FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH, 2026​

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INTRODUCTION​

Light shines in the darkness for the upright, the psalmist sings. Isaiah declares
     that when we loose the bonds of injustice and share our bread with the hungry,
     the light breaks forth like the dawn. In another passage from the Sermon on the
     Mount, Jesus, the light of the world, calls his followers to let the light of their good
     works shine before others. Through baptism we are sent into the world to shine
     with the light of Christ.

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PRAYER OF THE DAY

Lord God, with endless mercy you receive the prayers of all who call upon you.
     By your Spirit show us the things we ought to do, and give us the grace and
     power to do them, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.​

FIRST READING

ISAIAH 58:1-9a [9b-12]
Shortly after the return of Israel from exile in Babylon, the people were troubled
     by the ineffectiveness of their fasts. God reminds them that outward observanc
     is no substitute for genuine fasting that results in acts of justice, such as feeding
     the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and clothing the naked.

1 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.
  2 Yet day after day they seek me
  and delight to know my ways,
  as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
  and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
  they ask of me righteous judgments;
  they want God on their side.
  3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see?
  Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
  Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day
  and oppress all your workers.
  4 You fast only to quarrel and to fight
  and to strike with a wicked fist.
  Such fasting as you do today
  will not make your voice heard on high.
  5 Is such the fast that I choose,
  a day to humble oneself?
  Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush
  and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
  Will you call this a fast,
  a day acceptable to the Lord?

  6 Is not this the fast that I choose:
  to loose the bonds of injustice,
  to undo the straps of the yoke,
  to let the oppressed go free,
  and to break every yoke?
  7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
  and bring the homeless poor into your house;
  when you see the naked, to cover them
  and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
  8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
  and your healing shall spring up quickly;
  your vindicator shall go before you;
  the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
  9a Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
  you shall cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am.”
    [9b If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
  10 if you offer your food to the hungry
  and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
  then your light shall rise in the darkness
  and your gloom be like the noonday.
  11 The Lord will guide you continually
  and satisfy your needs in parched places
  and make your bones strong,
  and you shall be like a watered garden,
  like a spring of water
  whose waters never fail.
  12 Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
  you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
  you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
  the restorer of streets to live in.]​

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PSALM

PSALM 112:1-9 [10]
(Response) Light shines in the darkness for the upright. (Ps. 112:4)

1 Hallelujah! Happy are they who fear the Lord
and have great delight in God’s commandments!
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches will be in their house,
and their righteousness will last forever.
4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright;
the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.
(Response) Light shines in the darkness for the upright. (Ps. 112:4)

5 It is good for them to be generous in lending
and to manage their affairs with justice.
6 For they will never be shaken;
the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.
7 They will not be afraid of any evil rumors;
their heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 Their heart is established and will not shrink,
until they see their desire upon their enemies.
9 They have given freely to the poor, and their righteousness stands fast forever;
they will hold up their head with honor.
  [10 The wicked will see it and be angry; they will gnash their teeth and pine away;
the desires of the wicked will perish.]
(Response) Light shines in the darkness for the upright. (Ps. 112:4)

SECOND READING

1ST CORINTHIANS 2:1-12 [13-16]
Though people such as the Corinthians are enamored with human philosophy
     and wisdom, Paul continuously presents God’s hidden wisdom which is Jesus
     Christ crucified. True spiritual maturity involves judging ourselves and others in
     light of God’s revelation in the cross.

1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the
     testimony of God to you with superior speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know
     nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I came to you in
     weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation
     were made not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the
     Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on
     the power of God.

     6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this
     age or of the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed. 7 But we speak God’s
     wisdom, a hidden mystery, which God decreed before the ages for our glory
     8 and which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would
     not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
     “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
     nor the human heart conceived,
     what God has prepared for those who love him”—
   
     10 God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything,  
     even the depths of God. 11 For what human knows what is truly human except
     the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s
     except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but
     the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us
     by God. [13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom
     but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.

     14 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are
     foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are
     spiritually discerned. 15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are
     themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.
     16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord
     so as to instruct him?”

         But we have the mind of Christ.]

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​​​​GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia. Jesus says, I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia. (John 8:12)

GOSPEL READING

MATTHEW 5:13-20
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages his followers to be the salt of the
     earth and the light of the world, doing good works and keeping God’s commandments.

[Jesus said:] 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can
     its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and
     trampled under foot.

     14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 People do
     not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the
     lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 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.

     17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come
     not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass
     away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is
     accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these
     commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the
     kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called
     great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness
     exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

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LICENSES & EXPIRATION DATES
Worship Service Content is used via permission through Augsburg Fortress Liturgies

Annual License #SB144368. The next Subscription Renewal Date is 2/28/2026.
Our Hymns and Worship Music are used via permission through CCLI One
License #11327166. The next Subscription Renewal Date is 1/31/2027.

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​SERMONS​
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