https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi_Chapel

Without the quest,

there can be no epiphany.

~ Constantine E. Scaros

As long as we want to get something from God 

in some kind of exchange, we are like the merchants. 

If you want to be rid of the commercial spirit, 

then by all means do all you can in the way of good works, 

but do so solely for the praise of God. Live as if you did not exist. 

Expect and ask nothing in return. 

Then the merchant inside you will be driven out of the temple God has made. 

Then God alone dwells there.

~ Meister Eckhart*

November 3, 2019 Second Sunday after Christmas Year A  Epiphany

Lectionary:
Jeremiah 31:7-14 or Sirach 24:1-12
Psalm 147:12-20 or Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21
Ephesians 1:3-14
John 1:(1-9), 10-18

Epiphany: 
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12

Jeremiah 31: 7-14

For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel." See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock." For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord.

or

Sirach 24:1-12

Wisdom praises herself,
     and tells of her glory in the midst of her people.
In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth,
     and in the presence of his hosts she tells of her glory:
"I came forth from the mouth of the Most High,
     and covered the earth like a mist.
I dwelt in the highest heavens,
     and my throne was in a pillar of cloud.
Alone I compassed the vault of heaven
     and traversed the depths of the abyss.
Over waves of the sea, over all the earth,
     and over every people and nation I have held sway.
Among all these I sought a resting-place;
     in whose territory should I abide?

"Then the Creator of all things gave me a command,
     and my Creator chose the place for my tent.
He said, 'Make your dwelling in Jacob,
     and in Israel receive your inheritance.'
Before the ages, in the beginning, he created me,
     and for all the ages I shall not cease to be.
In the holy tent I ministered before him,
     and so I was established in Zion.
Thus in the beloved city he gave me a resting-place,
     and in Jerusalem was my domain
I took root in an honored people,
     in the portion of the Lord, his heritage."

and

Psalm 147:12-20

Praise the Lord, 
   O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, 
   O Zion!
For God strengthens the bars 
   of your gates;
God blesses your children 
   within you.
God grants peace 
   within your borders; 
God fills you 
   with the finest of wheat.
God sends out a command 
   to the earth;
God's word runs swiftly. 
God gives snow 
   like wool; 
God scatters frost 
   like ashes.
God hurls down hail 
   like crumbs—
who can stand 
   before God's cold?
God sends out a word, 
   and melts them;
God makes a wind blow, 
   and the waters flow. 
God declares the word 
   to Jacob,
and declares God's statutes 
   and ordinances to Israel.
God has not dealt thus 
   with any other nation;
they do not know God's ordinances.
   Praise be to God!

or

Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21

A holy people and blameless race
    wisdom delivered from a nation of oppressors.
She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord,
    and withstood dread kings with wonders and signs.
She gave to holy people the reward of their labors;
    she guided them along a marvelous way,
    and became a shelter to them by day,
    and a starry flame through the night.
She brought them over the Red Sea,
    and led them through deep waters;
but she drowned their enemies,
    and cast them up from the depths of the sea.
Therefore the righteous plundered the ungodly;
    they sang hymns, O Lord, to your holy name,
and praised with one accord your defending hand;
    for wisdom opened the mouths of those who were mute,
and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.

Ephesians 1:3-14

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

John 1:(1-9), 10-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

(John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

or

Isaiah 60:1-6 

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
   and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
   and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
   and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift up your eyes and look around;
   they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
   and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
   your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
   the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
   the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
   all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
   and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. 

Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14

Give the ruler your justice, 
   O God,
and your righteousness 
   to a ruler's heir.
May the ruler judge your people 
   with righteousness,
and your poor 
   with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity 
   for the people,
and the hills, 
   in righteousness.
May the ruler defend the cause 
   of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
   and crush the oppressor.
May the ruler live 
   while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, 
   throughout all generations.
May the ruler be like rain 
   that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth. 
In the ruler's days 
   may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, 
   until the moon is no more.
May the monarchs of Tarshish 
   and of the isles  
render the ruler tribute,
may the monarchs  of Sheba and Seba 
   bring gifts.
May all monarchs fall down 
   before the ruler,
all nations give the ruler service.
For the ruler delivers the needy 
when they call,
   the poor and those who have no helper.
The ruler has pity on the weak 
   and the needy,
and saves the lives 
   of the needy.
From oppression and violence 
   the ruler redeems their life;
and precious is their blood 
   in the ruler's sight.

Ephesians 3:1-12

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given to me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given to me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. 

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
   who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.