Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Jan 30, 2022

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

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Something to Do

Love, Love, Love….

This passage is a popular choice for weddings (for obvious reasons)but Paul wasn’t writing to a couple preparing for a life of marriage. He was writing to a community and speaking of the kind of love that we are to strive for as community. Much has been made of the differences between types of love but I would argue that these differences can be overstated. This teaching about the truest nature of love applies to couples, to families, to friends, to communities, to faith, and so on.

Who do you love (if imperfectly)? Take the time to list the people and communities you love. Doodle their names in a design or transform your list into a poem or a chant. Turn it into a prayer of thanksgiving and desire for more perfect love.

For now we see in a mirror – A

The mirrors Paul knew were much less clear than ours are so his image is even more powerful than we might at first imagine. Next time you fog up your mirror, try to see yourself and the room around you. Then clear it off and anticipate the clarity of your perspective on the world when you finally see it from God’s view.

For now we see in a mirror – B

Mirrors don’t just decrease clarity; mirrors also warp our view, flipping reality from left to right. Zoom’s video settings offer you the option of turning off mirroring your camera so that you see yourself the way you look to other people – or on an actual video recording – rather than the way you look in a mirror. Give it a try and remember that your own perspective on yourself is not 100% accurate.

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Something to Wonder

Love is…

Paul offers us a beautiful description of love.
Which aspect is most meaningful to you? Why?
Which aspect is most challenging for you? Why?

When I was a child…

Hopefully, we are all – no matter our age – in a continual process of learning and growing. Think back to your younger self, whether that is 70 years ago, 20 years ago, 2 years ago, or 6 months ago. What is something you used to think or believe but have come to understand differently? What happened to change your perspective?

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Something to Learn

The Way of Love

The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, has centred his ministry on calling people to engage with the “Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement” by joining the Way of Love. He is a gifted preacher, teacher, political pastor, and leader.

His highest profile sermon is probably the one delivered at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Watch it here (but don’t compare this Sunday’s sermon to his!)

Find his podcast, in which he outlines the practices of the Way of Love, here.

Listen or read his interview on the PBS Newshour from last January, “Following the way of love through divisions, upheaval, and uncertainty”

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Jan 23, 2022
prepared by Karen McBride

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?

But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. 

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Something to Do

Contemplate the incredible human body

In this Epistle reading, Paul uses the metaphor of the human body to teach the Corinth community how to be “church.” Take some time this week to reflect on the interconnectedness and interdependence of our bones, organs, muscles, and nerves. In fact, is there any part of our bodies that operates independently?

Be ecumenical

Do you have a friend from a different Christian tradition? In this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, consider reaching out to that person and having a conversation. Maybe broach the topic by noting it’s the Week for Prayer for Christian Unity, asking what they value about their tradition, as well as about the ministries supported by their parish. Reflect on how a diversity of approaches may be beneficial for the church.

Attend a worldwide book launch on Jan 19! – TIME SENSITIVE

Register here https://www.oikoumene.org/events/webinar-dawn-of-ecumenism to attend a webinar on Wednesday, January 19 from 10:00 am – 11:30 am (Ottawa time) marking the launch of the book The Dawn of Ecumenicalism which traces the long-term roots of ecumenism from historical, theological, and political perspectives. Hosted by the World Council of Churches in celebration of the 2022 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the webinar will feature speakers from across Europe with simultaneous interpretation in French and English.

Alternatively, you can read more about the history of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which has been held annually since 1908, here: https://www.weekofprayer.ca/history-week-prayer-christian-unity.

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Something to Wonder

Unity

What does “unity” mean in the context of the church? According to the dictionary, in general terms unity is “the state of being united or joined as a whole.” And that was certainly part of what Paul was getting at in his letter to the Corinthians. But Paul was saying something deeper, as well, through his metaphor of the church as a “body,” something more along the lines of “integration,” or “mutual dependence.”

To what extent are we comfortable with this notion as followers of Christ?
To what extent might the idea make us bristle?  
Is “being united or joined as a whole” the same as being “controlled”?
How is the idea of “communion,” defined as “the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level” different from “unity”?
Are we more comfortable or less comfortable with this term?

Alternate Reality

How do you think the worldwide Christian community would be different today if the body of the church that Paul talks about had only one ecclesiastical structure and tradition, as it did at the beginning of the Christian story? 

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Something to Learn

Christians in the Middle East

In any given year, the theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is proposed and developed by a designated national/regional ecumenical organization. For 2022, the Middle East Council of Churches was given that responsibility and chose the theme “We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship him” (Matthew 2:2), a theme with special meaning for Christians of that region for whom the celebration of Epiphany is a more significant feast than Christmas.

In her address to the Canadian Council of Churches last November (found here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfll4uI49hk), The Rev. Dr. Rima Nasrallah of the National Evangelical Church of Beirut (representing The Middle East Council of Churches) reflects on the challenges that the Christians in the Middle East face today, on the main scripture text for the 2022 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Matthew 2:1-12), and on the key themes that inspired the international materials for this global ecumenical celebration.

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.