January 26 - Epiphany

Zechariah 2:1-3:10 - Throughout Scripture, we see the dynamic movement of God's plans and activity, dancing from the past to the present to the future and back again. The center of this passage, like the center of God's activity in the Old Testament as a whole, is Jerusalem. But we find God moving in Jerusalem in new and exciting ways. First of all, the Jerusalem of old will be renewed and inhabited again, this time as "villages without walls" (2.4). Echoing other eschatological passages in both Testaments, the light of the sun will be replaced by the glory of God, Himself (2.5). And on that day, the LORD "will again choose Jerusalem" (2.12) indicating that God's future promise is tied to His past faithfulness.

In addition to the temporal movement (past, present, and future) we see here, there is also a geographical dimension to God's saving movement. Many other nations will be "joined to the LORD" on that day (2.11). And the God of Israel will be the God of Israel's neigbors as well as He cleanses them and removes all iniquity (3.9-10).

Both of these types of movement (the temporal and the geographical) reveal the greatness of a God who will not be constrained by either time or space. Our inheritance is nothing less than eternal fellowship with the LORD in the renewed Heaven and Earth, pictured in this text.


Romans 15:1-13 - Here, Paul exhorts us to reflect the example of Christ in our lives and in our living. I am struck by how we usually take these words and flatten them out, as if following Christ's example is simply a matter of effort and positive thinking. Who is our "Christ-likeness" aimed at? What is its purpose?

Our good works are to be done for God's glory and our neighbor's fulfillment. As Luther would argue, good works are to be done for the good of our neighbor, not for some vague idea of "the Kingdom" and certainly not primarily for our own sanctification. While we look at Christ's example and turn inward, once we are made aware of our sin, God would have us immediately look and turn outward, to the Cross where our sin is paid for and to our neighbor to exercise our newfound freedom in love.