Epiphany 4C

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 30, 2022 (Epiphany 4C) 

If not us, then who? If not now, when? We hear this familiar call to mission echoed through Sunday’s readings, beginning with Jeremiah, one of the great prophets of the Hebrew Bible.

Jesus ejected from the synagogue. Ancient French painting, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague. (Click image to enlarge.)

Jeremiah foresaw destruction and exile for Jerusalem because the people had forgotten their covenant to follow God’s way. But like most of the prophets, Jeremiah was not eager for his role. Jeremiah thought he was too young for such a chore. “I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy,” Jeremiah said in response to God’s call. But God, reminding Jeremiah that God had consecrated him as a prophet before he was born, gave strength to Jeremiah’s spirit and sent him out with the words and the authority to warn his people.

Psalm: Psalm 71:1-6

The Psalmist sings in harmony with God’s message to Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” In the Psalm, too, we sing gratitude to God who sustains us and who has been our strength since before we were born, since we were carried in our mother’s womb. We sing only the first seven of the entire Psalm’s 24 verses on Sunday, but the message of this Psalm is consistent throughout: God is our rock and refuge. We sing thanksgiving for God’s presence and protection. Our trust in God’s strength gives us hope.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Now we hear Paul’s beloved celebration of love, a passage that the Book of Common Prayer suggests for use in weddings. Paul is not speaking of romantic love here, of course; the Greek word “agape” represents a gentle but powerful selfless love. Agape binds us all as worshipers in Christian community. Agape gives us the strength to carry out God’s work together. These words complete the readings that came before it in the previous two Sundays, in which Paul spoke of the way that God gives us all different gifts and calls us to different duties. We all work together like the parts of the body; each is important and all are necessary. Now we learn that love is the glue that holds the community together: Faith, hope and love abide, but love is the most important of all.

Gospel: Luke 4:21-30

Last Sunday we heard Jesus impressing his neighbors in the synagogue at Nazareth, declaring that he had come to fulfill Isaiah’s call to bring good news to the poor. Today, in Luke’s account, Jesus pushes them a little too far. First, he predicts that they will reject him because they knew him when he was a child: “No prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.” Then he indicates that his good news might be for all the poor, not just the poor who are our friends and neighbors and part of our community: He reminds them of two Hebrew Bible stories in which God’s grace was given to Gentiles. At this they rise up, drive him out of town and threaten to throw him off a cliff. But Jesus slips away from his captors and goes back to Capernaum in Galilee to continue his work.

Epiphany 3C

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 23, 2022 (Epiphany 3C)

First Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Torah – The body of God’s teaching, so holy and beloved that it is understood as law – informs our Sunday readings.

Christ in the Synagogue at Nazareth (1658), oil painting on canvas by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (1621-1674). National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin. (Click image to enlarge.)

We begin with a reading from the minor prophet Nehemiah, who tells of the scribe Ezra reading the Torah to the people of Jerusalem, now settled back at home after the exile and regaining familiarity with the written tradition. It is clearly a holy moment when Ezra opens the Torah scroll and spends the entire morning reading and interpreting the text. The people, understanding the text perhaps for the first time, weep with joy at the revelation.

Psalm: Psalm 19

Today’s Psalm sings the praises of Torah, not as harsh legislation but nurturing teaching that inspires us. A hymn of worship and praise, this Psalm first celebrates God’s glory and creation, then rejoices in the Torah. God’s teaching revives our souls, turns our innocence into wisdom, makes our hearts leap up and our eyes sparkle, the Psalmist sings. We gain enlightenment from God’s teaching; in following its precepts there is great reward.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Last Sunday, in the verses just before these, we heard Paul declare that each member of the church receives different spiritual gifts. Now Paul continues this theme with a striking metaphor: He likens the church to Christ’s body in the world. Every member of the church – like every bodily part – plays a different but important role. The foot, the ear, the hand, the eye: Each has its job, each is critical to the body’s operation, and all are important. Just as this is true for the body, Paul says, so it is for the church.

Gospel: Luke 4:14-21

Returning home from his baptism in the Jordan and his time in the desert, Jesus begins his public ministry according to Luke in the synagogue in his childhood home in Nazareth. Unrolling the Torah scroll of the Prophet Isaiah, Jesus reads verses that will define his mission, ideas that echo his mother’s song and God’s covenant with the people at Sinai. This scripture is fulfilled in him, he declares. He claims as his own the duty to bring good news to the poor and the oppressed and to declare the year of Jubilee in which slaves are freed and debts are forgiven.

Epiphany 2C

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 16, 2022 (Epiphany 2C)

First Reading: Isaiah 62:1-5

In Sunday’s first reading, the people have returned from exile to Jerusalem, site of Mount Zion where the temple had stood. Now the joyous celebration of return is over now, and the people recognize that a long, hard time of rebuilding lies ahead.

Detail from The Marriage at Cana (1571-1572), oil painting on canvas by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588). Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany. (Click image to enlarge.)

“I will not keep silent … I will not rest,” pledges the prophet, promising to continue calling on God’s help until the temple and the city are rebuilt. God delights in the people and the land, the prophet says. like a bridegroom and will bring the people joy. Then, in Sunday’s Gospel we will hear another story of God blessing a new marriage – in a wedding feast at Cana.

Psalm: Psalm 36:5-10

We drop into the middle of Psalm 36 to hear the Psalmist celebrating God’s love. These trusting verses compare God’s faithful righteousness to the lasting, immovable strength of the mountains and the deep seas. God’s love is so broad that it extends to all humanity and to all animal life, we sing. God gives us shelter, abundant food and drink. God’s priceless love shows us a perfect model that can serve us well as we, in our small, imperfect ways, seek to build good relationships in our lives.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

The Christian community at Corinth, in Greece, probably consisted of fewer than 100 people, about the size of an average Episcopal church; but it had plenty of issues with differences of opinion, arguments and even cliques that called for Paul’s pastoral touch in this letter sent to them from far away. Through the rest of the Sundays after Epiphany we will read from three particularly beautiful chapters in this letter. This Sunday and next week we’ll hear Paul’s poetic thoughts about the people of God as Christ’s body, with each member of the church enjoying certain gifts and being responsible for particular duties, much as each part of our bodies has its own function.

Gospel: John 2:1-11 

The miracle of water turned into wine at the wedding feast at Cana is surely one of the most beloved of the Gospel stories. But why do we hear it during Epiphany? As we go through the season, we will hear a series of “epiphanies” in which Jesus is revealed to the people of the world. Here, called on to sustain the joy of the wedding party by providing new wine, Jesus objects at first that it is not yet “his time.” But his mother won’t take no for an answer, and his newly gathered disciples are amazed at his glory and believe in him.

Epiphany 1C/Baptism of Our Lord

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 9, 2022 (Epiphany 1C/Baptism of Our Lord)

First Reading: Isaiah 43:1-7

The 12 Days of Christmas are over, and we are back to green altar colors and vestments as the season after Epiphany has begun.

Battesimo di Cristo (The Baptism of Christ, c.1470-1475). Oil and tempera painting on panel by Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488) and Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Uffizi Gallery, Florence. (Click image to enlarge.)

The Gospel stories during this season will remind us of events that manifested the divinity of Jesus: The arrival of the Magi, which we heard in preview last Sunday; and now the baptism of Jesus by John at the Jordan. Our first reading from Isaiah and the following Psalm invoke images of water; the second reading, from Acts, and the Gospel speak of baptism. In the first reading, Isaiah assures the Israelites in exile that they will return to Jerusalem, kept safe by God through fire and water.

Psalm: Psalm 29

In Psalm 29, a thundering hymn from the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, the faithful sing of God’s power as seen in a great tempest. God is upon the mighty waters, the Psalmist sings. God’s voice is powerful. We hear it in thunder and lightning, wind and noise, flashing fire and mighty winds that shake the earth and topple trees. But these are not things to fear, the Psalmist assures us. They are signs of the mighty power and majesty of God. As the storm comes to a close, we are left with God’s promises of strength and peace. We share in these gifts through our baptism.

Second Reading: Acts 8:14-17

The Acts of the Apostles, the second act of Luke’s Gospel, tells the exciting story of Paul, the disciples, and other church leaders taking the new Way of Jesus across the ancient Mediterranean, spreading the Good News to Jews and Gentiles alike. Sunday’s short reading gives us a glimpse of Peter and John baptizing new Christians in Samaria. The Samaritans were longtime enemies of the Jews (which is why the Good Samaritan was so surprising), but now the apostles don’t venture boldly out to welcome and embrace the Samaritan converts and baptize them in the Holy Spirit.

Gospel: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

As Luke offers his account of the baptism of Jesus, he musters images of water and fire that seem to echo what we heard in the readings from Isaiah and Psalms. In previous verses, the people had wondered if John the Baptist was the Messiah, but John told them that the one who is coming – Jesus – is far more powerful than he. Now John steps aside – this Lectionary passage skips three verses explaining that Herod put John in prison. We then learn that Jesus has been baptized, whereupon the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove, and God’s voice from heaven announced that Jesus is God’s son, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.

Christmas 2

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 2 2022 (Christmas 2)

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sunday is the Ninth Day of Christmas! We still have a few days to wish friends and family a Merry Christmas before we turn to Epiphany, then Lent, Holy Week and Easter.

“The Adoration of the Magi (c.1500), painting by Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506). The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our readings for the Second Sunday after Christmas speak of thanksgiving, hope, and joy. Even this first 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 2:13-23

Think about the sad and sometimes terrifying images of refugees that have filled the news in recent years: Parents and their children risking their lives in the long, dangerous journey to El Norte. African immigrants drowned in capsized ships on the Mediterranean. Afghans fleeing the dangers of a dissolving nation. Being a refugee can be hard, frightening, sometimes fatal. 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 passage 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.)

Christmas 1

Posted on December 25, 2021 by Robin Garr

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.

Lessons and Carols

Posted on December 25, 2021 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on the readings for Lessons and Carols (Dec. 26, 2021)

Lessons and Carols is a service of worship that celebrates the birth of Jesus with readings from Scripture, carols, and hymns.

King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, England. (Click image to enlarge.)

Lessons and Carols originated at the Church of England’s Truro Cathedral in Cornwall in 1878, and since World War I has been famously presented (and broadcast) every December for the past century by King’s College, Cambridge, England, and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The original service has since been adapted and used by other churches all over the world, not only in the Anglican and Episcopal traditions but in many other denominations as well.

The original liturgy consisted of nine scripture readings from Genesis and the Prophets. The current Episcopal liturgy in our Book of Occasional Services permits as many as nine readings, plus a Gospel.

These are the readings that St. Matthew’s Episcopal will use in Lessons and Carols on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021.

Genesis 3:1-23
The happy time of Adam and Eve’s stay in the garden comes to an end in the ancestral origin story told in these verses: The serpent tempted them and they ate fruit that God forbade. When they heard God walking in the garden in the evening breeze, they realized that they were naked, and they hid, because they were afraid. When God found them, they blamed each other, and then they blamed the snake. Yes, God cast them out. But God came out with them, clothed them, and stayed with God’s people of free will and belief through the ages.

Isaiah 7: 10-15
Isaiah tells of God’s warning to David’s descendant, King Ahaz: His land will soon be conquered, but God will give the people a sign. A young woman will bear a child called Immanuel – “God With Us” – a child who will eventually show the world how to refuse evil and choose the good.

Luke 1: 5-25
In this passage we hear the back-story to Canticle 16, which we sang on the second Sunday of Advent: John the Baptist’s father-to-be, Zechariah, a priest of the Temple, refuses to believe an angel who came to tell him that his elderly wife, Elizabeth, had become pregnant after an angelic visitation. God struck him mute for his disbelief. He would remain unable to speak until eight days after the child’s birth, when Zechariah regained his voice to name the baby John.

Luke 2:1-20
We heard this familiar story of Jesus’s birth on Christmas Day. Now we hear again the unforgettable 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.

Hebrews 1:1-12
This poetic description of Jesus opens the letter to the Hebrews. Jesus, chosen as the son of God, is the perfect reflection of God’s glory, higher even than the angels. When Jesus was born, 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 him.

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.

Christmas Day I, II, and III

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on the Lessons for Dec. 25, 2021 (Christmas Day, I, II, and III)

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

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

The Adoration of the Shepherds (c.1645), oil painting on canvas by Georges de La Tour (1593-1652). The Louvre, Paris. (Click image to enlarge.)

O Come, All Ye Faithful! We gather to celebrate the joy of Christmas and the birth of the infant Jesus, hearing Luke’s familiar story of the census, the angels, and the manger. In our first reading for Selection I (Christmas Eve), we begin with the prophet Isaiah’s verses 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.

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

In the first reading from Isaiah for Selection II (Christmas dawn), we listen in as the people’s exile in Babylon nears its end. Through the power of God’s strong right hand and mighty arm, the people will return to Jerusalem. Prepare the way, build up the highway toward home and clear it of stones, the prophet calls. 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. 

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

Israel’s exile in Babylon is ending in the Isaiah passage for Selection III (Christmas Day). 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 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. 

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.

Psalm, Selection III: Psalm 98

Again we are called to stand up and rejoice in a Psalm of praise filled with joyous music, harps, trumpets and horns. 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 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.

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.

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, the perfect reflection of God’s glory, higher even than the angels. Indeed, it 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, says Hebrews, his throne is for ever and ever, and God speaks to us no longer through the prophets but through him. 

Gospel, Selection I and II: Luke 2:1-14(15-20) and Luke 2:(1-7)8-20

Now we come to the familiar Gospel story of Jesus’ birth. Today we read the nativity according to Luke. This is the Gospel that gives us 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. 

Gospel, Selection III: John 1:1-14

There is no nativity story in this Christmas Gospel. Luke and Matthew, each in his own way, give us the familiar story of the newborn baby born in Bethlehem. But John introduces us to Jesus in a completely different way: It’s a poetic and spiritual passage instead, celebrating 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.

Advent 4C

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 19, 2021

First Reading: Micah 5:2-5a

God’s liberating preference for the poor and the oppressed is made manifest in Sunday’s readings. This may seem to be an unusual theme for the last week in Advent, with Christmas drawing near.

The Annunciation (c.1590-1603), oil painting on canvas by El Greco (1541-1614). Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki, Japan. (Click image to enlarge.)

In reality, though, it is a deeply significant message for the impending birth of Jesus: Jesus will go on to care for the poor, the hungry, the ill and imprisoned and oppressed as the central focus of his good news. Our readings begin with Micah, one of the earliest Old Testament prophets. In previous verses, Micah has warned the people of Jerusalem that their injustices against the weak and the poor will bring down God’s wrath. Now we hear the prophet foretell that a new ruler is to come from Bethlehem – the birthplace of King David – to reunite Israel’s remnant as a shepherd leads his flock, under God’s protection in peace.

Psalm: Canticle 15 (Luke 1:46b-55)

Mary’s song of praise, The Magnificat, may either be sung as a psalm this Sunday, or it may be read as the second portion of Sunday’s Gospel. In this beloved song as told by Luke, the pregnant Mary sings grateful praise for God. She rejoices in all that God has done for her. She celebrates the powerful yet merciful God who loves us and calls us to acts of mercy and justice. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly, she sings. God has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. God’s justice is restorative – God will take from those who have much and give to those who have none.

Alternate Psalm: Psalm 80:1-7

We sing the first seven of Psalm 80’s nineteen verses on Sunday. The Psalm was probably either written during a time of exile and destruction or recalls that time. The place names invoked in the second verse suggest that this hymn recalls the loss of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, to the Assyrians in 722 BCE. In tones of sorrow, the Psalmist calls on Israel’s God to come and help, to restore the people who, in a memorable metaphor, have been fed with the bread of tears and given tears to drink. Although the people have suffered derision, laughter and scorn from their enemies, including their own neighbors, the Psalm expresses confidence that the light of God’s own countenance can save them.

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10

The Letter to the Hebrews, modern biblical scholars say, was probably written late in the first century, after the Temple was destroyed. At that time, early Christianity was separating from rabbinical Judaism amid anger and pain on both sides. Because Christianity was suffering persecution at the hands of Rome, many Jewish converts to Christianity were returning to the safer confines of Judaism. Much of Hebrews seems intended to reach backsliding Jewish Christians by comparing Judaism unfavorably to Christianity. Sunday’s reading declares that that God abolished the “empty” sacrifices of the Jewish Temple, replacing them and sanctifying us once and for all with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We would do well to discard this view of Judaism as “abolished,” hearing instead the hopeful message that God’s promise to Israel at Sinai continues for us too.

Gospel: Luke 1:39-45

This lovely short reading from Luke’s Gospel comes immediately before the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, which we heard earlier. Here we are told of Mary’s visit to her much older cousin Elizabeth. Both women are pregnant – Elizabeth with John, Mary with Jesus – and both conceived in miraculous ways, visited by angels with the news that they would give birth. When the women meet, Elizabeth feels her child leap in her womb with what she perceives as joy. Suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth declares Mary blessed among women. “Why has this happened to me,” Elizabeth wonders in amazement, “that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” Then, in the following verses, Mary responds with the Magnificat.

Advent 3C

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 12, 2021

First Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20

Our Lectionary readings for the Third Sunday of Advent shout out in joy and exultation as we light the pink candle on our Advent wreaths.

The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist (1566), oil painting on oak by Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c.1526/1530-1569). Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest . (Click image to enlarge.)

Our first reading is taken from the minor prophet Zephanaiah, who came before Isaiah and Jeremiah. Like the more well-known later prophets, Zephaniah foretold Jerusalem’s coming destruction and the people’s exile. These verses, though, anticipate a joyous time when God will restore Israel, rejoicing with its people in gladness and love. The prophet declares God’s favor for the oppressed, a theme of liberation that John the Baptist will echo in this week’s Gospel.

Psalm: Canticle 9 (Isaiah 12:2-6)

“Surely it is God who saves us. We will trust in God and not be afraid.” We often read this passage from the Prophet Isaiah in Morning Prayer. In these psalm-like verses, the prophet relates salvation with drawing water from a well, a striking image for people in desert lands. In biblical times, drought meant death and flowing water brought joy. Thank God with joy when we draw God’s precious, life-giving water from the springs of salvation, Isaiah tells us. Sing out your joy and praise, knowing that you are safe under God’s protection.

Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-7

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” In these brief verses, Paul tells the people of Philippi that they should rejoice, for the Lord is near. Pray and give thanks, he tells the people, and even in difficult times, “the peace of God, which passes all understanding” will fill their hearts and minds. In our world of stress and tension, what a blessing it is to enjoy a moment of peace. Imagine God’s peace, a peace so wonderful that we can’t even comprehend it!

Gospel: Luke 3:7-18

Picking up where last Sunday’s Gospel left off, the long-haired, ranting prophet yells at the crowds. He calls them “a brood of vipers,” and warns that God might chop them down and burn them up if they don’t repent. This does not sound like rejoicing! But John shouts an urgent message: Prepare the way for Jesus, the one to come whose sandals John is not worthy to untie. Prepare for the coming of Jesus: Share your clothing and your food with those who have none. Don’t cheat. Don’t be selfish! Jesus’ mother, Mary, also sang of filling up the hungry with good things; and Jesus himself will remind us, “When I was hungry, you gave me food …” This is Jesus’s way. We are called to make it our way …joyfully.

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