The lutheransermons's Podcast

Bible Study - The Christmas Story Part 9 - Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7

Today we hear of the birth of Jesus from the perspective of Joseph and then the simple, most familiar words of the Christmas story. We begin with Matthew 1:18-25. Matthew wrote his Gospel primarily for Jewish people. In Chapter 1, he traces the ancestry of Jesus back to Abraham, father of the Jewish nation. Then he tells us that Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. (Mary was also related to King David in some way. See Romans 1:3.)

We would say today that they were engaged to be married, but as was proper, had not yet lived together; but betrothal was much more serious in Judaism. If the commitment of betrothal was broken, then people would need a divorce to end the relationship. The person guilty of unfaithfulness could even be put to death by stoning. (See Deuteronomy 22:21, for example. Under the New Covenant, we do not have such penalties, though adultery is always sinful and could be a grounds for divorce.)

Joseph discovered that his wife-to-be was expecting a child, and he knew he was not responsible, since they had not yet “come together” as husband and wife. What else could he assume, but that Mary had been unfaithful to him? He was a just man and still cared about Mary, though, and did not want to shame her even more and was thinking that he must divorce her, but quietly (Matthew 1:18-19). What an agonizing situation for him and Mary!

Joseph did not make a quick decision, though, and was still considering all this when an angel appeared to him in a dream. He was told not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, as she had done nothing wrong. It was rather a miracle of God by the power of the Holy Spirit that she was expecting (Matthew 1:20). In fact, the angel said, Mary will have a son, who must be named Jesus (the Savior, or the Lord Saves), for He will save His people from their sins.

This was all in fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 (more than 700 years earlier) that a virgin would conceive and bear a Son, who would also have the name Immanuel, which means “God with us.” This tells us who Jesus would be - a real human boy, according to the flesh, from the line of King David, who would be one of us and be tempted as we are and yet not sin, and yet God, also, great enough to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world - the God/man, exactly what we needed.

Clearly, also, Jesus was not going to be a “political” Savior, who would overthrown governments and bring political liberation to people. He would deal with the much greater problem of “sin” - that we have all departed from God’s path and missed the mark of what we should be and would be eternally lost without a Savior to rescue us. The name “Jesus” is the Greek form of the name “Joshua.” The Old Testament Joshua led God’s people into the Promised Land. The New Testament Jesus will lead people to eternal life and joy, by what he does for them (Matthew 1:21-23). (See Acts 4:12 and Psalm 130:7-8 and Hebrews 10:9-10, for example.)

God also gave Joseph grace and strength to believe what the angel said and go ahead and take Mary as his wife and name the child “Jesus.” Joseph also had no sexual relationship with Mary, “knew her not,” until she had given birth to Jesus. It was completely a virgin birth, as prophecy had said, by the miracle of the Holy Spirit. The brothers and sister of Jesus who are mentioned later in the Scriptures were then most likely children of Mary and Joseph conceived and born in the normal human way, after the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:24-25, and Mark 3:31 and Mark 6:3, etc.).

We turn then to Luke 2:1-7, where the birth of Jesus is told in the very simple way that we know best. Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, had made a decree (a dogma) that “all the world” (all the people under his control, in all the “inhabited houses” where he reigned) were to be “registered” (counted, inventoried) with the purpose of taxing them all.

Caesar Augustus (“the exalted one”) had the power to do this. He ruled from 31BC to 14AD and had the authority and respect to carry this out. This decree was given in 7-6BC, the time when Quirinius was governor of Syria, one of the Roman provinces (Luke 2:1-2). Both of these people are well known among Roman historians. (Do remember that we just had a census in 2020 in the US that was delayed and barely completed, even with all our modern technology. It will take years to sort our all the information collected, and we will not have another census until 2030. It took much longer to get things done in the ancient world. Some kind of decree was made about the Roman province of Gaul, and it took 40 years to carry out.)

It is no surprise then that Joseph and Mary did not have to travel to Bethlehem, to their ancestral home, the city of David, until years later, when Mary was close to giving birth to Jesus. The trip from Nazareth, in the Northern part of Israel, to Bethlehem, was more than 70 miles, and they had to go “up” because Bethlehem was in hill country, near Jerusalem. The name “Bethlehem” literally means the “House of Bread.” Jesus was “the Bread of Life” and would provide eternal life for people, as they were brought to faith in Him and were spiritually nourished by Him (Luke 2:3-5 and John 6:35).

Then we are simply told that while Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for the birth of Jesus. Bethlehem was a very small town and many extra people were there, probably for the registration. There was no room for them in the inn,  a normal place of lodging; and babies come when they come, so Mary had to place baby Jesus in a “manger,” a feeding trough or box for animals. It is from this one word that we know Jesus was born and placed in a stable or maybe a cave, as animals were sometimes kept in caves, also. Only in those places would be mangers from which they could eat food. It was certainly a lowly, unsanitary, smelly place for Jesus and Mary and Joseph.

That Mary did the wrapping of Jesus in strips of cloth, the customary way of covering an infant at that time, indicates that she and Joseph were poor and far from home. If at all possible, couples would try to have someone like a midwife to help the family. Mary had to do all by herself, with what help Joseph could give (Luke 2:6-7).

This very humble birth of Jesus was exactly what other Scriptures tell us. Jesus was “rich” (true God in the glory of heaven) “yet for our sake He became poor” (a tiny baby in a food trough) “that we, by His poverty might become rich” with all the blessings Jesus came to bring to us (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus was God, and yet “made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant… in human form He humbled Himself, by becoming obedient for us, even to the point of death” later on (Philippians 2:5-8).

This was the plan of God for our salvation in the humble coming of Jesus. It was prophesied in the Old Testament, Jesus predicted His own suffering and sacrifice in our place to save us, and He had to explain it again even after His resurrection (Isaiah 53:2-12, Mark 8:31-32, Luke 24:25-27, 44-47).

One more thought. Caesar Augustus thought he was in control, ordering everyone to go to the places he told them to go, to be counted and taxed. Over time, the emperors thought they were gods and demanded to be worshiped. The emperor was “savior” and “son of God” and “Lord.” Emperors would usher in the “golden age” and could do miracles and on and on. In reality, though, in the birth of Jesus, God was in control, working through the Emperor to get Mary and Joseph just where they needed to be for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, just as Micah had predicted hundreds of years before. (We will hear more of this later.)

This is very comforting for us. We worry that governments and leaders are not what they ought to be and use their power for what is not good. Yet God is still working for our good, even in troubled times. The commentator, Donald Miller, wrote of God teaching us about “the meaning of history. By the decree of Caesar Augustus, the Messiah was born where God had chosen. By setting the Babe over against the Caesar, Luke is proclaiming that God is the Lord of history. History is not ruled by fate, nor by the will of man, but by God. Not Caesar, but Christ, is Lord.” We will see this more and more, as the Christmas story goes on.

Sermon for the Baptism of our Lord - January 9, 2022

Sermon for the Baptism of our Lord, based on:

Isaiah 43:1-9

Romans 6:1-11 

Luke 3:15-22

Sermon originally delivered January 13, 2013

Sermon for the Epiphany of our Lord - January 6, 2022

Sermon for the Epiphany of our Lord, based on:

Isaiah 60:1-6

Ephesians 3:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12 

Sermon originally delivered January 6, 2013

Preparing for Worship - January 9, 2022

This is the Sunday of the Baptism of Jesus and remembering the value of our own baptism or the need for our own baptism in Christ Jesus, if we have not yet received it.

The Old Testament lesson is from Isaiah 43:1-7. God speaks of what He has done for the people He has created. He has redeemed them and called them by name and saved them and calls them to Himself. “Fear not,” He says, “for I am with you.”

In the same way, our Epistle lesson, Romans 6:1-11, tells us that as Jesus died and rose again to new life, in our baptism we have died to our old life and been raised to a new life in Christ Jesus. We are no longer enslaved to sin, that it must reign in us. We are now alive in Christ and His enabling grace (v.14) and we will also live with Him, by faith.

The Gospel lesson is from Luke 3:15-22. John has the people ready and wondering about the Christ, the promised Savior. John makes it clear that he is not the Savior, but the Mightier One will come, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Then, Jesus is baptized and identifies with all the sinful people who need baptism, including us. The Holy Spirit then comes upon Jesus in a visible way, as a dove, and the Heavenly Father declares that Jesus is His Son, perfectly pleasing to Him. The one true Triune God is at work in Jesus to rescue the sinful world through Him.

The Psalm is Psalm 29. This is a great Psalm of praise to the God of glory, whose voice was heard at creation “over the waters,” making our marvelous universe and world, and whose voice would be heard again “over the waters,” when His own Son would be baptized at the Jordan River. God’s power and strength can be seen in mighty storms and floods in the natural world; but above all, He is able to give spiritual strength and peace to His people (as is seen above all in Christ Jesus and what He did for us).

Bible Study - The Christmas Story Part 8 - Luke 1:57-80

Last week, we heard of the visit of Mary to Elizabeth and the encouragement they received from each other, as God’s Holy Spirit worked through each of them and God’s promises to them, especially in their Savior, Jesus.

Now we move to the story of the birth of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son, John, in Luke 1:57-80. It was a time of rejoicing for these parents and their neighbors and relatives, as this child was safely born. The Lord had truly shown His “great mercy” to these elderly people in giving them a child. They followed, in thankfulness to God and doing what God in the Old Testament asked of them, in having their child circumcised on the eighth day after his birth (Luke 1:57-59).

See Genesis 17:9-14 and how important circumcision was. Baby boys were brought into covenant relationship with God as His chosen children through this process. There are parallels with baptism, which brings forgiveness and new life to little children and all others who are baptized, under the New Covenant, with water and the Word, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (See Colossians 2:11-13, also.)

It was the custom to give the child his name on this day, and most everyone expected that the child would be named after his father, Zechariah, or with another family-related name. Instead, both parents indicated that his name should be John, following what the angel Gabriel had said (Luke 1:13). Elizabeth spoke, and Zechariah wrote this on a tablet, since he could not speak. The name “John” was very appropriate because it means: “The Lord has been gracious.” God was gracious to this couple and to the whole world, in finally sending this child, John, who would prepare the way for the Savior Himself, born of Mary (Luke 1:59-63).

The people “wondered” at all this, until Zechariah suddenly could speak again and “blessed God,” speaking well of Him in praise. Then, awe and fear came upon the people, who talked and thought much about all this. “What then will this child be?” they were saying. Clearly, “The Lord’s hand was with this child” (Luke 1:62-66).

Zechariah was then filled with the Holy Spirit and inspired to give a great prophecy that we still sometimes sing in worship, the “Benedictus” (the Latin for his first word, “Blessed”), praising and speaking well of “the Lord God of Israel” (Luke 1:67-68).

Verses 68-75 then speak of what God will do through the child of Mary, Jesus, in fulfillment of many prophecies and picture images of the Old Testament. This comes first, for Jesus is most important, as the Lord and Savior of the world. Then, verses 76-79 speak of the child, John, who would prepare the way for the Lord Jesus, calling people to be ready to receive the “tender mercy” of God, through repentance and “forgiveness of their sins.”

Some call the “Benedictus” the last prophecy of the Old Testament, Old Covenant times, and the first of the New Testament, the New Covenant, centered in Christ Jesus.

God was “visiting” and “redeeming“ His people through “a horn of salvation” coming from a descendant of King David, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy (Luke 1:68-70).

• When God “visited" His people, it meant He was ready to go into action on behalf of His people, “remembering” His “covenant” promises to His people. He had not forgotten, but it was now the right time for Him to act, beginning with the promises made to Abraham (Luke 1:72-73).
  • See Genesis 21:1-2, where God “visited” Sarah and Abraham with the birth of their child, Isaac, in their old age, through whom would eventually come the Savior, Jesus, who would bless all nations (Genesis 12:3).
  • See also Joseph’s words about God visiting His people and rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, in Genesis 50:24; God “visiting” and providing food for Israel in Ruth 1:6, so that Naomi and Ruth could go back to Israel and play a part in the coming of King David; and on and on.
  • In Psalm 8:4, the word for “caring” is really a caring visitation, as in Jeremiah 15:15. That is quoted in Hebrews 2:6, where the Greek word is “visited," the same as in Luke 1:68. The greatest visitation, of course, is that of Jesus, as he came to be the Savior. See Luke 19:44, where Jesus spoke of fellow Jews rejecting Him and missing that “time of visitation.
• The “horn of salvation” is an Old Testament term for the strength to save people. The horn of a a strong wild animal represented that strength. See Psalm 18:2-3, where God is called “the horn of our salvation.” See also Psalm 132:17 and Ezekiel 29:21, for example. Jesus as Lord has that strength to save us.
• God’s greatest “redeeming” work in the Old Testament was in rescuing His people from slavery in Egypt and setting them free by His work for them. See Exodus 6:5-6, where God’s remembering and redeeming are combined. See also Exodus 15:15 and many other such passages. Jesus is the great Redeemer of the New Testament, shedding His blood to pay for our sins. See Ephesians 1:7 and 1 Peter 1:18-19 and Galatians 3:13, etc.

All of this redemption is predicted and described in Zechariah’s prophecy in this passage. God’s people were saved, too, so that they could then go and serve the Lord in the freedom He brought them. See Exodus 5:1-3 and 7:16 and passages like Psalm 106:7-12, where God saved His people, that they might “remember His steadfast love” and “believe His Words“ and “sing His praise.”

So also, Zechariah predicted, we New Testament people are “saved” and delivered” by our Lord Jesus, so that we might “serve Him without fear,” knowing that He has counted us as “holy” and “righteous” in His sight “all our days” by what He has done for us. “Perfect love casts out fear” - that perfect love of Jesus for us. (See 1 John 4:10-11, 16-18, along with what Zechariah prophecies in Luke 1:71-72 and 74-75.)

Zechariah then turned in his prophecy to his child, John, who would be “the prophet of the Most High” God and “go before the Lord to prepare His ways.” John would point people to “the knowledge of salvation” through Jesus, who would be, as John said, “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) and who brings us “the forgiveness of our own sins,” through the “tender mercy of God” (Luke 1:77-78).

All this about John is predicted in passages we have already looked at, like Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3-6 and the prediction of the Elijah to come (Malachi 4:5-6) whom Jesus identified as John. Note also in Malachi 4:2-3 the prophecy of “the sun of righteousness rising with healing” and the wicked being defeated “on the day when the Lord acts.” This points again to Jesus.

Notice how similar this is to the words of Zechariah in Luke 1:78-79, promising “the sunrise who shall visit us from on high” and bring “light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” and bring us peace. A rising star led the wise men to Jesus, the Light of the world, not John, as we shall see in weeks ahead. Yet John had the great privilege of “bearing witness to the Light, that people might believe in Him” (Jesus).

See John 1:1-14. All this is exactly what Zechariah predicted, in this remarkable prophecy in Luke 1:67-79. (See also 2 Peter 1:19-21 and 1 Timothy 1:2, where we hear of the “Grace, mercy, and peace which come to us from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,” born as a tiny baby in Bethlehem.) Our future and hope are always in Jesus alone, not in John or any other human person.

Luke 1 ends with mention that the baby John also grew and became spiritually strong (he was not perfect, but was a great witness for His Lord) and spent time in the wilderness, fulfilling his Nazarite vows (Luke 1:15-17) and preparing for his work of calling people to repent and receive baptism and forgiveness and to be ready for the Kingdom of God, coming in Jesus (Luke 1:80).

Next week, we will finally get into the familiar Christmas story itself. But even there, there is much to remember and learn.

Sermon for New Year’s Eve - December 31, 2021

Sermon for the New Year's Eve, based on:

Isaiah 30:8-17

Romans 8:31-39

Luke 12:35-40 

Sermon originally delivered December 31, 2012

Preparing for Worship - January 2, 2022

This is the 2nd Sunday after Christmas, and our readings have to do with how Jesus was growing in wisdom as a young person and how we can be growing in true wisdom as well.

The Old Testament lesson is from 1 Kings 3:4-15. Solomon had become king of Israel at about the age of 20, and God said to him in a dream, “Ask what I shall give you.” Solomon praised God for His steadfast love and asked only that he be given “an understanding mind” (literally, in the Hebrew, “a hearing heart”) so that he would listen to God and know good from evil and be able properly to govern the people of Israel. God promised him that and much more, as he walked in God’s ways.

The Psalm is Psalm 119:97-104. The psalmist says that he will meditate on God’s Word and in that way be wiser than his enemies and have more understanding than his teachers and the aged, the elders. There are many smart people who know much about many things; but only through Lord and His precepts will one have true wisdom and understanding, the psalmist declares.

In the Epistle, Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul speaks of God’s eternal plans and purposes in Christ. This is wisdom and insight revealed only by God to people through “hearing the Word of truth, the Gospel of salvation,” and coming to “believe in Him, in Christ.” This is all by God’s grace and “to the praise of His glory,” as gifts from Him, in Christ.

The Gospel is Luke 2:40-52. We hear that Jesus, as a true human child, did not always use His power as the Son of God, but had to grow in wisdom and strength by the favor of God, just as we do. He knew that He needed to spend time in the temple in Jerusalem, His Father’s house, listening to God’s Word and asking questions, and showing His own understanding in the responses He gave, though His own parents, Mary and Joseph, did not understand what He was doing. Through it all, He was obedient and grew in the wisdom of God, which brings eternal blessings.

Bible Study - The Christmas Story Part 7 - Luke 1:39-56

This week’s study focuses on the conversation between the two key women in the Christmas story, Elizabeth and Mary, the mothers of John the Baptist and Jesus. The angel, Gabriel, had told Mary not only of the coming of the Savior through her virgin birth, but also that her relative Elizabeth was expecting a child in a miraculous way, since she was far too old to have a child.

In Luke 1:39-40, we hear that Mary decided to visit Elizabeth and quickly went to the town in the hill country of Judah where she and Zechariah lived. She must have thought that Elizabeth would surely be welcoming of her and understanding of her unusual circumstances, since both were experiencing a miraculous birth.

When Mary greeted Elizabeth, baby John leaped in her womb. This was no ordinary movement of a baby in the womb. Verse 44 tells us that baby John “leaped for joy.” Luke 1:15 records the words of the angel that John would “be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb,” and was enabled by the Spirit to respond to Mary and the Savior coming to them.

Elizabeth was also “filled with the Holy Spirit,” and spoke well of Mary and her child, with a loud cry, as “blessed” by God Himself. She even recognized that baby Jesus was “her Lord,” the One John was to prepare people for. (See again Luke 1:17.) Why, she asked, was this privilege given to her to see Mary, and with her, the Lord Jesus? Elizabeth then used another word for Mary being blessed that means more like her being “happy and fortunate” that by God’s grace, she believed the Word of God brought by angel Gabriel and trusted that God would fulfill His promise to her - unlike Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, who at first doubted it all (Luke 1:42-45).

Note that the focus is more upon God’s grace to Mary in giving her the great privilege of being the mother of the Lord and Savior than upon Mary’s greatness. Elizabeth also knew that she herself did not deserve the honor and privileges given to her.

Words similar to what was said to Mary were also spoken to some in the Old Testament. See the story of a woman, Jael, in Judges 4, who was able to kill Sisera, leader of enemies of God’s people. Jael is called “most blessed of women” in Judges 5:24, but it is clear that God enabled her to do what she did, and He “subdued” the enemies of God’s people (Judges 4:23). Jael was simply His instrument by which this happened. See also Deuteronomy 28:4, where God says to all his people, and to all Jewish women, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb” because out of that nation would eventually come the Savior, who was now coming through Mary.

See also Luke 11:27-28, where Jesus was speaking and a woman cried out to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed.” Certainly Jesus respected and loved His mother. He made sure she was taken care of in John 19:26-27.  But in Luke 11:28, Jesus responded to the woman, “Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” Hearing God’s Word and trusting in Jesus is most important.

Mary responded to what Elizabeth said by also giving the glory to God, not to herself. (The words she said are used in worship and in hymns still today in what is called the “Magnificat.”) Mary “magnified the Lord.” She glorified and praised God, not herself. She used words and ideas that come right out of the Old Testament and people’s praise of God in the past.

See, for example, the song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Hannah also was miraculously blessed to be able to have a child, Samuel. Hannah began, “My heart exults in the Lord… I rejoice in Your salvation.” Mary said something very similar: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:47). Both Hannah and Mary knew that they were imperfect and needed the Savior God was sending. See in Matthew 1:21 the most important part of the meaning of Jesus’ name as Savior: “for He will save His people from their sins.” The Bible never claimed that Mary was sinless; rather it says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” other than Jesus (Romans 3:23).

Mary rejoiced because God looked upon her in her humble estate as a simple servant of God. She knew that future generations would call her “blessed” (happy and fortunate), not because she was so great in herself, but because the “Mighty” God “had done great things for her,” in allowing her to be the mother of the Savior. Mary did not call herself holy. She said of God, “Holy is His Name,” as Hannah also did in 1 Samuel 2:2 (Luke 1:48-49).

Mary also emphasized the mercy of God. “Mercy” means “compassion” or “pity” on those who are needy and really need some help, but still “fear God,” with reverence and trust in Him (Luke 1:50). See also Luke 1:54, where Mary remembers that “God has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy” to them - not because they deserved it, but because He was compassionate to them. The word for “helped” in this verse means “taking someone’s part and coming to their aid.”

An Old Testament example of that is in Isaiah 41:8-10, where God says to His servant Israel, “You are My servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” God does not forget. The fact that He remembers his mercy simply means that He is ready to go into action in help to people, as He did in the greatest way in finally sending Jesus into the world to be the Savior, through Mary.

Mary was expressing confidence, not in herself, but in God, in this great responsibility of giving birth to the Savior and then in helping raise Him. Note also that God had made such promises of help to “Abraham and his offspring forever” (Luke 1:55). Who are these “offspring”? The New Testament says that they now include all believers in Christ, whoever they are, including us today who trust in Jesus and are baptized. (See Galatians 3:7-9, and 13 and 26-29, and Romans 4:16, etc.)

So much more could be said about this song of Mary, in its parallels to the song of Hannah, and many psalms and other Scriptures. The commentator, William Arndt, summarizes Mary’s words in this way:

1) She thanks God for having favored her, a humble maid of Israel, in such extraordinary fashion (v.46-50).

2) She praises God for resisting the haughty, the proud, and the self-righteous, and for aiding the poor, the lowly, that is, the humble sinners (51-53).

3) She exalts the name of God because the Lord fulfills the promises which he had made to the fathers in the Messianic prophecies 
(54-55).

We could look at many more such passages, similar to what Mary said. Some of these I mention in the full podcast, and you could look at more of these on your own.

• From the Psalms: Psalm 34:2-8, Psalm 35:9, Psalm 107:8-9, Psalm 111:9-10
• Jesus’ words: “Some are last who shall be first, and some are first who shall be last.” (Luke 13:30)
• Reminders that many of the blessings that God gives are spiritual, not physical: Romans 14:17, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 1 Corinthians 1:4-9, I Peter 2:9-10, 2 Peter 1:19

Finally, we read that Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home (Luke 1:56). That may mean that she stayed through the birth of Elizabeth and Zechariah’s son, John. If so, Mary received even more in encouragement from what happened there and the prophecy of Zechariah, as we will hear and be encouraged next week, too.

Sermon for the 1st Sunday after Christmas - December 26, 2021

Sermon for the First Sunday after Christmas, based on:

Psalm 111

Colossians 3:12-17

Luke 2:22-40

Sermon originally delivered December 30, 2012

Preparing for Worship - December 26, 2021

This Sunday is the 1st Sunday after Christmas. Here are the readings most likely to be used. The Old Testament lesson is Exodus 13:1-3a,11-15. The firstborn of the Jews were spared when the firstborn of the Egyptians died in the last plague against the Egyptians, and the Pharaoh finally set God’s people free. Future firstborn sons belonged to God, first, and were to be “redeemed.” (See Numbers 18:15-16, also.) This was to remind God’s people that they were His and always dependent on Him. This also explains some of the ceremonial laws that were followed when Jesus was “presented” in the temple in the Gospel lesson.

In that Gospel lesson, Luke 2:22-40, Joseph and Mary did everything expected for a newborn son and his mother in Jewish law. In His life, Jesus faithfully followed all of God’s will, without sin, in our place, and freed us from that ceremonial law and the curse of all sin. This passage also shows us two faithful Jewish people, Simeon and Anna, who waited for the coming Savior, and rejoiced when Jesus, that promised Savior, was brought to the temple. They also spoke of the redeeming work that Jesus would do. Finally, we hear that Jesus, as a true man, was growing and becoming stronger, physically and with the wisdom and favor of God.

The Epistle, Colossians 3:12-17, speaks of our own growth in our Christian life, as God’s chosen ones, called to faith by God’s love, and the Christlike qualities God wishes to work in us, through the Word and power of Christ, who lives in us. We are called to do everything in the name of Christ Jesus, with thanksgiving.

The Psalm is Psalm 111. The Psalmist thanks and praises God for His great works on behalf of His people and His redeeming work, above all. We, in thanksgiving to Him, are to fear Him, with awe and love and trust.

For some churches, including St. James, the readings may be those for the day of Stephen, the first martyr of the early Christian church. The Epistle lesson, from Acts 6:8-7:2, 51-60, tells of how Stephen spoke out boldly for Christ and the Christian faith and then was arrested and stoned to death, as the Jewish religious leaders were outraged at what he was saying. Stephen saw a vision of the risen Lord Jesus at the right hand of God, as he was dying, and prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

This is not the first time in the Bible a spokesman for the Lord was killed. In the Old Testament lesson, 2 Chronicles 24:17-22, King Joash turned against the one true God and worshipped idols and had the priest Zechariah stoned to death for criticizing him and pointing out the idolatry in the land.

In the Gospel lesson, Matthew 23:34-39, Jesus said that this rejection of God’s true prophets and leaders had been all too common in Old Testament times, from the first murder, of Abel by his brother Cain, to the last one mentioned in the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures, this death of Zechariah. (The Hebrew Scriptures have the same content as our Old Testament, but the order is different and the last of their books is 2 Chronicles.) Jesus also called Jerusalem “the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.” He knew of His own death, soon to come, and of the death of Stephen and so many others.

The Psalm is Psalm 119:137-144. The Psalmist speaks of how he has been “small and despised” in the eyes of others, and faced “trouble and anguish” and says, “My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget Your Words.” Jesus quoted a similar psalm, Psalm 69:9, with regard to His own zeal for God’s house and the reproach He would receive; and He predicted His own death, too, in John 2:14-22.