
Third Sunday after Epiphany
What follows is a worship service which, I pray, you can participate in at a time(s) that are convenient to you. This 'service' will take about forty five (45) minutes.
I pray that you will feel called to ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in this service.
The text that is in regular typeface (that is what you are reading at the moment) is to be read quietly, while the text that is in bold face (like you are reading right now) is meant to be read aloud.
Opening Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we commence our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
A Call To Worship:
We meet in the name of God,
Creator of the universe,
source of true humanity,
mother and father of all. Amen.
An Assurance of Forgiveness:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
The Sentence For Today (let us say aloud):
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork.
The Special Prayer For Today (let us pray aloud):
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Saviour Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Our first reading for today:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
Our second reading for today:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
Gradual Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we raise out voices in praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
A reading from the holy gospel according to Saint Luke.
Listen to David speak to this gospel.
or, if you prefer, you can read the sermon, below:
Sermon for 3rd Sunday after Epiphany 2025
MAY the words of my mouth and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. <Amen>
The people of Israel have been waiting, waiting, and waiting. Come, thou long expected Jesus … come … and … today, in our gospel, we hear about the long expected Jesus starting his public ministry.
Jesus has been out in the countryside, He's been been fasting and praying and overcoming the temptations of the devil. He goes back to Nazareth and He gets up to read in the synagogue. Then, He will also have the honour to be able to comment on the scriptures - which all male Jewish children had.
The public ministry begins as Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah; now just pause for a moment, close your eyes, and imagine you are sitting there listening to Jesus read. <PAUSE>
“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,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
He finishes, hands the scroll back, silence fills the synagogue, anticipation rises and into the quiet Jesus says:
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
WHOA !!! Goodness, Jesus didn’t say much but it certainly must have shaken them up!
Jesus gets right to the heart of the matter, right to the heart of His ministry, His life, death and resurrection … from the get go !! No beating about the bush, no mistaking who has sent Him and what He has come to do. <PAUSE>
Those words from Isaiah and Jesus’ comment on them are the first recorded words of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus has intentionally and purposefully chosen and arranged particular portions of Isaiah’s text to create a specific message.
Jesus is “pinning His colours to the mast” - describing the character of his ministry. He is establishing His priorities and the direction of His work. He is casting His vision for the reordering of relationships – good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, freedom for the oppressed, the declaration of God’s favour.
From here on, EVERYTHING Jesus does will be grounded in this ministry of good news, release, sight, freedom, and divine favour. His ministry is revealed in healing the sick, casting out demons, forgiving sins, feeding the hungry, raising the dead. <PAUSE>
At the heart of Jesus’ ministry is an unspoken and yet ever present question to humanity: “Where does it hurt ?”
That’s the question that drives and directs Jesus’ life and ministry. As Jesus will later say, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do” (Luke 5:31). “Where does it hurt ?”
Jesus’ ministry is large and all encompassing. No one gets left out. Jesus does not put conditions or qualifiers on the people to whom He ministers. The divine favour knows no boundaries and has no favourites. “Where does it hurt … you ?”
Jesus’ ministry is not determined or influenced by who is good or bad, or an insider or outsider. It doesn’t seem to matter to Jesus who you are, what you have done or left undone, or what your life is like.
It’s really pretty simple. Are you poor? Good news for you. Are you a captive? Release for you. Are you blind? Sight to you. Are you oppressed? Go in freedom. Divine favour is not given to the poor, the captive, the blind, or the oppressed because they are good or righteous but because God, in Jesus, is good and righteous. <PAUSE>
So let me challenge you with this. How does the ministry of Jesus compare with your own? Good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, letting the oppressed go free, declaring God’s favour. If that’s the ministry of Jesus and we claim to be His disciples, followers, lovers of Jesus, doesn’t it need to be our ministries?
What if we began our ministries and conversations by asking, “Where does it hurt?”
What if we entered those difficult and divisive situations with that question?
What if we let that question establish our priorities and guide our decisions?
Presence with, and compassion for, another human being would replace resolving issues, fixing problems, balancing budgets and the like.
We would have to have the courage and will to stand with another in his or her pain, and the vulnerability to risk letting another stand with us in our pain.
We would open up, build up rather than close … places, people, and ourselves to divine favour.
We would KNOW the fulfilment of “this scripture” here, today, right now.
That’s the kind of ministry I want to support and be a part of. How about you? <PAUSE>
Jesus said:
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Do not, DO NOT, let “this scripture” go in one ear and out the other.
I runga e te Ingoa o te Atua, te Matua, te Tama me te Wairua Tapu. AMINE.
Pause and Reflect
Just take a moment now to pause. Bow your head, close your eyes.
Allow these words of Holy Scripture and this interpretation of them today to speak to you.
An Affirmation of Our Faith
Let us affirm our faith by saying aloud, and together, "The Apostles Creed":


... and now let us pray for the Church, the World, and Ourselves, giving thanks for God's goodness.
Let us pray aloud, and together:
In response to the call today “Lord, in Your mercy” Our plea is, “hear our prayer”
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy : Hear our prayer.
Everlasting God, today finds us at the end of a week where many people around the world have been praying for Christian unity; help us to listen to Your voice still calling us to unity in our diversity. We pray for Christian leaders everywhere that they may work together and promote unity among us. AMEN.
<Longer pause for personal reflection>
In response to the call today “Lord, in Your mercy” Our response is, “hear our prayer!”
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Faithful God, as our Gospel shows us the preaching Christ, we pray for all who preach Your word week by week. Inspire them in their ministry as they seek to lead and grow us as disciples and as they reach out to those in need in our communities.
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Creator, God of every land and nation You spoke Your word and revealed Your good news in Jesus Christ. We pray for our troubled world its peoples and their leaders. We pray for those caught up in war and violence, especially the innocent victims of evil and destructive act of terrorism. May peace be found and good sense flourish so that we may see injustice and wrong vanquished.
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Holy God, although we are sometimes separated by language and culture from the people we live amongst, we long to see Your will done here on earth as it is in heaven. We pray for our neighbours, not only with words, but day by day, moment by moment, in the things we do and the way we do them.
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Abundant God, be with those of us that desire and need Your restoration and healing. As we remember the way Your son Jesus Christ cast out demons we remember today all those who live in the depths of depression and mental illness. Today, we ask for Your blessing and healing touch upon them.
Give the song of joy to all who are now on the road to recovery and recuperation and the song of thanks to all who helped them on that road.
We especially raise before You now all those who have asked for our prayers from around the world … those we know in New Zealand, in Singapore, in Argentina, in France, in Australia, in the US, in Canada, in Austria, in Ukraine, in China and any others we now name aloud, or in the silence of our hearts, and those who are known only by You.
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Merciful God, Your love reaches beyond the grave. At the end of our days on earth be with us and with those we love. May those who have gone before us rest in Your eternal peace. We remember before You those who have died and we pray for all whose life is saddened by the death of a loved one, be with them in their loneliness
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
In a moment of silence we pray for ourselves, our families, friends, for all whom we love and for our personal ministries. Make the things that we choose to do worthy of the life, death, and rising again of Your Son.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Faithful God, as we go from this time of prayer today and walk into the days ahead, we ask that in all we do, we may we walk more closely with You at our side safe in the knowledge that Your fatherly love and care knows no bounds.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Forth in the peace of Christ we go; Christ to the world with joy we bring; Christ in our minds, Christ on our lips, Christ in our hearts, the world’s true King.
Merciful father: accept these prayers for the sake of Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN.

Remembering that we are confident to pray this day, and every day, because Jesus Christ continues to teach us:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Let us conclude our prayers by praying together and aloud:
God of mercy,
you have given us grace to pray with one heart and one voice,
and have promised to hear the prayers
of two or three who agree in your name,
fulfil now, we pray,
the prayers and longings of your people
as may be best for us and for your kingdom.
Grant us in this world to know your truth,
and in the world to come to see your glory. Amen.
The Blessing
May The Risen Lord Christ turn His face towards each and every one of you.
May He cause His light to shine upon you, and
may He grant you His peace, and
The blessing of Almighty God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you and all of those whom you love,
on this day and forever more.
A Closing Hymn:
Let us conclude our worship today by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we unite in another hymn our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
The Dismissal
Go now, go out into the world
to love and serve The Lord.
Go in peace.
AMEN, we go in the name of Christ.
