Salvation is in sight
Commentary
Reality orientation characterizes the readings for this day after Christmas. Each in its own way reminds us that given God's respect for our freedom to choose or not to choose and the sorry shape of the human condition there is no quick fix. Each in its own way brings to us a perspective that is essential if we are to persist in trying to live faithfully day in and day out, year in and year out, century in and century out. The common thread in the readings is not a theme but the convictions that in and through all things God pursues his saving purpose.
OUTLINE I
The end is the beginning
Isaiah 61:10--62:3
These words are part of a psalm sung by an individual. In the return of the exiles from Babylon the prophet sees a new beginning purposed by God for Israel. At the moment there are the tasks of repatriation and rebuilding. I would extend the reading through 62:5. The imagery points to a future Israel who has regained her sense of worth and been intimately reconciled to God.
A. v. 11. Some scholars would place this verse after verse nine. At any rate it is central to the prophet's basis for hope. In Hebrew, though the harvest is in the seed; the end, so to speak, is in the beginning. It is that way with the calling and creating Word of God. We know that human words once they are spoken have a life of their own. Words are actions that can hurt or heal and send consequences rolling in history. If it is that way with human words, how much more so with the Word from beyond? God's purpose in history will be accomplished. It is today's epistle reading that gives a superb illustration of seeing history "under the perspective of eternity."
OUTLINE II
In the fullness of time
Galatians 4:4-7
A. v. 4a. We speak of being in the right place at the right time. There are moments that are pregnant with opportunity. How do we interpret and explain such moments? Think of the coming of Jesus and the introduction of the gospel into history. The time was ripe. The old religions were losing their hold throughout the Roman Empire. The world had a universal language, Koine Greek. A system of military highways meant that all roads did lead to Rome, so did all the sea lanes. The Pax Romana insured the relatively safe movement of goods and people. Ideas could get around. At such a time Jesus was born. How do you explain it? Accident, coincidence, chance? Paul had a different answer, "God sent forth his son."
Paul himself was part of the larger mystery. He was born in Tarsus in Asia Minor, the heartland of Greek culture. He was a Pharisee, a devout Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Roman citizen. He was a man of three worlds. When the gospel needs to break out of its Palestinian setting, Saul of Tarsus experiences an interruption in his life that jettisons him into world travel as the apostle to the Gentiles. How do you explain it?
B. v. 4b. "Born of a woman." When a famous diamond was once shipped from South Africa to London, elaborate security measures were taken. It was placed in a fully-secured iron box, transported under guard to a ship and placed in a specially prepared cabin under armed security. Upon arrival in London it was escorted with much fanfare to the office of the importing company. When the box was opened, within it was a plain piece of coal. A few days later, the diamond arrived by regular parcel post. The owners had opted to entrust delivery of the diamond to the routine structure of the post office. The Son of God comes into history via the ordinary and vulnerable structure of the family.
C. v. 4c. "Born under the law." Jesus grew up under all the imperatives and influences of the culture around him. He was not immune to the cultural pressures that seek to mold and shape us, enslave us, if you will. The Galatians, newly-converted from a paganism that enslaved them to particular rites and practices endowed with salvic significance were being hounded by Judaizers to rely on external practices like circumcision and the observance of certain rituals and rites. We grow up under a materialistic culture that imposes on us its own inadequate definitions and measurements of life. Imperatives are directed to us from every side to become consumers. Ersatz models of success are extolled. Divinity and saving significance is attached to things. A new car model is introduced in a television ad that makes its arrival seem like some sort of mysterious epiphany. A plaintive song extolling cotton, "the fabric of our lives."
D. vv. 5-7. Jesus comes to lead us out of I-it relationships into the life-giving I-Thou relationship. "Abba," the familiar word of the Aramaic household which is akin to our English word, Daddy, the word upon the lips of Jesus. He drew near to us that we might be drawn near to our Abba.
The late P.T. Forsythe observed, "If there is not within us that which comes from beyond us, we will fall for everything that is around us." There is a void within that no addiction, no purchase, no celebrity worship, no ritual can fill. The Spirit of the Living God liberates from the captivities seductively portrayed as salvic in the culture around us.
OUTLINE III
Seeing another way
Luke 2:22-40
In this passage we meet the last of four songs in the Lucan nativity stories, the Nunc Dimittis. These may well be from the liturgy of the earliest church composed of the poor people who gathered around Jesus. Their vocabulary reflects the traditional expectation of Israel and suggests a warrior messiah. This is in stark contrast to the new age that Luke will unfold in the story of the manger-born Savior. Here Simeon and Anna stand out as ideal Israelites who recognize in this God-given life the One who will redeem Israel.
A. vv. 22-24. Frederick Danker in his commentary, Jesus And The New Age, makes the interesting observation that Mary should have completed a 33-day period of purification before going to the temple. (Leviticus 12:2-4) "Thus Luke confronts his readers with the astounding circumstance that Jesus, who came to reunite us in fellowship with God himself now involves his mother in ritual impurity." Relating this to Galatians 4:4, Danker says, "Paul did not overstate the case. The sacrifice offered by Mary indicates she is one of the poor of the land."
B. vv. 25-28. Jerusalem is a focal center for Luke's gospel. In his book of Acts, Rome will become the point of destination. The name, Simeon, if a variation of the name, Simon, is a Maccabean name popular among revolutionaries of the first century. Simon, the Maccabee, purified Jerusalem by violent actions. Simon by Divine revelation recognizes the true redeemer of Israel and takes the child in his arms. There are many subtleties in this passage.
C. vv. 29-32. The Song of Simeon is familiar to all of us. The name Simeon incidentally means "God has heard." Simeon says he has seen salvation and identifies that salvation with Jesus. Again Luke sets Jesus in contrast to the traditional expectation.
D. vv. 33-35. The cross falls across the nativity stories at this point. The rejection of Jesus is anticipated. Another kind of sword will pass through the land, the Word that is a two-edged sword. Luke reminds us all that the child will grow up and face us with his claim upon conscience.
Luke will not let us leave him in the manger. I suspect that is why the ancient wisdom of the church named December 26 as the day to remember Stephen, the first martyr. There is another kind of struggle still going on in our world.
E. vv. 36-38. The family also meets in the temple, Anna, a prophet with impeccable credentials. Some scholars believe Anna to be modeled after Judith in the apocryphal book that bears her name. The reader making the association would recognize that Anna is not given to violent means. She goes forth to speak of Jesus as the one who can redeem Jerusalem.
Footnote: It is unfortunate that these passages receive attention on a day right after Christmas, a day when the congregations will be greatly thinned out. They are an important part of the nativity narratives and essential to the story if we are to keep Christmas from just becoming a cult festival of the baby Jesus.
OUTLINE I
The end is the beginning
Isaiah 61:10--62:3
These words are part of a psalm sung by an individual. In the return of the exiles from Babylon the prophet sees a new beginning purposed by God for Israel. At the moment there are the tasks of repatriation and rebuilding. I would extend the reading through 62:5. The imagery points to a future Israel who has regained her sense of worth and been intimately reconciled to God.
A. v. 11. Some scholars would place this verse after verse nine. At any rate it is central to the prophet's basis for hope. In Hebrew, though the harvest is in the seed; the end, so to speak, is in the beginning. It is that way with the calling and creating Word of God. We know that human words once they are spoken have a life of their own. Words are actions that can hurt or heal and send consequences rolling in history. If it is that way with human words, how much more so with the Word from beyond? God's purpose in history will be accomplished. It is today's epistle reading that gives a superb illustration of seeing history "under the perspective of eternity."
OUTLINE II
In the fullness of time
Galatians 4:4-7
A. v. 4a. We speak of being in the right place at the right time. There are moments that are pregnant with opportunity. How do we interpret and explain such moments? Think of the coming of Jesus and the introduction of the gospel into history. The time was ripe. The old religions were losing their hold throughout the Roman Empire. The world had a universal language, Koine Greek. A system of military highways meant that all roads did lead to Rome, so did all the sea lanes. The Pax Romana insured the relatively safe movement of goods and people. Ideas could get around. At such a time Jesus was born. How do you explain it? Accident, coincidence, chance? Paul had a different answer, "God sent forth his son."
Paul himself was part of the larger mystery. He was born in Tarsus in Asia Minor, the heartland of Greek culture. He was a Pharisee, a devout Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Roman citizen. He was a man of three worlds. When the gospel needs to break out of its Palestinian setting, Saul of Tarsus experiences an interruption in his life that jettisons him into world travel as the apostle to the Gentiles. How do you explain it?
B. v. 4b. "Born of a woman." When a famous diamond was once shipped from South Africa to London, elaborate security measures were taken. It was placed in a fully-secured iron box, transported under guard to a ship and placed in a specially prepared cabin under armed security. Upon arrival in London it was escorted with much fanfare to the office of the importing company. When the box was opened, within it was a plain piece of coal. A few days later, the diamond arrived by regular parcel post. The owners had opted to entrust delivery of the diamond to the routine structure of the post office. The Son of God comes into history via the ordinary and vulnerable structure of the family.
C. v. 4c. "Born under the law." Jesus grew up under all the imperatives and influences of the culture around him. He was not immune to the cultural pressures that seek to mold and shape us, enslave us, if you will. The Galatians, newly-converted from a paganism that enslaved them to particular rites and practices endowed with salvic significance were being hounded by Judaizers to rely on external practices like circumcision and the observance of certain rituals and rites. We grow up under a materialistic culture that imposes on us its own inadequate definitions and measurements of life. Imperatives are directed to us from every side to become consumers. Ersatz models of success are extolled. Divinity and saving significance is attached to things. A new car model is introduced in a television ad that makes its arrival seem like some sort of mysterious epiphany. A plaintive song extolling cotton, "the fabric of our lives."
D. vv. 5-7. Jesus comes to lead us out of I-it relationships into the life-giving I-Thou relationship. "Abba," the familiar word of the Aramaic household which is akin to our English word, Daddy, the word upon the lips of Jesus. He drew near to us that we might be drawn near to our Abba.
The late P.T. Forsythe observed, "If there is not within us that which comes from beyond us, we will fall for everything that is around us." There is a void within that no addiction, no purchase, no celebrity worship, no ritual can fill. The Spirit of the Living God liberates from the captivities seductively portrayed as salvic in the culture around us.
OUTLINE III
Seeing another way
Luke 2:22-40
In this passage we meet the last of four songs in the Lucan nativity stories, the Nunc Dimittis. These may well be from the liturgy of the earliest church composed of the poor people who gathered around Jesus. Their vocabulary reflects the traditional expectation of Israel and suggests a warrior messiah. This is in stark contrast to the new age that Luke will unfold in the story of the manger-born Savior. Here Simeon and Anna stand out as ideal Israelites who recognize in this God-given life the One who will redeem Israel.
A. vv. 22-24. Frederick Danker in his commentary, Jesus And The New Age, makes the interesting observation that Mary should have completed a 33-day period of purification before going to the temple. (Leviticus 12:2-4) "Thus Luke confronts his readers with the astounding circumstance that Jesus, who came to reunite us in fellowship with God himself now involves his mother in ritual impurity." Relating this to Galatians 4:4, Danker says, "Paul did not overstate the case. The sacrifice offered by Mary indicates she is one of the poor of the land."
B. vv. 25-28. Jerusalem is a focal center for Luke's gospel. In his book of Acts, Rome will become the point of destination. The name, Simeon, if a variation of the name, Simon, is a Maccabean name popular among revolutionaries of the first century. Simon, the Maccabee, purified Jerusalem by violent actions. Simon by Divine revelation recognizes the true redeemer of Israel and takes the child in his arms. There are many subtleties in this passage.
C. vv. 29-32. The Song of Simeon is familiar to all of us. The name Simeon incidentally means "God has heard." Simeon says he has seen salvation and identifies that salvation with Jesus. Again Luke sets Jesus in contrast to the traditional expectation.
D. vv. 33-35. The cross falls across the nativity stories at this point. The rejection of Jesus is anticipated. Another kind of sword will pass through the land, the Word that is a two-edged sword. Luke reminds us all that the child will grow up and face us with his claim upon conscience.
Luke will not let us leave him in the manger. I suspect that is why the ancient wisdom of the church named December 26 as the day to remember Stephen, the first martyr. There is another kind of struggle still going on in our world.
E. vv. 36-38. The family also meets in the temple, Anna, a prophet with impeccable credentials. Some scholars believe Anna to be modeled after Judith in the apocryphal book that bears her name. The reader making the association would recognize that Anna is not given to violent means. She goes forth to speak of Jesus as the one who can redeem Jerusalem.
Footnote: It is unfortunate that these passages receive attention on a day right after Christmas, a day when the congregations will be greatly thinned out. They are an important part of the nativity narratives and essential to the story if we are to keep Christmas from just becoming a cult festival of the baby Jesus.
