The 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany – January 25th, 2026

The lectionary readings for this Sunday are, Isaiah 9:1-4, Psalm 27 1, 5-13, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Matthew 4:12-23

“Let there be Light….”

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined.” (Is 9:2)  Light is often used in the scriptures to signify God’s presence.  The prophet speaking these words in a time of great political turmoil, when the people of Judah were living under oppressive rule, would have heard in them that God was about to act to change the circumstances of their day. “For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor you have broken.…” (9:4)  They, in other words, could look with hope to the day, when they would live as a free and restored people.  And we know when there is hope there is joy to be had, and when there is joy there is celebration, because of what we know is now possible.  And so Isaiah’s prophecy is a hopeful text that we can look to for our own day, in helping us navigate through the darkness of our own time, for the new day we know is always given to us through Christ Jesus, as the one who comes as light for us. 

After John was imprisoned Jesus comes on the scene in the gospel, in and around Capernaum of Galileee, it is here that he begins his ministry in the world,  signifying the change that was taking place then.  Linking this time to the Isaish text, we know Matthew wants us to understand that Jesus was as Light coming into the darkness of that time.  Calling people to repent as John did, …however Jesus was calling them to repent for the Kingdom of heaven had come near.  Not in some future time, but in him the kingdom of heaven was made present then and so the call to repent here, meant they were not only being asked to change their ways as such, but to change their heart, to turn toward Jesus, to align their lives with him. 

When Jesus goes along the sea of Galilee and saw the fishermen there mending their nets, he calls first to Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew, and then to the two others, James and John, in the boat with their Father. He calls to them, “come follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”  Immediately they left their boats to follow him. Immediately. …! we know how difficult it can be for some just to give the commitment as needed in the church today, to help out with something, to let go of some of our time for a cause, give some support to someone; people struggle all the time with making commitment …., but yet, the disciples were able to walk away from everything.  We know that could not have been easy, they had families, homes, their fishing enterprises, as we do ourselves,… but they left everything; James and John, the two sons of Zeebeedee even left their Father behind in the fishing boat; I wouldn’t think that went over to well in the community, a Father was suppose to be able to depend on his sons to care for him in his old age, and take over the family business when he was gone, yet these brothers walked away from their father and all that would have been important to them, to follow Jesus.  And we wonder what was it that convinced them to so willingly give so much. 

Jesus of course, he was there and in him was the light of the world.  The kingdom of heaven had come near, and the disciples saw that in who Jesus was how he was with the people, the things he did. And they heard is call as an invitation, a summons to join him in that work, aligning their lives with his.  It is the same call he issues to us all, “Come and Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” And while the term fishers of people is not always received will, because of the notion of casting out a net and hauling people in; Jesus certainly didn’t intend it that way, but that they would know that Jesus knew who they were, he knew their work, the commitment they gave to it, the passion they had for what they did, and he was looking for that kind of passion in his disciples, those who would go out into the world to give witness to his love, mercy, compassion and justice, doing the very work he himself had taught them to do. 

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.”  It is the same as we are all called to, we too as his followers in the world, aligning our lives with his, are to be about making the kingdom present in the work that Jesus himself as taught us to do. 

 Light shining in the darkness of that day, Jesus was the light.  And we are called on side with him, in extending the kingdom work of bringing healing and wholeness,  to areas of need and places of darkness, standing for peace and justice for all, in our own day.  “Let there be Light.”

To close I will leave you with the lyrics from the Hymn, “let there be light, let there be understanding,” these words kept coming to me, as I was writing, and so I offer them here to you for reflection and prayer, in hope that God’s light will shine brightly in the hearts of his people, through the darkness of our day… May we always be a people of light, a people of hope, and understanding.. living the way of Christ. 

Amen, God Bless.

Let there be light, let there be understanding

let all the nations gather, let them be face to face

open our lips, open our minds to ponder, 

open the door of concord, opening into grace;

perish the sword, perish the angry judgement, 

perish the bombs and hunger, perish the fight for gain.

hallow our love, hallow the deaths of martyrs, 

hallow their holy freedom, hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come, thy spirit turn to language,

thy people speak together, thy spirit never fade;

let there be light, open our hearts to wonder,

perish the way of terror, hallow the world God made. 

(Frances Wheeler Davis (1936..)

#572 Common Praise

c: 2000 Anglican Book Centre