January Sundays after Epiphany Feast

William L. Hoffman wrote (February 12, 2025):
The Bach Cantatas Website (BCW, BCW) Bach Mailing List (BML, BML) has two rounds of discussion on Bach's Chorale Cantata 2nd Cycle, beginning May 18, 2014 (BCW: scroll down to "Chorale Cantata Cycle, William L. Hoffman wrote (May 18, 2014):"), and continuing with "Jun 12, 2024: Bachfest Leipzig 1724, chorale cantata (2nd) cycle" (BCW). The current discussion resumes with "Jan 7, 2025: 3-Year Lectionary Revised Standard Version: de tempore Half of Church Year (BCW). The distinction between the two halves of the church, de tempore (Proper Time, on the ministry of Jesus Christ), and omnes tempore (Common Time, invvolves the teaching of the church through the Thematic Patterns in Bach's Gospels: Parables, Miracles, Teachings (BCW, BCW: scroll down to "Thematic Patterns in Bach's Gospels." The current de tempore half of the church year has the more popular, well-known chorales beginning with Sundays in Advent (BCW), followed by Christmas Festival (BCW), Turning Time (Christmas to Feast of Epiphany, BCW), and Epiphany Time (primarily Jesus Hymns, BCW), with the entire year-long accounting found at "Motets & Chorales for Events in the Lutheran Church Year/Chorales by Theme (BCW). Continuing the discussion of the "3-Year Lectionary Revised Standard Version: de tempore Half of Church Year" following the Feast of Epiphany.

Following the Feast of Epiphany on the 6th of January, the 3-year Revised Common Lectionary shows the next three Sundays in January relate to the beginning of Jesus Christ's Ministry (BCW), says John S. Setterlund,¹ while Bach's 1-Year Lectionary focuses on Jesus maturing: 1st Sunday after Epiphany, Luke 2: 41-52 Jesus in the Temple (Bible Gateway, BCW); Today's 3-Year Lectionary presents the following: 1st Sunday after Epiphany, Baptism of Our Lord, 12 January 2025, currently Year C, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 (Baptism of Jesus, Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 123 (Epiphany Feast, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois), alternate Cantata 7 (John's Day, Carus-Media), IOPN Library Illinois); Year A, Gospel Matthew 3:13-17, Baptism of Jesus (Bach's 1-year lectionary), 11 January 2026 (Bible Gateway); preferred Cantata 7 (see above, 1st Sunday after Epiphany), alternate Cantata 37 (Ascension Day, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois); Year B, Mark 1:4-11, 10 January 2027 (Parable of Sower, Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 37 (see above, Year A), alternate cantata 123 (see above, Year C). 2nd Sunday after Epiphany (BCW, in Bach's 1-Year Lectionary, Wedding Feast at Cana, Gospel: John 2: 1-11 Christ turns water into wine (BCW, BCW); Today's 3-Year Lectionary presents the following: Year C, Gospel John 2:10-11,19 January 2025 (Bible Gateway), preferred, Cantata 155 (Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois), alternate Cantata 13 (Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois); Year A, Gospel John 1:29-42, Lamb of God, 1st disciples of Jesus, 18 January 2026 (Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 9 (6th Sunday after Trinity, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois), alternate Cantata 23.3 (Estomihi, Carus-Verlag, IOPN Library Illinois); Year B, Gospel John 1:43-51, Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael, 17 January 2027 (Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 79 (Reformation day, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois), alternate Cantata 145 (Easter Tuesday, BCW, IOPN Library Illinois). 3rd Sunday after Epiphany (BCW), in Bach's 1-Year Lectionary, Gospel: Matthew 8:1-13 Cleansing of the leper (BCW); Today's 3-Year Lectionary presents the following: Year C, Gospel, Luke 4:14-21 (Jesus reads prophet Isaiah: Beginning of Galilean Ministry, Rejection of Jesus as Nazareth, 26 January 2025 Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 143 (New Year, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois), alternate Cantata 136 (8th Sunday after Trinity, Carua Media, IOPN Library Illinois);

Year A, Gospel Matthew 4:12-23, Christ revealed as prophet, 25 January 2026 (Jesus begins ministry in Galilee, calls first disciples, Bible Gateway); preferred motet BWV 230 (psalm 117, Bach Choir of Bethlehem), alternate Cantata 41 (New Year's Day, Carus-Media, Bach Choir of Bethlehem, IOPN Library Illinois); Year B, Gospel Mark 1:14-20, Calling Disciples at sea (Beginning of Galilean Ministry, Jesus calls first disciples, 24 January 2027 Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 168, 9th Sunday after Trinity (Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois), alternate Cantata 94 (9th Sunday after Trinity, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois); 4th Sunday after Epiphany (BCW), in Bach's 1-Year Lectionary, Gospel, Matthew 8:23-27, Christ stills the tempest (Bible Gateway). Today's 3-Year Lectionary presents the following: Year C, Gospel, Luke 4:21-30 (Prophet Jesus not accepted, 2 February 2025 Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 181 (Sexagesimae, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois), alternate Cantata 167 (John the Baptist Feast, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois); Year A, Gospel Matthew 5:1-12 (Teaching of Christ: Beatitudes, 1 February 2026, Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 107 (7th Sunday after Trinity, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois), alternate Cantata 78 (14th Sunday after Trinity, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois); Year B, Gospel, Mark 1:21-28 (Man with unclean spirit, 31 January 2027, Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 78 (see above, Year A, alternate), alternate Cantata 69.1(a) (12th Sunday after Trinity, 31 January 2027 (Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois).

Special de tempore Single-Day Events: Confession of Peter (Wikipedia), January 18, Gospel Matthew 16:13-19 (Peter declares Jesus "Messiah," Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 92 (Septuagesimae, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois); St. Timothy, Pastor & Confessor (Wikipedia, Concordia and Coinonia), January 24, Gospel, Matthew 24:42-47 (Son of Man will come, Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 6 (Easter Monday, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois); Conversion of St. Paul (Wikipedia), January 25, Gospel, Luke 21:10-19 (Nation against nation, Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 183 II (Sunday after Ascension — Exaudi, 1725 (Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois); St. Titus, Pastor & Confessor (Wikipedia), January 26, Gospel, Luke 10:1-9 (Mission of 70, Bible Gateway), preferred Cantata 44 I, 1724 (Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois); Feast of Purification of Mary & Presentation of Our Lord (Wikipedia, BCW), February 2, Gospel, Luke 2:22-40 (Jesus presented in Temple, Bible Gateway), preferred Motet BWV 1165=Anh. 159 (Carus-Media BCW), alternate Cantata 82 (1727, Carus-Media, IOPN Library Illinois).

Following the 5th Sunday after Epiphany on 9 February (Gospel, Luke 5:1-11, Jesus calls first disciples, Bible Gateway), the pre-Lenten Sundays begin with Septuagesima, 16 February; Sexagesima, 23 February; and Quinquagesima, 2 March, also known as the Last Sunday after Epiphany, which in the 3-Year Lectionary can be observed as Transfiguration Sunday but not observed in Bach's time. Meanwhile, Bach's second church-year cycle of chorale cantatas is listed at Carus-Verlag, the 300th anniversary of that cantata cycle.

ENDNOTES

¹ John S. Setterlund, Bach Through the Year: The Church Music of Johann Sebastian Bach and the Revised Common Lectionary (Minneapolis MN, Lutheran University Press 2013: 50f), Kirk House Publishers, Amazon.com).

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To Come: Pre-Lenten Sundays.