Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany	February 1, 2026
Prayer of the Day
O God, you know the perilous choices we are prone to make that fall short of your desire for human faithfulness and obedience. Without you, our fragile nature cannot survive. Support us with your Word of truth, that we may grow in faith in the midst of our trials. Grant this, we pray, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading: Micah 6:1-8 
1Hear what the Lord says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. 2Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the Lord has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel. 3“O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! 4For 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. 5O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.” 6“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? 7Will 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?” 8He has told 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?
Psalm 15* (LBW)
1Lord, who may dwell in your | tabernacle?*
	who may abide upon your | holy hill?
2Whoever leads a blameless life and does | what is right,*
	who speaks the truth | from his heart.
3There is no guile upon his tongue; he does no evil | to his friend;*
	he does not heap contempt up- | on his neighbor.
4In his sight the wicked | is rejected,*
	but he honors those who | fear the Lord.
5He has sworn to | do no wrong*
	and does not take | back his word.
6He does not give his money in | hope of gain,*
	nor does he take a bribe a- | gainst the innocent.
7Whoever | does these things*
	shall never be | overthrown.
Psalm 15* (ESV)
1O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;
3who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 
18For 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. 19For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20Where 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? 21For 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. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
1Seeing the crowds, {Jesus} went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Lessons for Next Week
Isaiah 58:3-9a; Psalm 112:1-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 [13-16]; Matthew 5:13-20
*The Book of Common Prayer verse numbers for this psalm are different from the numbering in the ESV.