Author Archives: Robin Garr

Lent 1B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 19, 2024 (Lent 1B)

Jesus and the Tempter

Jesus and the Tempter (c.1500), oil painting on panel by Juan de Flandes (c.1465-1519). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Genesis 9:8-17

God makes a covenant with Noah, promising never again to destroy all human and animal life in a vast flood, and placing a rainbow in the sky as a vivid reminder of this agreement. As Lent begins, our Lectionary readings for the season start with this, the first in a series of covenants that God will make with leading figures in the Hebrew Bible’s ancestral stories. These are binding agreements between God and the people; agreements that the prophets will hold up as the standard by which the people must live in order to inherit the Kingdom.

Psalm: Psalm 25:1-9

This Psalm of praise, one of many that tradition attributes to the hand of King David himself, asks for deliverance and protection from enemies and scheming foes. This is a recurring plea in the Psalms, one that may reflect ancient Israel’s hard-won status as a tiny nation surrounded by foes. As we sing this Psalm, we express the joy of holding up our hearts and souls with willing trust in God’s compassion and love. Even in the face of triumphant enemies, the Psalmist sings of praise, not fear, and the hope of God’s faithfulness to those who have made covenant to follow God’s ways.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22

In this short passage from the first letter of Peter, the author builds on the themes of the first reading and psalm. The author reminds the people that they are now saved in the water of baptism, just as Noah and his family were saved in a world covered by water. Both saving acts are the work of God, but baptism is no mere bath that washes away dirt. It is, rather, an appeal to God – like a covenant – that provides a new beginning through the resurrection of Jesus, who now sits at God’s right hand as lord of all creation.

Gospel: Mark 1:9-15

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” How many times recently have we heard these booming words from above? We heard them in Mark’s account of Jesus’s baptism at the beginning of Advent and again at the beginning of Epiphany. We heard them again last Sunday at the Transfiguration. And now here we are again as Lent begins. As we move from the Incarnation toward the Cross and the empty tomb, we repeatedly remember God’s declaration. Now we move on from the baptism scene to hear of Jesus’s temptation in the desert. Then, in Galilee after Herod has arrested John, Jesus begins proclaiming the Gospel in Galilee: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

Ash Wednesday

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 14, 2024 (Ash Wednesday)

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday (c.1855-1860), oil painting on wood by Carl Spitzweg (1808-1885). Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Joel 2:1-2,12-17

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a season set aside for acts of devotion and sacrifice as we reflect on the wrongs that we have done and on the simple truth that we will not live forever. Our first reading is from the Prophet Joel, one of the minor prophets. The book that bears his name is only three chapters long, and modern theologians aren’t even sure when he lived. We know that “Joel” means “The Lord is God” in Hebrew; and Joel may have prophesied after the return from exile to Jerusalem. Much of the short book deals with the people’s prayerful response to a plague of locusts, and in that setting, this alternate reading offers a liturgical look at a period of penitence and sacrifice … something to think about as we enter Lent.

Alternate First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-12

Our readings for Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the penitential season of Lent, begin with a warning from Isaiah. The prophet cautions the people that public demonstrations of fasting, prayer, sackcloth and ashes are not enough to please God. God expects us to show our righteousness instead in service and love of neighbor. As Jesus would later teach, Isaiah declares that God calls us to oppose injustice: free the oppressed, feed the hungry, house the homeless, and clothe the naked.

Psalm: Psalm 103 or 103:8-14

God, who made us from dust, knows well that we are but dust. We are human: broken and sinful, often wicked. Yet God’s compassion and God’s mercy are far greater than God’s anger. God does not punish us as we might fear that our sins deserve, but rather shows mercy wider than the world itself, forgiving our sins and welcoming us in a parent’s warm embrace.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul devotes a lot of energy to working out an apparent quarrel with the people of this contentious little church community. In this passage he speaks of reconciliation. He enumerates the many pains he has endured as a servant of God, and calls on the people to accept God’s grace and work together in Christ, who reconciled us with God by taking human form and dying for us.

Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

It is hard to imagine a more appropriate reading for Ash Wednesday than Matthew’s account of Jesus, midway in the Sermon on the Mount, teaching us how best to practice almsgiving, prayer, fasting, and self-denial of worldly pleasures. All of these have become traditional Lenten practices. Simply put, in words that might remind us of the Isaiah reading for this day, Jesus advises us to practice humble piety. Shun hypocrisy. Don’t show off. Keep our charity, our prayers and our fasting private. Don’t brag about our fasting. Don’t hoard fragile, transient earthly riches, but store in heaven the treasures that last.

Last Epiphany B/Transfiguration

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Last Epiphany B/Transfiguration

Transfiguration of Jesus

Transfiguration of Jesus (c.1437-1446), fresco by Fra Angelico (c.1395-1455). Museum of San Marco, Florence, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Kings 2:1-12

As the season after the Epiphany comes to its end on Sunday, we see the light of God revealed in shining glory. In the Gospel we will hear Mark’s account of the Transfiguration of Christ, the culmination of the series of epiphanies that have revealed Jesus as the Son of God. In those verses we will see a glowing Jesus meet the patriarchs Elijah and Moses on a mountaintop. Our first reading from the Second Book of Kings sets the stage with the ancient story of Elijah, who was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire led by horses of fire.

Psalm: Psalm 50:1-6

We hear only the first six verses of Psalm 50, but even this snippet gives us a good sense of its resounding worship and praise. The Psalmist calls out to the people who have joined in covenant to come together in worship: Come near and hear the God of gods speak, revealed in glory, calling the the people of the earth together from sunrise to sunset. God will speak and not keep silence, we hear. God stands before a consuming flame, surrounded by a raging storm, calling the heavens and the earth to witness God’s judgment.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

God, who brought light into the world, shows us the glory of God’s image in Christ. In his second letter to the early Christian community in Corinth, Paul tells his flock that, because they believe, they see the light which those who do not believe can not see. For those who don’t believe, the light is veiled by worldy concerns, Paul writes. As Christians we are called to proclaim Jesus, not ourselves, Paul declares. We are to serve others humbly in service for Jesus’s sake.

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9

Just a few short weeks ago at the beginning of the Epiphany season we saw John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan. Now on the last Sunday of Epiphany we come to the Transfiguration, and Jesus is revealed as Messiah. With his friends Peter, James, and John looking on in awed amazement, Jesus’s clothes suddenly glow an unearthly dazzling white as he meets the patriarchs Elijah and Moses. Now God’s voice rings out again, as it had at his baptism: “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him.”

Epiphany 5B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 3, 2024 (Epiphany 5B)

Christ Healing the Mother of Simon Peter’s Wife

Christ Healing the Mother of Simon Peter’s Wife (1839). Oil painting on canvas by John Bridges (1818–1854). Birmingham (Alabama) Museum of Art. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31

The season of Epiphany is coming to an early end this year because Easter comes early, on March 31. Ash Wednesday and Lent are only about two weeks away. In our first reading we hear the Prophet Isaiah reassuring the people in exile that though God may seem far away, they have not been forgotten. Isaiah poetically portrays a transcendent God who is far beyond our imagining. And yet, the prophet proclaims, this mighty, eternal and all-powerful God lifts up on eagle’s wings those who wait patiently for God. God provides the power and the strength to wait and to follow God’s ways.

Psalm: Psalm 147:1-12, 21c

Sunday’s Psalm portion, excerpted from one of the six exuberant hymns of praise that bring the book of Psalms to its end, sings harmony with our Isaiah reading as it celebrates the glory of a God who is powerful and all-knowing. God is large enough to count and name even the stars of heaven, the Psalmist sings; yet God is close to the people too, guiding them home from exile and binding their wounds. God is unimpressed by strength and might, yet cares deeply for the weak and lowly, gently tending the broken and the brokenhearted.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Pretending to be something we are not is a morally dubious action, even when we do it for a worthy purpose. But that’s not really what Paul writes in these verses when he claims to have been “all things to all people,” presenting himself in a voice separately tuned to the ears of Jews and Gentiles, believers and pagans, the strong and the weak. Following up on the advice in last week’s reading, Paul offers simple counsel to the fractious, often battling believers of Corinth: Get over your divisions. Love one another. And finally, work together in spite of any differences in order to share the Gospel’s blessings.

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

Immediately after the events in last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus goes from the synagogue at Capernaum to the home of his friends Simon and Andrew. There he cures Simon’s mother-in-law’s fever. Healed of her weakness, she gets up to serve them. The Greek word Mark uses for “she served” is “diekonei.” That’s the same word that Luke uses to describe those who came forward to support the Apostles as they spread the Gospel. And, of course, it is the word from which we derive our modern “deacon.” Just as Jesus cared for Simon’s mother-in-law and all who came for exorcism or healing, deacons vow to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.

Epiphany 4B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 28, 2024 (Epiphany 4B)

Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit

Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit (Mc. 1412-1416), from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, a French Gothic illumination for the Book of Hours by the Limbourg Brothers, Herman, Paul and Johan, now in the Musée Condé, Chantilly, France. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

The ongoing theme of listening for God’s voice and trying to discern what God is calling us to do continues in our readings for the Fourth Sunday of Epiphany. Our first reading is a passage from Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Torah. We open the book as the story of God’s covenant with Israel is drawing to its close. Moses is in his last days. He will not live to enter the Promised Land. But then, the people wonder, how will they know God’s wishes once their longtime prophet is gone? Moses reassures them that God will raise up another prophet like him from among the people: a prophet who will speak God’s words and whom God will hold accountable.

Psalm: Psalm 111

Psalms, the hymns and worship poetry of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, offer many forms of prayer. Some ask God’s favor. Some cry out in lament. Others sing thanks for blessings. Yet many of the most joyous Psalms – like the familiar verses of Psalm 111 as a resounding example – exultantly sing God’s praise. God’s work, God’s majesty, God’s splendor, God’s justice, all last forever. God feeds us. The fear (meaning awe) of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

These verses offer us a fascinating insight into Paul. This pastoral question about eating meat that had been sacrificed in pagan temples might not seem to say much to us as inhabitants of a modern technological society. In his context, though, Paul understands the Corinthian Christians’ notion that pagan gods aren’t God at all, so sharing temple food – their primary source of meat – could be morally neutral to believers who are strong in their faith. The rest of Paul’s conclusion transcends time: Even if we do nothing wrong, Paul asserts, our actions may influence others, and Christ calls us to be mindful of that.

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

We continue following Mark’s account of Jesus’ early ministry in Galilee. Baptized, returned from his time in the wilderness, and having chosen his disciples, Jesus now steps up and speaks for the first time during Sabbath services in Capernaum, the small Galilean town where he was active. Two remarkable things happen: First, this stranger amazes the community with bold teaching that reveals him as one “having authority.” Then Jesus further astounds the people by commanding a noisy unclean spirit to come out of a troubled man. Unclean though the spirit may be, it shouts wisdom, declaring Jesus “the Holy One of God.”

Epiphany 3B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 21, 2024 (Epiphany 3B)

Call of the Sons of Zebedee

Call of the Sons of Zebedee (1510), oil painting on panel by Marco Basaiti (1470-1530). Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10

As we continue through the Epiphany season, our readings again this week speak to us of God’s call and our response. Even after we do wrong, when we repent and return, God is quick to forgive and to welcome us back. Our first reading is a brief passage from the familiar story of Jonah, the reluctant prophet, who ran away when God called him to prophesy to the people of Nineveh. Just before this passage, Jonah had been spewed out on the beach by the giant fish that God sent to bring the fleeing prophet back. Jonah is ready to cooperate after this experience, and his concise prophecy has great effect: The people of this huge city all put on sackcloth, fast and repent; whereupon God shows mercy and forgives them.

Psalm: Psalm 62: 6-14

We enter Psalm 62 at Verse 6, joining a narrator who has been assailed, battered, and defamed by foes who seek to bring him down. Can this troubled person turn to God for refuge and stability in a world gone fearsome? Yes, the Psalmist asserts: Wait, hope, trust in God. Do not be shaken: when all else fails, God remains our strong rock and our refuge. Our faith and hope in God’s power and steadfast love will be rewarded. Trust in God alone, the Psalmist tells us over and over again. No one else can be trusted. God is always there, always holding the power, always ready to repay us according to our good deeds.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31

No marriage, no mourning, no joy? No things? What in the world is Paul going on about this time? Paul’s letters can sound very confusing to modern ears, but we can usually hear the voice of the Spirit when we understand them in the context of their time and place. Paul was convinced that Christ was coming back very soon, bringing God’s kingdom and a new way of life. Nothing was more important than that, Paul preached. Not husbands and wives, not mourning or joy. All that is passing away, Paul assures his fractious flock; but God abides.

Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

The Gospel according to Mark is moving along very quickly, as Mark’s Gospel does. We are only 14 verses in, and already Herod has arrested John the Baptist, and soon will have John killed. Jesus has just returned from the 40-day fast in the desert that he took on immediately after John baptized him. Now Jesus has taken over John’s call to proclaim repentance from sin and to declare the good news of God’s kingdom. Then, just like that, Mark’s narrative shifts again as Jesus calls his first disciples from fishers working on the Sea of Galilee: Two pairs of brothers, Simon and Andrew, and James son of Zebedee and John. Without any discussion or question, they all get up, leave their former lives behind, and follow Jesus.

Epiphany 2B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 14, 2024 (Epiphany 2B)

Nathaniel Under the Fig Tree

Nathaniel Under the Fig Tree (c.1886-1894), gouache drawing over graphite on gray paper by James Tissot (1836-1902). Brooklyn Museum, New York City. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

Listen for God’s voice in the world, and take care to grasp the reality that we hear. Listen for this theme as it resonates through Sunday’s Lectionary readings. Our first reading introduces young Samuel, puzzled by a mysterious voice as he lies near the Ark in the Temple in Jerusalem. Samuel thinks the voice is his guardian Eli, the high priest and judge of Israel. But Eli, who is elderly and nearly blind, was sound asleep. After a few repetitions, Eli realizes that Samuel is hearing the voice of God. Eli advises the boy to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Then Eli accepts the words that Samuel hears from God, although they are harsh and stern: God plans to punish Eli and his blasphemous sons who have corrupted the Temple priesthood.

Psalm: Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17

It is rarely easy for us to be certain of what God is asking of us. But we can be sure that God fully and completely knows our every thought, the Psalmist sings in verses traditionally attributed to King David. God knows us, God knows when we move forward and when we sit down; God knows every word that we speak and every word that we think. God’s thoughts are more countless than Earth’s grains of sand, the Psalmist continues. It would take an infinity of time to count them.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

At a glance, this reading might reinforce our modern doubts about Paul’s occasional ruminations on sexuality and sin. Read in its original context, though, we see a kinder and gentler image. As he so often does in 1 Corinthians, Paul is offering pastoral counsel to a loving but often quarrelsome little church community. They’ve been arguing about all sorts of theological issues. They’re split into factions. Some of them really haven’t been behaving well, fired by an odd notion that being baptized in the Spirit allows them to behave immorally without sin. Paul’s advice is not angry but clear and firm: Listen for God’s voice through the Holy Spirit. Remember that our bodies are parts of Christ’s body and temples of the Holy Spirit, so honor God by behaving well.

Gospel: John 1:43-51

We are called to respond to Christ in faith through the revelation of his divinity in the gospels of the Epiphany season. In the first chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus calls his disciples, one and two at a time. In the verses preceding Sunday’s gospel, Andrew, Simon Peter and now Philip have joined Jesus. Now we learn that Philip wants his friend Nathanael added to the growing band. Nathanael, though, is wary at first. This Jesus comes from Nazareth? That’s not where the Messiah is supposed to come from! But when Jesus speaks to Nathanael in words that seem to echo the Psalm’s “Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb,” Nathanael accepts Jesus’s call and declares him the Son of God and King of Israel.

Epiphany 1B/Baptism of Our Lord

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 7, 2024 (Epiphany 1B/Baptism of Our Lord)

The Baptism of Christ, with donors and their patron saints

The Baptism of Christ, with donors and their patron saints (1505), oil painting on wood, altarpiece of Jean des Trompe, by Gerárd David (c.1450/1460–1523). Groeninge Museum, Bruges, Belgium. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-5

Now we turn to the season of Epiphany and visualize how Scripture reveals Jesus as Christ and Messiah. Week by week, we celebrate the various manifestations, or epiphanies, of Jesus’s divinity, beginning with the coming of the Magi on the Epiphany, January 6, and now his baptism. All four readings this Sunday speak of creation and new life through God in Word and Spirit. Our first reading begins with the opening words of the ancient creation story in Genesis. God’s Word rings out, and light shines in the darkness. Then God’s spirit breath sweeps over the face of the waters. In the beginning God creates heaven and earth. In the beginning was the Word.

Psalm: Psalm 29

“Ascribe due honor to God’s holy name.” This striking psalm, perhaps a call to worship at the ancient temple, uses the metaphor of a majestic storm to portray God’s powerful spirit wind. Such a damaging storm, breaking mighty cedars, shooting flames, and shaking the wilderness, might scare anyone into running for shelter. But it also has potential to lure us outside to feel the rain and the wind on our faces as the storm rolls through. After such an event, anyone would surely cry out in worship, thanking the God who gives us strength and peace.

Second Reading: Acts 19:1-7

The Acts of the Apostles continues the narrative of Luke’s Gospel, following the evangelist’s account of the early church after Jesus’ death. In this passage we find Paul in Ephesus, introducing a dozen followers to the Holy Spirit. They tell Paul that they have already been baptized through John’s baptism. But when Paul explains that John himself told the people to believe in Jesus, the one who was to come after him, they eagerly accept baptism again, this time in Jesus’s name. Then, like the apostles at the first Pentecost, they joyfully begin speaking in tongues and prophesying as the Holy Spirit comes to them.

Gospel: Mark 1:4-11

Last month, on the second and third Sundays of Advent, we heard Matthew’s and John’s accounts of Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Now here we are again, this time reading Mark’s version of the familiar story. John has been telling the crowds that one more powerful is coming, whose sandals John is not worthy to untie. In Mark’s typical brisk, no-nonsense style, we hear that Jesus arrives, is baptized, and emerges from the water to see the heavens torn apart and the Spirit coming down, while God’s voice rumbles from heaven, saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Christmas 1

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 31, 2023 (Christmas 1)

Holy Family with St. John the Baptist

Holy Family with St. John the Baptist (1580s), oil painting by Benedetto Caliari (c.1538-1598). King John III Palace Museum , Wilanów, Warsaw, Poland. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Joy to the world! Christmas has come, and the Word that was present at the moment of creation now brings us the light of God and dwells among us. In the first reading for the Sunday after Christmas Day, Isaiah’s great book of prophecy has reached its closing chapters. The people have returned from exile; even if there is plenty of hard work yet to be done, the mood is joyous and exultant. The prophet shows us appealing images of the people as a joyous bridal pair looking forward to a new life together, and of God as a nurturing gardener. The reading concludes by celebrating the new Zion’s righteousness and praise for God as an example to all the nations.

Psalm: Psalm 147:[1-12]13-21

God’s promises have been fulfilled! Praise the Lord, or in the original Hebrew, Hallelujah! One of the six hymns of praise and triumph that complete the Psalms, these verses ring in harmony with the Isaiah reading for the day, exulting in the people’s return from exile to rebuild Jerusalem with God’s help. Here again we see an image of God as nurturing keeper of a divine garden, sending gentle rain for grass and crops and finest wheat, nurturing food for our flocks and herds and for us all.

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7

In this early letter to the Christian community in Galatia, Asia Minor, Paul reminds us that God sent Jesus, born of a woman and fully human, to make us all the children and heirs of God. In its original context, Paul was offering advice to a mixed community of Jewish and Gentile Christians who were struggling between accepting God’s free gift of grace through faith and returning to the works and discipline of the old law. Paul’s arguments here, and in his later letter to the Romans, fueled a great debate over justification by faith or works centuries later in the Reformation.

Gospel: John 1:1-18

While Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels start with the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus, and Mark’s begins with Jesus’ baptism, John’s Gospel is decidedly different. Poetic and spiritual, rather like a hymn, it sings the glory of God’s own word becoming flesh, living among us, lighting up the world. The Word that was in the beginning with God, when God said, “Let there be light,” is now, will be, and in God’s time always has been, incarnate as human flesh, Jesus, God with us.

Christmas Day I, II, and III

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Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for Christmas Day I, II, and III (Dec. 25, 2023)

(Lectionary Selections I, II, and III are suggested for use for Christmas Eve midnight, Christmas dawn, and the main service on Christmas Day, respectively.).

Christmas Day I

First Reading, Selection I: Isaiah 9:2-7

Adoration of the shepherds

Adoration of the shepherds (1622). Oil painting on canvas by Gerard van Honthorst (1590–1656), Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne, Germany. (Click image to enlarge)

Christmas has come! We see a great light and sing a new song as we behold with joy in the city of David the birth of a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. In our first reading, we hear words of the prophet Isaiah that would inspire the composer George Frideric Handel in “The Messiah.” The prophet foretells a glorious future when the oppressor’s yoke will be broken and a child will be born for us, a son given to us, a Wonderful Counsellor will take the throne of David: Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Psalm, Selection I: Psalm 96

All the earth sings a new song, blessing God’s name in this joyous psalm of praise. There is fascinating theology here, ideas that we may see reflected in the New Testament: We are called to proclaim the good news of God’s salvation; we are to go out and declare God’s glory, a great commission to show God’s majesty to all the nations. The whole earth, the heavens, the seas, the forests and all that is in them rejoice before our God.

Second Reading, Selection I: Titus 2:11-14

Here’s a Bible trivia fact: Titus is the only book of the New Testament that does not appear in the regular three-year Lectionary of Sunday service readings. We read in it only on Christmas Day. Much of Titus’ short letter is spent warning the people of Crete to rein in their sinful behavior, an instruction that leads to a worthy conclusion: We should live well and renounce bad actions as we wait for the grace of God through Jesus Christ, who gave himself to redeem us and make us God’s people.

Gospel, Selection I: Luke 2:1-14(15-20)

Now we come to the familiar Gospel story of Jesus’s birth. On this day we read the nativity according to Luke. We hear the memorable stories of Mary giving birth, wrapping the child in swaddling clothes and laying him in a manger in Bethlehem – the City of David – because there was no room in the inn. Here we have the beautiful scene of baby Jesus and his parents suddenly surrounded by shepherds and their flocks. Angels sing gloriously overhead while the Lord’s angel tells them that the baby is a Savior and the Messiah.

Christmas Day II

First Reading, Selection II: Isaiah 62:6-12

In this reading from Isaiah, the people’s exile is ending. Through the power of God’s strong right hand and mighty arm, they will return to Jerusalem. Prepare the way, build up the highway toward home and clear it of stones, the prophet shouts. No longer shall enemies harvest Zion’s grain and drink its wine. God will bring a glorious future of redemption and salvation that will last until the end of time.

Psalm, Selection II: Psalm 97

God is king, and all creation rejoices. This Psalm praises God in an image of power and might that echoes the fearsome God who led the Israelites through the desert and protected them there, surrounded by clouds, lightning and fire. This psalm shows us a God over all other gods, over all other nations, but it also reveals a God who loves the righteous, provides light for them, and cares for those who live justly.

Second Reading, Selection II: Titus 3:4-7

In this passage, Titus emphasizes that Jesus is God, our savior, the perfect manifestation of goodness and loving-kindness. Jesus saved us not because of any good that we had done, but entirely because he is merciful, giving us God’s grace through baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. Justified by God’s grace, we become heirs to eternal life through Jesus.

Gospel, Selection II: Luke 2:(1-7)8-20

Here again is the familiar Gospel story of Jesus’s birth, the nativity according to Luke. This passage tells us the memorable accounts of Mary giving birth, wrapping the child in swaddling clothes and laying him in a manger in Bethlehem – the City of David – because there was no room in the inn. Here we have the beautiful scene of baby Jesus and his parents suddenly surrounded by shepherds and their flocks. Angels sing gloriously overhead while the Lord’s angel tells them that the baby is a Savior and the Messiah.

Christmas Day III

First Reading, Selection III: Isaiah 52:7-10

Israel’s exile in Babylon is ending in this selection from Isaiah, and God’s messenger brings good news of peace and salvation. When God leads the people back to Zion, the temple on the mountain, Jerusalem, even the ruins of the devastated city will break into song. Such is the joy of God’s return to the holy city: God reigns, the people are comforted, and all the nations shall see the power of God’s holy arm and the salvation that it brings.

Psalm, Selection III: Psalm 98

This Psalm of praise, filled with joyous music, harps, trumpets and horns, calls us to stand up and rejoice. We sing a new song of praise for the victory won by God’s mighty right hand and holy arm. All the nations, not only Israel, shout with joy. Even the sea, the land, the rivers and the hills will rejoice when God comes to judge all the world with righteousness and equity. Lift up your voice! Rejoice and sing!

Second Reading, Selection III: Hebrews 1:1-4,(5-12)

The letter to the Hebrews begins with a beautifully poetic description of Jesus: Chosen as the son of God, he is the perfect reflection of God’s glory, higher even than the angels. Indeed, the author of Hebrews tells us, when Jesus was born into the world, multitudes of angels appeared in the heavens to worship him. Because Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness, his throne is for ever and ever, and God speaks to us no longer through the prophets but through Christ.

Gospel, Selection III: John 1:1-14

There is no nativity story in John’s Gospel. Luke and Matthew, each in their own way, tell us a version of the familiar story of the newborn baby born in Bethlehem. But John introduces us to Jesus in a completely different way: This poetic and spiritual passage celebrates the unimaginable glory of God’s own word becoming flesh and living among us, lighting up the world. The Word that was in the beginning with God, when God said, “Let there be light,” is now, will be, and in God’s time always has been, incarnate as human flesh, Jesus, Messiah, God with us.