February 8 – Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Worship suggestions for February 8 to February 22 were contributed by Fran Ota and David Chodoriwsky of Glen Ayr United Church, Scarborough, Ontario.

Lectionary

Lectionary readings from Vanderbilt Divinity Library online (http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/BEpiphany/index.htm)

Isaiah 40:21–31

Those who trust God will have renewal of strength.

Psalm 147:1–11, 20c (VU pgs. 868–869 part 1)

God heals the broken-hearted.

1 Corinthians 9:16–23

I have become all things to all people for the sake of the gospel.

Mark 1:29–39

Simon’s mother-in-law and others are healed.

Spark

Have on hand some first aid items, e.g., salve, Band-Aids, gauze bandages, and medical tape. Pretend you are bandaging someone; if they have a real sore spot, you might bandage it.

With Children

When we have a cut or scrape, we can put bandages on it. Love from someone who cares about us will often make it feel better. Jesus was able to do that: somehow, just the love and care he offered was able to take away pain, make the hurting places better. Sing “Jesus’ hands were kind hands.” (VU 570)

Sermon Starter

In the first part of the Corinthians passage, Paul talks about offering the gospel free of charge, voluntarily, without thought of reward. In a time when many churches are beginning to fret about finances and the bottom line, the instinctive inclination is to get more “bums in pews” to pay the bills and survive. That isn’t what Paul says, though. He says clearly the gospel is to be offered free for all, with no thought of reward.

The second part of Corinthians should give us cause for pause—especially clergy. Paul, in his zeal for preaching the gospel, tended to get excited and to exaggerate. In this case Paul was trying to give an example of a model of behaviour for Christians. We have taken this literally: that we have to be all things to all people, all the time, regardless of the toll on ourselves and ministry.

Congregations looking to “survive” try to have a program for everybody, to “bring more people in” and demand that their clergy do the same. We, the clergy, work away in our individual silos, trying to recreate the same wheels as every other congregation instead of looking at ways to collaborate and share our energies for the good
of all.

Contrast that idea with the passage from Mark. Jesus has healed Simon’s mother-in-law and then some others. The text tells us the whole town showed up at the door. Jesus has to slip out in the dark for some time by himself, but a short time later there are his side-kicks again saying everyone is looking for him.

It would have been easy for Jesus to get hooked into sticking around and healing in that place, but he was pretty clear that his call was to preach. The message was to be offered free with no thought of reward. He wasn’t interested in “bringing people in”; he was interested in reaching people right where they were.

Hymns

Hebrew Scriptures

VU 221 “Sing praise to God, who has shaped”

VU 310 “God, who touches earth with beauty”

VU 433 “Day is done”

VU 653 “Come, let us to the God of love”

MV 84 “In you there is a refuge”

Psalm

VU 216 “Sing praise to God who reigns above”

VU 369 “O Holy Spirit enter in”

MV 82 “Bathe me in your light”

Gospel

VU 79 “Arise, your light is come”

VU 87 “I am the light of the world”

VU 223 “Eternal, Unchanging, we sing”

VU 313 “God, whose almighty word”

VU 619 “Healer of our every ill”

MV 81 “Love us into fullness”