01/16/2026
January 18, 2026 – Second Sunday after Epiphany
Revised Common Lectionary Readings:
Isaiah 49:1-7
Psalm 40:1-11
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42
Our main job as ministers of the Gospel is to point to Jesus. Everything that we do – preaching, texts, song selection, Bible Study, outreach, etc. – is in service of that obligation. Liturgy is literally “work of the people.” Though it can be a bit hard to define, I look at it in terms of its purpose: “work of the people in coming to Jesus.”
The “order of worship” – particularly in a traditional service or mass – is typically what people mean when they say “liturgy.” It gets to the point, though I think that definition is unfair in the context of a contemporary service. If it is a worship service, it is liturgical. Yes, even that service by St. Mega Man with the lasers and the fog machine that blows during the offering is liturgical. Dismissing the formal structures of traditional liturgy does not make what replaces it any less “liturgical.” It just means it is a different “context” of liturgy.
I liken the “traditional vs. contemporary” designation much like “classical vs. jazz” music. They are two dialects of the same language with all sorts of mixture, interactions, and crossover in between. (Yes, they do borrow from each other.) This is not even getting into the cultural innovations that shape and influence them. Worship and liturgy are alive with the Breath of the God who inspires both.
More thoughts at the link below:
