First Sunday after the Epiphany (2026)

Romans 12:1-5

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as we move into the season of Epiphany, and we hear of the great and marvelous works that our Lord and Savior performed on behalf of the people. We know that these things happened at this time to help the body of Christ be drawn together and to show them and us that Jesus is the Christ the Messiah, and the Savior of the World. We want to keep our eyes fixed on that point ahead of us where Christ is, and the place where we want to be as we make that journey to our heavenly home. This present us with the challenge that faces churches. We are on the road to heaven, and we have joined together with this throng on a journey, a pilgrimage that will bring us to our heavenly home, but the journey is tough, and there are things that we need to figure out how to navigate.

Your Identity in Christ

We have been born into the family.

When God created mankind, He saw that it was not good that Adam was alone, and so created Eve that He might not be alone, and then established from the two of them, the foundational unit for society, the family. For all governments find their origin in the family and are meant to build it up and strengthen it. But God uses it to teach us about our membership in His kingdom.

This family is not by blood.

The family we have by blood is important, you can see the effects when that family is torn asunder and when things go wrong in it. It affects children and spouses for years, so it is important that we value it, but the family that God brings us into isn’t by blood, and it unites in a strange way. This family is

It is by water and spirit.

Through Holy Baptism, God looks down from Heaven and calls us his own dear children, and makes us His own. That’s why I greet you as my brothers and sisters in Christ, we are not isolated, nor alone, we are to be a family that cares for each other and helps each other out. This is what binds together Christian from many walks of life, and around the globe, it’s why we are concerned about Christians in neighboring towns, and around the globe.

Working Together as One

We are part of the body.

God has brought us all together that we might be able to help and serve one another, like you see happen in a family. What happens to one affects the other and we are to care for each other and help each other out as best we can. If we are unable, we point them to resources that might better serve them, or help them get there.

We are not all the same.

There are differences between us, but these aren’t bad. God created us as men and women, parents and children, young and old, and brought us all together for good, that we might serve one another and in turn be served by each other. In so doing we build up the body of Christ as a whole, and when one part hurts, or has a need, we want to have that shared with everyone. Being part of the body means that

We have shared responsibilities.

Just like living in a home, the work doesn’t fall all on one person, but it is to be spread out to the help and to benefit each person. Having a role means that each of us is needed in some way to help. By so doing each of us learn how to take care of and help each other. The struggle is that we don’t like responsibilities, they come with a weight that we find unpleasant to carry because it challenges how we want to live or be. Because there is a weird phrase when the Scriptures talk about us.

Living Sacrifices

How is a sacrifice alive?

It appears to be a contradiction of terms. For a sacrifice is one that is given up to God and its blood is shed and you die, but the other word is to be alive which means you aren’t dead. The writer Paul, is no fool, and inspired by the Holy Spirit he challenges the ideas that we have about our role in this world. The Scriptures also refer to we Christians as those who have been bought with a price, as a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. This means that we no longer belong to the world, and the

The world says live for yourself.

Take care of yourself first, prioritize your needs, and satisfy your wants first. This fits well with how we as people see the world, and what we want to hear, because it justifies caring for ourselves first, and at some later point caring for our neighbor, but we invariably fill our lives up with everything else that we want and don’t find enough time. That doesn’t change the fact that

We are called to serve others.

This isn’t just Christians, this is the whole world, and that is a life of service doesn’t just happen inside of these walls, but extends out beyond these walls as well to helping our neighbor and in these vocations, we find our purpose and our meaning for it isn’t about what I choose to do or choose to be, it is what has God given me to serve my neighbor, but sin would warp us away from this purpose and have indulge in sins that would separate us from the reason God has placed us in this world. Consider

The Danger of Sin

Especially if Jesus himself had forsaken his calling.

What if Jesus had been lazy?

What if he didn’t care about fulfilling the Law? What if instead of caring for humanity, defeating the power of sin, and death, and didn’t really care about who he helped out, but always entrusted the work to someone else. What would that mean not just for you, but for the world? What hope would there be of salvation? But

Jesus secures your salvation even now.

He fulfilled the demands of the Law and fulfilled the purpose of His Incarnation which was to lead a sinless life and go to the Cross and bear the weight of your sin, your guilt, and your shame that He might ask the Father in heaven to forgive you. The Father answered His prayer, and that is why God looks down from heaven upon you not as a stranger, but as one whom He calls his own dear child through Baptism.

What if Jesus was guided by pride?

He is the Second Person of the Trinity, He is the one through whom all things were made, and at His name every knee must bow for He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now a soul filled with pride will exalt itself and think itself better than its neighbor, and look at them with contempt. Jesus would look at us, and at our sins, and say no. They deserved it, let them perish, accomplishing their salvation and suffering for sinners is beneath me, but

Jesus humbled himself for you.

He laid aside His heavenly crown, and came down to be born of a virgin, and He who knew no pain, who had angels adoring Him before the throne of God, took on human flesh that He might not only be immersed in the troubles of this world, but that He might take upon Himself our sin and suffer in our stead. Why would the Son of God do that? Because He truly loved God the Father, and loved you, His neighbor. That’s why we are saved, not because we have done anything, but because Christ has done it all for us.

Our Vocation in the Church

There are no lone Christians.

We try to separate from the World and live our own lives, but God has called us together through His Word. We are to come together as the Body of Christ, for just as the parts aren’t to run off on their own in different directions. We know how it is when our feet suddenly start slipping, but we are all here at Church, that we might be built up together as we look Towards Christ’s Kingdom. On that path,

We are traveling together.

Each church is a place where Christians come together looking towards heaven. We have been called here to help each other and to encourage one another for we are a family through Christ. Now family is a good example, because do you always get along with family? No. Things can get tense, but in families you learn how to work through things for the good of each person. We also learn in a family how to provide and take care of each other, and our home. This serves as the foundation of Stewardship, that each of us are called here to serve not just ourselves, but our neighbor and make use of those gifts that God has given for no one here can do everything all on their own.

Each person is important.

Be they those who serve on the Council, the children in Sunday School, the sick who are unable to join us. We are called her to serve and help each other with the various gifts that God has given. Stewardship or Vocation is challenging, because instead of asking what do I want to do, it has us ask What has God given me to help my neighbor? Now we will talk more about this next week, for this was just to lay that foundation and to remind us that each person is important and a member of God’s family.

So my brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue next week looking at how we as a family are called to serve each other here in the house of God, and our communities, think this week, and consider first the needs of the Church, and how we can better serve each other. If there are troubles in the family that you know about, to figure out ways to solve them, think too of those who may have fallen off, those who have become distracted by the world and how we might remind them that Jesus Christ, who loves them, wants them to come home to their Father’s house, and be together with all the family. In Jesus name. Amen.