A sermon/reflection for The Second Sunday Before Lent (Epiphany 8) – Year B

The readings for this Sunday are those of the 2nd Sunday before lent:

• Proverbs 8.1, 22-31]
• Psalm 104. 25-37
• Colossians 1. 15-20
• John 1. 1-14

You might like to use the link below to find the above readings, and click on any of the reading above that you wish to use: http://www.katapi.org.uk/CommonWorship/CWLectionarySelV.php

Collect of the day

Let us first spend a few moments in silence to centre ourselves,
to gather ourselves in our souls,
to come before the Lord just as we are with our joys and sorrows,
our hopes and our fears, our loves and our pains.
Let us just focus our minds and hearts on Jesus
who is the answer for every problem.
Let us pray that the Spirit will work through our lives
to bring Christ to the world.

Silence is kept

Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth
and made us in your own image:
teach us to discern your hand in all your works
and your likeness in all your children;
grant us reverence for all creation
and respect for every person,
that we may mirror your likeness
in Jesus Christ our Lord
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Prayer before the Sermon

Loving Heavenly Father,
we thank you
for the words you have given us today.
We know they are words of life and salvation.
Open our hearts Father,
touch our souls,
help us to respond to your word
and know that you are indeed our Lord and Saviour.
May we experience in our hearts
your love and your presence always.

Amen.

A homily based on the readings of today is given below:

“Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness”
(John 1.5)

Introduction

1. Introduction: Light and Darkness

We have been since an year now in the clutch of the terrible covid 19 pandemic and we are almost feeling like strangers in a strange land….cut off as it were from our normal and safe lives….and as if that were not enough, we now hear of new and more dangerous variants that seem to be mutating again and again …

We are also in a period of huge changes since the beginning of the year politically and economically and there are new challenges and new perspectives …

But, frankly, more than even the worst and catastrophic covid-19 there is also another pandemic that has infiltrated into our culture and our lives. It is a culture that denies and downplays our spiritual hungers and needs and stifles us with merely material and worldly options and attractions!

That is why the word of God that we heard about in the Gospel reading of today is so important. I would like that we focus our attention and prayer on the verse 5 of chapter 1 of the gospel of John which says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” And in verse 8 we read that John the Baptist “came to testify to the light”, namely Jesus as the light in the darkness of our world!

2. “He came to testify to the light” (John 1. 8)

Two prophets – Isaiah and John the Baptist point to someone who will bring light out of the darkness of hopelessness and godlessness, someone who will comfort all who mourn, someone who will bring good news to the oppressed, someone who will bind up the broken-hearted, someone who will proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, someone who will proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. (cf. Is 61. 1-2)

Light is a dominant theme in the Christian message of the ‘Good News’
And during this time of Winter the nights are still long and day is only gradually getting longer. We value light at this time more than any other times in the year. Light is so valuable! In fact there is a sharp contrast of light and darkness during this season.

But we also are aware of another contrast of light and darkness. It is the darkness that is real and that is diminishing the light in our world. It is the darkness of evil that percolates in to areas of our individual and social lives – there is a quiet rebellion within us when we see this darkness of injustice and greed, selfishness and barbarity, pride and power plays. Our quiet indignation and suffering seem to be endless as we feel our hands are tied and our helplessness only increases our sadness as we realise how little we can do to ameliorate or change things for the better.

It is into this world of darkness and evil that Jesus brings the “light”. That is what John the Baptist testifies that Jesus is the Saviour, the light of the world.

3. The light that Jesus brings is the light of the “Good News” of salvation.

That is what we proclaim when we light candles in our churches at almost every worship that Jesus is the “light” of the “good news” of hope and salvation, that Jesus is the light of the world.

We might be oppressed, broken-hearted, we might be captives and prisoners of a merely consumerist society, we might be mourning over our inability to live in a just and healthy world. That is why we all need the “good news” and “comfort” of a Saviour. Let us turn to God. Let us turn to Jesus. Let us go to Jesus, “the light”, “the good news”, the hope for our lives.

4. Christianity is all about Jesus!

The real meaning of Christianity is Jesus who came into the world to bring us hope and light. We have now realised how much we need this hope and light especially at this terrible pandemic! But as John the Baptist testifies to us and assures us, Jesus is the light that illumines the paths of our lives.

5. Conclusion: Let us accept the light that Jesus brought into our lives and the world.

We can turn to Jesus and accept him and the light he is and that he offers us by truly committing ourselves to him as our true Saviour and the light the world!
To be a Christian means learning daily to follow Jesus as saviour and the real hope of our lives!

[Revd Dr ST Mattapally, Rector, Springline Parish, Diocese of Lincoln]

Pause to pray …

A Prayer you can say now:

Lord Jesus,
I believe you are the Son of God.
Thank you for becoming one of us.
Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.
Thank you for rising from the dead
to give me hope and the gift of eternal life.

I repent of my sins
and invite you into heart and life
as my Lord and Saviour.
Please grant me your Holy Spirit
so that I may know you, love you
and follow you every day of my life.

Amen.