The First Sunday after Christmass, 29 December 2013
Isaiah
61:10 – 62:3
Psalm
147
Galatians
3:23-25; 4:4-7
St.
John 1:1-18
Background: St. Stephen,
St. John, and The Holy Innocents.
Unfortunately, to my way of thinking, there is
a rule of precedence that does not allow the use of the propers for the three
days noted above should they follow on a Sunday. The on-line lectionary gives a caution: This Sunday takes precedence over the three Holy
Days, which follow Christmas Day. As necessary, the observance of one, two, or
all three of them is postponed one day.
Readers
and those preaching on this day may want to take some time to devote themselves
to these three days and the instructive nature they afford the celebration of
Christmass. It might be a good
thing, having immersed ourselves in our cultures celebration of the holidays,
to devote ourselves to the cost of what Christmass really is - to see what it
means to follow Jesus.
First, 26 December is Stephen,
protomartyr and deacon, martyred because of his confession of Jesus. Stephen, a Greek-speaking Christian was
also appointed as one of the first deacons who were sent to serve the
Hellenistic widows in the early Church.
Thus Stephen was a martyr both in will and in deed.
The second is the celebration of St. John’s Day, 27 December, which honors the
Apostle and Evangelist. John (and
here we need to mention that a great deal of modern scholarship which sees John
of Patmos, John the Apostle, and John the Evangelist as three separate persons)
was not martyred and so he was a martyr in will but not in deed. John’s prologue serves as the Gospel
for Christmass I, and his late take on the ministry of Jesus adds additional
insight and theology to the accounts by the synoptics.
The final day in this series is the day of The Holy Innocents, 28 December. Matthew’s Birth Narrative relies a
great deal on both the Moses and the Joseph stories from the Hebrew
Scriptures. Here we meet Mary’s spouse,
also named Joseph, who like his forbearer has visions and dreams. The story of the innocents depends on
the story of the killing of the Hebrew firstborn in the Moses stories. These young innocents were martyrs not
in will but in deed.
Each of these days serves as an occasion to reflect on our Christmass
celebration, and our following of the Babe of Bethlehem. Like Mary, we need to ponder.
Isaiah 61:10-62:3
I will greatly rejoice
in the LORD,
for he has clothed me
with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with
the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks
himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns
herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings
forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes
what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord GOD will
cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all
the nations.
For Zion's sake I will
not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's
sake I will not rest,
until her vindication
shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like
a burning torch.
The nations shall see
your vindication,
and all the kings your
glory;
and you shall be called
by a new name
that the mouth of the
LORD will give.
You shall be a crown of
beauty in the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem in
the hand of your God.
This writer, who followed the first Isaiah, is anointed to give a new
vision to the exiles who are returning to Palestine after their trials in
Babylon. It is a vision of both
joy and hope. The passages mirror
the hopes of an earlier Isaiah, in that this new prophet is called to bring good news to the afflicted. There is a renewal of things in the
earth and in society as well. The
references to the garden, the bridegroom and the bride, and to earth itself
show the all-encompassing nature of this prophet’s hope and vision. Finally, there is a new name for the
nation and for Jerusalem. It is a
name given by God. In the verses
that follow this reading, the nation itself is seen as a nation of priests
serving God and witnessing to the world in a new fashion. What Christians might hear here are the
voice of John the Baptist and his call for repentance, a turning back to
God.
Breaking
open Isaiah:
1.
What is your
greatest joy in life?
2.
How well
does this Isaiah do in describing the joy of return?
3.
He also
speaks of hope. What hopes do you
have?
Psalm 147 or 147:13-21 Laudate Dominum
Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing
praises to our God! *
how pleasant it is to
honor him with praise!
The LORD rebuilds
Jerusalem; *
he gathers the exiles
of Israel.
He heals the
brokenhearted *
and binds up their
wounds.
He counts the number of
the stars *
and calls them all by
their names.
Great is our LORD and
mighty in power; *
there is no limit to
his wisdom.
The LORD lifts up the
lowly, *
but casts the wicked to
the ground.
Sing to the LORD with
thanksgiving; *
make music to our God
upon the harp.
He covers the heavens
with clouds *
and prepares rain for
the earth;
He makes grass to grow
upon the mountains *
and green plants to
serve mankind.
He provides food for
flocks and herds *
and for the young
ravens when they cry.
He is not impressed by
the might of a horse; *
he has no pleasure in
the strength of a man;
But the LORD has
pleasure in those who fear him, *
in those who await his
gracious favor.
Worship the LORD, O
Jerusalem; *
praise your God, O
Zion;
For he has strengthened
the bars of your gates; *
he has blessed your
children within you.
He has established
peace on your borders; *
he satisfies you with
the finest wheat.
He sends out his
command to the earth, *
and his word runs very
swiftly.
He gives snow like
wool; *
he scatters hoarfrost
like ashes.
He scatters his hail
like bread crumbs; *
who can stand against
his cold?
He sends forth his word
and melts them; *
he blows with his wind,
and the waters flow.
He declares his word to
Jacob, *
his statutes and his
judgments to Israel.
He has not done so to
any other nation; *
to them he has not
revealed his judgments.
Hallelujah!
This psalm follows well upon the words of a later Isaiah in the First
Reading. Here God is called “the
builder of Jerusalem,” and gives us a clue that the psalm comes from the period
following the exile. In this psalm
the author recounts the ways in which God is compassionate and caring. The fullness of creation is resident in
the God of Israel: God counts the number
of the stars, and gives them names; God is the essence of wisdom, and the giver
of life upon the earth. Traditional
images of strength are cited here so that God can be seen as the one who brings
the people back without the strength of battle or war. For this reason the city and its people
are called to worship the Lord. The final verses are overflowing
with reference to God’s word and breath, and we as readers or proclaimers are
drawn back to the mists of Creation where the Spirit hovers over the
waters. It is not just snow, rain,
and hail that are blown from the mouth of God, but righteousness as well.
Breaking
open Psalm 147:
- Where do you see God in creation?
- Where do you see God in the city?
- Where do you see God in your life?
Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7
Now before faith came,
we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.
Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be
justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a
disciplinarian.
But when the fullness
of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in
order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption
as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son
into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave
but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
Paul wants his readers to understand the setting of the Birth of Jesus;
he wants them to experience the condition of humankind that necessitated the
coming of the Christ. Thus, he
reminds them of the rule of the Law, and calls it “our disciplinarian”.
This is a difficult cultural argument to make, with the Galatians having
had another religious background.
It is interesting to note, however, that Abraham and Sarah were seen as
the “father and mother” of Jewish proselytes, and thus Paul is introducing them
the full understanding of such a tradition. That given, he begins to talk about another adoption, one
that Gentiles could surely understand.
“You are no longer slaves – but a
child.” If in today’s liturgy
we are counting the costs of kneeling at the manger, then here are the rewards
as well.
Breaking
open Galatians:
- How does God’s Law inform your life?
- How does Christ’s example govern your life?
- Are you a slave or an heir? What does that mean?
Saint John 1:1-18
In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not
one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the
life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent
from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so
that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came
to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming
into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He
came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who
received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of
God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of
man, but of God.
And the
Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as
of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and
cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead
of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received,
grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is
close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.
When
I was a kid, following his own services on Christmass Eve, my father would
always watch a delayed television broadcast from The Cathedral of Saint John
the Divine in New York. Of course,
the rest of us sat there as well observing and reveling in the ritual of the
liturgy. At the Gospel, however, I
was always deeply moved when the Gospel from John was read, and when the Deacon
read the words, “and the Word became
flesh,” he (and unfortunately it was always he then) would kiss the Book of the Gospel. “Yes,” I thought, “this is the center,
this is the mystery, and this is the reality.”
On
commentator that I read compared the Prologue in John’s Gospel to a musical
overture, “opening up the core symbols
and central themes that provide the key.”[1]
Where these verses originally came from is a bit of a question, but either
their composition by John or their preservation by John serves as a gift to
those who would understand Jesus.
He uses a powerful comparison to begin his Gospel, modeling the verses
of the hymn on Creation itself.
The Word in the creation story, seen as God’s breath or ru’ah, the very Spirit of God, is the
causative agent in creation. John
sees Jesus in this role.
The
Evangelist also needs to deal with and differentiate the one who announced
Jesus’ coming – John the Baptist.
Although he enlightened the people with his message of the Coming One,
John wants us to be certain that John the Baptist was not the light. Jesus was
not only the bringer of light – he is the light. Jesus is the effulgence of that light, and as John says, “we have all received, grace upon grace.” Yes all the symbols, signs, and hooks
are here; ready to propel us into the story. It is like Christmass itself with its own signs and symbols –
telling and initiating the story.
Breaking open the Gospel:
1.
What words are powerful to you?
2.
What of Jesus’ words are powerful to you?
3.
How might you speak with power to the world?
After
breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate
Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our
lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
All questions and commentary copyright © 2013,
Michael T. Hiller
[1] Lee,
Dorothy Ann, “John”, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Abington Press,
Nashville, TN, 2010, location
27533.
Comments
Post a Comment