Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

In the English Books of Common Prayer from 1549 through 1662, the Gospel for Epiphany IV was St. Matthew 8:23-34. That selection includes two stories: Christ calming the sea and Christ healing the demoniacs of the Gergesenes (or Gadarenes). Both of these stories are epiphanies or manifestations of Christ's power over nature and over human affliction.
As noted for the last two Sundays, the 1928 American BCP changed the sequence of Gospel readings by inserting the account of Christ's Baptism on Epiphany II. The Gospel from St. Matthew 8:23ff has fallen out of the 1928 Communion lectionary, and the 1549-1662 Gospel for Epiphany III (St. Matthew 8:1-13) has been transferred to Epiphany IV.

The Gospel from St. Matthew 8:1ff has two healing miracles, one of a Jewish leper and the other of a Roman centurion's servant. Both acts are epiphanies of Christ's power and His concern for human affliction. The healing of the centurion's servant is also striking because it shows our Lord reaching out to respond to faith among the Gentiles.