THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
TODAY SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED
In Worship we are the Body of Christ
CRAFT: Somehow we need to make people into a puzzle. I know they make puzzle blanks, perhaps we could use that, or maybe this is as simple as having the children cut up a picture of a group of people.
SNACK: Ginger Bread People
LESSON PLAN: Jesus was at worship as was his custom. When we gather as a congregation in worship, Jesus is there with us. He is reading the lessons to us, He is explaining their meaning. Stewardship then requires us to be in worship so that the body of Christ has all its parts.
MEMORY WORK: Third Commandment (Deut 5:12) Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
In Worship we are The Body of Christ.
We will learn that we have spiritual, physical and emotional needs.
We will understand that Jesus brought us together as His body, especially when we join in the fellowship of worship.
We will thank God that Jesus took care of our spiritual, physical and emotion needs in His Resurrection, the day we have chosen to gather as His Body for worship.
Preliminary considerations: The overall theme for today is the coming of the Messianic time that brought restoration, comfort, renewal and peace. We participate in this Messianic time especially in Worship. The Introit proclaims the praise we celebrate when we gather to worship God. The Collect reminds us that we each have our gifts of the Spirit which come together as one body in worship The Old Testament Lesson tells us of the ministry of the coming Messiah. The Gradual fits with the Introit in the praise we offer in worship. The Epistle Lesson reminds us that the church is the body of Christ. The Gospel Lesson fulfills the Old Testament. Jesus is the one that brings us together as His body.
THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: Isaiah 61:1-6
The Messiah will complete the work many people started but no one has ever finished. The work is described in physical terms (poverty, hunger, captivity, blindness) but the real work is completed in the spiritual realm. The "year of the Lord's favor" is an ongoing event of 365 days every year in the wonder of God's blessing of Salvation. In this spiritual kingdom we will be gathered as Priests of the Lord (everyone with the ability to bring themselves before God) and ministers for the proclamation of salvation through word and actions. A people brought together for glory.
THE EPISTLE LESSON: 1 Corinthians 12:12-21
In last week's lesson we heard that every Christian is given at least one spiritual gift to use for the advantage of furthering the Gospel. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the focus of the gifts is not on the differences, but rather on the unity that comes in baptism. Sin loves to exploit the differences. We are one body in Christ through baptism. We are many members who make up the Body into which Christ has brought us. All the diverse gifts are united under baptism. In the church then there is a multiplicity of talent and skill which are all used by God to bring us together as one Body for the purpose of furthering the Gospel ministry to the world.
THE GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 4:14-21
The way of the Word is to worship God. The way of Jesus, the way of our continued fellowship with Jesus is to worship God. In worship we are diverse members with diverse gifts (as mentioned in the Epistle Lesson) brought together to be one body in Christ. In worship the Word of God is not only spoken, but also praise and honor are given to the Lord as they are fulfilled in our hearing. There are everlasting benefits and blessings that come from entering church, as is the Christian's custom. A custom we gained from the example of our Savior. This entering into worship with others will fill every need we have; physical, emotional and spiritual.
STUDY SHEET
Some things are inevitable. If we don't eat for a few days, we are going to get hungry. If we repeatedly weaken ourselves by insufficient sleep, we are bound to become ill. If we complete and important project, we have a sense of accomplishment and joy. Again and again in life, a certain consequence seems to follow its cause so naturally and regularly that we simply take it for granted. Sometimes, however, we are surprised, either pleasantly or unpleasantly, by a totally unexpected result. We watch our diet carefully, and we still get sick. We make mistakes in raising our children, and they become responsible adults anyway. Things do not always turn out as we originally anticipated.
The same hold true regarding spiritual matters. Some outcomes appear to be inescapable. Transgression of God's Law means guilt, and guilt calls for punishment and death. In the face of such terrifying threats, however, the Gospel promises a totally unexpected and undeserved blessing. God makes known to all who will hear, the good news of salvation, rescue for the fallen and lost.
In that Gospel God makes us over into useful members of His Kingdom, His hands, His feet, His eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Each with our appointed task. When we bring our diverse parts together we become one body, useful for worship and lifting each other up.
1. What kind of healing was promised to the world with the coming of the Messiah?
2. What are some word pictures used to describe this healing?
3. What is the importance of each member of our physical body?
4. How does this illustration work in terms of the Body of Christ?
5. Who unites and empowers us to come together as the Body of Christ?
6. What happens if we neglect our bodies?
7. What happens if we neglect our fellowship in the Body of Christ?
8. What problems develop if we see ourselves as unessential to the Body of Christ?
9. What would happen if our feet decided they no longer wanted to be a part of our body?
10. What is our obligation to the Body of Christ?
11. What advantages did God give us when He made us part of the Body of Christ?