lmighty God, you have filled us with the new light of the Word who
became flesh and lived among us. Let the light of our faith shine in all that we
do; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Jeremiah 31:7-14
{7} For thus says the LORD: Sing
aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O LORD, your people, the remnant of
Israel." {8} See, I am going to bring them from the land of the
north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the
blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great
company, they shall return here. {9} With weeping they shall come, and
with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of
water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a
father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. {10} Hear the word of the
LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, "He who
scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock."
{11} For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too
strong for him. {12} They shall come and sing aloud on the height of
Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain,
the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life
shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. {13}
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the
old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them,
and give them gladness for sorrow. {14} I will give the priests their
fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the LORD.
Jeremiah 30-33 is
frequently called "The Book of Consolation" because of the hopeful
nature of the sayings in these chapters.
The poems "in vss. 7-9 and 10-14 are both in style and
thought closely akin to certain prophecies in the latter part of Isaiah. They
seem to represent an adaptation and application of Jeremiah’s prophecies to
the situation of the exiles. It is, however, possible that the first of them
contains in vs. 9b, and perhaps in vs. 7, a nucleus of Jeremianic words
originally addressed to northern Israel." 1
7. Jacob…remnant of Israel… 9. I have become a father to
Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn…11. Jacob… Like the verses which
precede and follow the lection these verses seem to have been first addressed to
the people in northern Israel, and later directed also to the exiles of Judah
("the height of Zion" 31:12).
8. the land of the north: Assyria. The metaphor is also
used in Isaiah 43:6.
blind…lame…with child…in labor: Various kinds of
unclean people; not "bad" people, but not appropriate to be in the
presence of a holy and perfect God.
12. Zion: "Originally the fortified hill of
pre-Israelite Jerusalem…. Subsequently extended to the temple area itself….
In the poetic books and the prophetic writings, Zion becomes an equivalent of
Jerusalem considered as the religious capital, or as being the object of God’s
favor or punishment." 2 "In Christian
usage, the name of Zion became attached to the SW hill of Jerusalem as early as
the fourth century. The reason for this transfer is probably the common belief
that the house in which the apostles were gathered together on the day of
Pentecost was located in these parts of the city. Thus the Christian Zion, where
the preaching of the gospel had begun, was contrasted with the Mountain of Zion,
the center of OT worship." 3 Yahweh promises to gather and restore the people of
Jacob, of Israel and Ephraim, all names for the northern tribes. Yahweh will
ransom Jacob and they will come to Zion (Jerusalem). There will be a cultic
unification of the two nations. The people will sing and dance and rejoice
because of the goodness of Yahweh.
Or Sirach 24:1-12
1 Wisdom praises herself, and
tells of her glory in the midst of her people. 2 In the assembly of
the Most High she opens her mouth, and in the presence of his hosts she tells of
her glory: 3 "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and
covered the earth like a mist. 4 I dwelt in the highest heavens, and
my throne was in a pillar of cloud. 5 Alone I compassed the vault of
heaven and traversed the depths of the abyss. 6 Over waves of the
sea, over all the earth, and over every people and nation I have held sway.
7 Among all these I sought a resting place; in whose territory should I
abide? 8 "Then the Creator of all things gave me a command, and
my Creator chose the place for my tent. He said, ‘Make your dwelling in Jacob,
and in Israel receive your inheritance.’ 9 Before the ages, in the
beginning, he created me, and for all the ages I shall not cease to be. 10 In
the holy tent I ministered before him, and so I was established in Zion. 11
Thus in the beloved city he gave me a resting place, and in Jerusalem was
my domain. 12 I took root in an honored people, in the portion of the
Lord, his heritage.
Jesus, son
of Eleazar, son of Sirach (50:27) was a teacher in Jerusalem between 200 and 180
b.c. His book, also known as Ecclesiasticus, "was eagerly read and widely
used as a handbook for study and instruction in educational settings." 4 These verses begin the second major division of the
book. It is a long poem in praise of wisdom (24:1-33). 1-2: introductory stanza
states the theme of the poem, wisdom praises herself; 3-7 in images that show
God and God’s wisdom were thought of as one and the same; second stanza,
wisdom’s origin from God; 8-12: third stanza, God commands wisdom to make her
home with Israel. Four further stanzas complete the poem: verses 13-15; 16-17,
19-22; 23, 25-29; 30-33.
Psalm 147:12-20
{12} Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion! {13} For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you. {14} He grants peace within your
borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat. {15} He sends out his
command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. {16} He gives snow like
wool; he scatters frost like ashes. {17} He hurls down hail like crumbs--
who can stand before his cold? {18} He sends out his word, and melts
them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow. {19} He declares his
word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel. {20} He has not
dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the
LORD!
12. O Jerusalem…O Zion: In Jeremiah 31:12 Jacob sings
on the heights of Zion. Now, Jerusalem praises Yahweh because of his blessings. 16-18: Yahweh shows his power in snow, frost, hail, cold, and a thawing
breeze. 19. He declares his word to Jacob…to Israel: He only deals with his
people with such blessing, not the nations who do not know his law.
The Psalm recognizes Yahweh’s mercy and praises him for his
word, his statutes and ordinances which he has given Israel and not other
nation, just as the first lesson promises Yahweh’s saving acts for his people.
Or Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21 15 A holy people and blameless
race wisdom delivered from a nation of oppressors. 16 She entered the
soul of a servant of the Lord, and withstood dread kings with wonders and signs.
17 She gave to holy people the reward of their labors; she guided
them along a marvelous way, and became a shelter to them by day, and a starry
flame through the night. 18 She brought them over the Red Sea, and
led them through deep waters; 19 but she drowned their enemies, and
cast them up from the depth of the sea. 20 Therefore the righteous
plundered the ungodly; they sang hymns, O Lord, to your holy name, and praised
with one accord your defending hand; 21 for wisdom opened the mouths
of those who were mute, and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.
"Wisdom’s saving and punishing
power is here illustrated by the enumeration of seven righteous heroes and their
wicked counterparts…. We have Adam-Cain; Noah-generation of the Flood;
Abraham-the nations confounded in their wickedness; Lod-Sodomites; Jacob-Esau;
Joseph-his critics; Israel under Moses-the Egyptian oppressors under
Pharaoh." 5 15. a holy people and blameless race: The people of Israel. In
Genesis 17:1 Abraham is admonished to be blameless. 16: Wisdom enters Moses, the servant of the Lord, as the spirit does in
Isaiah 63:11. 17-20: Wisdom leads the people in the Exodus and brings them over the Red
Sea when she drowned their enemies. They plundered the Egyptians of their gold,
and sang a hymn at the Sea, Exodus 15.
Ephesians 1:3-14
{3} Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places, {4} just as he chose us in Christ before
the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. {5} He
destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the
good pleasure of his will, {6} to the praise of his glorious grace that
he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. {7} In him we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of
his grace {8} that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight {9} he
has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure
that he set forth in Christ, {10} as a plan for the fullness of time, to
gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. {11} In
Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to
the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and
will, {12} so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ,
might live for the praise of his glory. {13} In him you also, when you
had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in
him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; {14} this is
the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the
praise of his glory.
"Eph 1:3-14 is a
digest of the whole epistle and replete with key terms and topics that
anticipate the contents of what follows…. Best described by the Jewish term
‘benediction’(berakah). It is an exclamation of praise and
prayer, resembling those pronounced in Jewish synagogues and homes…. The
contents of the benediction are primarily the grace, the action, the revelation
of God." 6 3. spiritual blessing: "It is probable that in Eph 1:3 by
‘spiritual blessing’ is meant that decision, action, and revelation of God
which has culminated and been ‘sealed’ when the ‘Holy Spirit’ was given
to both Gentiles and Jews (1:13-14; 4:30)…. ‘Spiritual blessings,’
therefore, does not mean a timeless, otherworldly, abstract blessing. Rather it
describes changes effected upon and among people of flesh and blood. It means a
history, that is, decisions, actions, testimonies, suffering which have been set
in motion and are as yet unfinished." 7 6, 12, 14. praise of his glory: "The author of the benediction…wanted
to make clear that not only the root and means of God’s decision and work are
located in God himself but also their purpose." 8 11-13: "Verses 11-13 appear to explain in terms of subjective
experience why the bold statement on possession was made in vs. 7…. Because
God is by no means a stingy or begrudging father, men are simply overwhelmed by
his deeds. And yet the overwhelming grace does not condemn man to simple
passivity…. The election by God does not wipe out man’s history. Following
Eph 1:11-13 it makes and shapes our and your history." 9
John 1:[1-9] 10-18
[{1} In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. {2} He was in the beginning with God. {3} All
things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into
being. What has come into being {4} in him was life, and the life was the
light of all people. {5} The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness did not overcome it. {6} There was a man sent from God, whose
name was John. {7} He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that
all might believe through him. {8} He himself was not the light, but he
came to testify to the light. {9} The true light, which enlightens
everyone, was coming into the world.] {10} He was in the world, and the
world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. {11} He
came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. {12} But
to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become
children of God, {13} who were born, not of blood or of the will of the
flesh or of the will of man, but of God. {14} And the Word became flesh
and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only
son, full of grace and truth. {15} (John testified to him and cried out,
"This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me
because he was before me.'") {16} From his fullness we have all
received, grace upon grace. {17} The law indeed was given through Moses;
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. {18} No one has ever seen God.
It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him
known.
John 1:1-14 is the Gospel for Christmas
Day. By marking verses 1-9 as secondary attention is directed to Jesus’
presence in the world (10-14), and his gifts to us (16-18), with an aside from
John the Baptist (verse 15). Even if verses 1-9 are read, the emphasis should be
focused on the latter verses. 10-11: When Jesus was in the world he was not known, even by his own
people. 12: He is known and believed in by those who have been empowered by God,
not by human wisdom or power. 14: The Word through whom all was created; the Word which was God; became
flesh and we have seen his glory, like the glory of the Father. 15: John identifies the Word become flesh as the one to whom John
witnessed. John 1:30. 16. No one has ever seen God: Not even Moses was allowed to see God’s
face (Exodus 33:20-23). God is not of this world. He cannot be perceived with
the senses of the world. Communication is all from one direction. The Son, the
Word of God become flesh, reveals God. That is the only way we could know God.
Now, everything is qualified by the revelation of God in the Word become flesh.
Jesus makes this clear in his definition of eternal life, life with God in John
17:3, "this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
Reflection
At the end of the season of Christmas we are reminded
again that the Incarnation of God in Christ is not a thing of snowy nights and
candle-light. It is God’s self-revelation in Word and flesh, a thing
incomprehensible and incredible. It is not something past to be reflected on,
but it is present with spiritual blessing here and now for those who have
received him. And that spiritual blessing has meaning and power for our lives on
this day. All that has been is God’s creation; now God is with us in his Word,
in the power of his Word, in his Word made flesh. We dance and sing for joy for
the light of God has enlightened our darkness and we have beheld his glory,
glory as of the only Son of the Father. The mystery we have encountered is now
the direction and the energy for the life we live.
Hymns
10
With One Voice (e.g. 762v), Hymnal Supplement 1991 (e.g.
725s) and LBW (e.g. 32).
E=Entrance; D=Hymn of the Day; I=First Lesson, P=Psalm; II=Second
Lesson; G=Gospel
776s --E/G--Word of God,
(716v) 198 --D--Let All Mortal
14 --I--Listen! You Nations
701v --I--What Feast of Love
474 --P--Children of the
396 --II--O God, O Lord
693v --II--Baptized in Water
(759s) 659 --G--The Word of God
57, 83, 271, 42, 45
Prayers of the People
11
A: The revealed Word has made us rich beyond telling. As
heirs of life, let us pray, "Gather up all in Christ," and respond, C:
Amen.
A: O God who makes all things new, refurbish the hearts of those who serve the
church in other lands, strengthen the churches abroad and continue to call
faithful gospel workers. Gather up all in Christ. C: Amen.
A: O God who understands what is near and what is far, let those in Government
Customs and Duties work with integrity to facilitate properly the gospel's
advance. Gather up all in Christ. C: Amen.
A: O God who embraces the families of the world, where there is the failure of
love, give birth to caring; where there is brokenness, bring healing. Gather up
all in Christ. C: Amen.
A: God of love, lift the burdens of women who live in poverty, hunger, and
without dignity. Gather up all in Christ. C: Amen. When the Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness is not used, the
following may be said: A: God who searches all hearts and minds, have mercy upon us, weighed down
by abundance in a world that still longs for necessities. Gather up all in
Christ. C: Amen.
P: Grant faith to move mountains with hearts that are true. C: Amen.
OR
12
Presider or deacon
As we celebrate with joy the birth of Jesus to Jews, let us offer prayers to God
who gathers his sons and daughters in a holy family. Deacon or other leader
By the birth of the timeless Son of God in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
For N our bishop and the presbyters, for the deacons and all who minister
in Christ, and for all the holy people of God.
For all believers who put their trust in the incarnate Son of God. For the
leaders of the nations and all in authority, and for peace and justice.
For the conversion of the whole human race to our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
For travelers, for the sick and the suffering, for the hungry and the oppressed,
for those in prison, and for the dying and the dead.
For our deliverance from all affliction, strife, and need.
Remembering our most glorious and blessed Virgin Mary, N, and all the
saints, let us offer ourselves and one another to the living God through Christ.
To you, O Lord. Presider
God of all families and peoples, accept the prayers we offer in this joyful
season. As we welcome this mystery of your love, may we delight in our joy as
children and heirs of your kingdom. Glory to you for ever.
Notes [1] John Bright, Jeremiah:
Introduction, Translation, and Notes. Garden City, NY: Doubleday &
Company, Inc., 1965, p. 286. [2]The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press,
1962, vol. 4, p. 959. [3]Ibid., p. 960. [4]The HarperCollins Study Bible. HarperCollins Publishers, 1993, p. 1530. [5]
David Winston, The Wisdom of Solomon: A
New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Garden City, NY: Doubleday
& Company, Inc., 1979, p. 211. [6]
Marcus Barth, Ephesians: Introduction,
Translation, and Commentary on Chapters 1-3. Garden City, NY: Doubleday
& Company, Inc., 1974, pp. 97-98. [7]Ibid., p. 102. [8]Ibid., p. 114. [9]Ibid., pp. 98-99 [10]http://www.worship.on.ca/text/rclb9900.txt [11]http://www.worship.on.ca/text/inter_b1.txt [12]http://members.cox.net/oplater/prayer.htm
