Show Notes
In this first week of Epiphany, we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the Magi, and focus on how we can bring our talents and labors as acts of worship to glorify God.
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Episode Transcript
The season of Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of Christ to the world, as symbolized by the visit of the Magi. Reformed theology emphasizes the universal scope of the gospel, proclaiming that salvation is available to all who believe. As we reflect on the Magi’s journey, we are reminded of the global reach of God’s grace and our responsibility to share the good news of Christ with all people.
A reading from Jeremiah chapter 31 beginning in verse 7:
This is what the Lord says, sing with joy for Jacob, shout for the foremost of the nations, make your praises heard and say, Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel. See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor. A great throng will return. They will come with weeping. They will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
Hear the words of the Lord, you nations, proclaim it in distant coastlands. He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd. For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion. They will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds, they will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness. I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty, declares the Lord.
As we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the Magi, I’m reminded of the light of Christ shining into the world for all nations, all people, everyone, you, me, the person you just texted with. In the workplace, this light calls Christians to reflect the glory of God in your actions, your attitudes, and relationships. Reformed theology emphasizes that every sphere of life is under the sovereignty of God, including our vocations. Therefore, our work is not merely a secular activity, but a sacred calling to honor God. As the Magi brought their gifts to worship Christ, we bring our talents and labors, offering them as acts of worship to glorify God and serve others. I wonder, do you?
Do you bring your talents and labors as an act of worship to glorify God? Faithful Christian service in the workplace means approaching our tasks with integrity, diligence, and excellence, recognizing that we work for the Lord and not merely for human approval. Our daily work is part of God’s redemptive mission, contributing to the restoration of creation. This perspective
reshapes our understanding of success, shifting the focus from self-promotion to serving others with humility and love. It also encourages us to treat our colleagues with respect and grace, seeing them as fellow image bearers of God, worthy of dignity and kindness. The light of the star guided the Magi to Jesus, and so our faithful presence in the workplace can guide others to Him as well.
By working with integrity, showing compassion, and pursuing justice, we bear witness to God’s kingdom. In moments of challenge or conflict, we trust in God’s sovereignty and find strength in His promises. The season of Epiphany reminds us that our ultimate purpose is to glorify God and reflect His light, transforming even the most ordinary workplace into a space of worship and mission.
A reading from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 through 14:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Here is a prayer of St. Ephraim.
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give, rather, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother.
Blessed art thou unto ages of ages. Amen.
And finally a reading from the Gospel of John chapter 1 beginning in verse 10.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
