Thrill and Rejoice!: 2023 Epiphany Sermon Seeds Series

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you….
Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice…”
(Isaiah 60:1, 5a)

“Epiphanies awaken the soul.”
― Adrienne Posey

An epiphany occurs at moments of revelation, discovery, demonstration, or actualization. There is a newness and excitement that accompanies an epiphany. Whether we understand something complex for the first time or observe a new phenomenon, epiphanies have the ability to make us come alive in new ways and to new possibilities.

Imagine the holy excitement of beholding the tangible, touchable, holdable presence of God. Enter into the baptismal waters of the Jordan River with John the Baptist as Jesus shows up alongside the Voice and the Spirit. Hear the prophetic call to live in the radiance of God and do the simple if difficult things required of those who claim and are claimed by the Holy One. Experience the thrill of the mountaintop and the reluctance to return to the low and ordinary places where life and ministry really takes place. Be prepared and committed to witness, testify, and demonstrate the realization of the kindom. That is the joy of Epiphany.

Thrill and Rejoice!


January 6, 2023 (Epiphany): Isaiah 60:1-6 | Be Radiant
January 8, 2023: Matthew 3:13-17 | Be Baptized | Sermon Seed
January 15, 2023: Isaiah 49:1-7 | Be Called, Be Named, and Be Restored | Sermon Seed
January 22, 2023: Isaiah 9:1-4 (in conversation with Matthew 4:12-23) | Recognize Greatness | Sermon Seed
January 29, 2023: Micah 6:1-8 | Do Justice, Love Kindness, Walk Humbly | Sermon Seed
February 5, 2023: Isaiah 58:1-12 | Break Forth | Sermon Seed
February 12, 2023: Matthew 5:21-37 | Be Reconciled | Sermon Seed
February 19, 2023 (Transfiguration Sunday): Matthew 17:1-9 | Come Up and Down | Sermon Seed


Psalm 40:1a, 3-5
1 I put all my hope in the Lord.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise for our God.
Many people will learn of this
and be amazed;
they will trust the Lord.
4 Those who put their trust in the Lord,
who pay no attention to the proud
or to those who follow lies,
are truly happy!
5 You, Lord my God!
You’ve done so many things—
your wonderful deeds
and your plans for us—
no one can compare with you!

The Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology (lindsayc@ucc.org), also serves as a local church pastor and worship scholar-practitioner with a particular interest in the proclamation of the word in gathered communities.