1^st Sunday after Christmas

December 30, 2007

Omaha, NE

Rev. Steven W. Plank

Reflections on the Biblical Texts for the Day

Prayer for Illumination: Living God, help us so to hear your holy Word that we may truly understand; that, understanding, we may believe, and, believing, we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking your honor and glory in all that we do; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Rather than a traditional “sermon,” I thought that I’d read the three lectionary texts for this morning, offering brief thoughts about each, and inviting some possible areas for our reflection upon them – this morning, later today, on New Year’s, and perhaps beyond.

Isaiah 63:7-9

⁷ I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. ⁸ For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely”; and he became their savior ⁹ in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Reflection

This is a season for remembering, isn’t it? At Christmas, we remember those we love… those who are close to us… friends or family who are not able to be with us… loved ones who have died. We remember Christmases we’ve shared in the past. We treasure the Christmas we have in the present. We might wonder what future Christmas holidays will bring. And then we move into New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and, amidst all of the other things going on during that time, we reflect back upon the past year and look forward to what the coming year might hold for us and for those whom we love.

The people of Israel, at the time of our lesson, had been through one of the most traumatic national events that can befall a nation. They had been overrun by an invading army, their capital and their center of worship had been obliterated, and the people had been forcibly moved to various parts of the kingdom of their conquerors. The prophet Isaiah now calls them to remember. But they aren’t just called to sit around and think about “the good ol’ days,” for, to be honest, their recent days were not very good. Instead, they were called upon to remember God, to think about how God had been with them, even in the difficult times, and to hold on to the hope that God would be with them in their days to come.

And how does the prophet say God was with them, how God would deal with them? God deals with us with “great favor” and with “mercy” and with “steadfast love.” God became, not Judge nor Guide nor Lawgiver, but savior. And then these amazing words: “It was no messenger or angel but (God’s) presence that saved them.” Is that the essence of Christmas and Immanuel, or what?

I invite you to pause for a few moments of silence… remember ways in which you experienced God’s presence in your life during 2007… where you hope God’s presence will lead and guide and sustain and help you during 2008… and the ways in which God is intimately involved in your life even now, right this moment…

Hebrews 2:10-18

¹⁰ It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. ¹¹ For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, ¹² saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” ¹³ And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.” ¹⁴ Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. ¹⁶ For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Reflection

The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews is not known to us. His style of writing and the images upon which he draws are unique among the other New Testament writers. Plus the predominant image which he uses to refer to Christ is that of our High Priest. That’s not an easy image around which we Protestants can wrap our brains, since we worked really hard to get rid of the old paradigm of priesthood some 500 years ago!

In this passage, however, the author talks not so much about Jesus as our Priest, but rather about Jesus as our Savior… Jesus as Immanuel… Jesus as God incarnate. The Messiah, he wrote, does not just come to be with us, but to be one of us! He came to take on flesh and blood, just like us. He came and underwent sufferings, just like us. He even experienced death, just like us.

Jesus is not a stranger to us, but is one with us, one of us. In fact, three times in these nine, short verses, the author says that Jesus views us as nothing less than his own brothers and sisters!

I invite you to pause for a few moments of silence… What does it mean to think of Jesus as our brother? What does it feel like to realize that Jesus views us as his own brother or sister? What are the implications that Jesus is just like us? What comfort does that bring? What challenge does that raise?

Matthew 2:13-23

¹³ Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” ¹⁶ When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: ¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.” ¹⁹ When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ²⁰ “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” ²¹ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. ²³ There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”

Reflection

Joseph lives up to the experiences of his ancient ancestral namesake: a dreamer through whose dreams God speaks and leads and acts. In this passage, God comes to Joseph in a dream and warns him to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt to flee Herod’s acts of insane infanticide. Then, in another dream, God lets Joseph know that it is safe to return to his homeland. This time, Joseph settles in Nazareth… and Matthew begins his pattern of quoting Old Testament passages and showing how everything related to the Messiah is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

But this passage not only speaks of God’s nearness and direction through dreams. It also speaks of national tragedies, of horrors that almost are beyond our comprehension. In the Church year, the three days immediately following Christmas are special days. December 26^th is the Feast of St. Stephen, remembering and honoring the first Deacon and the first martyr for the Faith. December 27^th is the Feast of St. John, remembering and honoring that most special of all the apostles, in whose care Jesus placed his mother as he was dying on the cross. December 28^th is known as the Feast of the Holy Innocents, remembering and honoring those infant boys who were put to death by the insanity of King Herod’s paranoia and fear about the promised birth of the Messiah King. Even tragedies are enveloped by the Church’s yearly rhythm of rememberings, because even tragedies are enveloped by the strong embrace of God’s love and grace.

I invite you to pause for a few moments of silence… Does God still speak to people through dreams? In what other ways has God led your life and guided your decisions? And how have you experienced the nearness of God, even in the midst of sadness or tragedy?