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Lectionary Notes - 1st Sunday after Christmas
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Readings for Christmas Sunday,
12/28/08:
Isaiah 61:10-62:3, Psalm 148, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke
2:22-40
Isaiah 61:10-62:3:
- "my whole being shall exult in my God." How do you
exalt God with your whole being? We think of ourselves so much as in
our heads, so much about our souls, relegating our bodies to just be
flesh-things that contain us on earth. But Isaiah sees a whole-body
worshipping of God. Do you put your whole self into worship?
- I don't usually feel inspired by bride-to-be imagery in
the Bible, but I get what it means to convey. Have you ever been part of a
wedding and the preparations of the wedding party? All decked out, in the best
finery, with so much desire to please the other spouse-to-be. That's how we,
God's people, are meant to feel about being ready to meet God.
Psalm 148:
- I like Psalms that are simple
and clear in their focus: Praise God, everything and everyone. It is a
reminder to me, to us, in our worship preparations, to remember what is our
focus: Praise God, everything and everyone. Sometimes we try so hard for
something fantastic that we lose focus on why we put together such wonderful
music, beautiful liturgies, and carefully crafted sermons. Praise God!
- Psalms like this that include
things like: sun, moon, starts, mountains, fire, hair, hills, trees, cattle,
birds, young, old, men, women, rules, snow, and wind, all in one litany remind
us of our relationship with ALL creation. A little stewardship of the earth,
please? If the psalm says all creation praises God, we do a good job of
putting a stop to the praise when we destroy the creation...
- This image sort of reminds me of The Lion King
when all the animals come to see the new baby Simba be ‘baptized’ – all
creation is joining in. What a picture!
- Creation is commanded by the psalmist to give praise
because of its existence. Do we require more of God to give God praise? Do we
only feel like praising when things are going our way or when we’ve received
some desired request? Or do we praise because we are, because we have being?
- V. 11-12 say that Kings and the regular people, rulers,
young men and women, old men and women, all should praise together. Is that a
good picture of worship today? How do we worship together from different walks
of life? Who is missing from this full picture in our own congregations?
Galatians 4:4-7:
- Adoption language. I have trouble with this language of
Paul's. I don't know what to think. Are we only God's adopted children because
of Jesus Christ, or are we God's children already because we are created in
God's image? I can see good theological arguments either way. If we're God's
adopted children, then that means like parents adopt children today, God
chooses to be our parent. I like that image. But I don't like an
implication that we're only God's children because of Christ. Aren't all
people God's children?
- What does it mean to be a child of God? Think about the
place of children in the Bible - in Jesus' teaching. How are you entering
God's kingdom in a childlike way?
Luke 2:22-40:
- Simeon in particular has been waiting for sometime to
see the Messiah, even though he had no idea when this would happen. What have
you been waiting your whole life to see? What's worth such wait?
- I feel sorry for poor Mary, hearing Simeon's confusing
and upsetting words about her son. Do you think she thought he was a crazy
man, or do you think she already had a feeling about what he said?
- When you look at a child, can you envision in them all
that they might be? God looks at us that way, I think, even when we are no
longer young in years, always seeing all that we might be.
Pastor’s Note: (I use the Greek-English
Lexicon from Liddell and Scott, the “little Liddell”
and the Metzger et. al Greek New Testament in my translation work.)
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