Break Open the Word

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany - 5 February 2011 Isaiah 40:21-31 Psalm 147:1-12, 21c I Corinthians 9:16-23 St. Mark 1:29-39                                                                                     Background: Capernaum This ancient village called Kafar Nahum (“Nahum’s village) was founded as a fishing village on the eastern shore of the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee) during the Hasmonean period ca. 140 BCE.  The town is mentioned most notably in Luke, but also appears in Matthew and Mark.  It is known as the home of Peter and Andrew, James and John, and the tax ...

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany - 29 January 2012 Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalm 111 I Corinthians 8:1-13 St. Mark 1:21-28                                                                                     Background: The Sabbath The Sabbath is an institution that not only influences Jewish life and spirituality but Christian practice as well.   Like a lot of Jewish piety, the Sabbath seems either to have roots in Babylonian practice, or to have influenced the same.   In the sixth century, the Babylonians celebrated days of prohibition on the 7 th , 14 th , 2...