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.

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.)

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.

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.

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 Today’s Lessons for Jan. 3, 2016

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14

The Gospel story of Joseph, Mary and Jesus seeking refuge in a strange land offers us rich food for thought in our own troubled times, when refugees look for safe places around the world. Sunday’s readings offer comfort for those who put their faith in God as they face fear, poverty and oppression. Hear the prophet Jeremiah, speaking to Israel in exile. A people forced to migrate to the enemy’s capital, leaving behind the ruins of Jerusalem and the Temple, trust that God will lead them back home, turning their sorrow into gladness, their mourning into joy.

Psalm 84

In poetic themes and metaphors that closely echo Jeremiah’s verses, the Psalmist writes a hymn of trust and praise in a loving God who 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, lavished with God’s grace and glory.

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

Paul offers the people of Ephesus a promise similar to the one we heard in last week’s reading from Galatians: They – and all of us – are adopted as God’s children through Jesus, and in this way we are freely given God’s grace. Like migrants received with a loving embrace in their new land, we receive a glorious inheritance of great spiritual riches that gives us hope.

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

Surely we all remember the horrifying picture of the baby Syrian boy whose drowned body washed up on the Turkish coast. Now think about Joseph and Mary, 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?

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Jan. 4, 2015

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14

We are still in Christmastide: The 12 days of Christmas continue through Epiphany, January 6, and our readings speak of thanksgiving, hope, and joy. 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.

Psalm: Psalm 84

The Psalmist, too, sings a hymn of joy, and specifically, the joy of worshipping in the rebuilt temple whose destruction and restoration the Prophet Jeremiah had foretold. Even amid the joy of having the building restored, though, the 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

Echoing in Ephesians the reassuring theme that we heard in last week’s reading from Galatians, Paul emphasizes that we are all adopted as God’s children through Jesus. Through this adoption we are freely given God’s grace, a glorious inheritance of great spiritual riches that gives us hope.

Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

The gospels tell us almost nothing about Jesus’s childhood and youth. This intriguing 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 God’s beloved Son.

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 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. How do we hear God’s voice? What leads us to Jesus?

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14
Sunday is the Twelfth Day of Christmas! Wish your friends a very Merry Christmas one more time before we move on through Epiphany toward Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week and Easter. In today’s first reading, we hear the Prophet Jeremiah in exile, dreaming of a beautiful future day when the people have returned to Jerusalem and are revived as a great nation, filled with prosperity; singing, dancing and feasting with joy. Centuries later, the evangelist Matthew will look back and interpret Jeremiah’s prophecies as promises of the resurrected Christ as Messiah.

Psalm: Psalm 84
Today’s Psalm echoes Jeremiah in its lyrical hope to find joy in God, urging the people to worship and pray for God’s favor, trusting that God will welcome the people home and will offer protection, favor and honor to those who trust in God.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a
Paul reflects today’s previous readings as he 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 reminds them – and us – that knowing and trusting God through Jesus opens us up to hope in God and the glorious riches of God’s grace.

Gospel: Matthew 2:13-23
This is a hard reading to ponder during the joy of Christmastide; and we haven’t made it easier for you: We’ve chosen to retain the optional, horrifying verses about Herod’s 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. But the terrible story, which evokes Moses and Pharaoh and the Exodus and provides Matthew a firm link between Jesus and Old Testament prophecy, also frames an important reality: Jesus’s call to bring in the Kingdom of God by delivering good news to the poor and the oppressed will not always be received with joy and approval. There is risk in following Jesus, yet we must do it all the same.

Gospel (Alternate Reading): Matthew 2:1-12
The Gospel gives us a preview of the feast of the Epiphany tomorrow, 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, not Matthew’s, that places them with the shepherds, cattle and sheep.)