STARTERS FOR SUNDAY 16th January 2011
STARTERS FOR SUNDAY 16 th January 2011 This is the second Sunday after the Epiphany. It also falls within the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ( Friday 18th January to Friday 25th January). Readings Isaiah 49: 1-7 Verses 1 to 6 of this passage are often given the title 'the second servant song'. Many consider this to be one of a series of Messianic poems, which can stand apart from the neighbouring passages. The second servant song contains the personal testimony of the 'servant', but as ever the precise identity of the servant figure remains somewhat ambiguous. In verse 3 the servant is identified as being ' Israel ', but the nature of the testimony may point to an individual, who effectively represents or embodies the nation. Verse 1 indicates that the servant's message (ie Israel 's story) is being proclaimed to other nations. The Old Testament scholar Claus Westermann identified three stages in the servant's story: (i) the account of the ...