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Wednesday of the First Week in LentLuke 11:29-32While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,“This generation is an evil generation;it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,so will the Son of Man be to this generation."
Monday of the First Week of LentMatthew 25:31-46"And the king will say to them in reply,'Amen, I say to you, whatever you didfor one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
Tuesday of the First Week of LentMatthew 6:7-15“If you forgive men their transgressions,your heavenly Father will forgive you.But if you do not forgive men,neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
Friday after Ash WednesdayMatthew 9:14-15The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,but your disciples do not fast?”Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mournas long as the bridegroom is with them?The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,and then they will fast.”
Thursday after Ash WednesdayLuke 9:22-25Jesus said to his disciples:“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejectedby the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Ash WednesdayMatthew 6:1-6, 16-18"When you pray,do not be like the hypocrites,who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street cornersso that others may see them.Amen, I say to you,they have received their reward.But when you pray, go to your inner room,close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary TimeMark 8:14-21The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.Jesus enjoined them, "Watch out,guard against the leaven of the Phariseesand the leaven of Herod."
Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary TimeMark 8:11-13The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary TimeMark 7:31-37Jesus left the district of Tyreand went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impedimentand begged him to lay his hand on him.
Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary TimeMark 7:24-30Jesus went to the district of Tyre.He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,but he could not escape notice.Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.She came and fell at his feet.The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary TimeMark 7:14-23Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,“Hear me, all of you, and understand.Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;but the things that come out from within are what defile.”
Memorial of Saint ScholasticaLuke 10:38-42
Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary TimeMark 6:53-56As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on matsto wherever they heard he was.Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,they laid the sick in the marketplacesand begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;and as many as touched it were healed.
Memorial of Saint Paul Miki, Priest and Martyr, and his Companions, MartyrsMatthew 28:16-20Then Jesus approached and said to them,"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father,and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."
Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and MartyrLuke 9:23-26Jesus said to all,"If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himselfand take up his cross daily and follow me.For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it."
Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary TimeMark 6:1-6Jesus said to them,“A prophet is not without honor except in his native placeand among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary TimeMark 5:21-43There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctorsand had spent all that she had.Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowdand touched his cloak.She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."Immediately her flow of blood dried up.She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Feast of the Presentation of the LordLuke 2:22-40When they had fulfilled all the prescriptionsof the law of the Lord,they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;and the favor of God was upon him.
Friday of the Third Week of Ordinary TimeMark 4:26-34“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,or what parable can we use for it?It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plantsand puts forth large branches,so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary TimeMark 4:21-25Jesus said to his disciples,“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basketor under a bed,and not to be placed on a lampstand?For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light."
Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the ChurchMatthew 23:8-12"The greatest among you must be your servant.Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary TimeMark 3:31-35"Who are my mother and my brothers?"And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,"Here are my mother and my brothers.For whoever does the will of Godis my brother and sister and mother."
Memorial of Saints Timothy and TitusLuke 10:1-9The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two other discipleswhom he sent ahead of him in pairsto every town and place he intended to visit.He said to them,"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;so ask the master of the harvestto send out laborers for his harvest."
Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary TimeMark 3:13-19He appointed the Twelve:Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder;Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn ChildrenLuke 1:39-56"Blessed are you among women,and blessed is the fruit of your womb.And how does this happen to me,that the mother of my Lord should come to me?For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,the infant in my womb leaped for joy.Blessed are you who believedthat what was spoken to you by the Lordwould be fulfilled."
Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and MartyrMatthew 13:44-46Jesus said to his disciples:"The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,which a person finds and hides again,and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary TimeMark 2:23-28“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary TimeMark 2:18-22The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.People came to Jesus and objected,“Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”Jesus answered them,“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast."
January 18, 2026: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard. Amen. Twelve years ago tomorrow, I celebrated the Eucharist here for the first time as your Rector. It was January 19, 2014 at 10:30am. I remember it well. I knew way back then I had been called into something amazing – a new relationship with all of you. And so, twelve years ago today I stood here by God's grace and nothing for me, and I pray for you, has been the same since. That is why the date of January 19th at 10:30am is something I will never forget. It's the way it is with life altering events, right? Folks remember the day a child was born, the first date we had with our spouse (and of course the day of the wedding itself – or we better!). And, on a sadder note, the day a loved one died – their saint day, as we like to call it in the church, is a day each year that doesn't go unnoticed. We remember too moments that changed the country or the world – the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, WWII broke out, President Kennedy was shot, Astronaut John Glenn put his foot out onto the lunar surface, the Challenger spacecraft exploded, the 9/11 terrorist attack, and the January 6th insurrection. And, those who were around for it remember too when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “Dream” speech to the thousands gathered for the March on Washington for Freedom & Jobs…and where they were when they heard the terrible news that he had been assassinated. These moments changed us – challenged us – demanded something of us. And we were never the same from those points forward. And so when we hear in the second part of the gospel of John read today this story of people's first encounter with Jesus, it should not surprise us that the community that wrote this gospel noted something about it. The gospel account says “The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” …where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. That's a kinda funny thing to write down, don't ya think? What was so special about it being 4pm? Something tells me it wasn't the first century version of “It's 5 o'clock somewhere.” Clearly the community that wrote this fourth gospel knew that the lives of first disciples would be changed so much in that initial encounter with Jesus that they would never forget where they were and what time it was when it happened. That is what call does. It stops us in our tracks for a moment, and we are forever changed as we accept Christ's invitation to come and see. I suppose the question for each of us now is – do you recognize that moment for you and what will you do about it? Because Christ is calling us to come and see in this life altering moment for our community and in this country. As we watch ICE agents, sent by our President only into cities that did not vote for him, terrorize people regardless of citizenship status – wounding and killing children of God as they drag them without warrants out of their homes and businesses, shatter the windows of their cars with children inside, attack those who dare to peacefully protest with tear gas, pepper spray, and flash bombs, as well as using lethal choke holds (like the one that killed George Floyd) on those they detain. As this country fails to support those who are laying their life on the line for democracy in Ukraine, while the President imitates Putin, calling the US to invade Greenland, a sovereign territory of Denmark, and threatening NATO allies that have sent military and financial support to Greenland to prevent it. As we read the social media comments of people who think ICE agents have a right to abuse, kill, or deport people without due process because they are “illegals,” in a land where none of us are originally from here, save those of the indigenous tribes. As we find that our nation's highest court, in defiance of precedent and the US Constitution, affirms the right of ICE agents to target people based on the color of their skin, their accent or the language they speak, or their place of work. As we mourn the 32 killed by this administration ICE enforcement action in 2025, including Jean Wilson Brutus, who died while in custody at Delany Hall in Newark. As we hear our President refer to the countries these people come from as s-hole countries, while saying that we need more people from places like Norway – translation – he wants less people of color or Asian descent and more white people. As we continue to wait for the Department of Justice to follow the law and release the files associated with the pedophile Epstein and stop protecting anyone who was involved in this horrific human trafficking of young girls for sex. As we hear over and over again the racist, misogynist, homophobic, and xenophobic garbage this President, his staff, and those who support him spew on a near minute by minute basis. I could go on and on and on…it's exhausting, isn't it? But in the midst of all of this – Jesus bids us to follow him as he goes to where he always stays – beside the vulnerable and afraid, alongside the oppressed and the lost. This is a pivotable moment for every one of us as we stand amid this turning point in our nation. We see, surely, what is happening. The question for us is – will be follow Jesus when he bids us to come with him? It is a good question to consider as we celebrate the life of a man who did follow Jesus – followed him all the way to the cross – the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King's final Sunday sermon was at our own Episcopal cathedral in DC. In that grand pulpit of Washington National Cathedral, King said this: “…Our experience [is] that the nation doesn't move around questions of genuine equality […] until it is confronted massively, dramatically in terms of direct action […] I submit that nothing will be done until people of goodwill put their bodies and their souls in motion and it will be the kind, the sole force brought into being as a result of this confrontation that I believe will make the difference […] On some positions, cowardice asks the question: is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular. But [one] must do it because conscience tells [them] it is right.” (https://cathedral.org/blog/today-in-cathedral-history-mlks-final-sunday-sermon/) Folks, that time is now. Jesus' call to us is now. And here's the thing – the passage in Isaiah about the prophet we heard this morning was telling us something perhaps we need to hear as we consider what Christ is asking of us. Because in no less a way as was said about the prophet Isaiah, God is saying this to each of you now: “I formed you in the womb to be my servant, and I give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” And that salvation, my friends, is the hope God has in mind for all of us – that beloved community where all are welcome, and no one is harmed. This is who you were formed in the womb to be – God's transformative agent, following Christ to where he abides – with the least, the last, the lonely, and the lost. This is our faith, what we committed to in baptism. And this is how we should honor the saints, like King, too. Because if we truly want to honor people like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., then we have to do more than attend breakfasts and recall his sermons/speeches – we must live as he lived, and be willing to die as he did. And if we truly want to follow Jesus, we must do more than go to church, pray, and read scripture – we must live as he lived and be willing to die as he did. This past week, the Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, put it this way: “We are now engaged in a horrible battle that is eternal, that has gone on for millennia. […] and we are now, I believe, entering a time, a new era of martyrdom. Renee Good being the last of note of those martyrs. New Hampshire's own Jonathan Daniels, a man also of white privilege, stood in front of the blast of a sheriff in Haynesville, Alabama, to protect a young black teenager from a shotgun blast. He died and was martyred. We know of the women, the Maryknoll sisters, who stood alongside the poor and the oppressed in El Salvador and were brutally raped and murdered in the name of Jesus. [Archbishop] Oscar Romero, in a mass, called upon the death squads of El Salvador to lay down their arms or risk excommunication [and ] was martyred the next Sunday at the altar. I have told the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire that we may be entering into that same witness. And I've asked them to get their affairs in order—to make sure they have their wills written, because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable. And it may mean that we are going to have to act in a new way that we have never seen perhaps in our lifetime, except for these remote stories that I've just cited, to put our faith in the God of life, of resurrection, of a love that is stronger than death itself.” (https://www.nhepiscopal.org/blog) Amen Bishop! Amen. “Now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.” Not everyone can do this to be sure. Those who care for others, like young children or aging parents, those who face physical, mental, or emotional challenges, and of course – the vulnerable themselves. The rest of us though – we must make a choice and it is by no means easy. Neither was it for Jesus, for Dr. King, or for any of the other martyrs of the church. This does not mean we recklessly engage in violence, but it does mean we act not only on social media, but with our voices, our feet, our very bodies in the streets, in the halls of government, anywhere that children of God suffer – anywhere Jesus calls us to come and see. If we do this, if we follow Jesus, then King's words will come to be. In the end of that sermon at Washington National Cathedral, he said: “So, however dark it is, however deep the angry feelings and the violent explosions are, I can still sing “We Shall Overcome.” We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. We shall overcome because Thomas Carlyle is right: “No lie can live forever.” We shall overcome because William Cullen Bryant is right: “Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again.” […] With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair the stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. […] God grant that we would be participants in this newness and this magnificent development if we will, but do it. We will bring about a new day of justice and brotherhood and peace. And that day, the morning stars will sing together and the [people] of God will shout for joy.” And so, as we enter into our thirteenth year together amid these deeply troubling times, as we consider in our hearts the path that lay before us, I leave you with this from the epistle of St. Paul we heard this morning – that you may know my deep gratitude for all that you do in the name of Jesus, and be reminded of all that you have been given by God for the work that lay ahead.: St. Paul wrote: “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind […and] He will also strengthen you to the end.” Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sermon-January-18-2026-1.m4a The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge January 18, 2026 The Second Sunday After The Epiphany 1st Reading – Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 40:1-12 2nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Gospel – John 1:29-42 The post “Now Is The Time!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.
Friday of the First Week in Ordinary TimeMark 2:1-12When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,it became known that he was at home.Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,not even around the door,and he preached the word to them.They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary TimeMark 1:40-45A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,“If you wish, you can make me clean.”Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,touched the leper, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.”The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Maryknoll Fr. James Kroeger, a longtime missionary and author, speaks with the Paulist Deacon Affiliates in this episode of Deacons Pod. Fr. Kroeger, who was a missionary in Asia for more than five decades, shares details about his life and ministry, and reflects on the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. Ordained a priest in 1975, he is the author of many articles as well as multiple titles from Faith Alive Books including "A Joyful Journey with Pope Francis: Exploring Twelve Pivotal Documents" and "Exploring Vatican II Treasures: Actors, Events, Insights." His new book is "Living in Joyful Hope: Insights, Models, Challenges." Maryknoll is the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America
Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary TimeMark 1:29-39On leaving the synagogueJesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.They immediately told him about her.He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary TimeMark 1:21-28The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this?A new teaching with authority.He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
Monday of the First Week in Ordinary TimeMark 1:14-20As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;they were fishermen.Jesus said to them,“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Friday after EpiphanyLuke 5:12-16It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was;and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,“I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately.
Thursday after EpiphanyLuke 4:14-22Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
Wednesday after EpiphanyMark 6:45-52But when they saw him walking on the sea,they thought it was a ghost and cried out.They had all seen him and were terrified.But at once he spoke with them,“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.They were completely astounded.They had not understood the incident of the loaves.On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
The Fifth Day in the Octave of ChristmasLuke 2:22-35"Lord, now let your servant go in peace;your word has been fulfilled:my own eyes have seen the salvationwhich you prepared in the sight of every people,a light to reveal you to the nationsand the glory of your people Israel."
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, The Octave Day of the Nativity of the LordLuke 2:16-21The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.
The Sixth Day in the Octave of ChristmasLuke 2:36-40There was a prophetess, Anna,the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.She was advanced in years,having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.She never left the temple,but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.And coming forward at that very time,she gave thanks to God and spoke about the childto all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Seventh Day in the Octave of ChristmasJohn 1:1-18John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.'”From his fullness we have all received,grace in place of grace,because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the ChurchMatthew 23:8-12"The greatest among you must be your servant.Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
Memorial of St. John Neumann, BishopMatthew 4:12-17, 23-25From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Tuesday after EpiphanyMark 6:34-44Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven,he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciplesto set before the people;he also divided the two fish among them all.They all ate and were satisfied.And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragmentsand what was left of the fish.Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.
Feast of Saint Stephen, First MartyrMatthew 10:17-22"For it will not be you who speakbut the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.Brother will hand over brother to death,and the father his child;children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.You will be hated by all because of my name,but whoever endures to the end will be saved."
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Mass during the DayJohn 1:1-18 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 came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent Mass in the MorningLuke 1:67-79“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;for he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,born of the house of his servant David."
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of AdventLuke 1:57-66Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,and he spoke blessing God.Then fear came upon all their neighbors,and all these matters were discussedthroughout the hill country of Judea.All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,“What, then, will this child be?For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”
Monday of the Fourth Week of AdventLuke 1:46-56“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;my spirit rejoices in God my savior.for he has looked upon his lowly servant."