ISAIAH 9:2-7

THE BACKGROUND

Originally, this was intended to be a coronation song for a not fully-grown king.  It was a royal hymn of praise to him and hope for the future of God’s people.  This was written hundreds of years before the birth of our Savior. 

Early Christians were quick to recognize the prophetic nature of this passage, seeing how well it fit their understanding of Jesus, the Messiah.  The people of Isaiah’s day did not, of course, say “this is about Jesus”!  Is it possible that God provided Israel, through Isaiah, with a meaningful prophecy for that time, and at the same time provided Christians with a prophecy to point to the birth of our Savior?  Each will have their own answer to that question. For the purpose of this reflection, we will explore the traditional Christian understanding.

THE DETAIL

• Verse 2 speaks of a people who have walked in darkness, but now, with the birth of the Messiah, have seen a great light.  This, to me, refers to us Gentiles.  Most Christians today are not Hebrews, so we are Gentiles.  Before Jesus, God’s saving grace was reserved for the Jews.  With Jesus’ birth, we now become heirs of the kingdom.
• Verses 3-5 indicate a shift from war and plunder to a time of peace.  This is part of the future kingdom.  We have a taste of this peace, but the fullness of this peace is yet to come.  I’ll discuss this in detail in the Takeaway. 
• Verses 6 & 7 are the gem of this passage, and need no explanation.  I can hear Handel’s “Messiah” in my head as I write this.

THE TAKEAWAY

• When discussing the “kingdom of God” parables, theologians often use the word “eschatology”.  It’s a fancy word that means the partial completion of things—the “already, but not quite.” This was best explained to me by a pastor of mine.  We were having a bible study, and this word came up.  He pointed to a pregnant woman sitting at the table.  “Is Jenn’s baby here, or not?”  The baby, was, indeed “there, but not quite really “there”. That would happen in the months to come. The kingdom of God is like that baby. We have the kingdom here on earth now, but not fully.  We have the rich peace mentioned in verses 5 and 7a, but not fully.  When Jesus returns, we will experience the full kingdom. 
• I am so thankful that God has seen fit to come to earth and reveal himself to us Gentiles!  Thanks be to God for his steadfast love of all of us! 

TITUS 3:4-7

THE BACKGROUND

Titus was a trusted member of Paul’s inner circle of followers.  He is mentioned several times in Paul’s letters.  This letter was written to Titus, who had been put in charge of straightening out the church on the island of Crete.  This is a very short letter.  In my little bible, it takes up only two pages.  Today’s passage is part of the concluding paragraphs of the letter. The Revised Common Lectionary begins with verse 4.  I suggest beginning with verse 1, to get a full understanding of what Paul is saying.

THE DETAIL

• In verses 1-3, Paul tells Titus to remind the Cretan Christians to be obedient, kind, and gentle.  Then, he reminds Titus that we all are human and rebellious, before Jesus came and changed our lives.
• Verses 4-7 are the verses appointed for Christmas Day.  This is a beautiful passage, and I am surprised that I have not memorized it.  They are a beautiful summary of the saving grace of our Lord.  Let’s take a closer look: 
• God decided, out of loving kindness and goodness, to appear to us in the form of his Son.  (v. 4)
• He did this to save us. (v. 5a)
• He did this because of his own mercy, not because we deserved it.  (v. 5b) If you’re in doubt about this, please refer to verse 3—they’re talking about US!
• He saved us through our baptism and the rich blessings we receive continually from the Holy Spirit. (v. 5c)
• This Holy Spirit abundantly blesses us all of this through the gift of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate this Christmas.  (v. 6)
• Verse 7 states that we have been “justified by his grace”.  This means that our sins are forgiven, by the free and abundant grace of our Lord, through the death of his Son on the cross.  We do not earn this by our own doing (see verse 5a), but by the abundant, loving grace of God. (v. 7a)
• Finally, because we have been justified, or forgiven of our sins, we may now become heirs to the hope of eternal life! (v.7b)

THE TAKEAWAY

At first, it seems a little odd to talk about all of this on the day of Jesus’ birth.  But on second glance, it is perfectly fitting and proper.  This is what this little baby came to do.  He came to wash away our sins, and make us heirs!
 

LUKE 2:1-20

THE BACKGROUND

Luke the Evangelist provides us with the beautiful account of Jesus’ birth.  I don’t need to expound on them in detail, you know these words well.  Instead, let me share a few reflections on the birth of our Savior.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

• Sometimes, we call the birth of Jesus the Incarnation.  What does that word mean?  In Latin, “carne” means flesh or meat.  It follows that the word “incarnation” means in the flesh.  For us believers, the word “incarnation” reminds us that God has decided to take on flesh, and dwell among us.  To teach us, love us, heal us, and die for us.
• The angel Gabriel told Mary to name the baby Jesus.  Well, sort of.  “Jesus” is the Greek version of the Hebrew name “Yeshua”(1), which means “the Lord saves”.  Even his name points to his divine purpose!
• Couldn’t Jesus have been born to a better family than a carpenter’s family? I’m thinking a priest of the house of Levi would be more appropriate.  Why a lowly carpenter?  Why was he born in a stable?  Shouldn’t he have been born in Jerusalem, and not the little town of Bethlehem?  Why did dirty shepherds(2) come to worship him, and not somebody more appropriate?  Why did the Magi bring gifts, and not the high-ranking clergy of the Jewish faith?  Everything God does has a reason or a purpose.  What might those reasons be in this case?
• Perhaps the answer to these questions lie in the teachings and life-example of Jesus.
  • He made God's priorities and values crystal clear in his sermons on the mount and plain.  God's values appear to be the opposite of most humans.
  • Jesus criticized the religious leaders of the day as well as the wealthy.  Instead, he socialized with the down-trodden and despised; with the unclean, sinners, and foreigners. 
• He came from heaven to effect change.  How has he changed you and me?

Footnotes

1. Names are different in different languages.  Take, for example, the name James.  That’s how we say it in English.  In French it is Jacques.  In German, it is Jacob.  Jesus is the Greek name for our Savior.  In Hebrew it is Yeshua.  In English, it is actually Joshua.  But we have stuck with calling him Jesus.

2. Shepherds were so dirty, that by Jewish law it would take them days of ritual cleansing to enter the temple.

ISAIAH 61:10-62:3

THE BACKGROUND

This part of the book of Isaiah was written about God’s people, who were returning home from exile.  God has saved them from what could have been the end of their culture. These are also very fitting words of praise to God who saves from a different fate.  He gives us the gift of his Son, who saves us and adopts us as heirs of the kingdom.

THE DETAIL

• Verse 10 starts right off with praise for God’s saving actions.  They are likened to clothing—garments of salvation. Party or wedding clothing!  You can feel the joy and celebration.
• Israel was experiencing a new beginning.  There was great hope, like the hope you have when planting a tree. That hope was that Israel would grow and be a shining example of God’s greatness.  Their vindication, or come-uppance, would show the world how great they and their God are.  After Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, the church spread rapidly to “all the nations” (v. 11)
• When I read the words of 62:1, I think of the pop tune by Cat Stevens. The song begins “I can’t keep it in, can’t keep it in.  I’ve gotta let it out!”  This is the Christmas joy we should all have, knowing the wonderful free gift that our Savior brings to us.

THE TAKEAWAY

With Jesus’ birth on Christmas, we get a wonderful gift. Immanuel—God lives with us.  He comes to heal, to teach, and to save. Let’s go tell it on the mountain!
 

GALATIANS 4:4-7

THE BACKGROUND

Sometimes, the apostle Paul is very wordy, and other times he is ultra-concise.  Here, in the span of three verses, we get a view of the beautiful, intimate relationship that we can have with our Lord.

THE DETAIL

• God had to wait until the right time before he sent his son.  At the time that Jesus came, Greek was the universal language, much like English is today.  This allowed free communication throughout the Roman Empire.  The relative peace that Roman occupation provided, along with the roads they built, helped people like Paul to quickly travel and spread the news.  This, to me, is what Paul meant by the “fullness of time”.  Then, and only then, did God put is saving action into place. He sent his Son, born of Mary, born a devout Jew (“under the law”), all with one purpose in mind—so that we could be redeemed, and be adopted as God’s very children. (vv. 4-5)
• Because we are his beloved children, he sends the Holy Spirit to help us call him our Father.  The word “Abba” is the Hebrew (Aramaic, actually) word for Father, but in the familiar form.  It is what a child would call their father—“Dada” or “Daddy”!  It does sound like something a baby would say, doesn’t it?  The point here is that we don’t just get to call God “Father”, but we get to use the intimate, loving term of Daddy. We are members of His family.  (v. 6)
• Verse 7 might seem a little odd, since Paul is talking about slavery.  At that time, about a third of the population was slaves.  It was commonplace, and not considered morally wrong.  Paul often uses it as an illustrative example, to show our prior relationship with God.  In his letter to the Romans, he says that in our former lives, we were slaves to sin. Now, as believers in Jesus, we are children of God.  In Roman times, when a Roman citizen died, the children were his heirs, and the slaves got nothing.   Paul uses this to show us that now that we are the adopted children of God, we inherit eternal life.  I know it doesn’t say all that here, you’ll find it in Romans and some of Paul’s other writings.  We studied those passages a few months ago.

THE TAKEAWAY

Before Jesus left his throne, and came to walk with us, we were merely Gentiles in the darkness.  Now, we are God’s very children, able to call him “Daddy”!

LUKE 2:22-40

THE BACKGROUND

I am amazed that the amount of travelling that Joseph and Mary undertook.  It would be one thing if they had a nice little motorhome.  Instead, they did it all on foot.  Old paintings show Mary riding on a donkey, but none is mentioned in the Bible.  They travelled on foot from their home village of Nazareth, to go to Bethlehem.  I looked it up.  It is an 84 mile journey.  Can you imagine walking that distance?  It’s like walking from Tryon to Charlotte!  That had to take at least three or four days, maybe more with a wife ready to deliver a baby. 

Now, they are off to Jerusalem!  The Jewish law requires that Jesus be circumcised eight days after his birth.  Since they were in the neighborhood, they did this in Jerusalem—it was on the way back from Bethlehem, only 8 miles up the road.  After that, they still had 78 miles to go, before they were back home in Nazareth.  Later, they would make the long journey to Egypt, but we’ll save that for another day.

THE DETAIL

• So, in obedience to Leviticus 12:1-8, they bring the baby Jesus to the temple. (vv. 22-23)
• They bring the prescribed offering of four birds.   This tells us that Mary and Joseph are poor.  They do not bring the regular offering prescribed in Leviticus 12:6, but the provisional one in verse 8, for those who cannot afford a lamb.
• Here’s where the story gets fascinating.  An old man approaches, and takes Jesus in his arms!  He says those words that many of us know as the Song of Simeon (or the Nunc Dimittus).  (vv. 25-32)
• You can imagine how the parents felt!  The bible tells us they were “amazed”.  They were probably feeling a lot of other emotions, as well.  Then, Simeon turns to Mary and makes a prophetic proclamation.  We believe the “sword piercing Mary’s soul” might have something to do with watching her son suffer and die on the cross.  (vv. 33-35)
• If that wasn’t enough, an elderly prophetess approaches them as well.  She praises Jesus, and talks about the redemption of Jerusalem. (vv.36-38)
• After an exciting day in the temple, they return to Nazareth, where Jesus will grow “strong, filled with wisdom…”  (vv. 39-40)

THE TAKEAWAY

Simeon waited most of his life for the chance to see the Messiah.  Now that he has seen and held this precious child, he is at peace.  In his song, Simeon essentially says “Lord, I’ve seen him! You can take me now.”  We have “seen” Jesus through the stories given us in the Gospels.  We can be at peace, knowing that our eyes have seen God’s salvation.

2 SAMUEL 7:1-11, 16

THE BACKGROUND

This is a story about King David.  At this point in the story, he is close to reaching the high point of his career as a warrior-king.  He is taking a break from his battles, and is resting in his cedar palace.  Nathan is the prophet to David’s court.

The tabernacle was a large tent complex.  There were rooms within the tabernacle, which were used by the priests for religious ceremonial purposes.  The innermost room was called the Holy of Holies, and contained the Arc of the Covenant; this arc was thought to be God’s dwelling place on earth; God’s portable “house”.  The tabernacle and the Arc of the Covenant were built during the time of the Exodus. The Arc has even been taken by Judah’s soldiers into war, to protect them from defeat.  (This didn’t always work.)

THE DETAILS

• In the first paragraph (vv. 1-3), King David is resting in his palace.  It occurs to him that his “house” is much nicer than God’s “house”, the tent/tabernacle.  He shares this with Nathan, who agrees with the king.
• That night, God sends a message to Nathan in a dream (v. 4).
• Basically he tells David, “Who are you to tell me where to live?  I’ve been living in my tent since before you were born!”
• God then makes a word game with the word “house”.  He proclaims that he will make a “house” for David.  But he doesn’t mean a building, he means a dynasty (vv. 5-11)
• Then, in verse 16 comes the promise that is the key to our Advent season.  God says “…your kingdom shall be made sure forever…”.

THE TAKEAWAY

God promise to David bears fruit with the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day.  Jesus’ ancestral lineage goes back to the house of David.  We are all part of the kingdom of God, so Jesus’ reign does indeed last forever!  
 

ROMANS 16:25-27

THE BACKGROUND

These three verses are the last lines of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.  They are also a benediction and a summary of Paul’s mission to the Gentiles.

THE DETAIL

• The Benediction: If you are familiar with Paul’s writings, then you know how wordy he can get.  To see the benediction, you must look at the first few and the last few words of this passage.  Here they are:  “Now to God… be the glory forever!  Amen.”
• But all those words in-between are really good!  Let’s take a closer look at those, breaking them down into bite-sized chunks. The takeaway for each chunk appears with them, after the label “TA”.
• God is able to strengthen the Roman church (and us) because of the good news (the gospel) work of Paul. (v. 25b) TA:  We have heard the gospel message, and believe. Let us not hesitate to call upon God for spiritual strength.
• The secret of God’s salvation has been kept secret from us Gentiles for a long time. Now, through Jesus, this salvation has been revealed to even us Gentiles!  (vv. 25b-26a)  TA:  In times past, only the Hebrews knew God’s steadfast love.  Now, it is freely available to the whole world!
• Through Jesus, our new commandment is to be obedient in faith to God.  (vv. 26b-27a)  TA:  Usually, we think of obedience being connected to a rule, or the Law of Moses.  But here, Paul talks about the “obedience of faith”.  Faith is the key to our salvation, not obedience to the law; so it is right to direct our obedience to faithfulness.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

During this season, we prepare our hearts for Jesus’ arrival on Christmas Day.  We are renewing our commitment to be faithful to Him in thought, word, and deed.  We are obedient in faith.

For centuries, God’s favor was only with his “chosen people”.  With Jesus’ arrival, we Gentiles now have access to God.  It is easy to take for granted this free gift of God’s grace that we receive through the birth of His son.  So, with Paul we may say “Now to God be the glory forever! Amen!”
 

LUKE 1:26-38

THE BACKGROUND

The verses just ahead today’s passage tell us about Mary’s cousin Elizabeth.  Elizabeth has conceived the child who will grow up to become John the Baptist.  She went into seclusion for five months.

THE DETAIL

• “In the sixth month” (of Elizabeth’s pregnancy), an angel pays Mary a visit.  (vv. 26-27)
• Mary is a teen-aged girl in a backwater town called Nazareth, who is engaged to be married. Gabriel, and angel of the Lord, enters and says “Greetings favored one!  The Lord is with you.”  (v. 28) I do think that she would be much more than “perplexed”, and “pondering what sort of greeting this might be.” (v. 29)  I think this young girl was probably scared half out of her wits!
• Gabriel calms her down (“do not be afraid”), and tells her the good news of God’s plans.  Mary:  “I’m gonna have a baby?  Sure, probably, I’m engaged to be married after all.”  Gabriel”  “No, not later.   NOW, you will conceive a baby…” (v. 31). Gabriel goes on to explain that this baby will become the messiah, as foretold by scripture (vv. 31-33).
• Mary has questions.  Wouldn’t you? “How’s this going to happen?  After all, I’m a virgin.”   (v. 34)
• Gabriel goes on to give her the details (vv. 35-37)
• Here’s the remarkable part.  Mary agrees to the plan (v. 38).

THE TAKEAWAY

Gabriel tells this unwed teen that she is going to be a mother.  Mary’s first reaction is to be expected, predictable.  But when Gabriel explains God’s plan, she responds in a very unpredictable way.  In faith, she sets aside the fact that she will be shamed socially, for becoming pregnant before marriage.  She will have to face her fiancé and explain it all.  (How do you think that will go?)  Why did she do this?  She did this because she had faith, and trusted in the Lord.  Doing the Lord’s will was more important to her than social standing.  It was worth risking a relationship with her fiancé, and worth raising a child whose father could not be identified. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Mary’s obedient faith serves as an excellent role model for us. How can we exemplify Mary’s obedience in our faith-walk?

ISAIAH 61:1-4, 8-11

THE BACKGROUND

This is a dialogue between the people of Israel in exile (through the prophet Isaiah) and God.  It comes at a time when they are returning home from captivity in Babylon. Their homes and the temple will be in shambles, and will need to be rebuilt.  There will be a lot of hard work ahead of them.  This passage offers words of encouragement for them, as they are for us during this pandemic.

THE DETAILS

This passage can be broken into three parts; 1) the prophet speaks, 2) God answers, and 3) the prophet and people speak again.

• In verse one, the prophet says something like “boy, have I got good news for you!”
• In the last part of verse one through four, he gives the details.  Proclaiming liberty to the captives, comfort to those who mourn, etc.
• He gets to the heart of things in verse 4.  “Oh!  By the way! You’ve gotta build up some ancient ruins and repair ruined cities.”  They were all built with large, heavy stones, so there would be a lot of heavy lifting. They will definitely need to be “oaks of righteousness” for all the stone work that lies ahead.
• God speaks in verses 8 & 9.  He says that because he loves justice, he will faithfully give them their “recompense”.  So, what is that?  I looked it up.  Recompense means a payback or compensation for their trouble.  So, what does it mean for God to do something “faithfully”?  It means that we can trust God to be dependable. We can be sure that He will compensate them for their trouble.    The compensation doesn’t come in the form of a stimulus check.  Better than that, they will become famous.  Their reputation will be known far and wide.
• The remaining verses read a lot like psalm or praise-prayer.  They have reason to pray-sing this prayer, because God has delivered them, is bringing them home again, and promises them fame.

THE TAKEAWAY

Many of our Old Testament readings come from the time surrounding their Babylonian captivity.  This was a profound time in the history of Israel.  Israel would never be the same again.

We are currently suffering through a prolonged pandemic.  Since March of 2020, our lives have changed dramatically.  We will never be the same again.  We have not seen loved ones.  We have not worshiped with others.  We can’t eat in our favorite restaurants.  We are suffering from our own form of captivity.  We long for release.  We wait and hope for the saving vaccine. 

This is Advent!  We wait and hope for our salvation from this nasty, deadly virus. We are waiting to be released from our captivity, so we can live life again.  But we also wait for our Savior, who comes to us on Christmas Day.  He will release us from our captivity to sin and death.  Praise be to God!

1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-24

THE BACKGROUND

These are the closing lines of Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica.  When you close a long letter to a dear friend, you want to leave them with something special—a special pearl of wisdom or piece of advice.  This is what Paul says to them.

THE DETAILS

• The first paragraph gives us a bunch of “do’s” and “don’t’s”.
• Verses 16-18 tell us to continuously rejoice, pray, and give thanks, because this is the will of God.  I’d like to raise my hand right now, and ask “do we get a lunch break?”  I’m sure we are not to take this literally, but rather that this should be one of our primary focuses in life.  Even so, that’s a lot of praying, thanking, and rejoicing. I’m gonna work on that!
• Verses 19 through 22 are just as difficult. They speak for themselves.  In “Food for Thought”, I will share a story.
• The last paragraph is a blessing from Paul to this church.  It is right for us to “hitch a ride” on this blessing as well.  Paul asks that God will sanctify us—make us holy.  Our entire being—spirit, body, and soul—will be kept sound and blameless!  (I don’t know about you, but I could use a little help in that department.)  And this is how we should be until Jesus comes again.
• The last sentence talks about that “faithful God” again.  We can depend on Him to do this for us.

THE TAKEAWAY

During my days as an employee of a large corporation, we would set goals and objectives for the upcoming year.  We were required to include one “stretch goal”—a goal that was impossible to achieve, but would be great to strive for.  I believe that is what Paul is asking of the church and us—that rejoicing, praying and giving thanks without end be our stretch goal. We know that we cannot possibly achieve this, but a lot of good will come from trying.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Verse 19 states that we should not “quench the Spirit”. It brought to mind an experience I had about 45 years ago.  I attended a worship service in the loft of a barn.  It was a Pentecostal service.  There were folding chairs, electric guitars, a drum set, and hay, of course.  They started singing a song which was basically the first two verses of today’s psalm, Psalm 126.  They sang it over and over.  The Holy Spirit showed up, and affected the congregants in a variety of ways. I was in shock and awe, but there she was—the Holy Spirit.  Alive and well, and not “quenched” in the slightest amount.

Over the years, my spiritual life has been guided by about a half dozen pastors.  Each in his or her own way has contributed greatly to my spiritual growth.  Some took great pains to ensure that there was order to the worship service and to all the inner workings of the church. Others let the Spirit loose, at least with regard to church administration. 

We sometimes place demands on our churches and our faith relationship that can “quench the Spirit”.  This is not a good thing. 

How might we cut the Holy Spirit loose in our lives?  Wouldn’t that be a good thing?
 

JOHN 1:6-8, 19-28

THE BACKGROUND

The Gospels were written by individual disciples, in various places, for various groups.  Most early churches read from only one Gospel.  It wasn’t until later, that they were all gathered up to form the beginning of the New Testament.  If today’s reading sounds familiar, it is because we read Mark’s version of this event last week.  This week, we get John’s. 

THE DETAILS

• Verses 6-8 are a sort of introduction to John the Baptist.  Keep in mind that in the first five verses of John’s Gospel, he refers to Jesus as “the word” and “the light”.  So, when you see “the light” here, John is talking about Jesus. The gospel writer makes it clear that John the Baptist is not “the light”, but is a forerunner, testifying to the light.
• While the basic story is the same as last week’s passage from Mark 1, this story gives us a peek at the tension that will develop between both John & Jesus and the established religious authorities.  In verse 19 we learn that “the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to…” find out what was going on out there near Bethany.  In verse 24, we learn that they had been sent from the Pharisees.  More questions ensue.  This is the beginning of a conflict that will end in Jesus’ crucifixion.
• John does his best to disarm the situation.  “Hey, I’m only baptizing with water.”  But then he adds “but the one coming after me…”.  He’s telling everyone, even those who hold the power positions in the big offices “It’s not about me.  I’m just the forerunner; the herald.  And then he says in verse 27 “You have no idea what’s headed your way!”  [My personal paraphrase.]

THE TAKEAWAY

John comes to help us prepare for the Messiah.  He urges us to repent.  That word “repent” is an odd old word to me.  It conjures up images of some weirdo carrying a sign that says “repent”.   The word repent, then, has become almost a joke to many.  But this is no joke.  We all fall short.  We all need to reexamine our lives.  Jesus is coming this Christmas, and we are not ready.  Let’s cleanse our hearts, and make them ready for the Savior!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had it all figured out.  They had answers for every question.  Then, along come John the Baptist and Jesus, who upset the apple cart.  It makes me wonder about our churches, especially when we claim to have all the answers.  I have a pretty good feeling that we are in for quite a few surprises, when Jesus returns.