Week of 3 Epiphany: Wednesday, Year 2

Above:  King David in Prayer, by Pieter de Grebber

A Link in the Chain

JANUARY 24, 2024

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Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada.  I invite you to follow it with me.

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2 Samuel 7:4-17 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):

But the same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David,

Thus says the LORD:  Would you build me a house to dwell in?  I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have seen moving about in a tent for my dwelling.  In all places where I have moved with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”

Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David,

Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.  And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more; as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.  Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.  When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.  I will be his father, and he shall be my son.  When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of men; but I will not take my merciful love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.  And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.

In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

Psalm 89:1-4 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):

1 Your love, O LORD, for ever will I sing;

from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.

2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever;

you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.

3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have sworn an oath to David my servant;

4 ‘I will establish your line for ever,

and preserve your throne for all generations.’”

Mark 4:1-20 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):

And Jesus began to teach beside the sea.  And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and at in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.  And he taught them in  parables, and in his teaching he said to them:

Listen!  A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.  Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.  And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.

And he said,

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

And when he was alone, those who were about him with the Twelve asked him concerning the parables.  And he said to them,

To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.

And he said to them,

Do you understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them.  And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.  And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other tings, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.  But those that were sown among the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.

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The Collect:

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

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Some Related Posts:

Week of 3 Epiphany:  Wednesday, Year 1:

https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/week-of-3-epiphany-wednesday-year-1/

2 Samuel 7:

https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/fourth-sunday-of-advent-year-b/

Matthew 13 (Parallel to Mark 4):

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/25/proper-10-year-a/

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/week-of-proper-11-wednesday-year-1/

Luke 8 (Parallel to Mark 4):

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/week-of-proper-19-saturday-year-1/

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David was a significant figure in the Bible.  That statement might seem so obvious as to be implicit, but repeating such statements is useful sometimes.  In 2 Samuel 7 we find the promise of the Davidic dynasty, from the lineage of which the Messiah came.  David was a link in the chain.  How might the chain have turned out had he been an ineffective link?

After Jesus, of course, the surviving Apostles (including Matthias) and Paul and his coworkers, include Apollos, Aquila, Priscilla, Timothy, Silas, and Barnabas) took up the charge and forged other links in the chain.  How might history have played out differently had they done their jobs poorly?  Fortunately, the seeds found fertile ground and the plants have flourished.

So the chain comes to the current generation, to you, O reader, and to me.  We are heirs to a tradition which contains giants of faith, many of whom will always be anonymous to us.  Without ossifying the tradition or transforming it into an idol, may we honor it, our forebears in it, and God, and therefore help forge new links in the chain.

KRT

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