Epiphany III 01/21/24
The Still Point
A Time of Meditation and Reflection
The Third Sunday after the Epiphany:
... At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance...
T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton
Peace on each one who comes in need;
Peace on each one who comes in joy.
Peace on each one who offers prayers;
Peace on each one who offers song.
Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,
Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One.
Opening Prayer
Spirit of energy, Spirit of change, in whose power Jesus is anointed to be the hope of the nations: pour yourself also upon us, without reserve or distinction, that we may have confidence and strength to plant your justice on the earth, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Gospel Mark 1:14-20
After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
Poem: “If All You Want, Lord, Is My Heart” by Thomas Troeger
If all you want, Lord, is my heart,
my heart is yours alone--
providing I may set apart
my mind to be my own.
If all you want, Lord, is my mind,
my mind belongs to you,
but let my heart remain inclined
to do what it would do.
If heart and mind would both suffice,
while I kept strength and soul,
at least I would not sacrifice
completely my control.
But since, O God, you want them all
to shape with your own hand,
I pray for grace to heed your call
to live your first command.
Meditation
The gospel this week relates the calling of Simon, Andrew, James, and John to be disciples of Jesus. This story always seems striking in terms of its immediacy and urgency: Jesus called, and they immediately dropped everything and followed him! What was it that drew these four to leave their familiar places and roles in Galilee and follow Jesus into the new and unknown? We don't know what else (if anything) Jesus might have said to them, but it's clear that he was asking for their "all."
The poem plays a little with our tendency to desire to maintain control, when God in fact wants our all. The first command expresses that clearly: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is a difficult command for us humans! So the poet asks for grace to heed the call. The collect for this third Sunday of Epiphany beautifully echoes: "Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works."
Questions for Reflection
1. Are there times when you have experienced a call to leave the familiar and enter into the complete unknown territory? What does this feel like? What may enable us to follow, despite the fear and anxiety that naturally occurs?
2. What does (or would) it look and feel like to let go of control, and to love God with heart, mind and soul?
Prayers
We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today
We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer
We bring to God a troubled situation in our world
We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust
We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection
We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives
We name before God those who have died.
Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.
Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.
May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.
Reflections this Month offered by Frank Nowell
Cover Image: “Christ’s Invitation”-Sadao Watanabe
