A sermon for the season of Epiphany.
In this season of Epiphany we celebrate the coming of the light. Today we look at how the light comes to us through the Word. We begin with John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” These glorious verses reflect Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Julie Ponesse offers an excellent response to various governments and private agencies that demand COVID vaccines in her slim volume, My Choice: The Ethical Case Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates. She is a former professor of ethics and ancient philosophy who became an internet sensation when she lost her job at Western University in Ontario, CA, for refusing the jab. The central point of her argument against mandatory vaccinations is that such a policy denies the right of self-determination (“personal autonomy”) that belongs to each human being.
After Christmas many pastors start planning for Lent. As a consequence, Epiphany becomes an overlooked season. But it could be the perfect season to preach on the Word and sacraments, a good way to start the new year. By doing this every year, congregations would develop an identity and a joy in Luther’s rediscovery of the certainty of salvation, outside of us, in spite of us.