Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Reading for Leader and Youth
Leader: The Word of the LORD came to me saying,"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you to speak for me throughout your entire life." Then I said,
Youth: “Lord God, all that may be true, but I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth."
Leader: But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' Every place I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid, for I am with you to deliver you." Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me,
Youth: "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Reading for Leader and Congregation
Leader: The Word of the LORD came to me saying,"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you to speak for me to the nations."
People: Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am too young."
Leader: But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a too young,' because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you."
People: Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
[See Psalm reading for combination of this prophecy with Psalm 71]
Psalm 71:1-6
Leader: In you, O Lord, I take refuge.
People: Let me never be put to shame.
Leader: In your righteousness, deliver me and rescue me.
People: Incline your ear to me and save me.
Leader: Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
People: You are my rock and my fortress.
Leader: Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
People: For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, my refuge even from my youth.
Leader: Upon you I have leaned from my birth.
People: It was you who delivered me from my mother’s womb.
Leader: In you, O Lord, I take refuge.
People: My praise is continually of you.
Responsive Reading from Jeremiah 1:4, 8 and Psalm 71:1-6
Leader: The Word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.”
People: In you, O Lord, I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame.
Leader: In your righteousness, deliver me and rescue me. Incline your ear to me and save me.
People: Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
Leader: Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
People: For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, my refuge even from my youth.
Leader: Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who delivered me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.
People: In you, O Lord, I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame.
Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
Suggestions:
Hymns – “A Mighty Fortress”
“The Solid Rock”
“Rock of Ages”
“Built on the Rock the Church Doth Stand”
Chorus – “You Are My All in All” (Jernigan)
Anthem – “God Is Our Refuge” (Allen Pote)
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
A Paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13
The words of Paul from his first letter to the church at Corinth:
Let me tell you an excellent way to behave:
You may be able to preach and teach and speak in tongues, but if you don’t have love for those who hear you, everything you say is just a lot of noise.
You may be the kind who can predict the future and understand the greatest mysteries of the universe -- You may be so well-educated that you know just about everything there is to know -- Your faith may be the mountain-moving kind – but if you don’t dispense all this in love, you’re really good for nothing.
You may be generous and give to the poor everything you have – even to the point of sacrificing your life for the cause – but if love is not your real motivation, you’re worthless.
The one who loves is patient and kind – not jealous, nit-picky or arrogant – doesn’t brag or act rudely.
The one who loves doesn’t insist on their own way, is not easily irritated, and doesn’t resent it when someone else succeeds.
The one who loves rejoices not when the wrong prevails – but is happiest when the right wins out – holding up under most anything – believing, hoping and hanging in there.
Love never ends! Never! All that other surface stuff will dwindle into nothing when perfection finally comes.
You probably remember that when you were a child, you spoke your own language based on the limited way your mind worked. But now as grown-ups, you think and talk more maturely; you’ve given up your childish ways.
In this life, we look at things as if we’re looking through a frosted window. One of these days, we will see it all clearly when we stand face to face with the One who really is love. In the presences of Christ, we will finally understand all this!
Three things are alive and well among believers: faith, hope and love. But love is the greatest of these.
So make love your absolute intention.
R. G. Huff
(Responsive Reading on next page)
Responsive Reading from 1 Corinthians 13
Leader: If I speak the languages of men and of angels, but do not have love…
People:I am like a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
Leader: If I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love…
People: I am nothing.
Leader: And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love…
People: I gain nothing.
Leader: Love is patient.
People: Love is kind.
Leader: Love does not envy.
People: Love is not boastful,
Leader: is not conceited,
People: does not act improperly,
Leader: is not selfish,
People: is not easily provoked,
Leader: does not keep a record of wrongs,
People: finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth.
Leader: Love bears all things,
People: believes all things,
Leader: hopes all things,
People: endures all things.
Leader: Love never ends.
(Reading may end here!)
People: Prophecies will come to an end;
Leader: Languages will cease, and knowledge will go away.
People: For we know in part, and we speak only of what little bit we know.
Leader: But when perfection comes, these partial things will come to an end.
(Reading may end here!)
People: When we were children, we spoke like children, thought like children, and reasoned like children.
Leader: As adults, we have put aside childish things.
People: For the time being, we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but one day, we will see it all clearly.
Leader: Now we know in part, but then we will know fully, even as we are fully known.
People: These three remain: faith, hope, and love.
Leader: But the greatest of these is love.
People: The greatest of these is love.
Luke 4:21-30
Short Drama (3 characters)
Reader 1: Full of the power of the Spirit, Jesus returned to Galilee.
Reader 2: A report about him spread through all the surrounding communities.
Reader 1: He began to teach in their synagogues, and most everyone spoke very highly of him.
Reader 2: When he came to Nazareth – where he had been brought up – Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day.
Reader 1: That was his custom – going to the synagogue on the Sabbath.
Reader 2: He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.
Reader 1: He unrolled the scroll and began to read.
Jesus: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. I have been anointed to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Reader 2: (silence) He rolled up the scroll… gave it back to the attendant… and sat down.
Reader 1: The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
Reader 2: Then he began to say to them,
Jesus: Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing, right before your eyes.