Sermon for the First Sunday after The Epiphany, 2026

Beloved, things are never—never—out of His control. O, that we might remember this, that we might let these words sink and remain in our hearts: do you not know that He must be about His Father’s business? 

For, as it happens, His Father’s business sometimes means trouble. After all, He came to be the ransom—the Redeemer—of the world, and that means pain, suffering, and sacrificial death. The Cross: that is His Father’s business. It’s a bloody business, one chock full of grief and woe. Yet only for a little while. For, indeed, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Joy came to them when they found Him in the temple, and, together with the teachers and all who heard Him, they were amazed. And they were, of course, overjoyed when He arose from the dead. 

We must remember this, even—and especially—when dread and fear and trouble beset us; we must remember that He, who is about His Father’s business, came to earth—to suffer and die and rise—for us. And in remembering this, know that His love is steadfast; His mercy is unceasing. 

Readings:

• Old Testament: 1 Kings 8:6-13

• Epistle: Romans 12:1-5

• Holy Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

  
  

Sermon: