THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
“Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory.”
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,
Great David’s greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free;
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
He shall come down like showers
Upon the fruitful earth;
And love, joy, hope, like flowers,
Spring in His path to birth:
Before Him on the mountains
Shall peace, the herald, go;
And righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.
Kings shall fall down before Him,
And gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him,
His praise all people sing;
For He shall have dominion
O’er river, sea, and shore,
Far as the eagle’s pinion,
Or dove’s light wing can soar.
O’er every foe victorious
He on His throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious,
All-blessing and all-blest.
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His Name shall stand forever,
His changeless Name of Love.
The collect for the second Sunday of Epiphany
Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
This Sunday we read about the first of the “signs” that revealed Jesus to be born both human and divine. The turning of water into wine at the wedding at Cana offers a joyful scene showing Jesus to be very much involved in the festivities. The Old Testament reading introduces the theme of rejoicing: God delights in his people like a bridegroom delighting in his bride!
Giotto: The Marriage at Cana
A Reading from Isaiah 62:1-5
For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
Psalm 36: 5-10
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the strong mountains, your justice like the great deep;
you save both man and beast, O Lord.
How priceless is your love, O God! your people take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
They feast upon the abundance of your house; you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the well of life, and in your light we see light.
Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, and your favour to those who are true of heart.
A Reading from 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
Gospel Reading: St. John 2:1-11
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Duccio: The Wedding at Cana
A wedding was a big occasion at the time of Jesus. They took place on the third day, a Tuesday, and lasted for seven days. Everyone in the community was invited and it would be considered an insult to refuse. It was customary for the host to provide the wine and to ensure that the supplies were plentiful. Running out of wine would have brought shame to the family, hence Mary’s concern to save the situation. Water was stored in stone pots for ceremonial purification. By changing the ceremonial water into wine, Jesus may be alluding to a different kind of purification that was not bounded by ritual. He was bringing transforming Love to all who believed in him and with that, new life, abundant life.
O God of steadfast love, at the wedding in Cana your Son Jesus turned water into wine, delighting all who were there. Transform our hearts by your Spirit, that we may use our varied gifts to show forth the light of your love as one body in Christ. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the many ways in which you reveal yourself to us: through the Scriptures, through the love of friends and family, through unexpected acts of kindness, through the written word and the arts, through the beauty of nature…… Help us to be receptive to your call and to respond to your love by responding to the needs of others.
- We pray for the Church at the beginning of this week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
- We pray for the leaders of the world that they may work for peace.
- We pray for the victims of fire and flood and those whose livelihoods have been affected by climate change.
- We pray for all who are feeling overwhelmed by the cost of living crisis.
- We pray for the medical teams in our hospitals and surgeries who strive to maintain high standards of care.
- We pray for all known to us who are in poor health, thinking of ....................................................
- We pray for the repose of the souls of the recently departed and for the bereaved that they may receive strength and comfort as they come to terms with their loss.
Almighty Father, whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is the light of the world: may your people, illumined by your word, shine with the radiance of his glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer from Archbishop Hosam Naoum of Jerusalem
O God of all justice and peace we cry out to you in the midst of pain and trauma of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.
Be with those who need you in these days of suffering; we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all the people of the land.
While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace, we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples.
Guide us into your kingdom where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children, for to all of us you are our Heavenly Father. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
A PRAYER FOR UKRAINE
Lord, you promise us a future in which the weapons of war will be transformed into instruments of peace.
Today is not such a day, as missiles rain down on Ukraine and innocent people take refuge underground..
You taught us to pray your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,
and so we pray that you will restrain the aggressor, grant courage and wisdom to the resistance, and bring peace to this part of your world.
Look with mercy on the peoples of Ukraine and Russia, and grant our leaders wisdom and courage to seek a resolution that will allow truth and freedom to return to these lands.
Grant Lord, that through this conflict that we would have unimaginable three years ago, we may recognise anew our need for you, and live to thank you for answering our prayers.
Amen