Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for Dec. 18, 2022 (Advent 4A)

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-16

As we have gone through the four weeks of Advent, we have had the opportunity to deepen our appreciation for Scripture’s account of the coming of the Messiah, which Christians understand as the Incarnation, God becoming fully human and fully divine in Jesus.

Our first reading draws again from the prophet Isaiah, who understood the Messiah as a good king, a successor in the line of King David. Isaiah was speaking of his own time when he warned King Ahaz – an evil leader who had collaborated with the Assyrians – that as soon as the child was weaned (“eating curds and honey”), the king’s land would be conquered. Christians would later look back and interpret the birth story of Jesus in Isaiah’s prophecy that a child named Immanuel (“God with us”) would be born to a “young woman.” That Hebrew word,​ “almah,​”​ would be translated in the Pentateuch, the Greek Old Testament that was in common use in the time of the Evangelists, as “parthenos,” meaning “virgin.”

Psalm: Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

In this psalm of lament over the destruction of the temple and the people’s exile, the Psalmist begs to be spared the divine anger that has left the people with “bowls of tears to drink” as their enemies laugh them to scorn. These verses echo the Isaiah reading in the hope that God will free the people and come with power to restore the kingdom and the Covenant. Send a man of God’s right hand, the strong son of man, the Psalmist pleads, promising that the people will never again turn from God’s way if only God will save them.

Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7

The opening verses of Paul’s letters follow formal patterns set in Greco-Roman culture, much like the “To whom it may concern, I hope this letter finds you well” that we might see in modern formal correspondence. Still, even these formulaic verses tell of Paul’s pastoral concerns for the Romans. Paul emphasizes that he is an apostle of Jesus, and that Jesus is the son of God, the descendant of David prophesied in Scripture – such as the Isaiah verses we read today. Paul assures Rome’s Christians that he comes in Jesus’s name to the Gentiles, who are God’s beloved, called to be saints.

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25

It is the fourth and last Sunday of Advent, and our Gospel takes a decided turn toward Christmas as we hear of an angel visiting Joseph, who is described as Mary’s husband, at a critical moment. Imagine Joseph, a man of an ancient, patriarchal culture, discovering that his sweet young fiancee is pregnant, but not with his child! Who wouldn’t decide to call the whole thing off? But Joseph, a righteous man, prefers to end the engagement quietly, without scandal or gossip. But then, before things go off the rails, an angel arrives to assure Joseph that Mary is bearing a child of the Holy Spirit, a son who will save his people from their sins. Finally the angel repeats Isaiah’s prophecy, quoting the Greek Pentateuch: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.”

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 22, 2019

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-16

Christmas is drawing near, and we can all but feel the Incarnation – God becoming human in Jesus, the Messiah – in our readings for the fourth Sunday of Advent.

In our first reading, we hear the prophet Isaiah describing the Messiah as a good king, a worthy successor to King David. The prophet warns David’s descendant, King Ahaz of Judah, that his land will soon be conquered; but a child named Immanuel – “God With Us” – will be born to a young woman, and the child will eventually bring good in place of evil.

Psalm: Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

This psalm of lament over Israel’s exile remembers the shame and disappointment of being conquered. It calls on God in a sorrowful voice, asking to be spared the divine anger that has left the people with “bowls of tears to drink” as their enemies laugh them to scorn. Send a man of God’s right hand, the strong son of man, the Psalmist begs, promising that the people will never again turn from God’s way if only God will save them.

Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7

Paul gets directly to the point as he opens his letter to the young church in Rome, a congregation that he has not yet met. He tells them that he is an apostle of Jesus, called to that ministry; that Jesus is the son of God, the descendant of David whom the prophets had foretold; and that through his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ is Lord, the Son of God. He comes to them in Jesus’ name, he assures his mostly Gentile audience: They, too, are God’s beloved. Only after offering these important assurances does he come back to a proper formal greeting: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25

In Sunday’s Gospel we come to the brink of Christmas, but there’s a bump in the road: Joseph has learned that his young fiancee is pregnant, but not with his child! We can easily imagine how a man in the culture of the ancient Near East might react to such news. But Joseph, a righteous man, decides to end the engagement quietly, without scandal or gossip. Before this can happen, though, an angel appears to Joseph and assures him that Mary is bearing God’s son. In words almost mirroring the Isaiah prophecy, the angel announces, “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” (The Hebrew word translated as “young woman” in Isaiah now reappears in the New Testament as “virgin” in Greek.)

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Dec. 18, 2016

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-16

In living through the four weeks of Advent, we deepen our appreciation for the coming of the Messiah, the Incarnation of God becoming fully human and fully divine in Jesus. Today’s readings conclude Advent with eager anticipation for the coming of God’s kingdom through the line of King David. The Prophet Isaiah tells of God warning David’s descendant, King Ahaz, that his land will soon be conquered, but that a child named Immanuel – “God With Us” – will be born to a young woman and will eventually bring good in place of evil.

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

Today’s Psalm, too, remembers the shame and disappointment of being conquered. It calls on God in a voice of lament, asking to be spared the divine anger that has left the people with “bowls of tears to drink” as their enemies laugh them to scorn. Send a man of God’s right hand, the strong son of man, they beg, promising never again to turn from God’s way if only God will save them.

Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7

Paul gets directly to the point as he begins his letter to this congregation that he has not yet met: He is an apostle of Jesus, called to that ministry; Jesus is the son of God, the descendant of David whom the prophets had foretold; and through his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ is Lord, the Son of God. Then he assures his mostly Gentile audience that he comes to them in Jesus’ name. They, too, are God’s beloved. Then, only after these important assurances, does he come back to a proper formal greeting: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25

Christmas is drawing near! Today we hear Matthew’s version of the events leading up to Jesus’ birth. While Luke’s Nativity, the other familiar Christmas Gospel, tells the story from the viewpoint of Mary and her relatives, Matthew gives us Joseph’s point of view. How do you suppose a man of this patriarchal Near Eastern culture might react, learning that his young fiancee is pregnant but not with his child? Joseph prefers to end the engagement quietly, without scandal or gossip. But then an angel comes to assure Joseph that Mary is bearing God’s son, in words almost mirroring the Isaiah prophecy: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” (The Hebrew word translated as “young woman” in Isaiah now reappears in the New Testament as “virgin” in Greek.)

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-16
The joy of Christmas is drawing near, but we still have another week of Advent to reflect on the Incarnation, God becoming human in Jesus, the Messiah. Isaiah foresaw the Messiah as a good king, the successor to King David. He spoke of current times when he warned King Ahaz that by the time the child was weaned (“eating curds and honey”), the king’s land would be conquered. Christians would later look back and see Jesus in Isaiah’s prophecy about a child named Immanuel (“God with us”) born to a “young woman,” the Hebrew word​ “almah,​”​ which the Greek Old Testament that the Evangelists knew would later translate as​ “parthenos” or “virgin.”

Psalm: Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18
A Psalm of lament over Israel’s exile, this song, too, expresses hope that God will free the people and come with power to restore the kingdom and the Covenant. Early Christians surely took hope from reading these ancient verses as speaking of Jesus, “the one at God’s right hand whom God makes strong.”

Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7
The opening verses of Paul’s letters follow formal patterns set in Greco-Roman culture, like the “To whom it may concern, I hope this letter finds you well” that we might see in modern formal correspondence. Still, even these formulaic verses tell of Paul’s pastoral concerns for the Romans. Paul emphasizes that he is an apostle of Jesus, and that Jesus is the son of God, the descendant of David prophesied in Scripture – such as the Isaiah verses we read today. Paul assures Rome’s Christians that he comes in Jesus’s name to the Gentiles, who are God’s beloved, called to be saints.

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25
Now we come to the brink of Christmas! Imagine Joseph, a man of an ancient, patriarchal culture, discovering that his sweet young fiancee is pregnant, and not with his child! Who wouldn’t decide to call the whole thing off? But Joseph is righteous and prefers to end the engagement quietly, without scandal or gossip. And then an angel comes to assure Joseph that Mary is bearing God’s son. And the angel repeats Isaiah’s prophecy! “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” And then, as in an exciting movie serial, we must breathlessly wait for Christmas Day and the birth of Jesus.