The Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany
Full-text of the Appointed Lessons (RSV and NRSV), with instructions for lectors
February 1 – The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A – RCL
ILLUMINATION for the First Lesson
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A, Feb. 1, 2026
Micah 6:1-8
Through the prophet Micah, God reminds his people of his faithfulness to their forebears, and promises to continue in this faithfulness and love.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of the Prophet Micah:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: Hear what the Lord says…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth;
for the Lord has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.
“O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage;
and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
and what Balaam the son of Be′or answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?
New Revised Standard Version
Hear what the Lord says:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth;
for the Lord has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.
“O my people, what have I done to you?
In what have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery;
and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
ILLUMINATION for the Second Lesson
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A, Feb. 1, 2026
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
God is not impressed with clever intellectual arguments and people are not persuaded by convincing proofs. It is the simple witness of faith that opens hearts to God’s call.
A reading (lesson) from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: For the word of the cross is folly…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.”
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord.”
New Revised Standard Version
The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
ILLUMINATION for the Gospel Lesson
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A, Feb. 1, 2026
Matthew 5:1-12
This opening section of the Sermon on the Mount challenges listeners’ understanding of which life conditions are desirable and which are detestable.
A reading (lesson) from the Gospel according to Matthew:
(Lead in with) RSV: Seeing the crowds…; NRSV: When Jesus saw the crowds…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc. If read by an ordained person as the eucharistic gospel, conclude with The gospel of the Lord.
Revised Standard Version
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
New Revised Standard Version
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
February 1 – The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A – BCP
ILLUMINATION for the First Lesson
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A, Feb. 1, 2026
Micah 6:1-8
Through the prophet Micah, God reminds his people of his faithfulness to their forebears, and promises to continue in this faithfulness and love.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of the Prophet Micah:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: Hear what the Lord says…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth;
for the Lord has a controversy with his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
“O my people, what have I done to you?
In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and redeemed you from the house of bondage;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
and what Balaam the son of Be′or answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
“With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has showed you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,[a]
and to walk humbly with your God?
New Revised Standard Version
Hear what the Lord says:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth;
for the Lord has a controversy with his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
“O my people, what have I done to you?
In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and redeemed you from the house of slavery;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
“With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
ILLUMINATION for the Second Lesson
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A, Feb. 1, 2026
1 Corinthians 1:((18-25)26-31
God is not impressed with clever intellectual arguments and people are not persuaded by convincing proofs. It is the simple witness of faith that opens hearts to God’s call.
A reading (lesson) from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: For the word of the cross is folly…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
[For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.”
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.]
For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord.”
New Revised Standard Version
[The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.]
Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
ILLUMINATION for the Gospel Lesson
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A, Feb. 1, 2026
Matthew 5:1-12
This opening section of the Sermon on the Mount challenges listeners’ understanding of which life conditions are desirable and which are detestable.
A reading (lesson) from the Gospel according to Matthew:
(Lead in with) RSV: Seeing the crowds…; NRSV: When Jesus saw the crowds…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc. If read by an ordained person as the eucharistic gospel, conclude with The gospel of the Lord.
Revised Standard Version
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
New Revised Standard Version
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
The Living Word | Lectionary Preaching Aids
Exploring the Texts
“At the foothills of the highest mountains, to ancient bedrock and the long enduring foundations, a voice speaks out against an elect people.”
“There is so much to celebrate among the sons and daughters of God, creatures blessed with memory, reason, and skill, summoned to love and responsible dominion. … Still, no serious reading of the times can deny the ‘infectious sweetness’ (Augustine) of evil that inclines people to their own destruction.”
Preaching Today
Amy Schifrin: The Bloody Body
“Beneath this sickeningly pious veneer suffers the bloody body of Jesus, from whom the world perpetually averts its eyes … just as it did outside the city gates. The world’s wisdom sees the suffering poor as vermin, but to those who live in our refuse, our garbage, they have no place to look but to One who has been crucified.”
Peter Groves: Two Deaths, Two Meanings
“There is no mention of power or wealth, but poverty and persecution are much in evidence. These are not people whom the world thinks happy, but the wisdom of the world was, is, and will be confounded by God.”
Dorsey McConnell: Being with the Blessed
“After I read the list of the Beatitudes a few hundred times, I begin to see that the Lord isn’t talking about any particular saint, even in a perfected state, but only about all of us together. Our growing up into the likeness of Christ is not each of us doing so, but only all of us doing so, together, as he shapes us into his body, the body of Christ.”
Classic Texts
Jonathan Edwards: A More Glorious Work
“It is a more glorious work of power than mere creation, or raising a dead body to life, in that the effect attained is greater and more excellent. That holy and happy being, and spiritual life, which is produced in the work of conversion, is a far greater and more glorious effect, than mere being and life.”
Augustine: Poor in Spirit
“And ‘the poor in spirit’ are rightly understood here, as meaning the humble and God-fearing, that is, those who have not the spirit which puffs up. Nor ought blessedness to begin at any other point whatever, if indeed it is to attain unto the highest wisdom, ‘but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.’”
Kenneth Kirk: Rigorism and Humanism
“Within the womb of the Christian Church these two children — rigorism and humanism — have striven for the mastery from the moment of their conception …. Which of them is Christian and which non-Christian; or better still, if both are Christian, how are they to be harmonized in a single code of conduct?”
Articles on the Beatitudes
Chip Prehn: How to Be Perfect
“The Greek word makários has been translated in our tradition as blessed (e.g., in the King James version). But the makers of The Good News Bible were more correct to render the Greek into English as happy.”
Elisabeth Kincaid: The Way of Love — Bless
“Augustine describes exactly how the blessings of God transform us to bless others by linking the first seven precepts of the Beatitudes to the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost described in Isaiah.”
Jonathan Mitchican: What Does It Mean to Bless?
“Blessings are about returning to original goodness. Regardless of what we bless, that is always the underlying intention. We may ask God for specific things as part of a blessing … but behind all the things we ask for is a deep desire to see the world set right.”
Articles on Holy Foolishness
Mother Miriam: The Hidden Lives of the Church’s Religious
“When I am sitting at a festival and people come to speak with me, or when one of my sisters is shopping and strangers strike up conversations, our presence witnesses to the implied pains of loss and exile, as well as encourages fellow Christians to persevere in their personal journey to Christ.”
Wendy Murray: Why We Need the Saints
“To dismiss the saints is a tragedy of our tradition. But worse than that, we ourselves are smaller and perhaps shallower within our spirits without the benefit of their silent, invisible, gentle and mighty influences.”
Abigail Woolley Cutter: Making Festive Fools of Ourselves
“Worship is made of this willingness to make fools of ourselves. It calls us to be taken up into something grand, to enter imaginatively into God’s kingdom (not all of which we can see) and God’s story …. We won’t see the face of God if we are preoccupied with our own dignity; we can’t fall at God’s feet if we are worried about keeping it together.”
Articles on Wisdom
Joey Royal: Augustinian Thoughts on the Bible and Humility
“For Augustine, the Bible’s ‘crudeness’ has a pedagogical function; God inspired and shaped it deliberately in just this way so as to teach us the virtue of humility. For those who think they know better, the Scriptures remain aloof and inaccessible, but for those willing to ‘bow their heads’ the Scriptures reveal their meaning, and draw us into a world far deeper and subtler and richer…”
Alex Smith: Humble Evangelism in a Religiously Plural World
“Given this foolishness of human wisdom, we turn to the revelation of the Word of God in Scripture. This is not an abandonment of human reason or wisdom … but it aligns our fraught human wisdom a little more closely with God’s wisdom.”
Dane Neufeld: Wisdom’s Wealth
“I have always been a little perplexed by the story of Solomon. He asked for wisdom above all else — ‘all gold is but a little sand in her sight’ — and yet in the end he found ‘in her hands uncounted wealth.’ But his wealth eventually corrupted him.”
