Monday 25 January 2021

Readings, hymns and
sermon ideas for
Sunday 31 January 2021,
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
and the Presentation

‘At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region’ (Mark 1: 28) … famous buns in Cambridge (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Next Sunday [31 January 2021] is the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. The readings in the Revised Common Lectionary are:

The Readings: Deuteronomy 18: 15-20; Psalm 111; I Corinthians 8: 1-13; and Mark 1: 21-28.

There is a link to the readings HERE.

The rubrics in the Book of Common Prayer also suggest that the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (2 February) may be observed on the Sunday falling between 28 January and 3 February, which is next Sunday, 31 January. The readings for the Feast of the Presentation are:

The Readings: Malachi 3: 1-5; Psalm 24: 1-10 or Psalm 24: 7-10 or Psalm 84; Hebrews 2: 14-18; and Luke 2: 22-40.

This set of resources is in two parts:

Part 1 provides resources for next Sunday as the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany;

Part 2 provides resources for celebrating the Feast of the Presentation next Sunday.

‘I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people’ (Deuteronomy 18: 18) … Patrick Pye’s Triptych in Saint Macartan’s Cathedral, Monaghan (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Part 1: The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

What is your idea of fame? What is it to be among the great and the good?

Earlier this month [17 January], the calendar of the Church of England commemorated Bishop Charles Gore (1853-1932), founder of the Community of the Resurrection, the first Bishop of Birmingham, and the Editor of Lux Mundi. The story is told that Charles Gore loved to play a particular prank on friends and acquaintances.

As a canon of Westminster Abbey, he enjoyed showing visitors the tomb of one of his ancestors, the Earl of Kerry, with an inscription that ends with the words (in double quotation marks): ‘Hang all the law and the prophets.’

On closer inspection, he would point out, the words are preceded by ‘… ever studious to fulfil those two great commandments on which he had been taught by his divine Master …’ (see Matthew 22: 40).

Sometimes, I wonder, whether some of us might want to hang some of those who think they are modern-day prophets when they preach the Word of God as if these are not the two commandments on which depend all the law and the prophets. Perhaps those modern-day prophets seek fame that is achieved through behaviour that is contrary to the way Christ behaved so that he was recognised as having authority, and so that his ‘fame began to spread throughout the … region’ (Mark 1: 28).

‘Hang all the law and the prophets’ … the statue of Bishop Charles Gore at the west entrance of Birmingham Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Deuteronomy 18: 9-14:

In the verses immediately preceding this first reading (Deuteronomy 18: 9-14), the people are warned against false religion in the form of worshipping false idols, false gods, divination, magic, sooth-saying, sorcery and child sacrifice.

At the time, this must have been seen as weird, every other religion and culture in the region engaged in these practices, and hardly saw them as superstitious.

Then, having dismissed all that, Moses talks about how to tell if a prophet is a true prophet of the Lord. A true prophet is like Moses, conveying ideas and principals consistent with God’s commandments. False prophets are those who intentionally, through deceit, or unintentionally, because of self-delusion, preach false teachings or offer inaccurate predictions.

The people have the laws and instructions from God that are the measure of truth for them. They stand for something so they are not to fall for just anything – in theory, anyway.

If we see the first reading for next Sunday as being concerned with the law in terms of the legal code repeated in Deuteronomy, we may get bogged down. But we know what the summary of the Law is: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength … You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12: 30-31; see Matthew 22: 34-40; Luke 25-28).

If we approach this reading in the context of the difference between knowledge and love, then we may find a more useful, reflective and pastoral way of approaching this passage.

Here we find a good antidote to those who preach, and who know their Bible, but who impose their own rules and regulations on people, without taking any account of the scope of God’s love, which is seen in the life, passion, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming again of Christ.

Sometimes, listening to them, or hearing about them, can be a deadening experience. If they put their preaching into practice, it might be a very love-less world indeed, and may indeed want to hang all the law and the prophets.

Some years ago, as I was preparing to preach in three churches on a Sunday morning, I was asked by a student how many sermons did I normally preach.

I replied: ‘Three.’

And she asked: ‘Every Sunday?’

No, I said. I only have three sermons to preach, and humorously summarised them as:

1, Love God.

2, Love one another.

3, Love God, and Love one another.

And if that is at the heart of our preaching, we find we are preaching with knowledge and with love, perhaps even with authority.

‘The works of his hands are truth and justice’ (Psalm 111: 7) … ‘For Liberty and Justice’ carved by Eric Gill in 1921 on the War Memorial in Trumpington (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Psalm 111:

The Psalm (Psalm 111) tells us how great the works of the Lord are, and ends with that wonderful verse (10):

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
Those who act accordingly have a good understanding;
His praise endures for ever.


Saint Francis of Assisi says (in Admonition 27): ‘Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.’

‘Food will not bring us close to God’ (I Corinthians 8: 8) … eating out in Hamsa, a Jewish restaurant in Krakow (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

I Corinthians 8: 1-13:

In the New Testament reading next Sunday, the Apostle Paul reminds us of the difference between knowledge and love.

There is a difference between knowing who God is, and loving God, just as there is a difference between knowing who someone is, and loving that person. Discipleship, ministry, and Christian life are less about knowing, and all about loving.

‘When the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught’ (Mark 1: 21) … the Old Synagogue in Krakow, built in 1407, is the oldest Jewish house of prayer in Poland (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Mark 1: 21-28:

The Gospel reading is the story of Christ’s visit to Capernaum, where he preaches and teaches in the synagogue. All are astounded at his teaching, but when he actually puts it into practice, they are all amazed. He not only teaches, but he puts it into practice, he teaches not just with knowledge, but with authority; not only can he say, but he can do.

In the previous Sunday readings, we heard how Christ has called his first disciples, Simon Peter, Andrew and the sons of Zebedee. Now this passage tells how his authority, both in word and deed, are first recognised.

Christ and his disciples go to Capernaum, a prosperous town on the Sea of Galilee. In the synagogue it was the practice on Saturdays for the scribes, who specialised in the interpretation and application of Mosaic law to daily life, to quote scripture and tradition.

On this Saturday, however, Christ does not follow this practice. Instead, he speaks directly, confident of his authority and of his very essence. The Greek word here, ἐξουσία (exousía), has the same roots as the word in the Nicene Creed that is translated as ‘being’ or ‘substance’: ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρί (‘of one substance with the Father’).

The ‘man with an unclean spirit’ (verse 23) was, we might say, possessed, or under the influence of evil forces. In the understanding of the time, he was under Satan’s direction, separated from God. The devil, speaking through this man (verse 24), asks what Christ is doing meddling in the domain of evil. He recognises who Christ is and that his coming spells the end of the power of the devil. He understands the significance of the coming Kingdom. Wonder-workers of the day healed using ritual or magic, but Christ exorcises simply through verbal command (verse 25), so clearly he is divine.

Verse 27, on the lips of the crowd, acknowledges Christ’s ‘authority’ in word and deed.

The parallel reading of this pericope in Saint Luke’s Gospel is Luke 4: 31-37, but it is preceded by the story of Christ preaching in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4: 16-30), when he proclaims the foundational text for his ministry, almost like a manifesto:

18 ‘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,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’


These are high ideals and, if put into practice, threaten social stability and the ordering of society. This threat is realised by those who hear him, and they drive him out of the synagogue.

Driven out of the synagogue, Christ has three options:

1, to allow himself to be silenced;

2, to keep on preaching in other synagogues, but to never put into practice what he says so that those who are worried have their fears allayed and realise he is no threat;

3, or to preach and to put his teachings into practice, to show that he means what he says, that his faith is reflected in his priorities, to point to what the kingdom of God is truly like.

Christ takes the third option. He brings good news to the poor, he releases this poor captive, he can now see things as they are and as they ought to be, the oppressed may go free and all are amazed.

There is a saying attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi: ‘Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.’

Christ preaches with authority in the synagogue. But in this Gospel reading we are not told what he said. We are only told what he did.

In his actions he demonstrates the love of God and the love of others that are at the heart of the Gospel, that should be at the heart of every sermon that we preach. For the love of God and the love of others are the two commandments on which hang all the law and the prophets.

‘When the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught’ (Mark 1: 21) … Hillview on Wolfe Tone Street, a former synagogue in Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Mark 1: 21-28 (NRSVA):

21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ 26 And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

‘At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region’ (Mark 1: 28) … spreading fame and news on a newsstand in Athens (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Liturgical resources:

Liturgical colour: White.

Note: Ordinary Times begins after the Feast of the Presentation, and the Liturgical Colour turns to Green from 3 February, and continues until Shrove Tuesday, 16 February 2021.

The Penitential Kyries:

God be merciful to us and bless us,
and make his face to shine on us.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

May your ways be known on earth,
your saving power to all nations.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

You, Lord, have made known your salvation,
and reveal your justice in the sight of the nations.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

The Collect of the Day:

Creator God,
who in the beginning
commanded the light to shine out of darkness:
We pray that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ
may dispel the darkness of ignorance and unbelief,
shine into the hearts of all your people,
and reveal the knowledge of your glory
in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Introduction to the Peace:

Our Saviour Christ is the Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there shall be no end. (Isaiah 9: 6, 7)

Preface:

For Jesus Christ our Lord
who in human likeness revealed your glory,
to bring us out of darkness
into the splendour of his light:

Post Communion Prayer:

Generous Lord,
in word and Eucharist we have proclaimed
the mystery of your love.
Help us so to live out our days
that we may be signs of your wonders in the world;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Blessing:

Christ the Son be manifest to you,
that your lives may be a light to the world:

‘At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region’ (Mark 1: 28) … the good and the famous in a line of sculptures on the campus of the University of Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Suggested Hymns:

Deuteronomy 18: 15-20:

319, Father, of heaven, whose love profound
92, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
535, Judge eternal, throned in splendour

Psalm 111:

84, Alleluia! raise the anthem
352, Give thanks with a grateful heart
574, I give you all the honour
130, Jesus came, the heavens adoring
529, Thy hand, O God, has guided
373, To God be the glory! Great things he has done!

I Corinthians 8: 1-13:

518, Bind us together, Lord
103, O Christ the same, through all our story’s pages
529, Thy hand, O God, has guided

Mark 1: 21-28:

211, Immortal love for ever full
99, Jesus, the name high over all
513, O Christ, the healer, we have come
104, O for a thousand tongues to sing
112, There is a Redeemer
514, We cannot measure how you heal

A detail from the Presentation Window by the Harry Clarke Studio in Saint Flannan's Church, Killaloe, Co Clare (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Part 2: The Feast of the Presentation:

The rubrics in the Book of Common Prayer also suggest the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (2 February) may be observed on the Sunday falling between 28 January and 3 February, which is next Sunday, 28 January.

The readings for this feast are:

The Readings: Malachi 3: 1-5; Psalm 24: 1-10 or Psalm 24: 7-10 or Psalm 84; Hebrews 2: 14-18; and Luke 2: 22-40.

There is a link to the readings HERE

Introducing Candlemas

Candlemas, which comes 40 days after Christmas, recalls how the Virgin Mary presents the Christ-Child to the priests in the Temple in Jerusalem. And, because of the poverty of this family, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph bring two cheap doves or pigeons as their offering.

It is a feast rich in meaning, with several related themes running through it. We have the contrast between the poverty of this family and the richly-endowed Temple; the young Joseph and Mary with their first-born child and the old Simeon and Anna who are probably childless; the provincial home in Nazareth and the urbane sophistication of Jerusalem; the glory of one nation, Israel, and light for all nations, the Gentiles; the birth of a child and the expectation of death; darkness and light; new birth and impending death.

Candlemas has a ‘bitter-sweet’ nature. It calls for rejoicing with all in the Temple celebrating the hope and the promise that this new child brings. Yet Simeon speaks in prophetic words of the falling and rising of many and the sword that will piece the Virgin Mary’s heart. His words remind us sharply that Christmas is meaningless without the Passion and Easter.

Candlemas is the climax of the Christmas and Epiphany season, the last great festival of the Christmas cycle. As we bring our Christmas celebrations to a close, this day is a real pivotal point in the Christian year, for we now shift from the cradle to the cross, from Christmas to Passiontide – Ash Wednesday and Lent are just four weeks away. Candlemas bridges the gap between Christmas and Lent; links the joy of the Christmas candles with the hope of the Pascal candle at Easter; invites us to move from celebration to reflection and preparation, and to think about the source of our hope, our inspiration, our enlightenment.

The Presentation window in Saint Mary’s Church, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Malachi 3: 1-5:

The Prophet Micah in this reading cries out ‘against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien,’ and do not fear the Lord God (Micah 3: 5).

But, oh so often, mothers bear their grief in silence, are reluctant to bare their souls to the Church and Church leaders. So often we can pronounce and preach and teach. But do we always know the suffering in the dark behind closed doors? And do we teach and preach in a way that moves beyond being enlightening to actually bringing the light of hope, the light of the Suffering and Risen Christ, to the broken-hearted Marys and Josephs all over this land?

The Presentation depicted in a window in Peterborough Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Hebrews 2: 14-18:

The Epistle reading is a call not just to all in ordained ministry but to all in the Church to be ‘merciful and faithful’ like Christ the ‘high priest in the service of God,’ to be sacrificial in the service of those who are suffering and ‘are being tested’ (see Hebrews 2: 17-18).

The Presentation depicted in a stained glass window in the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Luke 2: 22-40:

If the Virgin Mary had known what grief would pierce her soul, would she have said ‘Yes’ to the Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation?

And in the midst of all this heartbreak, these mothers still cling on to the edge of the rock of faith by the edges of their fingernails. Wondering who hears their sobbing hearts and souls.

If they had known what grief would pierce their souls they would still have said yes, because they love their children, and no sword can kill that. They know too their children are immaculate conceptions, for their children too are conceived in a love for their world, our world, that is self-giving and sinless, and they continue to see the reflection and image of Christ in their children as they look into their eyes lovingly. Is that too not a truth and a hope at the heart of the Incarnation?

So often it is difficult to hold on to hope when our hearts are breaking and are pierced. So often it is difficult to keep the lights of our hearts burning brightly when everything is gloomy and getting dark. But Simeon points out that the Christ Child does not hold out any selfish hope for any one individual or one family ... he is to be a light to the nations, to all of humanity.

‘Candlemas 2012’ (York Minster) by Susan Hufton … from the recent exhibition ‘Holy Writ’ in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Reflecting on the Candlemas Gospel reading:

The Feast of the Presentation of Christ has been known to the Church by several names over time, including the Presentation of Christ in the Temple; the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and we talk too of Candlemas, celebrated in many Anglican cathedrals and churches with the Candlemas Procession.

This feast, forty days after Christmas, recalls how the Virgin Mary presents the Christ-Child to the priests in the Temple in Jerusalem. And, because of the family’s poverty, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph bring two cheap doves or pigeons as their offering.

This is a feast rich in meaning, with several related themes running through it. We have the contrast between the poverty of this family and the richly-endowed Temple; the young Joseph and Mary with their first-born child and the old Simeon and Anna who are probably childless; the provincial home in Nazareth and the urbane sophistication of Jerusalem; the glory of one nation, Israel, and light for all nations, the Gentiles; the birth of a child and the expectation of death; darkness and light; new birth and impending death.

So Candlemas is a feast day with a ‘bitter-sweet’ nature. It calls for rejoicing with all in the Temple celebrating the hope and the promise that this new child brings. Yet Simeon speaks in prophetic words of the falling and rising of many and the sword that will piece the Virgin Mary’s heart. His words remind us sharply that Christmas is meaningless without the Passion and Easter.

Candlemas is the climax of the Christmas and Epiphany season, the last great festival of the Christmas cycle. As we bring our Christmas celebrations to a close, this day is a real pivotal point in the Christian year, for we now shift from the cradle to the cross, from Christmas to Passiontide – Ash Wednesday and Lent are just four or five weeks away.

In this shift of mood, devotion and liturgy, we take with us the light of Christ, a sure promise that Christ is the eternal light and the salvation of all humanity, throughout all ages.

Traditionally, Candlemas is the final day of the Christmas season. The liturgical colour changes from the White of rejoicing to the Green of ordinary, everyday life. This is the day that bridges the gap between Christmas and Lent, that bridges the gap between a time of celebration and a time of reflection, a time of joy and a time for taking stock once again.

This is an opportunity to take stock of where we are. After two decades of the darkness of recession and austerity, the economists were trying to look for the light at the end of the tunnel only to find the country in economic paralysis for the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For many of us, we moved long ago from a time of financial certainty that allowed us to celebrate easily to a time of reflection and uncertainty. Now the double-edged sword of ‘Brexit’ and Covid-19 leave the majority of people with new sets of anxieties and uncertainties.

The lights of Christmas and its celebrations, if they were ever turned on, are dim and distant now. By this Candlemas most people in Ireland continue to live their very ordinary days with uncertainty, trying to grasp for signs of hope, wondering how long we must remain in the dark.

How Mary must have wept in her heart as in today’s Gospel story the old man Simeon hands back her child and warns her that a sword would pierce her heart (Luke 2: 35).

How many mothers are weeping in their hearts and clinging onto the rock of faith just by the end of their fingertips as their hearts, their souls, are pierced by a sword?

Mothers who were forced to give up their babies in the so-called Mother-and-Baby homes and who have been distressed by the recent report and media reports and discussions?

Mothers whose lives were held in slavery by fear (see Hebrews 2: 15)?

Mothers who see their special needs children denied special needs assistants in our schools?

Mothers who see their children waiting, waiting too long, for care in our hospitals or to move from the uncertainty of hotel rooms or hostels to a house and a home?

Mothers who saw their graduate daughters and sons unable to find employment and have still not returned home?

Mothers whose silent weeping is not going to bring home their adult emigrant children and the grandchildren born in Australia or the US?

Mothers whose gay sons and lesbian daughters are beaten up on the streets just for the fun of it and are afraid if they come out that our Church can only offer tea and sympathy, at best, but moralising prejudice most of the time?

Mothers whose husbands are on low pay, on PUP or dismissed as mere statistics in the figures for poverty?

Mothers whose adult children are caught up in substance abuse and have lost all hope for the future – for a future?

Mothers and grandmothers who have not been able to hug their children and grandchildren for months because of the pandemic lockdown?

These mothers know what TS Eliot calls ‘the certain hour of maternal sorrow.’ Like the Prophet in his poem A Song for Simeon, they ‘Wait for the wind that chills towards the dead land.’ And they know too how true Simeon’s words are for them this morning: ‘and a sword will pierce your soul too.’

If the Virgin Mary had known what grief would pierce her soul, would she have said ‘Yes’ to the Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation?

And in the midst of all this heartbreak, these mothers still cling on to the edge of the rock of faith by the edges of their fingernails. Wondering who hears their sobbing hearts and souls.

If they had known what grief would pierce their souls they would still have said yes, because they love their children, and no sword can kill that. They know too their children are immaculate conceptions, for their children too are conceived in a love for their world, our world, that is self-giving and sinless, and they continue to see the reflection and image of Christ in their children as they look into their eyes lovingly. Is that too not a truth and a hope at the heart of the Incarnation?

So often it is difficult to hold on to hope when our hearts are breaking and are pierced. So often it is difficult to keep the lights of our hearts burning brightly when everything is gloomy and getting dark. But Simeon points out that the Christ Child does not hold out any selfish hope for any one individual or one family ... he is to be a light to the nations, to all of humanity.

And as our leaders – political, social, economic and financial leaders – search in the dark for the hope that will bring light back into our lives, we can remind ourselves that this search will have no purpose and it will offer no glimmer of hope unless it seeks more than selfish profit. This search must seek the good of all, it must seek to bring hope and light to all, not just here, but to all people and to all nations.

Who will speak out like the Prophet Micah in the first reading ‘against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien,’ and do not fear the Lord God (Micah 3: 5)?

But so often these mothers bear their grief in silence, are reluctant to bare their souls to the Church and Church leaders. So often we can pronounce and preach and teach. But do we always know the suffering in the dark behind closed doors? And do we teach and preach in a way that moves beyond being enlightening to actually bringing the light of hope, the light of the Suffering and Risen Christ to the broken-hearted Marys and Josephs all over this land?

Yet the Epistle reading is a call not just to all in the Church to be ‘merciful and faithful’ like Christ the ‘high priest in the service of God,’ to be sacrificial in the service of those who are suffering and ‘are being tested’ (see Hebrews 2: 17-18).

This feast of Candlemas bridges the gap between Christmas and Lent; links the joy of the Christmas candles with the hope of the Pascal candle at Easter; invites us to move from celebration to reflection and preparation, and to think about the source of our hope, our inspiration, our enlightenment.

The candles of Candlemas link the candles of Christmas with Good Friday and with the Easter hope symbolised in the Pascal candle. And so to paraphrase the words of Timothy Dudley-Smith’s hymn that draw on Simeon’s prophetic words in the Canticle Nunc Dimittis, as we watch and wait in our faithful vigil for Christ’s glory in that Easter hope, may our doubting cease, may God’s silent, suffering people find deliverance and freedom from oppression, may his servants find peace, may he complete in us his perfect will.

The Presentation depicted in a stained glass window in the Church of Saint Martin of Tours, Culmullen, Co Meath (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Luke 2: 22-40 (NRSVA):

22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

29 ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.’

33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed — and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

The Presentation depicted in a stained glass window in Saint Bartholomew’s Church, Ballsbridge, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Liturgical Resources:

Liturgical Colour: White.

Note: Ordinary Times begins after the Feast of the Presentation, and the Liturgical Colour turns to Green from 3 February, and continues until Shrove Tuesday, 16 February 2021.

Bidding Prayer:

The traditional Bidding Prayer for Candlemas is:

Dear friends, forty days ago we celebrated the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we recall the day on which he was presented in the Temple, when he was offered to the Father and shown to his people.

As a sign of his coming among us, his mother was purified according to the custom of the time, and we now come to him for cleansing. In their old age Simeon and Anna recognised him as their Lord, as we today sing of his glory.

In this Eucharist, we celebrate both the joy of his coming and his searching judgement, looking back to the day of his birth and forward to the coming days of his passion.

So let us pray that we may know and share the light of Christ.

Penitential Kyries:

Lord God, mighty God,
you are the creator of the world.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary,
you are the Prince of Peace.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Holy Spirit,
by your power the Word was made flesh
and came to dwell among us.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty and everliving God,
clothed in majesty,
whose beloved Son was this day presented in the temple
in the substance of our mortal nature:
May we be presented to you with pure and clean hearts,
by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Collect of the Word:

Strong and mighty God,
Father of our Lord Jesus,
the presentation of your Son in the Temple
was his first entrance into a place of sacrifice.
Grant that, trusting in his offering on the cross
to forgive our sins
and uphold us in the time of trial,
we may sing your praises
and live in the light of your salvation, Jesus Christ.

Introduction to the Peace:

Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and his name is called the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9: 7)
(The Book of Common Prayer, the Church of Ireland, p. 234)

or

In the tender mercy of our God
the dayspring from on high has broken upon us,
to give light to those who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (cf Luke 1: 78, 79)
(Common Worship, p. 306)

Preface:

You chose the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be the mother of your Son
and so exalted the humble and meek;
your angel hailed her as most high and highly favoured,
and with all generations we call her blessed:
(The Book of Common Prayer, the Church of Ireland, p. 234)

or

And now we give you thanks
because, by appearing in the Temple,
he comes near to us in judgement;
the Word made flesh searches the hearts of all your people,
to bring to light the brightness of your splendour:
(Common Worship, p. 306)

Post Communion Prayer:

God, for whom we wait,
you fulfilled the hopes of Simeon and Anna,
who lived to welcome the Messiah.
Complete in us your perfect will,
that in Christ we may see your salvation,
for he is Lord for ever and ever.

Blessing:

Christ the Son of God, born of Mary,
fill you with his grace
to trust his promises and obey his will:

The Presentation depicted in a stained-glass window in the Church of SS Peter and Paul, Kilmallock, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Suitable intercessions:

In peace let us pray to the Lord.

By the mystery of the Word made flesh
Good Lord, deliver us.

By the birth in time of the timeless Son of God
Good Lord, deliver us.

By the baptism of the Son of God in the river Jordan
Good Lord, deliver us.

For the kingdoms of this world,
that they may become the Kingdom of our Lord and Christ
We pray to you, O Lord.

For your holy, catholic and apostolic Church,
that it may be one
We pray to you, O Lord.

For the witness of your faithful people,
that they may be lights in the world
We pray to you, O Lord.

For the poor, the persecuted, the sick and all who suffer;
that they may be relieved and protected
We pray to you, O Lord.

For the aged, for refugees and all in danger,
that they may be strengthened and defended
We pray to you, O Lord.

For those who walk in darkness and in the shadow of death,
that they may come to your eternal light
We pray to you, O Lord.

Father, source of light and life,
Grant the prayers of your faithful people,
and fill the world with your glory, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

‘A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel’ … evening lights seen from the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2021)

Suggested Hymns:

Malachi 3: 1-5:

52, Christ, whose glory fills the skies
634, Love divine, all loves excelling
134, Make way, make way, for Christ the King
640, Purify my heart

Psalm 24: 7-10

696, God, we praise you! God, we bless you!
266, Hail the day that sees him rise (verses 1 and 2)
358, King of glory, King of peace
337, Lift up your heads, O ye gates
131, Lift up your heads, you mighty gates
134, Make way, make way, for Christ the King
488, Stand up, stand up for Jesus
284,The golden gates are lifted up

Hebrews 2: 14-18:

212, Jesus, grant me this, I pray
652, Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
635, Lord, be my guardian and my guide
108, Praise to the Holiest in the height
114, Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown
627, What a friend we have in Jesus

Luke 2: 22-40:

119, Come, thou long-expected Jesus
88, Fairest Lord Jesus
691, Faithful vigil ended
191, Hail to the Lord who comes
193, In his temple now behold him
634, Love divine, all loves excelling
472, Sing we of the blessed mother
203, When candles are lighted on Candlemas day

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple … a window in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)


Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.

The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000).

The Presentation depicted in a window in the parish church in Murroe, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Monday 18 January 2021

Readings, hymns and
sermon ideas for
Sunday 24 January 2021,
Third Sunday after Epiphany,
Holocaust Memorial Day

‘He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets’ (Mark 1: 19) … a fishing boat in the harbour at Loughshinny, Co Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Patrick Comerford

Next Sunday [24 January 2021] is the Third Sunday after the Epiphany (Epiphany III). This is Year B in the Revised Common Lectionary, and the readings are mainly from Saint Mark’s Gospel.

Sunday’s readings in the Revised Common Lectionary, as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland, are:

The Readings: Jonah 3: 1-5, 10; Psalm 62: 5-12; I Corinthians 7: 29-31; Mark 1: 14-20.

There is a direct link to the readings HERE.

On Sunday next you may prefer to reflect on the readings in the light of Holocaust Memorial Day, which falls this year on Wednesday, 27 January 2021. This day can be observed on Sunday and recalls the millions of people killed in the Holocaust, the Nazi Persecution and in later genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. The date was chosen because 27 January marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.

Part 2 of this posting provides resources and links to resources for marking Holocaust Memorial Day next Sunday.

A whale depicted in the Saint Brendan window in Saint Michael’s Church, Sneem, Co Kerry (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Part 1: The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

The themes in the Gospel reading (Mark 1: 14-20) offer plenty of fruitful ideas. They include: the Good News, the coming of the Kingdom of God, repentance, belief, and call and following.

But we cannot just pluck themes out of a lectionary reading and use them to our own purpose and end. That would do no service either to those who are listening or to the Gospel message itself.

Although the current cycle of lectionary readings is mainly from Saint Mark’s Gospel, the Gospel reading for the previous Sunday [17 January 2021, the Second Sunday after the Epiphany] is John 1: 43-51. Saint Mark’s Gospel is so short it would be stretching it too far to provide readings for every Sunday for a full year.

Yet that reading from Saint John’s Gospel also helps to provide context and an introduction to the reading for the following Sunday, for it tells the story of the call of Philip and Nathanael.

Additional context for next Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mark 1: 14-20) is provided by the themes in the other readings.

In addition, this posting offers additional reflection on both the reading from the Book of Jonah, and on the Gospel reading.

The Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, ‘Get up, go …’ (Jonah 3: 1-2) … sailing into a Mediterranean sunset in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Jonah 3: 1-5, 10

This is the only reading in the Lectionary, over the space of three years, from the Book of Jonah (apart from an alternative reading in Proper 20, Year A), and the only opportunity over the three-year cycle most people have to hear about the story of Jonah.

Yet, while many people undoubtedly associate Jonah with the whale, and the Gospel reading includes stories of fishermen who called to be ‘fishers of men,’ there is no mention of the big fish in this one reading they are going to hear from the Book of Jonah.

Jonah is the archetypal reluctant prophet. Earlier, God calls him to ‘Go at once to Nineveh … and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me’ (Jonah 1: 2). But Jonah tries to escape by sailing to the ends of the earth.

And for many people who hear this reading on Sunday, they will immediately associate Jonah with the fish, which may help make connections with the fishing scene that provides the setting for our Gospel reading.

But God is not going to let go of Jonah; and God now calls him a second time. This time, Jonah obeys, and he goes to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. But it seems Jonah is easily distracted and happy with half measures. He goes to the city, but after a day he has only got half-way into Nineveh. Even then, God works through Jonah. The people of Nineveh react positively: they believe, they acknowledge their godlessness, and later in this chapter the king repents.

We can see in that story the outward signs of repentance: a change of attitude to others, or turning away from evil and violence; and acknowledging God’s freedom in how God responds to our repentance.

Clearly, this is a story, but it is one that teaches; it is a parable. It illuminates an issue of its time, the waywardness of the people. God who is all-powerful can favour whoever he chooses, even those we see hated enemies of the past.

‘In God is my strength and my glory; God is my strong rock; in him is my refuge’ (Psalm 62: 7) … a rocky outcrop in the Ionian waters off the west coast of Paxos (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Psalm 62: 5-12:

Psalm 62 is a psalm of trust, in which the psalmist invites others to place their trust in God too (verse 8).

In God, he finds his hope for deliverance, his reference point in life and his ‘refuge’ from his enemies.

This is a psalm of trust, and in this portion of the psalm, the psalmist invites others to follow his example. In God, he finds his hope for deliverance, his reference point in life and refuge from his enemies.

Neither poverty nor power can last. Extortion and robbery are means of acquiring rank, but we should depend on wealth, for it too is worth little.

The psalmist has heard and has learnt well that power and steadfast love belong to God. God does reward everyone based on their actions.

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‘Let even those who … buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it’ (I Corinthians 7: 30-31) … sale signs at a wedding venue and hotel in Ballybunion, Co Kerry (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

I Corinthians 7: 29-31

In this Epistle reading, the Apostle Paul writes from Ephesus to the Christians of Corinth, calling on them to live a life of repentance, for ‘the time we live in will not last long,’ and ‘the present time is passing away.’

He reminds us that we live between Christ’s first coming and Christ’s second coming, a time in which the Church is called to bring as many as possible to believe in him and to follow his ways.

And so, this epistle reading too is an important preparation for hearing the story of the call of the first disciples, and for being reminded of our own call too.

Saint Paul’s advice to married men (verse 29b) – to behave as though they have no wives – must be taken in context. In the verses that follow, he explains what he has written: ‘I want you to be free from anxieties … the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided’ (I Corinthians 7: 32-34).

Saint Paul is saying that, at what he sees as a very critical time in history, when all effort is needed to bring people to faith, some need to devote some effort to other matters.

In earlier verses in this chapter, he has already said that marriage is important. He is not denying this now, but instead is emphasising the importance of the mission of the Church. It is so important we need to devote as much effort as possible to God’s work. What we do in the world is of transitory value, and we need to focus on preparing for Christ’s second coming.

‘He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets’ (Mark 1: 19) … a fisherman takes care of his nets in a harbour on the Greek island of Samos (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Mark 1: 14-20:

In the Gospel reading, we move from being told of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness to his return to Galilee. His message begins with ‘the time is fulfilled’ (verse 15): the time appointed by God, the decisive time for God’s action, has arrived. ‘The kingdom of God has come near.’

Saint Mark began his Gospel with ‘the good news of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.’ Now, in verse 15, we hear what that Good News is: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news’ (verse 15).

There are four important verbs in this Good News. The first two proclaim deeds that God is doing; the last two call for specific responses from us:

1, ‘The time is fulfilled’: the meaning here is difficult to convey fully in English because such experiences of time are rare. This is an epoch-making time, a defining-moment time. A long held dream is about to start taking shape.

2, ‘has come near’ or ‘is at hand’: this located the Kingdom of God in both time – this defining moment; and in space – at hand. But the verbs also indicate a deed or action that has now begun but is not yet unfinished.

3, to ‘repent’ does not mean to feel badly or guilty. It does mean to change my behaviour, to re-align it with new principles, new beliefs, new understandings, new insights, new objectives, new goals and new values. The feelings that accompany repentance can range from sorrow over past deeds, to joy for new options; from anger over past false hopes, to confidence in now finding firm ground.

4, ‘Believe in the good news’ could also be translated as ‘Trust into the Good News.’ This is not a call to belief in terms of having an opinion about the factual accuracy of Good News. Instead, Christ is calling for a radical, total, unqualified response in which I base my life no matter what the risks may be.

Now we too are called to adopt God’s way, to ‘believe in the good news’ we hear about the very beginning of the Gospel. It could be said that the whole of Saint Mark’s Gospel is a working out of the meaning and implication of this verse.

In verses 16-20, the first four disciples are called: they immediately leave their previous occupations, and follow Christ. Once again, we might note how immediacy of response is a mark of this Gospel. These disciples owned nets (verse 19), and they had employees (‘hired men,’ verse 20), so they were people of rank. They gave up security and family to follow Christ and to devote themselves to his mission.

Did you notice too how one of the first things Christ does is to recruit followers? We could say that proclaiming the Good News and that the Kingdom of God is near, is not a one-man show. Instead, it involves building up communities, and creating relationships that embody the Good News.

Fishing was carried out at night so that the freshly caught fish could be sold as soon as possible in the morning. So, being out at night – and smelling of fish – made fishing a disreputable occupation.

Christ sees Simon and Andrew at night, or just before dawn, as they are actively fishing. He then sees James and John after dawn – they have finished their night’s work and are in their boat, mending their nets.

How do you think it must have appeared in those days that Christ was out alone at night and that the first four people he calls are engaged in a dirty and demanding occupation, and that all four leave their families to follow him?

Their friends and neighbours must have reacted with alarm and suspicion, and probably talked about how their response was breaking up their families and breaking down the social fabric of their community.

Are you finding your calling to follow Christ difficult when it comes to family relationships and maintaining your relationship with your community, with those you work with or those who are your neighbours?

Sometimes, like Jonah, do you feel like taking another journey, or just going half-way?

A reconstruction of the gates of an Assyrian palace in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)

A reflection on the first reading:

Jonah is one of the ‘Minor Prophets,’ and one of the brief prophets too: the Book of Jonah totals a mere 48 verses, the tenth shortest book in the Bible and shorter than many chapters or psalms.

But Jonah is also one of the best-known characters in the Bible. Who does not have memories of Sunday school stories about him being swallowed by a whale?

For many commentators too, Jonah stands alongside Isaiah and Ezekiel, and his Hebrew name, יונה (Yonah) means ‘Dove,’ bringing some Jewish commentators to find a word association with the dove of Noah’s Ark, and so with the waters of the flood.

In Jewish tradition, Jonah is the son of the widow who nursed Elijah and who is revived by Elijah (see I Kings 17); other traditions identify Jonah with the prophet who joined Jehu and told him about the Lord’s promise to maintain on the throne of Israel four generation of his heirs.

Unlike other prophets, Jonah’s mission is not to the kingdoms of Judah or Israel. Jeremiah warns of the impending Babylonian captivity; Isaiah speaks of the suffering servant and the suffering people; Hosea condemns the cults of Baal and Asherah; Joel laments the invasions of grasshoppers; Haggai and Zechariah plead for the rebuilding of the Temple; Malachi condemns the prevailing, cold spiritless, formalism; Micah announces a coming Messiah; Zephaniah invites the Kingdom of Judah to acknowledge its faults. But Jonah is called to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.

Nineveh is a large and sinful powerful city, and Jonah is called to go there and call the people to repentance so that Nineveh is not punished.

But Nineveh is no mere capital among many foreign capitals: it is the city, indeed the great city. It stood on the banks of the Tigris, close to present-day Mosul, and was famed for its splendid palaces and impregnable walls; it was a city of artists and artisans, and its library was one of the richest in the world, with tens of thousands of tablets devoted to astronomy, poetry, history, medicine and agriculture, as well as the arts or crafts of divination and exorcism.

The Midrash emphasises time and again that there never was a city as great as Nineveh.

However, Nineveh was also the most corrupt, depraved and decadent city of the day. More than 120,000 people lived there, and they could not tell the true from the false, the good from the evil, ‘their right hand from their left’ (Jonah 4: 11).

For generations, Nineveh had been one of the great enemies, and is now waiting and watching the internecine feud between Judah and Israel, waiting to destroy the northern and southern kingdoms. It was a greater threat than Egypt or Babylon might ever be.

Why would any right-thinking person in Israel or Judah want to save Nineveh from divine wrath and certain destruction? Surely Nineveh’s destruction would save the people from war, defeat and exile? And, surely, any prophet who ventured into Nineveh, declaiming both king and people, would face certain death?

Jonah’s reluctance to respond to this call is wholly understandable. Other prophets were reluctant too: Moses questioned his eloquence; Jeremiah believed he was too young, Isaiah thought himself impure; even Ezekiel was sent into exile, yet still had to fulfil his mission.

The survival of Jonah’s people hangs in the balance, and, in the social and political climate of the day, he would prefer that God rained down destruction on his enemies and their city. He is torn between his loyalties to God and to his people. His dialogue is not just with God but also with his inner self.

Carried away by this inner torment, Jonah heads off – but in the opposite direction, to Tarshish, which is identified with the Straits of Gibraltar. But God frustrates his plans to flee, a great storm blows up, the ship is close to sinking, and finally he is thrown overboard by the crew in a bid to save their own lives, and is swallowed by a ‘large fish.’

Nowhere in the text is the word ‘whale’ used; the Hebrew text uses the word tannin, meaning a ‘big fish’; in the Greek text of the Septuagint, it becomes a ‘sea dragon.’ Jonah is swallowed up for three days, inevitably drawing comparisons from later Christian commentators with Christ’s three days in the grave (see Matthew 12: 39-41).

But Jonah does not wallow in being swallowed; instead, he prays for deliverance in words that echo the psalms.

When Jonah is thrown up on dry land, God calls him once again; it is a call on the shore, and it is a call that is not going to go away. So Jonah sets out, and it takes him three days from arriving at Nineveh to walk through the city – once again, the three-day period is significant.

Jonah serves 40 days’ notice on the city. These are the years of wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus, the days and nights Moses spends on Mount Sinai, the days the spies spend in the land of Canaan, the days Ezekiel spends repenting for the sins of Judah, the days Elijah spends without food or water on his way to Mount Horeb, the days Jesus spends fasting in the wilderness, the days between the Resurrection and the Ascension …

To Jonah’s dismay, the people of Nineveh take his words to heart; even the king puts on sackcloth and ashes and prays for God’s redemption. They turn from their evil ways, and God changes his mind about the calamity they had faced.

But, instead of being pleased with a mission accomplished, Jonah is not only displeased but is angry. He is convinced that the king and the city are not sincere about their repentance. Is he fearful that, having survived, they are now going to turn their attention to his people? This is the Jonah who, only some time earlier, had faced drowning and being devoured, but now he is so angry he would prefer to be dead. And when he survives, he goes away, separating himself from God and people, and sulks.

Even then, when he might have been saved from the harsh weather and climate only to find his shelters destroyed, he is angry with God yet again.

The story of Jonah ends not with an answer to Jonah’s complaints, or a solution to Israel’s conflict with Assyria, or even an indication of whether the king and people of Nineveh remained faithful, but with a question from God: should God not be concerned for the lives of people – even their animals – no matter how immoral or sinful I may see them as being, not knowing their right hand from their left?

It is a salutary lesson for the Church when we think at times that we think we have heard God’s word, think we are following God’s ways, but are reluctant to share with others – whether they are outside our parish, outside our society or culture, outside our country.

Are there times when we limit God’s salvation to those we regard as saved, and resent prophetic calls to recognise that God loves others beyond our circle or circles of faith?

No matter how threatening we see outsiders to be, does this justify putting limits on our outreach to them and our compassion for them?

Mending the nets on a fishing boat in the harbour in Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

A reflection on the Gospel reading:

I do not know which was a more difficult and demanding task: being a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, or being a Disciple of Christ … especially when the call comes from someone who has withdrawn to Galilee after the arrest of his cousin, the one who publicly baptised and acclaimed him, John the Baptist.

Either way, the four first disciples were going to have no lazy day by the shore or the river bank, or as followers of Christ. Becoming ‘fishers of men,’ ‘fishing for people,’ is going to bring these Galilean fishers into a relationship not only with Jesus, with their families, with their neighbours, with the tax collectors, with Pharisees, Sadducees and Zealots, with the powers of this world, with Gentiles, with the people who sat in darkness and in the region of the shadow of death.

Sometimes in the Church, we do not cast our nets far enough or deep enough. No wonder then that most of the time, when we pull in those nets, we find them empty.

There is a saying that fish come in three sizes, small ones, medium ones and the ones that got away. Too often in the Church, in ministry and in mission we know about the small ones, we are good with the medium ones, but we pay little attention to going after the ones that get away.

Many years ago, while I hitchhiking and youth-hostelling in peaks on the borders of Staffordshire and Derbyshire in my late teens, and staying in Ilam Hall, I came across the work of that great Anglican writer, Izaak Walton (1593-1683), known not only for his biographies of John Donne, George Herbert and Richard Hooker, but also as the author of The Compleat Angler.

In The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton points out that fishing can teach us patience and discipline. Fishing takes practice, preparation, discipline; like discipleship, it has to be learned, and learning requires practice before there are any results. And sometimes, whether it is fishing in a river or fishing in the sea, the best results can come from going against the current.

Walking along the pier in small Greek fishing villages, I sometimes watch the careful early morning work of the crews in the trawlers and fishing boats. It is a lesson that good fishing does not come about by accident. It also requires paying attention to the nets, moving them carefully, mending them, cleaning them after each and every use, hanging them out to dry.

And fishing is also about noticing the weather, watching the wind and the clouds. Good fishing takes account of contexts … it is incarnational.

And all of these apply to the work of the Church within society.

Time and again in the Gospels, the Kingdom of God is compared to a huge net cast over different numbers of people and species. We are the ones called to cast that net, but to do so we need to attend to our own discipline, endurance, and patience.

Being a Christian is not passive following of Christ. We cannot hang any sign outside on our church doors saying: ‘Gone Fishin’.’

Nor can we passively stand by the bank or on the shore, content with two sizes of fish. We are called to go after the one that others let get away, not just those who come to Church regularly, but their families, their neighbours, the tax collectors, the Pharisees, Sadducees and Zealots of our age, the powers of this world, the Gentiles, and especially with those people who sit in darkness and in the region of the shadow of death.

‘Immediately they left their nets’ (Mark 1: 18) … fishing nets and a boat at the harbour in Loughshinny (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Mark 1: 14-20 (NRSVA):

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’

16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake – for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

Fishing boats on the quays at Wexford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Liturgical resources:

Liturgical colour: White.

The Penitential Kyries:

God be merciful to us and bless us,
and make his face to shine on us.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

May your ways be known on earth,
your saving power to all nations.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

You, Lord, have made known your salvation,
and reveal your justice in the sight of the nations.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
Renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Introduction to the Peace:

Our Saviour Christ is the Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there shall be no end. (Isaiah 9: 6, 7)

Preface:

For Jesus Christ our Lord
who in human likeness revealed your glory,
to bring us out of darkness
into the splendour of his light:

The Post-Communion Prayer:

Almighty Father,
your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
May your people,
illumined by your word and sacraments,
shine with the radiance of his glory,
that he may be known, worshipped,
and obeyed to the ends of the earth;
for he is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Blessing:

Christ the Son be manifest to you,
that your lives may be a light to the world:

Other, appropriate liturgical and preaching resources are available through this link.

A fishing boat with its nets on deck at the harbour in Panormos on Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

Suggested hymns:

Jonah 3: 1-5, 10:

381, God has spoken – by his prophets

Psalm 62: 5-12:

381, God has spoken – by his prophets
668, God is our fortress and our rock
557, Rock of ages, cleft for me

I Corinthians 7: 29-31:

353, Give to our God immortal praise
646, Glorious things of thee are spoken

Mark 1: 14-20:

549, Dear Lord and Father of mankind
460, For all your saints in glory, for all your saints at rest (verses 1, 2s, 3)
219, From heav’n you came, helpless Babe
584, Jesus calls us! O’er the tumult
395, When Jesus taught by Galilee
605, Will you come and follow me

Reflections on the water at the Fish and Eels at Dobbs Weir, near Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Part 2: Holocaust Memorial Sunday

The National Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration in Ireland takes place every year on the Sunday nearest to 27 January in the Mansion House, Dublin. It is organised under the auspices of Holocaust Education Trust Ireland in association with the Department of Justice and Equality and Dublin City Council.

This year, the commemoration takes place on 24 January 2021 at 6 pm, but due to Covid-19 restrictions is being hosted online.

The Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration cherishes the memory of all who perished in the Holocaust. It recalls six million Jewish men, women and children and millions of others who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazis because of their ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliations or their religious beliefs. The ceremony includes readings, survivors’ recollections, candle-lighting and music. It is attended by people from all walks of life and is a moving and dignified event.

There is no charge for attending HMD. To register, please register online at this LINK.

Hope against adversity … a fading rose on the fence at Auschwitz-Birkenau; behind is one of the concentration camp watchtowers and a train wagon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

The Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) has produced a resource designed for use by Christians in a worship setting on or around Holocaust Memorial Day. It includes commentaries, readings, prayers, poems and testimonies.

In the resource you will find suggested liturgy for an act of commemoration within Christian worship.

Download the resource here

The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 is ‘Be the light in the darkness’. It encourages us to reflect on the depths humanity can sink to, but also the ways individuals and communities lit the darkness before, during, and after genocide.

The resources include:

● What is Holocaust Memorial Day?
● Foreword and notes for using this resource in 2021
● Outline of an act of worship, including stone painting
● A survivor’s testimony
● Reflections on the readings
● Further resources

Children of the Kindertransport … Frank Meisler’s bronze sculpture at Liverpool Street Station in London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

In the foreword to these resources, Siriol Davies, National Presence & Engagement Programme Coordinator, Mission & Public Affairs, Church of England, writes:

‘The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is ‘Be the light in the darkness’. This speaks to the heart of our faith as Christians. Jesus, the light of the world, invites us to come to him and live in the light. Having been brought into his light we are called to bring that light to others.

‘Light reveals the truth and on HMD that light will reveal and remember the incomprehensible horror of the Holocaust; a darkness of what took place in those years and a darkness when humans fail to live in the light of God’s love. The Holocaust was fuelled by an antisemitism which had been spread by European churches. Indeed, for the last two thousand years European Christians have been a significant element in the development of anti-Jewish ideas and at times have participated in anti-Jewish violence. The light reveals uncomfortable truths. How as Christians can we respond to this failure to live in the light of Christ? How is it possible for us to be the light in the darkness?

‘Since the Holocaust, many Christians have rejected antisemitic teaching and sought new understanding of the relationship with Judaism. There is an acceptance of the need for repentance. For example, the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England in 2019 published God’s Unfailing Word: Theological and Practical Perspectives on Christian-Jewish Relations, which states, ‘Repentance, in this as in any other context needs to identify and name what is sinful, letting it be seen for what it is in the light of God’s righteousness’. The call to be the light in the darkness creates a genuine opportunity to reflect on and express our repentance for Christian involvement in spreading antisemitism. I hope for a multitude of lights in churches across the country on 27 January shining God’s light into this darkness.

‘Be the light in the darkness and take time to remember the millions of people, of all faiths and none, murdered during the Holocaust, under Nazi persecution and in the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

‘During this Covid-19-shaped year the ease with which different faiths have come together and responded to need has been uplifting. All over the country local initiatives have sprung up inspired by faith; churches working alongside others, reflecting God’s love for each person. Building connected communities is one way of resisting the darkness that can take hold when we fail to honour every individual as made in God’s image. Let’s be a light in the darkness by continuing to build up connected communities as well as by using this resource to mark HMD in churches across the country.’

The train tracks in Birkenau (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Nathan Eddy, Interim Director, CCJ, writes:

‘Every Holocaust Memorial Day is unique, but our commemoration in 2021 is especially so.

‘First, HMD 2021 is the first commemoration since the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2020. That anniversary was marked by international observances in Israel and Poland, and a CCJ event at the House of Lords in Westminster. It was the last major anniversary at which survivors of the Holocaust will likely be present; we stand on the threshold of a new era of Holocaust education and commemoration in which we won’t have the living witness of survivors. Second, the Covid-19 pandemic has magnified inequalities and social tensions, and enabled a worrying spike in racism and antisemitism in many countries.

‘Partly in response to these two features of HMD 2021, this resource encourages you to incorporate a creative activity into your commemorations: stone painting to remember individual victims of the Holocaust or other genocides. The Foundation Stones project is a government-backed initiative to gather painted stones from across the country to incorporate into the foundations of the future UK Holocaust memorial and learning centre – literally forming the foundation for a new era of Holocaust education. We encourage you to consider painting stones in your local community group, church, interfaith gathering, or CCJ branch.

‘This resource also assumes commemorations will take place on Zoom or other platforms. Please consider current government guidance when planning your HMD observance.

‘The way we commemorate the Shoah in particular is changing, but one aspect remains the same: the imperative to remember, to stand together, and to ‘be a light in the darkness’, wherever we live. Your role is crucial in this, even if it is just placing a single lit candle in your window. Thank you for taking part.’

The resource from CCJ can be adapted as necessary for your own context, and it will provide inspiration and guidance so that church communities can remember the Holocaust, Nazi persecution, and subsequent genocides, as a fundamental part of their Christian witness and discipleship.

The Jewish Holocaust Memorial on Platia Eleftherias near the port in Thessaloniki … in July 1942, all the men in the Jewish community aged from 18 to 45 were rounded up in this square for deportation (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Additional hymns:

Additional hymns that might be appropriate for Holocaust Memorial Day include:

323, The God of Abraham praise
361, Now thank we all our God.
347, Children of Jerusalem
599, ‘Take up thy cross,’ the Saviour said

‘Arbeit macht frei’ … the sign at the entrance gate to Auschwitz. It is appropriate next Sunday to mark Holocaust Memorial Day (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.

The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000).