Tuesday, January 6, 2026

 

Tuesday after Epiphany

(I John 4:7-10; Mark 6:34-44)

Among the bleakest words in English literature come from Shakespeare’s masterpiece King Lear. After being blinded by Lear’s cruel daughters, the Earl of Gloucester laments: "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; / They kill us for their sport".  In today’s first reading John, the Presbyter, looks toward the biblical God in an entirely different way.

The God in whom we believe loves His subjects far and wide.  He gave us His Son so that in bearing hardships with patience, we might be relieved of all suffering.  The Gospel today demonstrates God’s love.  Jesus reveals himself as God by not sending his listeners home hungry.  Rather he feeds them so that they can return home completely satisfied.

Love in Scripture is not simply the well-wishing of the Scholastics.  It is doing something beneficial for others.  It is cleaning out the family dishwasher or visiting the imprisoned.  By such acts we show ourselves as true children of God and heirs of eternal life.

Homilette for Wednesday, December 13

(Isaiah 40)

The Book of the Prophet Isaiah dominates the season of Advent like no other. This greatest of all prophetic books expresses the hope of Israel for deliverance. The Israelis needed saving from weak kings, strong neighbors, and their own wayward hearts.

The Isaiah reading today actually comes from the second part of the book. Isaiah himself did not write this section which is often called “Deutero-Isaiah.” It describes a time near the end of the Babylonian exile after the original Isaiah’s death. Yet the new author, like the old, brilliantly portrays God’s tender love for His people.

In our passage God woos the stubborn people from the conceit. He reminds them that no one can compare with Him. They only have to trust Him, and He will provide them strength. Of course, Jesus in the gospel passage today relates the very same message.

Perhaps most people today question their faith. In a world where evil seems to roam randomly, we wonder if God cares about us at all. Or are we to God, as a character in Shakespeare’s King Lear worries, “as flies to wanton boys" who kill them “for their sport”? How can a good God allow the genocide in the Sudan or the daily carnage in Iraq? we ask. Deutero-Isaiah will urge us to let go of these doubts. When evil comes our way, God will provide the strength to withstand it. And when good times roll, God will give us the enthusiasm to enjoy them.