Thoughts on the Lessons for Christmas 1 (Dec. 26, 2021)

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Rejoice! Joy to the world: The Word of God that brought the world into being now comes to us in Jesus, the light through which we can see God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and now lives among us.

Announcement to the shepherds (c.1600), painting in the manner of Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651). Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, the Netherlands. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah sings out the joy and exultation that mark the end of the people’s exile in Babylon and their return to Jerusalem. Furthermore, Isaiah’s song expresses hope that God will restore the city and the temple as a light of the world, a new Zion that will spring up like a garden to show God’s righteousness and justice.

Psalm: Psalm 147:[1-12]13-21

Christmas has come: Rejoice! Joy to the world. The Word of God that brought the world into being now comes to us in Jesus, the light through which we can see God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and now lives among us. In our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah sings out the joy and exultation that mark the end of the people’s exile in Babylon and their return to Jerusalem. Furthermore, Isaiah’s song expresses hope that God will restore the city and the temple as a light of the world, a new Zion that will spring up like a garden to show God’s righteousness and justice.

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

“In the beginning … ” The first words of John’s Gospel exactly mirror the first words of Genesis: “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,” God’s Word, “Let there be light,” opened up creation. The Word of God that brought the world into being comes to us now as Jesus, the light through which we can see God. The Word was with God, and now lives among us.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 3, 2021

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14

Merry Christmas! Yes, we are still in Christmastide: The 12 days of Christmas continue through Epiphany, January 6, and our readings, appropriate for the season, reflect thanksgiving, hope, and joy.

The Flight into Egypt (c.1570), oil painting on canvas by El Greco (1541-1614). Museo del Prado, Madrid. (Click image to enlarge.)

Even Jeremiah, often called “the weeping prophet” for the dire warnings of destruction that fill his prophecy, resounds with shouts of praise and joy today. The prophet offers hope for all of God’s people, even those weeping in sorrow and pain. God will comfort all, turn our sorrow into gladness, our mourning into joy. The Episcopal Lectionary offers a choice of three Gospels this week: Matthew’s account of the Holy Family’s escape to Egypt from King Herod’s wrath; Luke’s story of the boy Jesus in the Temple; and Matthew’s narrative of the visit of the wise men from the East.

Psalm: Psalm 84

The Psalmist sings a hymn of trust, praise, and joy. Even amid the joy of having the building restored, though, the real exultation rests not on a structure built by humans but on the grace and glory found in encountering God. God will protect the people and lead them back home. God will provide clear water in desolate places, protect them in the heights and serve as their shield against burning sun and raging enemy. And, home at last, they will know the joy of worshiping in God’s temple as Jeremiah had foretold, lavished with God’s grace and glory.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a

Paul offers generous, expansive praise in the opening pages of his letter to the people of Ephesus, then a Greek city on what is now Turkey’s Aegean shore. Paul praises the Ephesians for their faith in Jesus and offers them a promise similar to the one we heard in last week’s reading from Galatians: All are adopted as God’s children through Jesus, and in this way are freely given God’s grace. Like migrants received with a loving embrace in their new land, all receive a glorious inheritance of great spiritual riches that fosters hope.

Gospel: Matthew 2:13-23

This is a hard reading to ponder during the joy of Christmastide, and it gets worse if you look up the three verses that the Lectionary omits: The horrifying story about Herod’s genocidal slaughter of the infants in Bethlehem. This bloody event may not be historical, as neither Flavius Josephus nor other historians of the era mention it. Even without this passage, the story of the flight to Egypt out of fear of Herod frames an important reality: When Jesus is grown, he will seek to bring in the Kingdom of God by delivering good news to the poor and the oppressed. This mission will not always be received with joy and approval, and it ends with his crucifixion. There is risk in following Jesus, but do we really have a choice?

Alternate Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

The four gospels tell us little or nothing about Jesus’s childhood and youth. This disappointing gap is filled only by this short, fascinating story that appears only in Luke’s Gospel. Twelve-year-old Jesus disappears while the family is in Jerusalem, to the horror of Joseph and Mary, who find him three days later in the Temple, impressing the elders with his intelligent discussion. The child reassures his frantic parents, declaring that his place is in his “Father’s house,” the Temple. In the next chapter, in Luke’s account of the baptism of the 30-year-old Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan, we will hear the voice of God announce that Jesus is indeed God’s beloved Son.

Alternate Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

One of the most memorable Christmas stories tells of the wise men from the East who followed a shining star to Bethlehem, the village that the prophets foretold as the birthplace of the Messiah. It might surprise us, though, to remember that Matthew doesn’t actually say there were three of them, or that they were kings. They are called “Magi,” or “magicians,” in the original Greek, and the New Revised Standard Version translates it as “wise men.” So they came, following the star. They bore gifts. They knelt and paid homage to baby Jesus as if he were a king … and then they thwarted evil Herod’s plan by heading home by another road.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 5, 2020

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sunday is the Twelfth Day of Christmas! Wish your friends a Merry Christmas one more time as we turn toward Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week and Easter.

Rest on the Flight into Egypt (1518-1520). Oil painting on panel by Joachim Patinir (1480-1524). Museo del Prado, Madrid. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our readings for the Second Sunday after Christmas speak of thanksgiving, hope, and joy. Even our reading from Jeremiah – whose prophecy is usually filled with warnings of destruction and despair – resounds with shouts of praise and joy this day. The prophet offers hope for all of God’s people, even those weeping in sorrow and pain. God will comfort all, turn our sorrow into gladness, our mourning into joy.

Psalm: Psalm 84

Psalm 84 echoes our Jeremiah reading in its joy. Specifically, it sings the delight of worshipping in the rebuilt temple whose destruction and restoration the Prophet Jeremiah had foretold. Even amid the celebration of having the building restored, though, the Psalm makes clear, real exultation is not bound by bricks and mortar but rests on the grace and glory found in encountering God.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a

Mirroring the reassuring theme that we heard in last Sunday’s reading from Galatians, the author of the letter to the Ephesians emphasizes that we are all adopted as God’s children through Jesus. Through this adoption, the letter assures us, we are freely given God’s grace, a glorious inheritance of great spiritual riches that offers hope.

Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15,19-23

Think about the sad and sometimes terrifying images of refugees that fill the news these days: Children separated from their parents and kept in cage-like cells. African immigrants drowned as their ships capsize on the Mediterranean. Refugee status is a hard, frightening and sometimes fatal situation. Now think about Joseph and Mary in Matthew’s Gospel: They are terrified, running away to a foreign land to escape the threat of their own baby’s death at the hands of an angry King Herod. What parents would not go to such an extreme to protect their precious child? And what child, living through such an experience, would not forever remember to care for the widow, the orphan and the stranger?

Gospel (Alternate Reading): Luke 2:41-52

The gospels tell us almost nothing about Jesus’s childhood and youth. This intriguing gap is filled by this short, fascinating story that appears only in Luke’s Gospel. Twelve-year-old Jesus disappears while the family is in Jerusalem, to the horror of Joseph and Mary, who find him three days later in the Temple, impressing the elders with his intelligent discussion. The child reassures his frantic parents, declaring that his place is in his “Father’s house,” the Temple. In the next chapter, in Luke’s account of the baptism of the 30-year-old Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan, we will hear the voice of God announce that Jesus is God’s beloved Son.

Gospel (Alternate Reading): Matthew 2:1-12

This Gospel reading offers a preview of the feast of the Epiphany, as we hear Matthew’s account of the wise men from the East (“Magi,” or literally “magicians” in the original Greek). Matthew tells the fascinating tale of astrologers summoned to the infant Messiah by a shining star; verses from the prophet Micah that seemed to foretell the future king’s birthplace in Bethlehem, and a suspicious, sneaky King Herod who plots to use the Magi to track down the baby. (You’ll notice that the Magi found the holy family in a house, not a manger … it is only Luke’s Nativity story that places them with the shepherds, cattle and sheep.)

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 15, 2019

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3
The Twelve Days of Christmas continue through the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6.

Saint John the Evangelist (c.1624-1629), oil painting on canvas by Domenico Zampieri (“Domenichino,” 1581-1641). National Gallery, Washington. (Click image to enlarge.)

It’s hard to resist the feeling that Christmas was over on December 26, though. We’ll return to work Monday, if we didn’t have to go back already; soon we’ll pack the colorful lights, the Christmas gift boxes and the holiday music. Sunday’s reading, from near the end of the book of Isaiah, finds the people getting back to work too. Returned to Jerusalem after years in exile, they rejoice in God’s righteousness as they face the hard work of rebuilding.

Psalm: Psalm 147
One of the half-dozen resounding songs of joy that conclude the book of Psalms, this memorable hymn begins with a mighty “Praise the Lord,” a shout of exultation that the ancient Hebrews sang as “Hallelu-Yah!” We praise the Lord who is near, who heals our hearts and binds our wounds. We praise the mighty far-off God of all creation, too: The Lord of stars and clouds, winds and waters, rain and the growing grass, all the animals and all of us, too. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-25;4:4-7
In his short letter to the Christians of Galatia, a Gentile Christian community in central Turkey, Paul argues in fierce conflict against some in the early church who demanded that gentile converts follow the strict requirements of Jewish law. We should be careful, though, not to interpret these words as anti-Jewish or as suggesting that the new covenant abolishes the old. There is no controversy in his ringing conclusion to this passage, though, celebrating our joy in being adopted without restriction as God’s heirs and children through Christ.

Gospel: John 1:1-18
These spiritual and poetic words that begin the Gospel of John are so familiar that we may hear them without deep thought. But let’s stop to pay attention: Surely John had the creation story from Genesis in mind when he began with the very same words, “In the beginning.” Then he goes on to place Jesus, the Word, at the moment of creation, when God uttered the creative word, “Let there be light.” John names John the Baptist as the witness to Jesus’ divinity, and he echoes Paul’s point about Moses giving the Law while Jesus gives grace.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 30, 2018

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Christmas has come: Rejoice! Joy to the world: The Word of God that brought the world into being now comes to us in Jesus, the light through which we can see God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and now lives among us.

Announcement to the shepherds (c.1600), painting in the manner of Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651). Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, the Netherlands. Click image to enlarge.)

In our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah sings out the joy and exultation that mark the end of the people’s exile in Babylon and their return to Jerusalem. Furthermore, Isaiah’s song expresses hope that God will restore the city and the temple as a light of the world, a new Zion that will spring up like a garden to show God’s righteousness and justice.

Psalm 147:13-21

The last six of 150 Psalms bring the ancient temple’s hymn book to a close with a triumphant climax of praise and celebration. Psalm 147 echoes Isaiah’s song of triumphant celebration, thanking and praising God for restoring Jerusalem and bringing the exiles home. Using metaphors of grain and wool, warmth and healing, the Psalmist invokes God’s Word of creation and God’s Spirit wind that bring warmth and life and make Earth’s waters flow.

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, contrasting with the works required by the 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

“In the beginning … ” The first words of John’s Gospel exactly mirror the first words of Genesis: “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,” God’s Word, “Let there be light,” opened up creation. The Word of God that brought the world into being comes to us now as Jesus, the light through which we can see God. The Word was with God, and now lives among us.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 31, 2017

Saint John the Evangelist, oil painting by Simone Cantarini (Pesarese), (1612–1648). Private collection in São Paulo, Brazil. (Click image to enlarge.)

Christmas has come, joy fills the world, and the Word that was present at the beginning now brings us the light of God and dwells among us. Our first reading from Isaiah rings out the joy and exultation that mark the end of the people’s exile in Babylon and their return to Jerusalem. They go beyond triumphant celebration, though, to hope for the future, hope that God will restore the city and the temple as a light of the world. It will be a new Zion, one that springs up like a garden to show God’s righteousness and justice.

Psalm 147:13-21

One of the six resounding hymns of joy that conclude the 150 Psalms, this memorable anthem begins and ends with a mighty “Alleluia,” a shout of exultation we can translate literally from the ancient Hebrew as “Praise the Lord!” We praise the Lord who is near, who heals our hearts and binds our wounds. We also praise the mighty far-off God of all creation, Lord of stars and clouds, winds and waters, rain and the growing grass and all the animals and all of us, too. Praise the Lord!

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

Our faith opens for us a world of grace and joy, Paul tells the Christians of Galatia, a group of Gentile churches in central Turkey. These words of Paul were strongly influential on Martin Luther, who relied on these and similar passages in Romans and Hebrews to work out his “sola fide” theology of faith and works. In beautiful, hope-giving verses, this passage tells us of God’s Christmas gift to all humankind: We are claimed as adopted children and heirs of God through our sisterhood and brotherhood with Jesus.

Gospel: John 1:1-18

These words that open John’s Gospel are so familiar that we may feel we know them by heart. But it’s worth closer attention to discern the fullness of their meaning. The book begins with the same words that begin the Bible in Genesis: “In the beginning.” This is no coincidence. John wants us to know that the same Word of God that brought the world into being now comes as Jesus to bring us the light through which we can see God. Fully human now, but always fully divine, the Word was with God from the beginning, and now lives among us. John the Baptist was sent ahead as witness to tell the world this wonderful news.