Month: December 2017

Today’s readings

Merry Christmas! I hope you are enjoying twelve days of feasting and fun, taking some time out each day to relax and enjoy the season. Remember that Christmas lasts until Epiphany, next Saturday, January 6. The paraments on the altar should be white this week, in celebration of the season. On a personal note, I’m really focusing on Christmas lasting the full twelve days. For the first time in my life I’m not stressing about getting the tree down as fast as possible. We have enjoyed some fun family time and have made a point to schedule some things along the way. We will even celebrate Epiphany at the Atlanta Botanical Garden! The shift in mindset has been rewarding for me personally, and I hope for my family, too.

Also, before we dive into the lesson, have you thought about goals for 2018? Maybe that word “goals” is too ambitious. Have you considered how you might like to spend 2018, where you’d like to be next Christmas? You are invited to come along with me on a journey through the Bible! For the last several years I’ve listened to Daily Audio Bible, a podcast that takes you through the Bible in a year. Every day Brian Hardin reads from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. It has been an incredible blessing in my life.

This year they are adding a second reading schedule, going through the Bible chronologically. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and I’m thrilled that DAB will be doing it. I would love it if you would join me on either reading plan this year. If you decide to do this, please leave me a comment so we can all know we are in this together!

On to the lesson…

Gospel:  Luke 2:22-40

We are in Luke again this week because Mark doesn’t really begin until Jesus’ adult ministry.

For our last reading (Christmas Eve/Christmas) we read through verse 20, and left Mary pondering everything she saw. We skip the naming of Jesus and his bris at eight days old in verse 21, and we pick the story back up in verse 22 with a trip to the Temple in Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph make the trip after Mary has purified herself for 40 days, and they present Jesus at the Temple as they are directed to do in Exodus 13:2.

Luke has tons of themes to look at, and we will consider three in our lesson today. The first is SHOWING versus TELLING. This is an important distinction, and one that can separate great writers from passable ones. What does Luke show us about the Holy Family and the Jewish community in general? What do those things tell us?

They obeyed the law by journeying to Jerusalem. This was a four-to-seven day journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem, depending on the route they took. Mary was around two months postpartum by the time they got to Jerusalem, not an especially easy time for a new mom! This tells us about the piety of Mary and Joseph, their devotion to raising their child in the faith of their fathers and their commitment to following the law and traditions.

They offered a pair of turtledoves as the sacrifice. A look back in Leviticus tells us that a lamb is typically offered for this sacrifice, unless the parents are too poor. Then a pair of turtledoves or pigeons will suffice. So now we know that Mary and Joseph are poor and pious. This journey itself was a sacrifice. Joseph had already had his job of carpentry disrupted for the trip to Bethlehem, and now was on a ten-day trip to Jerusalem. This could not have been easy for him to give up his work for that long.

Further on, we meet Simeon in the temple. Here is an old man who was told by God that he would meet the Messiah before he died. I think it’s safe to assume that many people knew of this old man and the promise God had made to him. He was known to be “righteous and devout.” We also meet Anna, a prophetess who meets the baby Jesus in the Temple. Both Simeon and Anna go on to declare that this baby is the one they have been waiting on. I think we can draw from this the charged atmosphere in the Temple, and among the Jewish community at large. They were looking and searching for deliverance.

Luke also uses pairs as a literary device. They help us to see each half of the pair more clearly than we might see them individually. Earlier we had the angel Gabriel appear to both Zechariah and Mary, and we were able to see their very different reactions to him. Here we meet the pair of prophets, Simeon and Anna. We know that Simeon was considered righteous and devout; he probably spent a lot of time in the Temple but didn’t spend all of his time there. (Luke says in verse 27 that the Holy Spirit guided Simeon into the Temple so that he was there when the Holy Family presented Jesus.) Interestingly, it doesn’t specifically say that Simeon was old, although we can infer from his language that he was probably pretty old. Simeon sees the baby and takes him from his parents. Imagine seeing this old man cradling a new baby, saying the beautiful (and very familiar) words of verses 29-32, and then warning Mary and Joseph of the pain they would also endure because of this child.

Anna is the second prophet we meet in the Temple. An old woman, devoted to working in the Temple, Luke tells us she never left.  At the moment that Simeon took the baby, she too began telling every around her who the baby was and what he was going to do for Israel. Imagine the commotion that these two must have caused! Both were familiar faces, possibly to the point of being ignored around the Temple and their neighborhoods. Both knew they were looking for something, someone. And here, on this day, a young Galilean couple appear in the Temple, and THIS IS IT. The ONE they have been looking for. That brings us to our last theme.

Longing. Have you ever longed for something? Truly, deeply, in the pit of your stomach known you were meant for something that hadn’t happened yet? I remember when Bill and I were dating. I longed to be his wife. I knew it would happen one day–we had talked about getting married. But I waited for a proposal. There were actually a couple of times before he did propose that I considered good opportunities (a birthday, my graduation…), but he passed on those. Finally on a very cold day in November he asked me. What a great moment! A time I had longed for, although only for a couple of years.

Now imagine Simeon. He had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would “not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.” (This is way bigger than my story, and I’m not mean to equate them, merely to draw you to a time of your own longing.) He has lived a long time in a state of expectation, watching and waiting. He has remained faithful, perhaps in spite of being questioned by friends and family. He has probably outlived many of his friends while he waits to meet this Messiah. Day after day, no Messiah. Until, one day, prompted by the Holy Spirit, he makes his way to the Temple on familiar streets. He sees familiar faces, familiar tasks and sacrifices performed around the Temple. And then he sees someone new.

And God whispers, “This one.”

Imagine Simeon’s joy and relief. Here is the Messiah. God has been faithful. It is all true. And now, he can rest. He has been faithful, and his longing has been satisfied. NOW read Simeon’s prayer:

Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.

Do you see this fulfillment? Can you hear Simeon’s gratitude, joy, relief in his prayer? As Lutherans we say this prayer almost every week in liturgy. This week, think of Simeon’s longing and relief as you sing this.

As we read the other sections of the lectionary this week, think of the longing of Israel for a Savior, for rest and for home. Think of how Jesus is the answer to their longing. Consider if you also long for these things. What do you long for?

Old Testament: Isaiah 61:10-62:3

We have spent considerable time in Isaiah 60-62 during Advent. Remember that these words were written during the Babylonian exile, waiting for deliverance. God has promised that a person WILL come to deliver Israel (Chapter 61) and that Yahweh himself will support this deliverance. In Luke 2:25 we are told that Simeon is looking for “the consolation of Israel.” Chapter 62 describes what the consolation of Israel looks like, when they are rescued by God.

I don’t want to give short shrift to Isaiah this week, but today the important thing is to hear the longing, not yet fulfilled. (But fulfilled in Luke.)

Psalm 148

Why praise God? “Because His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and Heaven.” Because God is God and we are not!

I love this Psalm for its simple call for everything–not just every ONE, every THING–in the universe to praise God. He does fulfill his promises. Just ask Simeon.

New Testament: Galatians 4:4-7

Paul’s letter to the Galatians talks a lot about the Law, and specifically how the Law and the Gospel relate to one another. This is the book that tells us “Christ has set us free…” but free to do anything? Free to follow the Law? They were confused and Paul was writing to explain how Jesus had indeed set them free. These mostly Gentile believers had taken up following the Law as part of following Jesus, and Paul needed to reassure them that Jesus had indeed sent them free.

Our passage today comes from the point in the letter where Paul is transitioning from talking about the Law, and its purpose in the promise of God, to the purpose of Jesus. Note the language in the v. 4: “when the fullness of time had come…” This is the time for the “consolation of Israel” that Simeon had been looking for. Read this as the release from the Law that it is.

Happy New Year! I pray for blessings in 2018 for all of us, that we can continue to grow in faith, and grow together. Thank you for the opportunity to teach this class.

I will probably prepare lessons for both the readings on Epiphany (Saturday) and the Baptism of the Lord (Sunday) for next week. Stay tuned!

Today’s readings

Christmas! This is actually the reading at our church’s Christmas Eve service, but either way it works. Christmas marks the end of Advent and the beginning of the twelve days of Christmas. (The paraments should be white when we get to church tonight.) This is a time of feasting! All the preparation work you were doing in Advent? Relax and enjoy it. Here in the South it seems the tradition is to take your tree down before New Year’s, and I’ve always done that. This year, though, I think I’m going to leave a lot of decorations up until Epiphany, and I’m going to be intentional about celebrating Christmas for the whole twelve days. We have made plans to do fun Christmas-y things as a family next week. I’m looking forward to enjoying this time together.

We do have a couple of special days during this season. Today is the Nativity (birth) of Jesus, and then January 1 is Holy Name of Jesus day, celebrating Jesus’ presentation in the Temple, and finally Christmas ends with the visit of the Magi on Epiphany (January 5). The next day, a Sunday, marks the Holy Baptism of Jesus, so we have a lot to do in the next two weeks! Let’s get started.

Gospel: Luke 2:1-20

This is the most familiar of readings, isn’t it? First, though, let’s put it in context. Earlier (today, in fact), our passage from Luke was the announcement to Mary of her pregnancy and Jesus’ birth. We left Mary with Elizabeth, both pregnant.

The second half of Luke Chapter 1 is the birth of John the Baptist.Recall that because of Zechariah’s doubt, his mouth was closed for the duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Elizabeth went on to deliver a healthy baby boy and, as was tradition, presented him for naming and circumcision on his eighth day. It was upon Zechariah’s written insistence to name the baby John that he regained his voice. Zechariah then speaks a beautiful hymn of praise. And then the stage is set for Jesus in Chapter 2.

See if you can listen to the story with fresh ears. One thing I noticed this time is how very much the Luke story focuses on Mary. Joseph gets a mention hear and there because he is Mary’s fiance, but he figures less in this Gospel than in Matthew.

I also notice the almost comical understatement of this story. For example, just read verse 7:

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

First, birth is not fun, and it takes a while, and it is exhausting and even at times scary. (And that is in a hospital with nurses and doctors and epidurals.) I can’t imagine poor young Mary, far from home, without her mother or even a midwife, giving birth. But Luke says, oh, you know, she gave birth. So easy.

And then there was nowhere to put the baby! Plenty of people, my parents among them, brought a baby home to a bottom drawer in a dresser for a few weeks. But a MANGER? This is a feeding trough. Mangers contain hay, typically. Have you ever been on a hay ride? Hay is pointy and scratchy and not fun. I’m sure that Mary and Joseph did the best they could but can you see how this is just NOT normal? This was a tough way to get started in the world.

And then, she did all this because there was no room. NO ROOM. No room for a poor young girl who was obviously about to give birth? Who does that? What do you think was going through poor Joseph’s mind?

The story breaks to the shepherds who see angels. They were TERRIFIED. Of course the angels gave their standard first line–“Don’t be afraid!” And then the angels deliver the most shocking, wonderful news to these rough and tumble shepherds. They are so excited they rush back to town to see this miracle. And poor Mary! Exhausted, in a cave with animals, a new baby, and in walk these dirty shepherds who are telling them the craziest story of angels and a Savior.

What does Mary do? First, she doesn’t shrink back, or ask them to leave, or even argue with them. She listened, along with Joseph, and then verse 19:

Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

One thing that is really sweet to me about this is that it truly feels like the reaction of an introspective, thoughtful teenage girl. She is holding all these things in her heart, turning them over, praying about them and wondering. The word Luke uses here for “ponder” also carries the sense of “contending with.” Mary was not a passive observer. She wrestled with and worked with all the things she was seeing and hearing, trying to fit it all together with what Gabriel had told her.

Old Testament: Isaiah 62:6-12

God breaks his silence in Chapter 62 (see the 3rd Advent lesson) and tells how he will save Jerusalem. The most important verse here to tie the OT reading to the Gospel is 11:

“See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.”

Jesus is the salvation who has come into the world.

Psalm 97

This is a wonderful hymn of praise, naming God as King and calling the entire earth–the actual earth, not merely the people–to be glad.

New Testament: Titus 3:4-7

This short letter was written by Paul around the same time as his letters to Timothy and is considered one of Paul’s “Pastoral Letters,” letters written especially to other pastors. Some parts of Paul’s pastoral letters get a little bossy and even moralistic. However, this sweet passage reminds us, yet again, that Jesus did not come to earth because of anything we did. He didn’t even come because of anything Mary did. He came because of His infinite mercy.

Our response should be to live like we know this! We were saved out of His goodness. We are reminded to live remembering that this was an unmerited gift. An unmerited gift who came to us in the most unusual and humble way. Thanks be to God, and Merry Christmas!!

Finally, because I love it so much, Linus’ recitation of our Gospel:

Today’s Readings

Merry Christmas Eve! I will HOPEFULLY have two lessons up for today, this Advent lesson and then the lesson for the Nativity of Our Lord. It’s a busy church day. On to the lesson…

Gospel:  Luke 1:26-38

We are in Luke for today’s lesson. Remember that Mark really begins with Jesus’ ministry as an adult. The story of Jesus’ birth is told in Matthew and Luke.

To take a quick look at Luke, remember that this is the third of the Synoptic Gospels. Luke was apparently an assistant or student of Paul’s. Luke also wrote the book of Acts, which is where he makes his appearance in the action. Luke has a more distinctly Greek approach to language and action; for example, where he references Hebrew scripture, he does so quoting the Greek Septuagint. Of the three Synoptics, Luke is plainly writing for the more Gentile-oriented.

As a matter of fact, he is also writing for the marginalized. I tend to think of Matthew as the Gospel most oriented to Jewish life, and of Mark as the “just-the-facts-ma’am” Gospel. Luke spends far more time talking about the women (in particular) who were part of Jesus’ ministry. It’s in this Gosepl that we hear Mary’s song and then meet the women at Jesus’ tomb many years later.

The passage today is known as “The Anunciation,” the moment when the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her what was about to happen.

Earlier in Chapter 1, Gabriel told Zechariah that he and his wife Elizabeth would, even at their advanced age, give birth to a son. He would be John the Baptist. Zechariah’s reaction? He pushed back: “How do I know this is so?” You might even say his reacting was to scoff. That lack of faith led him to lose his voice until John’s birth.

What a contrast with Mary! Think about this: she’s much, much younger than Zechariah, and she wasn’t married, and her news was vastly more shocking than Zechariah’s. But her reaction?

• v. 34: “How can this be?” and then
• v. 38: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word.”

WOW. That is dramatic submission to God! That is summed up very well in Gabriel’s response to Mary in v. 37: “For nothing is impossible with God.”

Verse 35 is a really interesting look at the triune God. In this one verse is it apparent that the Holy Sprit is only acting within the power of God the Father (“Most High”), and the child born is God’s Son. There are not many places in the Bible that succinctly reference all three persons of the Trinity. I think (but I’m not 100% sure) that this is the first to do so in such a direct manner.

Finally, remember that we have been talking about John the Baptist a lot in earlier weeks. This Gospel expressly links John the Baptist and Jesus even before they were born. And consider Elizabeth and Mary, cousins, both caught up with inconvenient pregnancies. Elizabeth was so mortified she had gone into seclusion for the previous five months. And Mary! Very young, unmarried, promised to a man who could have rejected her. How wonderful that God provided their relationship to them, to give them the support they would need. Imagine the conversations, the wonder between the two of them, as they knew that God was working something incredible in these two women in Palestine. What a precious friendship they must have had in those months they spent together.

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

David? This doesn’t seem very Christmas-y…except that remember, of course, that this is Advent, and we are seeing the fulfillment through Jesus of the Davidic covenant. This passage lays out the covenant given by God to David.

We see David here as King of Israel and finally at rest, but 2 Samuel leading up to this has been action-packed. David had to defeat Saul and Saul’s allies. He moved the capital to the city of Jerusalem. He fought the Philistines (his former supporters) and defeated them. Finally, he moved the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, which proved to be extremely difficult. (Hint: don’t touch the Ark.)

Finally David is at rest. He looks around and says, “I think I’ll build God a Temple. Nathan [his prophet], what do you think?” And Nathan figures that since everything else that David has done is awesome, this will be too. Unfortunately, Nathan is wrong, and God informs him of that in a dream.

Ultimately the message is that while David might want to build God a temple, God wants to build David an everlasting dynasty. Do you see what God is doing here? David is wanting to put God in a building, however grand and beautiful, and however truly good his motivation. The Davidic covenant God makes tells David that God is so much bigger than that. David wanted to build a building for God; God wants to build an everlasting dynasty from David. “I will make you a house FOREVER…”

I wonder if God didn’t tell David that so he would remember that God wouldn’t and couldn’t be contained in a box. (Even a building-sized one?) I really believe that some of this was God telling David to remember where he came from–“Yes, you want to build me a building. But you can’t do this, a permanent dynasty. Only I can do that.”

Note that David’s kingship is not shaped by David. It’s shaped by God. And imagine this–God, at this time, knows that this is the family line that He will allow His Son to be born into.

Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

Often the Psalm merely reiterates the ideas started in the Old Testament. This Psalm merits more attention. Psalm 89 is known as one of the “Royal” Psalms, a Psalm which points directly to the kingship of Jesus.

The Royal Psalms have five special emphases:

• The Covenant
• The crowning of David and his sons
• High expectations of kingship
• The special relationship between God and the kings
• God’s unbreakable promise

The Psalm points to Jesus. The first few verses really describe David’s wonder and response to God’s generous covenant. But later parts of this Psalm are a lament following the destruction of Jerusalem.

The later verses of our Psalm today (v. 19-26) tell us a lot about God’s nature and how He will act. We see wonderful descriptions of faithfulness and steadfast love.

New Testament: Romans 16:25:27

A mystery. These verses talk about a mystery of Jesus that was secret but is now revealed. This reading is so cool to me–it is the link between the Old Testament reading and the Gospel.

In the OT reading, Nathan announces to David that God will do something. He will make the line of David an everlasting kingship. But how? Nathan doesn’t say, and it isn’t immediately apparent how this can come to pass.

But in the Gospel reading, Gabriel announces a new thing to Mary. He divulges the resolution to the secret that God had laid out so many years before his announcement to David.

This is it–the secret is out!

 

This week’s readings

Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28

We find ourselves in the Gospel of John today, in spite of this being Lectionary Year B and Mark’s year. I think we haven’t had a reading out of John since Pentecost (May), well before our class began in August. Why not Mark?

Remember that the Lectionary is a three-year schedule, with each year corresponding to one of the synoptic Gospels. John is added throughout the year, especially during festivals like Advent, and especially in Year B because Mark is short. So we will be seeing a lot of him this year. It might be easy to think that John gets shortchanged because he doesn’t have his own year. Instead, think of him as so important that we never really leave John.

You’ll notice when we read John that his Gospel has a different feeling to it. John was written later, and by the “beloved disciple” himself. When we read John, we are getting a first-hand perspective from someone who has had some years to allow his thoughts to come together in a certain way. More than the other Gospels, the Book of John has a distinct structure, voice and themes. Finally, John doesn’t include all the same stories that the other three Gospels do. He has his own story to tell and is okay with leaving things out. He even says at the close of the Gospel:

This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:24,25)

Two hallmarks of John’s Gospels are the ideas of LIGHT and LIFE. Even as we read today, think about those two ideas. If you remember those every time we come to a John reading, it will help you to keep them together.

Today’s reading begins right after a passage you may have committed to memory: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…” John establishes right from the beginning that he is telling a different story. And then we meet John the Baptist. Personally I like the way John opens with big ideas, and then comes back to verse 6, where our passage begins: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” The simplicity of that should get our attention. The story is getting started.

John the Baptist’s job was not to be Messiah, but to testify to Him. John t B was always very clear on his mission, even though people around him weren’t. This is a great model for us–it is easy for me to forget that I’m not that important. My job is to be a witness to Jesus. Does my life offer a testimony to Jesus? I think John’s words can challenge us here.

We skip some verses that do not address John t B specifically, but they are some of the most important verses in John. Take a moment to read them and listen to John’s language.

Back to verse 19, we get the testimony of John t B. When asked “who are you?,” his answer is “I’m NOT…” This is an unusual answer! But John t B knew what the priests and Levites were after, looking for the One who was promised, and he wanted to be very clear that he wasn’t there guy–but he was getting people ready because Messiah was near.

In a couple of weeks we will come to “Baptism of Our Lord” Sunday, where John t B baptizes Jesus. We will talk a lot more about baptism that week, how and why we baptize, and how our baptism today is different that the one John t B was doing near Bethany.

John stayed focused on his mission of testimony and baptizing. He answers the questions posed by those sent from the Pharisees truthfully, but they didn’t go away satisfied. John’s answers gave them even more reason to keep looking for Messiah!

OT:  Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Today’s passage is from the heart of the third portion of Isaiah. In particular, chapters 60-62 from a trilogy of sorts, with all three chapters focused on restoration.  Chapter 60 is a call for hope and Chapter 62 reveals that Yahweh will break His silence. Our reading comes from the middle chapter, which describes how a human sent by God, rather than God Himself, will be the Savior.

Verses 1 and 2 are notable also because they were the ones that Jesus chose to read in the temple as told in Luke 4:18 and 19. They are also very reminiscent of the Christmas carol “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” don’t you think?

Verse 8 “covenant” language is familiar since we’ve been studying the covenant God made with His people in the book of Exodus. But this is a bigger covenant than that one. It’s discussed in Isaiah 55:3, and again in Isaiah 56, where God’s covenant extends to everyone who obeys–including foreigners and anyone who loves God and obeys Him. This is a huge expansion of God’s promise! By the time we get to Chapter 61, God is telling the “how” of this new covenant. Do you see how significant it was that Jesus chose THESE verses as the ones to read in the Temple?

This passage from Isaiah is truly a joyful and hopeful one. It helps develop our theme of joy today, as does the Psalm.

Psalm 126

“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.” This Yiddish proverb is apt for today’s Psalm reading! If you are reading this lesson at home, by yourself, take a minute to stop and read the Psalm out loud. This is pure joy!

Everything isn’t perfect. “The Lord has done great things for us,” but then verse 4 is a call for even more restoration. “Please don’t stop, Lord!”

I think during Advent this is a good thought for us. The Lord is doing great things for us, be we are looking for his return. Please don’t stop, Lord!

NT: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

1 Thessalonians is likely Paul’s first letter, and he was writing it to a distraught church at Thessalonica. They were mourning some of their members who had died, and they were under the mistaken impression that since they had died, God had abandoned them. Paul writes to reassure them that they haven’t been abandoned.

The closing of the letter, our reading today, sounds like a laundry list of “to-dos.” Maybe you have a couple of things you say to yourself or your kids: “Stand up straight. Mind your manners. Be kind.” Paul’s list is like that, kind of a run-down of how to behave with each other. In English, the list looks a little random, but in the original Greek, Paul started every command with the “P” sound (greek letter Pi). It’s easy to imagine he intended this list to be memorized and taught to each other, maybe even like a little nursery rhyme for kids.

He closes with the promise that God is faithful. God has been faithful, and He will continue to be faithful. Paul’s call to joy is a great reminder during Advent. We can look forward to Jesus’ return, joyfully, because God is faithful.

Another reading: Luke 1:46-55

This week, we had two options for the Psalm, which is a little unusual. (Our church used the Psalm at worship, which is why I used it above.) The second choice was from Luke, Mary’s song traditionally known as the Magnificat.  Bono, the lead singer of U2, said in a Rolling Stone interview that these verses, and Bach, were the inspiration for the U2 song (and one of my favorites), Magnificent. So I’ll leave you with the video. Enjoy and have a great week!

Teaching the lectionary lessons this year has helped me to value Advent in a way I’ve never done before. In the church, Advent is a time to remember Jesus’ first arrival and to prepare for his return. We get to stop and ponder the gift that God gave us and continues to give us as the winter shadows grow. We can let the evenings be still. We can sing brooding carols in minor keys.

This isn’t how the world views December. I’m one of those who likes to get my tree up right after Thanksgiving so it’s up for at least a month. I plan some during October and November, but I never really do more than think, so not much gets done. And then I turn around and it’s December and I feel like the stores and the news and all the people are saying, “YOU ARE BEHIND!! Catch up!!”

But I’m not behind, and neither are you. We are right where we need to be, watching and waiting for the wonder of a baby King and the glory of His return.

Christmas will come in its own time. Meanwhile, enjoy the preparation. Enjoy the journey to the manger. We just don’t have to be there right this second.

This week’s readings

Like last week, we’ll start with the Gospel Reading, Mark 1:1-8.

We begin at the beginning of the book of Mark! But…what was going on just before this? Honestly, I’m not sure that I had three Sunday School classes in my whole life talk about what happened between Malachi and Matthew, but it’s important. I’d like to do a review of the history between the Old and New Testaments so we can orient ourselves to the timing of Mark.

The Old Testament closes with the book of Malachi and the restoration of the Jews to Jerusalem. Recall that the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been defeated and dispersed by Assyria while Judah held firm. The Southern Kingdom of Judah was defeated by Babylon as had been foretold by several prophets. Then Jerusalem was restored following this defeat. The restoration happened in three basic waves–the books of Ezra and Nehemiah document part of this. The Temple was restored, along with basic Temple practices like sacrifice.

Malachi came along around 430 B.C., two generations removed from exile and return. People had forgotten to be grateful and to live lives set apart. It happens fast–that’s the time span since approximately World War II for us. Malachi was there to remind them of who they were, to call them back, and to remind them that they needed God to save them. All of this happened while the Jews were under Persian Authority. They had been allowed to move back but were not governing themselves. The rulers were Cyrus, Darius, and Artexerxes.

God speaks through Malachi, and then silence for four hundred years. Not one word from God. But what was happening during that time?

In the mid-300s, Alexander the Great defeated EVERYTHING he could get his hands on. His kingdom stretched from the Western Mediterranean east all the way to the Indus Valley in the Indian subcontinent. In the process he hellenized the defeated lands. Hellenization was the bringing of Greek culture, learning and language throughout the “known” world. As another part of his effort to unify this enormous kingdom, Alexander introduced king worship (known as a ruler-cult) and promoted himself as a deity. He allowed worship of other gods, but he required his subjects to recognize him as a god, too. He only started doing this in the last year of his life, so it didn’t have time to take a firm hold on his kingdom. It DID, however, give his successors a great plan.

Alexander died without leaving a clear successor, and three generals emerged to take over. They ended up dividing his kingdom along basic geographic lines (after a lot of fighting). They were:

• Ptolemy: mostly Egypt and that area
• Antigonas: mostly Macedonia
• Seleucus: old Babylon, based in Syria (and including Jerusalem)

We are most interested in Seleucus and his successors, known as the Seleucid Dynasty.

The great thing about a ruler-cult (from a governance point of view) is that it can serve to unify a diverse people pretty quickly. But for the Jews, it was a bad thing, because their commitment to the One True God of Israel stood out. As long as the ruler was tolerant and allowed other practices alongside the worship of him, they were fine. But if all other practices were banned, the Jews were in trouble.

And that is what happened under the Seleucids. They tried to enforce a ruler-only cult, banning all Temple practices. The Jews fought back under what is now known as the Maccabean revolt–and they won! (Fun fact: Chanukah is a remembrance of God’s faithfulness during this victory.) The Jews gained self-governance under Judas Maccabaeus, who became the first of the Maccabean dynasty. This is also known as the Hasmonean dynasty, depending on what book you read.

Frankly, there is lots of interesting history that happens with this dynasty, and I’d encourage you to learn more. Handel even wrote an oratorio based on the revolt, Judas Maccabaeus. But for our purposes, it’s important to know that this period, around 160 B.C. or so, that the Pharisees and Sadducees first make their appearances. There had been infighting among the more hellenized Jews and those who clung more to the old ways ever since Alexander’s conquest. Eventually the hellenized Jews coalesced as the Sadducees, while the conservative group became known as the Pharisees. But under John Hyrcanus, an incredibly successful Hasmonean monarch, the two groups were brought together to rule in Israel.

Then–defeat at the hands of the Romans and Israel returned to status as a state in a huge empire. The Romans were of the opinion, though, that if it wasn’t broke, don’t fix it, and as long as Jerusalem minded her manners they wouldn’t step in. This is how the Pharisees and Sadducees retained their positions of power.

Take note of the culture changes that happened over these four centuries. Persia and the Mediterranean were Hellenized, and since the Romans loved all things Greek, they only encouraged that culture. This hellenization created one huge culture that was similar all over this part of the world, rather than being hundreds of smaller cultures. The communication and transportation over this area became easier. (Could this be “preparing the highways” that the writer of Isaiah mentions?) When the time came for Jesus’ missionaries to go out into the world, they didn’t step into unknown cultures. They understood better who they were talking to. There was far less culture shock than some our missionaries endure now! The groundwork was being laid for the good news that was to come from Jerusalem.

God was silent, but He wasn’t absent.

And then, He broke his silence. He talked to Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father. And then Elizabeth, and then Mary and Joseph…and the days of silence were over!

This brings us to today’s lesson, Mark 1:1-8. Mark sets his writing as the beginning of good news, which he will unfold over the next 16 chapters. First, we meet John the Baptist as an adult. His dress (camel’s hair) is meant to recall the greatest of the OT prophets, Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). His food recalls the Nazarite vows as found in Numbers. And the wilderness? John is just west of the Dead Sea, in some of the most barren land you can imagine. The wilderness, too, has a powerful hold on the Jewish experience since the entire Exodus takes place in it.

John was baptizing. The Jews had long been familiar with ritual purification baths like mikveh, which were undertaken on a regular basis. And when Greeks desired to convert to Judaism, they were required to have a one-time purification bath. But a one-and-done baptism like John was doing was new and different. John was getting a lot of attention and attracting many followers. And yet he was never pointing to himself, but to someone else who was to come.

Go back and read verses 1-3 again before we head to the Old Testament reading.

Old Testament: Isaiah 40:1-11

Imagine sitting in a theater and seeing the characters discussing an impending defeat. Not just a “well, they beat us” defeat–a bone-crushing, soul-sucking defeat that leaves ruin everywhere. And then, the theater goes dark. Total silence.

You sit. It gets uncomfortable.

And then…one voice. A command. “Go comfort my people. Go now!” The lights come back up and the most beautiful redemption is announced. Complete forgiveness, the end of punishment, the return of beauty and light and goodness.

THAT is what we see in the Old Testament today.

In the chapters leading up to our reading today, the Assyrians have laid waste to everything right up to Jerusalem’s doorstep, when they are saved by what can only be called a miracle. Judah’s King Hezekiah becomes deathly ill, repents, and then has an incredible recovery which he fully credits to God. Finally, in Chapter 39, and envoy from Babylon comes to visit. Riding on his incredible excitement from his recovery and promise from God, he happily shows the Babylonians everything in his kingdom. Everything. His gold, his weapons, the Temple, they get the full run-down. And then he tells Isaiah what he did.

You can almost hear the “face-palm” from Isaiah. “Hezekiah, you did WHAT?” He had given an enemy army all the information they needed to defeat Judah. Isaiah predicts crushing defeat for Judah, which God in his mercy will hold off on the defeat until after Hezekiah dies. Hezekiah responds with a “Well, okay, but it won’t happen on my watch! God is good.” This is the end of Chapter 39. But they were defeated, totally, and exiled by Babylon.

The timing on Chapter 40 is uncertain. Depending on how many “Isaiahs” there were, this passage is either a prediction and set after the time of the Babylonian exile, or it is written by second Isaiah 160 years after the close of chapter 39. Either way, there is a break, a silence. (I think if I were a Bible publisher I might try for a blank page or two in between Chapters 39 and 40!)

And then “Comfort, O Comfort…”

We can’t see it in the English, but this verb is the second person plural. God is speaking to his messengers. It’s time! Go tell them it’s over!! Their penalty is PAID.

In v. 3, a highway is built. Go back and read Isaiah 35:8-10. THIS is the highway that they are referring to in these verses.

In v. 9, we get two references to “good news” or “glad tidings.” This verse marks the first time in the Bible that these words are used. And what is the good news? “Here is your God!” Remember that we saw the same phrase in the beginning of Mark. The Good News–Mark is showing us “Here is your God!”

Finally, read v. 11, and then read John 21:15. This is what Jesus did, and exactly what he commanded Peter to do after him.

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

This Psalm isn’t as old as many that we read. It was likely written as the Jews came back from their Babylonian exile.

What are the attributes of the restored kingdom? Look at v. 10: love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace.

New Testament: 2 Peter 3:8-15a

In this letter, Peter was writing to remind one of his churches of two things: first, to live grace-filled lives as empowered by the Holy Spirit; and second, to hold fast to the truth taught by Peter, not letting it be undercut by false teachings.

The false teachings in this case directly attacked the credibility of Peter’s teachings. Basically, they said Peter couldn’t possibly be right because Jesus hadn’t returned. Peter said, “Not YET. But remember that we serve an infinitely patient and generous God.” (That’s a paraphrase.)

Earlier in Chapter 3, Peter lays out the opposition’s argument. The false teachers say that because Jesus’ return hasn’t happened yet, it won’t happen. Peter’s answer was NO! God created the world. It happened. One moment is wasn’t there, and then it was. It is here now, but one day it won’t be.

Then we come to our reading. Peter lays out the inevitable fact that God’s timing doesn’t look like our timing, and we need to understand that. And what looks slow to our human eyes is actually God’s patience and passionate desire to leave behind no one who will come.

Finally, Peter points out that this will be a real, physical event. I think sometimes when we read the Bible we get caught up in the metaphorical or symbolic aspects of some verses, maybe because they seem confusing or vague. But God is real, and the events described here are real. The universe will fall apart one day.

So what are we to do during this time? We are to watch and live in a state of readiness, but we are also to live in a state of peace and grace. In other words, we need to be busy doing God’s work, but we need to be watching and ready, too. And in all of that, we need to stay patient, remembering that God is using that time for the salvation of more people.

This week the readings really come together in a beautiful way. Advent lets us join with the Jews in looking for Messiah, as anticipated by Isaiah and John the Baptist. We can see that God was indeed faithful to his promises. And the readings then point us to anticipating the second coming of Jesus, which we can trust because we know God is faithful.

Wonderful music from these passages:

Check out more of Handel’s Messiah, too. I’m having trouble embedding another video but I think it’s just operator error.

Have a great week!

Each week, I lead a Sunday School class for ages 14 and up. Our topic is that week’s lectionary reading as found in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). We started our class back in August of 2017 with the goal of orienting ourselves to the readings in preparation for the worship service which follows.

I began writing and circulating the notes from lessons when either some class members or I might miss class. The emails seemed to be well-received. I also found that there are very few resources available that present the information that I was gathering together each week, and I thought it would be useful to make the lessons more widely available. At any rate, they would be a good resource for me if I get to teach these lessons again!

I am not a theologian or a pastor, and I’ve never been to seminary. I’m merely an interested layperson who loves the Bible and wants to help others understand it better, too. I pray what you find here is helpful and points you to Jesus.

I won’t link and cite references exhaustively in my lectionary posts, but know that common sources for me to use are:

The Revised Common Lectionary as published by Vanderbilt School of Theology

Various study Bibles (this one is my favorite)

Bible commentaries I have on my bookshelf

Luther’s Concordia

Assorted websites, most often Working Preacher

I’m grateful that you have found my little blog. Comments are welcome, and please, if you find a factual error, please let me know! But I am not interested in debating points of theology or the mere existence of God. As such, I’ll be moderating comments. Thank you for understanding.

This week’s lessons

Welcome to Advent, and year B in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). We have a lot of changes from Ordinary Time that we’ve been in since our class started in August. Before we dive into the readings for this week, let’s get oriented to where we are.

Last week ended Year A in the RCL’s three-year cycle through the Bible. You’ll remember that we spent a lot of time with the Gospel of Matthew, and that our Old Testament readings were chiefly about the Patriarchs and Exodus.

This Sunday we start Year B. Our Gospel readings will mostly come from Mark, although we will have other Gospel readings as well. We will talk about those as we get to them.

Our Ordinary Time readings will be about the kings (especially King David), but we won’t be in Ordinary Time until Pentecost in May. Until then our first reading will correspond to the Gospel reading. (So will the Psalm and second reading.)  For the first few weeks of this year we will be in the book of Isaiah.

So, we are in Year B. We are also in the season of Advent, the first season of the church calendar. When you see the paraments on the altar, they will be blue. This is the only time of year we have blue on the altar, so it’s easy to remember. But what exactly is Advent?

First I’ll just say what it isn’t. It isn’t “pre-Christmas” or “Christmas lite” at all. Advent is the four weeks before Christmas when we look forward to Jesus’ coming, and not merely his coming as a baby. It’s a time of shadows and quiet, of looking at ourselves and preparing our hearts for the NEXT time Jesus comes. We are to use Advent to reflect on what Jesus’ coming into the world will do, not merely what it did do. That’s why, when we read some of the lessons during this season, they will seem a little strange. They aren’t about a baby who WAS born. They are about a king who WILL come.

Last year my kids went to Austria on a school choir and band trip. They had been chosen to participate in an Advent choral festival that the city of Vienna holds every year. It was a truly amazing opportunity, but it was also interesting because the list of songs they could sing was, to our American and Protestant eyes, very limited. No “First Noel,” “Silent Night,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” There was a Latin song about Emmanuel’s coming. The songs were mostly pensive and even penitent. What a sharp contrast to the bustling Christmas markets just outside, but what a truly wonderful antidote to a month that can feel too filled with expectations and demands and forced happiness. I hope that sometime during the month ahead you can sit with some of the readings and just ponder the mysteries of them.

Now that we’ve talked a bit about Advent, let’s talk about the readings for this week. Typically we read the first reading first, like you might expect. But for now I’d like to begin with the Gospel reading for the week. Then we will use the other readings to open up the Gospel.

Mark 13:24-37

My goal during these lessons is to orient us in the readings, in the hopes that context will help enlighten your hearing of the lessons, and make your time at worship even more meaningful. So let’s get oriented to the book of Mark first.

Mark is the shortest of the three synoptic Gospels, and is widely held to be the oldest. Beyond that, though, we don’t really know much about Mark. He might have been an assistant to Peter, but we aren’t really sure. It’s even unclear if he was Jewish and writing to fellow Jewish believers, or if he was a Gentile writing to Gentile Christians. Either way, we can learn a ton from his Gospel.

Remember that the last several weeks’ readings in the book of Matthew took place during the week before the Crucifixion. In particular Matthew 24 and 25 record Jesus’ conversation with His disciples about His return. Today’s reading from Mark covers exactly the same time period, and Jesus is (again) talking to His disciples. As a matter of fact, we know from Mark 13:3 that Jesus was talking to Peter, James, John, and Andrew specifically. He even was sitting on the Mount of Olives as he spoke these words, looking directly at the Temple! Mark really set the scene for us.

Our passage begins with “those days”–but what days? Jesus had just foretold the destruction of the Temple. His disciples asked, “When, Lord?” and Jesus answer starts earlier in the chapter, foretelling a lot of destruction. The period “those days” refers to the period before his return. Some people say this is the time of the Tribulation.

Today’s passage is broken into three pieces:

• 24-27:  What will happen. Jesus describes the failure of the laws of nature as the universe collapses. Think of that!
• 28-31:  Know the signs. We all know how to read different signs in our lives. For instance, right now I have to watch our new dog. If she even approaches a door, it means she has to go out RIGHT THEN. Trust me, I have to be vigilant for that sign! Jesus is telling us to learn and understand the signs he’s given earlier in Chapter 13.
• 32-37:  Be alert! It’s not enough to know the signs. You have to be ready to apply them.

Go back and read v. 26. We know now how Jesus left the earth in His ascension. But the disciples didn’t when Jesus spoke these words–it hadn’t happened yet! And yet, Jesus describes His return in exactly the way that he leaves in Acts 1. I like the idea of Jesus coming back in the same way He left us.

Old Testament Reading:  Isaiah 64:1-9

Isaiah was written while Jerusalem was under threat from the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians. These threats took place over several hundred years, so it’s likely there are three authors of Isaiah. We’ll have opportunities to talk about the book of  Isaiah later so we will stop here with a review. Know for now that Isaiah articulates loss, especially in chapters 1-39, and hope, especially in chapters 40-66.

This reading finds us almost at the end of Isaiah, where the hope is for restoration after the Babylonian exile. But it also articulates hope in a Savior who will restore us to wholeness, as well.

For our reading today, listen in the early verses for a similar apocalyptic vision as we heard in the opening lines of the Matthew reading. And then, the penitence. We are your people, Lord, and we need you to rescue us. Don’t do it because we are good. Do it because we are Yours.

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

Again, a plea for restoration.

New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Corinth was a city known far and wide for its “anything goes” attitude towards life. Paul had served as pastor to this congregation for a year and a half, teaching them what it meant to live out the Gospel. But after he had left, they had let the culture around them infiltrate their behavior as Christians, and it wasn’t going well. Paul wrote this first letter to help get them back on the right track, reminding them of all they had learned while he was with them.

I love the greetings Paul uses in his letters. There’s no doubt, before he gets to the hard things he needs to say, that he is saying it out of love and affection. Our reading today contains a portion of that greeting (v. 3).

He moves on to say that the congregation has been given every spiritual gift, that they are “not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (v.7) What are the spiritual gifts for? They are to be used in the waiting period–in other words, right now! Our gifts are to help us to learn the signs and to stay alert and watchful.

Paul ends with reassurance that we will have strength as well as the spiritual gifts so we will be “blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We can count on this because, as Paul says, “God is faithful.”

I love how this folds into the Gospel–Jesus tells us what to do, that we need to stay alert. And here is Paul reminding us that we have not only the strength but the gifts to carry out the Gospel until Jesus returns.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading! I hope you gained something. Our class meets most Sundays at 9 at Word of God Lutheran Church in Peachtree City, Georgia. Everyone is welcome.

We will be back in Mark next week for the 2nd Sunday in Advent.