s Word so that the special function of this day of rest should be the ministry of the Word for the young and the mass of poor people [Nehemiah 8:2–3, 8].  Yet the resting should not be strictly understood to forbid any work that comes up, which cannot be avoided.

When someone asks, “What is meant by the commandment: You shall sanctify the holy day?”  Answer like this, “To sanctify the holy day is the same as to keep it holy.”  “But what is meant by keeping it holy?”  “Nothing else than to be occupied with holy words, works, and life.”  For the day needs no sanctification of itself.  It has been created holy in itself.  But God desires the day to be holy to you.  It becomes holy or unholy because of you, whether you are occupied with things that are holy or unholy. – Large Catechism, Ten Commandments (paragraphs 85-87)

353  Praise theOne Who Breaks the Darkness

1  Praise the one who breaks the darkness With a liberating light;

Praise the one who frees the pris’ners, Turning blindness into sight.

Praise the one who preached the gospel, Healing ev’ry dread disease,

Calming storms and feeding thousands With the Father’s word of peace.

2  Praise the one who blessed the children With a strong, yet gentle, word;

Praise the one who drove out demons With the piercing, two-edged sword.

Praise the one who brings cool water To the desert’s burning sand;

From this well comes living water, Quenching thirst in ev’ry land.

3  Let us praise the Word incarnate, Christ, who suffered in our place;

Jesus died and rose victorious That we may know God by grace.

Let us sing for joy and gladness, Seeing what our God has done;

Let us praise the true Redeemer, Praise the one who makes us one.

Text: Rusty Edwards, b. 1955, alt. © 1987 Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188.

All rights reserved. Used by permission.