The Second Sunday After Epiphany, January 19, 2025

The Second Sunday After Epiphany, January 19, 2025

Sinners hear both challenge and threat in these verses. Eleven verses, twenty-nine commands… probably the most commandment-dense passage in all of scripture. The Ten Commandments are given in seventeen verses in Exodus, fifteen verses in Deuteronomy. But in this text from Romans, you hear almost three commands per verse. That’s a challenge heard by sinners who think they’re already pretty good at keeping the Ten Commandments. The challenge becomes another checklist: love, check; abhor the evil, check; do not lag in zeal, check… and on and on until the whole list is checked off. Sinners who haven’t been so good at keeping the Ten Commandments, though, hear this passage as a threat. You can almost read their minds, “What!? There’s more?” For these sinners, the items checked off aren’t successes but failures. Those who hear challenges fall into pride. Those who find failure fall into despair. For the prideful, Jesus becomes nothing more than a personal empowerment enabling them to delude themselves into thinking the challenges are attainable. For the despairing, Jesus becomes nothing more than permission for sin and failure, “I don’t need to succeed, Jesus will forgive me anyway.” Both the prideful and the despairing need the living and active Word of God, Jesus Christ, to be delivered to them as the life of dead sinners (which they are). This living Word of God will grace them—that is, grace actively kills sinners, putting them out of their misery. The Word will not leave them dead. Grace actively raises them up to walk in the newness of life—such newness that they hear no challenge… no threat… in these verses. They hear only a description of their new existence: life as children of God.

Prayers from a sinner consistently falling into pride or into despair…

Heavenly Father, you have redeemed us with your Son. Grant that I realize the truth of the Apostle Paul’s words, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” In Jesus’ name. Amen

Heavenly Father, now that Jesus Christ has come to be my life, grant that all these things such as prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, contributing, leading, and showing mercy, which all belong to Christ, become mine in the Blessed Exchange. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Heavenly Father, as all things which belong to Christ have become mine, grant my life in this sin-broken world display them if such is your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Heavenly Father, when those things that are mine through the Blessed Exchange do not manifest visibly, grant that I still believe even in the face of all the contradictory evidence. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Heavenly Father, you have promised that faith comes through hearing the Word of Christ, so have your messengers, my preachers, put the Word of Christ in my ears that I, too, will enjoy faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen