Second Sunday After Christmas
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle C
The Church Year Theological Clue
This might well be called "blue moon" Sunday, because it only occurs "once in a blue moon." The Second Sunday after Christmas can only be celebrated when Christmas Day falls between Wednesday and Saturday, allowing two Sundays before the Epiphany. There are never four "Second Sundays" in consecutive years; leap year always breaks up the sequence. At best, therefore, the Second Sunday after Christmas is almost an intrusion into the calendar of the church, not only because it is something of an "irregular" Sunday, but also because some congregations eliminate it by transferring the propers for the Epiphany to this Sunday, particularly when the Epiphany, January 6, happens on Saturday (as in 1992). The other factor that dooms this Sunday into being a liturgical "orphan" is that it really has no readings of its own; they tend to be "reused," as in the case of the Gospel for the Day, John 1:1-18, for the majority of the churches. Most of these lections have "Christmas connections," because they are assigned to other days that celebrate Christmas. The "occasional-orphan" status of this Sunday is underlined by the fact that there is only one set of propers for this day, not three for years/cycles A, B, C. (Of course, this is the case with some of the major festivals.)
The proximity of the Second Sunday after Christmas to the Feast of the Epiphany, and the lections which are chosen, tend to highlight the birth of Christ, dealing with it on the level of the incarnation ("The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of truth and grace"). In this emphasis, the biblical motif of the third service for Christmas Day, which finds the John 1 Gospel being read in that service/mass, really is expanded, more than it is repeated, because in most parts of the church the majority of the worshipers seem to attend evening or night Christmas celebrations on December 24 (the schedules of Christmas services printed in the newspapers would seem to affirm such a statement). Services on Christmas morning are not as popular or well-attended as the Christmas Eve worship opportunities, so it is most appropriate that this Sunday should exist to reemphasize the nature of Jesus' birth and person as "the Word became flesh" - Jesus' divine and human nature - and point the people toward Epiphany and its season. The Second Sunday after Christmas begins to bring closure to the 12 days of Christmas, and also to function as a bridge from Christmas to Epiphany.
The Prayer Of The Day
Many of the lectionaries and service books of the several denominations had no separate collect for the Second Sunday after Christmas, simply borrowing what was needed from the propers (the introit, collect, and gradual) of the First Sunday after Christmas (The Service Book And Hymnal of the American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America, which was replaced by The Lutheran Book Of Worship, is an example of this. The same liturgical pattern also occurred in The Common Service Book, which preceded The Service Book And Hymnal). The older lectionaries did assign an epistle and gospel to the Second Sunday after Christmas, but there was no collect. This omission has been corrected in most of the contemporary worship books.
Interestingly, the Episcopal lectionary has reversed the assignment of the Gospels for the Day for the First and Second Sundays after Christmas. This has resulted in the use of an "incarnation" collect by The Book Of Common Prayer for the First Sunday after Christmas, while The Lutheran Book Of Worship uses that same collect on the Second Sunday of
Christmas. Obviously, it is the John 1:1-18 Gospel (BCP on the First Sunday, LBW puts on the Second Sunday) which is responsible for this "shift" of the Prayer of the Day from one Sunday to the other. (It should also be remembered that The Book Of Common Prayer and the Roman Catholic ORDO allow and/or encourage the reading of the Epiphany Gospel on the Second Sunday after Christmas.)
The Lutheran version of this "incarnation collect" differs slightly from other forms of it: "Almighty 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 Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever." The "shine forth" of the other version seems a bit stronger.
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 84:1-6 (E) - This psalm is assigned to this Sunday in all three cycles of the Christian year; it also is used on the Presentation, and for Proper 25, toward the end of Pentecost in Cycle C. Its purpose here is to introduce the "my Father's house" theme in the Gospel for the Day (Luke 2:41-52 is the first choice): How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of Hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh rejoice in the living God. And verses 3 and 6 declare: Happy are they who dwell in your house! They will climb from height to height, and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.
Psalm 147:12-20 (L) - As noted in the commentary for the first Christmas, this psalm and psalm prayer have been used on other Sundays. Please see the above notation.
The Readings
Sirach 24:1-4, 8-12 (RC) - This is one of five selections from the church's book, Ecclesiasticus or Sirach. It begins on the note of Wisdom, who "opens her mouth in the assembly of the Most High." It has been chosen for a very specific reason: Namely, what is said in verse 3 that suggests the incarnation, "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High (and I covered the earth like a mist)." And, at verse 12, "I have taken root in a privileged people, in the Lord's property, in his inheritance." The reading does complement the John 1 Gospel or the Luke 2:41 Gospel quite appropriately.
Jeremiah 31:7-14 (E, C) - This combines verses 7-9, often designated as the second of four poems celebrating the return of the exiles from their Babylonian captivity, with the reading of the LBW for the first Sunday after Christmas, Cycle C (that reading includes verse 14). Commentary is included in the material for that Sunday.
Isaiah 61:10-62:3 (L) - This pericope takes up almost where the first reading for the First Sunday of Advent concludes, verse 11. Once more, the Advent/Christmas note of joy is sounded - "I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God" and "the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to, spring forth before all the nations (verses 10, 11b)." It reminds me of television mini-series which review what happened in the previous episodes before going on with their stories. What follows, particularly in 62:2-3, picks up on the worship theme of Christmas: "The nations will then see your integrity, all the kings your glory, and you will be called by a new name, one which the mouth of Yahweh will confer. You are to be a crown of splendour in the hand of Yahweh, a princely diadem in the hand of your God." (Jerusalem Bible) God has indeed done a new thing in Jesus. (Note: See the First Sunday after Christmas, Cycle A, for additional comments on this reading.)
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18 (L, C); 1:3-6, 15-19a (E) - An elongated selection of the first part of this chapter (verses 1-14 or, in the case of the Roman ORDO, 3-14, has been commented upon in the LPW III, Cycle B (RC - Fifteenth Sunday of the Year; E, C - Proper 10; L - the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost). The last four verses of the reading articulate Paul's prayer of gratitude for the faith and love of the Christians of Ephesus, disclosing the content of his prayer for them that they might be given "the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints." To his prayer of thanksgiving, Paul adds his petitions for the continual outpouring of God's grace upon this church, so that the people might continue to mature in the Christian faith.
John 1:1-18 (RC, L, C) - The prologue and beginning of John's gospel finds its way into the readings of several festivals of the year, particularly for the Third Service of Christmas Day, known as the Mass during the Day. It speaks of the eternal Word, the same Word that spoke at the beginning and created heaven and earth and every form of life on the earth, but it goes on to connect that Word - God - with Jesus Christ. Jesus, at his birth, became the incarnation of that Word - and that's what John's gospel is all about. The Word was pre-existent - before time began - and the Word became flesh in order that God bring light into the darkness of the world and redeem it in Jesus Christ. John also makes it clear that John the Baptist was not that Word, that Light; he was a witness, sent to give testimony to the one who would follow him. Like the other evangelists, John shows that John the Baptist really knew his role in the mission of Jesus Christ - and that he fulfilled it through the grace of God.
Luke 2:41-52, or Matthew 2:1-12 (E) - The Luke 2 Gospel for the Day was last Sunday's reading for the ORDO, the LBW lectionary, and the Common lectionary. Commentary may be located in the material for the First Sunday after Christmas, Cycle C. The Matthew 2 selection is the Gospel for Epiphany; it, too, has been commented upon, beginning in LPW III, Cycle A, for Epiphany.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
John 1:1-18 (RC, L, C) - "God Really Is With Us." - That's what the bottom line of this gospel and Christmas really means. God had moved into our world when Jesus was born; John's way of saying this was, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth." He shared all aspects of human life, entered into our joy and our suffering; Jesus really became a human being when he was born! That's one thing that this gospel means for us. He is always with us!
A few years ago, I heard a British bishop talk about his seven-year-old son, who needed a serious operation that, it was hoped, would correct a physical problem. Just before the operation, he tried to assure his son that all would be well. Sensing some uneasiness, he asked him, "Are you worried?" The boy answered, "Not a bit, Dad! When I get to heaven and get my new body, I am going to tell Jesus all that is wrong with my old body. I know Jesus is with me," reassuring his father. The bishop said that his prayers for his son were answered in that response to his question. First, his son knew something of the fullness of the gospel promise and hope and, second, he was aware of the presence of Jesus as he faced this difficult and dangerous time in his life. That little child had been given "a spirit of wisdom and revelation" - a measure of faith in the gracious action of God in the One we call the Incarnate Word.
The Jesus of whom John writes in the Word, who brings life and light to people through his incarnation and his death and resurrection. John can say these things because he knows how the story of Jesus developed and turned out; they put him to death, murdered him, but his enemies couldn't keep him in the tomb. At his birth, he was destined to die and rise again; the incarnation means that in his birth, in his life, in his death and resurrection - in this person who is really God Incarnate (which is another way of saying that God is with us) - "we have really beheld his glory" and that gives us a reason to continue to rejoice and give thanks and sing of Jesus, who was indeed Lord at his birth.
At the same time, we are sad, partly because he, the living Word of God, had to die for our sins, partly because people didn't know who he really was or wouldn't take him at his word and believe that he came as the Christ. And there are still too many who don't understand him and the gospel, which makes it imperative that we believers preach the good news by word and deed, by every way that we possibly can in this troubled world.
Where his word is preached, there he is - the Word incarnate - speaking for himself and generating faith and hope in those who listen, repent of their sins, and believe that he has shown the world what God is like. He is with us - he really is - and he always will be to the very end of the age. He said that himself, incarnate Word and risen Lord!
Luke 2:41-52 - This text was considered last week. Please see the sermon suggestion offered at that time.
Matthew 2:1-12 - (E and some other churches, including the Roman Catholic, move the celebration of Epiphany to the Sunday before January 6, when there are two Sundays after Christmas before January 6). Please see the Epiphany for homiletical comments.
Sirach 24:1-4, 8-12 (RC - "In Praise Of Wisdom."
1. True wisdom is the fruit of the Word (Wisdom says, "I came forth from the mouth of God." God generates genuine wisdom; it is not an invention of human beings. It is a special act of revelation, according to Jesus Ben Sirach.
2. True wisdom - knowing God and his will and his ways - is a gift of grace from an eternally loving God.
3. True wisdom was bestowed upon a chosen and "privileged" people; among them it took "root."
4. True wisdom sends out shoots - believers and prophets and preachers - and one shoot that grew into a mighty tree; his name is Jesus.
Jeremiah 31:7-14 (C) - See the First Sunday after Christmas, LPW III, Cycle C, for homiletical suggestions for most of this text.
Isaiah 61:10-62:3 - See the Second Sunday after Christmas in this book for commentary.
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18 (RC, L, C); 1:3-6, 15-19 (E) - "Good God!"
1. That's what God is - good - because he has blessed us spiritually and physically, and chosen us to be his children.
2. As "children of the heavenly Father," central to our business as believers is the giving of thanks to God for his gifts of love and grace to us and to all the faithful.
3. And it is also our task to pray for God's "spirit of wisdom and revelation" in Christ - for ourselves and for all people on the earth - that all might know God the Father and the Jesus Christ the Lord.
4. Those gifts of God, "wisdom and revelation," give real hope to a futile and hopeless world, because the living Lord "has begun his reign" and will finally rule over all of the world.
This might well be called "blue moon" Sunday, because it only occurs "once in a blue moon." The Second Sunday after Christmas can only be celebrated when Christmas Day falls between Wednesday and Saturday, allowing two Sundays before the Epiphany. There are never four "Second Sundays" in consecutive years; leap year always breaks up the sequence. At best, therefore, the Second Sunday after Christmas is almost an intrusion into the calendar of the church, not only because it is something of an "irregular" Sunday, but also because some congregations eliminate it by transferring the propers for the Epiphany to this Sunday, particularly when the Epiphany, January 6, happens on Saturday (as in 1992). The other factor that dooms this Sunday into being a liturgical "orphan" is that it really has no readings of its own; they tend to be "reused," as in the case of the Gospel for the Day, John 1:1-18, for the majority of the churches. Most of these lections have "Christmas connections," because they are assigned to other days that celebrate Christmas. The "occasional-orphan" status of this Sunday is underlined by the fact that there is only one set of propers for this day, not three for years/cycles A, B, C. (Of course, this is the case with some of the major festivals.)
The proximity of the Second Sunday after Christmas to the Feast of the Epiphany, and the lections which are chosen, tend to highlight the birth of Christ, dealing with it on the level of the incarnation ("The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of truth and grace"). In this emphasis, the biblical motif of the third service for Christmas Day, which finds the John 1 Gospel being read in that service/mass, really is expanded, more than it is repeated, because in most parts of the church the majority of the worshipers seem to attend evening or night Christmas celebrations on December 24 (the schedules of Christmas services printed in the newspapers would seem to affirm such a statement). Services on Christmas morning are not as popular or well-attended as the Christmas Eve worship opportunities, so it is most appropriate that this Sunday should exist to reemphasize the nature of Jesus' birth and person as "the Word became flesh" - Jesus' divine and human nature - and point the people toward Epiphany and its season. The Second Sunday after Christmas begins to bring closure to the 12 days of Christmas, and also to function as a bridge from Christmas to Epiphany.
The Prayer Of The Day
Many of the lectionaries and service books of the several denominations had no separate collect for the Second Sunday after Christmas, simply borrowing what was needed from the propers (the introit, collect, and gradual) of the First Sunday after Christmas (The Service Book And Hymnal of the American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America, which was replaced by The Lutheran Book Of Worship, is an example of this. The same liturgical pattern also occurred in The Common Service Book, which preceded The Service Book And Hymnal). The older lectionaries did assign an epistle and gospel to the Second Sunday after Christmas, but there was no collect. This omission has been corrected in most of the contemporary worship books.
Interestingly, the Episcopal lectionary has reversed the assignment of the Gospels for the Day for the First and Second Sundays after Christmas. This has resulted in the use of an "incarnation" collect by The Book Of Common Prayer for the First Sunday after Christmas, while The Lutheran Book Of Worship uses that same collect on the Second Sunday of
Christmas. Obviously, it is the John 1:1-18 Gospel (BCP on the First Sunday, LBW puts on the Second Sunday) which is responsible for this "shift" of the Prayer of the Day from one Sunday to the other. (It should also be remembered that The Book Of Common Prayer and the Roman Catholic ORDO allow and/or encourage the reading of the Epiphany Gospel on the Second Sunday after Christmas.)
The Lutheran version of this "incarnation collect" differs slightly from other forms of it: "Almighty 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 Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever." The "shine forth" of the other version seems a bit stronger.
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 84:1-6 (E) - This psalm is assigned to this Sunday in all three cycles of the Christian year; it also is used on the Presentation, and for Proper 25, toward the end of Pentecost in Cycle C. Its purpose here is to introduce the "my Father's house" theme in the Gospel for the Day (Luke 2:41-52 is the first choice): How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of Hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh rejoice in the living God. And verses 3 and 6 declare: Happy are they who dwell in your house! They will climb from height to height, and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.
Psalm 147:12-20 (L) - As noted in the commentary for the first Christmas, this psalm and psalm prayer have been used on other Sundays. Please see the above notation.
The Readings
Sirach 24:1-4, 8-12 (RC) - This is one of five selections from the church's book, Ecclesiasticus or Sirach. It begins on the note of Wisdom, who "opens her mouth in the assembly of the Most High." It has been chosen for a very specific reason: Namely, what is said in verse 3 that suggests the incarnation, "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High (and I covered the earth like a mist)." And, at verse 12, "I have taken root in a privileged people, in the Lord's property, in his inheritance." The reading does complement the John 1 Gospel or the Luke 2:41 Gospel quite appropriately.
Jeremiah 31:7-14 (E, C) - This combines verses 7-9, often designated as the second of four poems celebrating the return of the exiles from their Babylonian captivity, with the reading of the LBW for the first Sunday after Christmas, Cycle C (that reading includes verse 14). Commentary is included in the material for that Sunday.
Isaiah 61:10-62:3 (L) - This pericope takes up almost where the first reading for the First Sunday of Advent concludes, verse 11. Once more, the Advent/Christmas note of joy is sounded - "I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God" and "the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to, spring forth before all the nations (verses 10, 11b)." It reminds me of television mini-series which review what happened in the previous episodes before going on with their stories. What follows, particularly in 62:2-3, picks up on the worship theme of Christmas: "The nations will then see your integrity, all the kings your glory, and you will be called by a new name, one which the mouth of Yahweh will confer. You are to be a crown of splendour in the hand of Yahweh, a princely diadem in the hand of your God." (Jerusalem Bible) God has indeed done a new thing in Jesus. (Note: See the First Sunday after Christmas, Cycle A, for additional comments on this reading.)
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18 (L, C); 1:3-6, 15-19a (E) - An elongated selection of the first part of this chapter (verses 1-14 or, in the case of the Roman ORDO, 3-14, has been commented upon in the LPW III, Cycle B (RC - Fifteenth Sunday of the Year; E, C - Proper 10; L - the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost). The last four verses of the reading articulate Paul's prayer of gratitude for the faith and love of the Christians of Ephesus, disclosing the content of his prayer for them that they might be given "the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints." To his prayer of thanksgiving, Paul adds his petitions for the continual outpouring of God's grace upon this church, so that the people might continue to mature in the Christian faith.
John 1:1-18 (RC, L, C) - The prologue and beginning of John's gospel finds its way into the readings of several festivals of the year, particularly for the Third Service of Christmas Day, known as the Mass during the Day. It speaks of the eternal Word, the same Word that spoke at the beginning and created heaven and earth and every form of life on the earth, but it goes on to connect that Word - God - with Jesus Christ. Jesus, at his birth, became the incarnation of that Word - and that's what John's gospel is all about. The Word was pre-existent - before time began - and the Word became flesh in order that God bring light into the darkness of the world and redeem it in Jesus Christ. John also makes it clear that John the Baptist was not that Word, that Light; he was a witness, sent to give testimony to the one who would follow him. Like the other evangelists, John shows that John the Baptist really knew his role in the mission of Jesus Christ - and that he fulfilled it through the grace of God.
Luke 2:41-52, or Matthew 2:1-12 (E) - The Luke 2 Gospel for the Day was last Sunday's reading for the ORDO, the LBW lectionary, and the Common lectionary. Commentary may be located in the material for the First Sunday after Christmas, Cycle C. The Matthew 2 selection is the Gospel for Epiphany; it, too, has been commented upon, beginning in LPW III, Cycle A, for Epiphany.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
John 1:1-18 (RC, L, C) - "God Really Is With Us." - That's what the bottom line of this gospel and Christmas really means. God had moved into our world when Jesus was born; John's way of saying this was, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth." He shared all aspects of human life, entered into our joy and our suffering; Jesus really became a human being when he was born! That's one thing that this gospel means for us. He is always with us!
A few years ago, I heard a British bishop talk about his seven-year-old son, who needed a serious operation that, it was hoped, would correct a physical problem. Just before the operation, he tried to assure his son that all would be well. Sensing some uneasiness, he asked him, "Are you worried?" The boy answered, "Not a bit, Dad! When I get to heaven and get my new body, I am going to tell Jesus all that is wrong with my old body. I know Jesus is with me," reassuring his father. The bishop said that his prayers for his son were answered in that response to his question. First, his son knew something of the fullness of the gospel promise and hope and, second, he was aware of the presence of Jesus as he faced this difficult and dangerous time in his life. That little child had been given "a spirit of wisdom and revelation" - a measure of faith in the gracious action of God in the One we call the Incarnate Word.
The Jesus of whom John writes in the Word, who brings life and light to people through his incarnation and his death and resurrection. John can say these things because he knows how the story of Jesus developed and turned out; they put him to death, murdered him, but his enemies couldn't keep him in the tomb. At his birth, he was destined to die and rise again; the incarnation means that in his birth, in his life, in his death and resurrection - in this person who is really God Incarnate (which is another way of saying that God is with us) - "we have really beheld his glory" and that gives us a reason to continue to rejoice and give thanks and sing of Jesus, who was indeed Lord at his birth.
At the same time, we are sad, partly because he, the living Word of God, had to die for our sins, partly because people didn't know who he really was or wouldn't take him at his word and believe that he came as the Christ. And there are still too many who don't understand him and the gospel, which makes it imperative that we believers preach the good news by word and deed, by every way that we possibly can in this troubled world.
Where his word is preached, there he is - the Word incarnate - speaking for himself and generating faith and hope in those who listen, repent of their sins, and believe that he has shown the world what God is like. He is with us - he really is - and he always will be to the very end of the age. He said that himself, incarnate Word and risen Lord!
Luke 2:41-52 - This text was considered last week. Please see the sermon suggestion offered at that time.
Matthew 2:1-12 - (E and some other churches, including the Roman Catholic, move the celebration of Epiphany to the Sunday before January 6, when there are two Sundays after Christmas before January 6). Please see the Epiphany for homiletical comments.
Sirach 24:1-4, 8-12 (RC - "In Praise Of Wisdom."
1. True wisdom is the fruit of the Word (Wisdom says, "I came forth from the mouth of God." God generates genuine wisdom; it is not an invention of human beings. It is a special act of revelation, according to Jesus Ben Sirach.
2. True wisdom - knowing God and his will and his ways - is a gift of grace from an eternally loving God.
3. True wisdom was bestowed upon a chosen and "privileged" people; among them it took "root."
4. True wisdom sends out shoots - believers and prophets and preachers - and one shoot that grew into a mighty tree; his name is Jesus.
Jeremiah 31:7-14 (C) - See the First Sunday after Christmas, LPW III, Cycle C, for homiletical suggestions for most of this text.
Isaiah 61:10-62:3 - See the Second Sunday after Christmas in this book for commentary.
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18 (RC, L, C); 1:3-6, 15-19 (E) - "Good God!"
1. That's what God is - good - because he has blessed us spiritually and physically, and chosen us to be his children.
2. As "children of the heavenly Father," central to our business as believers is the giving of thanks to God for his gifts of love and grace to us and to all the faithful.
3. And it is also our task to pray for God's "spirit of wisdom and revelation" in Christ - for ourselves and for all people on the earth - that all might know God the Father and the Jesus Christ the Lord.
4. Those gifts of God, "wisdom and revelation," give real hope to a futile and hopeless world, because the living Lord "has begun his reign" and will finally rule over all of the world.
