February 8, 2026
5th Sunday after the Epiphany – Byron Tindall
All three of the lessons appointed to be read on this Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany either directly or indirectly discuss, among other things, the duties of God’s messengers.
Generally speaking, the prophets were sent to the house of Israel with the directions to point out the short comings of the Jews and their political and religious leaders.
Isaiah isn’t at all subtle when he wrote what he heard, “Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.” Remember, the prophets were not always welcomed with open arms due to their messages.
In his first letter to the church at Corinth, St. Paul said he brought his message to the Corinthians in simple words and terms they could easily understand rather than “lofty words or wisdom.” Don’t forget that Saul of Tarsus was a well-educated Jew and could have brought Greek philosophers into his conversations with the various congregations.
Most Biblical scholars are in agreement that the Gospel of Matthew was written primarily for a Jewish audience. Jesus used well-known, everyday items and situations to get his message across to those who were listening to him.
Today’s reading from Matthew is no exception. Let’s look at the examples a little closer.
Cities, even back in Jesus’ day, were built on a hill for defensive purposes. It was, and still is, easier to hold the high ground against an aggressor.
Obviously, Georgia Power or Amicalola EMC were not available so every house had to have some way to illuminate it after sundown or before sunup, hence the reference to the lampstand.
And then there is salt mentioned in today’s gospel lesson.
Salt was an important commodity in ancient Palestine. It was used as a preservative. It added flavor to foods. Salt even had some medicinal applications.
Now it’s been a very long time, somewhere between half and three-quarters of a century, since I had a chemistry class. I do remember that sodium chloride, also known as salt, is a very stable compound. It takes a lot to break the bond between the sodium and the chloride atoms. So how does salt loose it’s taste? It doesn’t happen very often.
This is, for me, the first clue that Jesus is talking about his followers, rather than actual commodities, household items or building practices. It becomes more obvious when Jesus said, after mentioning the lampstand, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Jesus goes on to tell his listeners, and us too, that he didn’t come to abolish Judaism. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” In my way of thinking, it was not his intention to start a new religion. Rather, Jesus the Christ wanted to reform what was already there and make it universal for all people, even those hated gentiles.
Today, we honor The Rev. Dr. Charles D. Hackett, Jr. and his wife, Debbie Freudenthal, as they prepare to leave us.
We will certainly miss Debbie’s culinary skills any time we have a reception or meal.
I’ve heard countless preachers throughout my 84 plus years. I can’t hazard a guess as to how many sermons I’ve heard or given. It doesn’t matter. Without question, the best preacher I’ve ever heard is Ted, as he is affectionately known.
Ted told me he gave his first sermon in 1963, before some of you were even born. He continued to preach until a short time ago when his health began to fail.
His ability to take a complicated theological concept and explain it in terms understandable to everyone is truly a gift very few preachers have.
To me, Ted exemplifies exactly what Jesus was talking about in this morning’s gospel lesson. He has not lost “his saltiness” or his subtle sense of humor for that matter. His love of God and Christ have affected countless seminary students, and his knowledge of history has benefited all who have heard him preach while he was a parish priest and a priest associate.
It has truly been and honor and privilege to worship beside and with him. The only regret I have is that I never had him as a seminary professor.
Back to the scripture lessons for today.
I dare say the vast majority of us here today consider ourselves to be a follower of Jesus in some way, shape or form. Otherwise, why would we be here?
If we believe what Jesus said as reported in Matthew’s Gospel, we need to make sure that the light of Christ reflects off of us in our daily lives. And just like Isaiah, we too are called to proclaim God’s message.
We must stand up to injustice, hatred, violence whenever and wherever we encounter it. We must respect the dignity of every human being. With compassion, we are to feed the hungry, shelter and house the homeless, care for the orphan and widow. We are to follow Jesus when he leads us to the outcasts of society and compassionately care for the weak and sick. You don’t need me to stand up here and enumerate everything we’re supposed to do in our relationships with our fellow children of God. You know it in your heart and from what you read in your Bible.
In short, we must “…let our light shine before others,” rather than hiding it under a basket. Amen
February 1, 2026
4th Sunday after Epiphany – Mark S. Winward
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:3–5
Let’s get this straight. Is Jesus really saying that if you want to be a Christian you have to be poor, mourn, and be meek? That doesn’t sound particularly attractive. And in our time, any talk about suffering, humility, or making peace at personal cost is not exactly a recipe for popularity or applause. What Jesus proposes here seems to stand in direct opposition to much of what our culture celebrates. While we value confidence, competence, and self-reliance, Jesus calls us to be poor in spirit. While we are told to toughen up and move on, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn.” While we admire the powerful, the influential, and the assertive, Jesus lifts up the meek. While employers often expect us to be relentlessly practical, emotionally contained, and uncomplaining, Jesus calls us to hunger and thirst for righteousness. While justice is often framed as getting even or winning the argument, Jesus commands mercy. While we prefer to keep our private lives morally compartmentalized, Jesus calls us to purity of heart. While our culture rewards competitiveness and aggression, Jesus names peacemakers as God’s children. And while we often want to blend in and avoid standing out, Jesus tells us plainly that faithfulness to righteousness may bring resistance and even persecution.
January 25, 2026
3rd Sunday after the Epiphany – Mark S. Winward
“And Jesus said, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’”
Once upon a time, there was a group of people who called themselves fishermen. They lived in an area where there were many fish—waters all around them. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes and rivers just filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.
Week after week, month after month, year after year, these people who called themselves fishermen held meetings and talked about their call to be fishermen, the abundance of fish, and they passed along all the latest innovations in fishing. Year after year, they carefully defined what fishing was all about, defended fishing as a noble occupation, and declared that fishing is always the primary task of fishermen.
They constantly searched for new and better methods of fishing, and for new and better definitions of fishing. They loved such slogans as “Fishing is the task of every fisherman.” They sponsored special meetings known as “Fisherman’s Campaigns.” They went on nationwide and even worldwide tours to discuss fishing and promote fishing and hear about all the new developments and technological advances in fishing and new ways of presenting the bait to the fish that made it more attractive and alluring.
They built large, beautiful buildings called “Fishing Headquarters,” and selected some of their best fishermen to staff it.
January 18, 2026
2nd Sunday after the Epiphany – Mark S. Winward
Have you ever wondered what it really means to be “Church”? Not in the abstract, but in a way that gives weight to why we have gathered here this morning—why prayer, Scripture, sacrament, and fellowship matter at all. If the Church is merely a human institution, then what we do risks becoming little more than habit or sentiment. But if the Church is something God brings into being—something alive in Christ—then our gathering has eternal significance.
This morning’s Gospel from John takes us back to the very beginnings of the Church, before buildings, hierarchies, or denominational divisions. We see simple encounters: testimony, invitation, recognition, and response. John the Baptist points to Jesus. Andrew follows. Andrew brings Simon. And Jesus gives Simon a new name: Cephas—Peter, the rock.
That naming has echoed through Christian history. Peter’s new name signals stability, responsibility, and vocation. It points forward to the Church taking shape, stone by stone, through human lives called and transformed by Christ. Yet from this moment has also flowed deep disagreement about what the Church is meant to be and how it is to be held together.
Christians have long differed over whether Jesus intended, in naming Peter, to establish a concrete and enduring structure of authority in the world, or whether he was pointing more fundamentally to a spiritual reality that transcends any one institution. Roman Catholic theology sees in Peter’s naming the seed of a visible,