Today in the Spirit: Christmas 2A

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We continue to celebrate the Christmas season on the Second Sunday of Christmas. For Christmas 2, the Church gives two options for the assigned Gospel readings in all three lectionary years. These, together with the various options for Gospel readings on Christmas Day, provide coverage of all the infancy and childhood narratives of our Lord’s life found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

The preferred option for a Gospel reading at Christmas 2A is Luke 2:41-52, the arresting narrative of the boy Jesus going to the temple with his parents for a Passover feast. The climax of the account is, of course, the question the boy Jesus raises with his parents once they found in the temple. “And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (49).

The Collect

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

With Weeping They Shall Come… and Sing Aloud (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,
‘O Lord, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.’
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together;
a great company, they shall return here.
9 With weeping they shall come,
and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back,
I will make them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble,
for I am 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 keeps his 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 be like a watered garden,
and they shall languish no more.
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 feast the soul of the priests with abundance,
and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,
declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah 31:7-14

“With weeping they shall come…They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion” (9,12). This text is a calling out of the one God to the “nations” (10) to witness the singing in heaven in celebration of the Judean exiles returning to their homeland. In our overhearing the summons, we note the puzzling and poignant description of the returnees. They weep, and they rejoice. How can it be both? It is both because the One “who scattered Israel (because of rebellion) will gather them and will keep them as a shepherd keeps his flock.”

Beloved, let it be reported to the world around us that we, too, are a people both sorrowful for our sin and joyful for the provision of the Father of a way out through the Son. May we never fail to enter our worship with the requisite sense of need for Jesus so that the renewed pronouncement of his never falls flat and always satisfies. Away, saints, with the uninterested countenance of so many who do not Jesus but attend Christmas services out of necessity. Let our common joy, even more than the pageantry of the occasion, be the winsome witness we make to our unbelieving family and friends in attendance. Let the “nations” see that puzzling juxtaposition of sincere weeping and fountainous rejoicing that reveals the presence of God.

Today, in this season, Holy Spirit, we confess our own descent into apathy toward the celebration of the Christmas season. Bring us weeping and singing aloud.

Desire and Longing (Psalm 84)

1 How lovely are your dwellings, *
O Lord God of hosts!
2 My soul has a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord; *
my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
3 Indeed, the sparrow has found her a house, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young, *
even your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are they who dwell in your house; *
they will be always praising you.
5 Blessed is the one whose strength is in you, *
in whose heart are your ways,
6 Who going through the valley of misery uses it for a well; *
indeed, the early rains fill the pools with water.
7 They will go from strength to strength, *
and the God of gods shall be seen by them in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; *
hearken, O God of Jacob.
9 Behold, O God, our defender, *
and look upon the face of your Anointed.
10 For one day in your courts *
is better than a thousand;
11 I would rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God *
than dwell in the tents of ungodliness.
12 For the Lord God is a light and defense; *
the Lord will give grace and honor, and no good thing shall he withhold from those who live a godly life.
13 O Lord God of hosts, *
blessed is the one who puts his trust in you.
Psalm 84, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)

Or, “Always dreamed of a room in your house, where I could sing for joy to God-alive!” (2, MSG). On the one hand, we find an intense longing in the psalm that runs counter to the grain of other prayers and readings in the Christmas season, declaring arrival and fulfillment. On the other hand, joy is counterpoised with the pilgrim’s yearning that fits right in the season. The pilgrim may be far away from the temple, the place of the presence of the One God; and yet, even as he remains at a distance in his body, internally in heart and flesh, he is there: “he sings for joy to God-alive.”

It is in fact this wanderer’s situation that most resembles our own today: We are certain through the word and experience that the Lord exists, that he is present, and that he reigns over all; and yet we know we are not yet at home and long to be there. As we get older (I don’t know why I picture this pilgrim as older), our understanding grows as believers, and we often find our interest narrowing toward God and yearning for the fullness of his presence. Even for Joseph and Mary, the fanfare around the manger was short-lived. Although they would have the child with them for years, they wandered and suffered and “dreamed” of something more.

Today, at Christmas, the Spirit of God being our helper, we press on like this psalmist with a joy that transcends our yearning for more.

In the Heavenly Places (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 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed 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 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:3-14

The passage in Greek is one single, cohesive sentence composed by Paul, structured to help the local churches in Asia Minor grasp a broader, cosmic understanding of God’s design in sending Jesus Christ into the world. By my count, there are twelve references to Christ in this passage either by name or by use of pronouns (“in him” or “through him”); and yet, with the exception of one reference to blood (v. 7), there is nothing to indicate that Paul’s “Christ” is even human. The uninitiated in Ephesus or in any church today might well have asked in response to this passage: Who could he be, an angel or a wind from heaven?

But here’s the thing: right after we hear these words on Sunday (no matter which Gospel passage we choose), we run headlong into our Lord’s humanity. Whether our worship experience is that of a baby in a home visited by magi or a young boy separated from his parents in Jerusalem, we descend from the cosmic to the flesh-and-blood. Don’t look now, but the Church’s lectionary has hooked you into an experience of marveling over a great mystery. The lyrics of Chris Thomlin’s modern Christmas song come to mind: “Love incarnate, love divine/Star and angels gave the sign/Bow to babe on bended knee/The Savior of humanity/Unto us a Child is born/He shall reign forevermore.”

Today, Holy Spirit, as Christmas comes to a close, I carry into the new calendar year my joyous perplexity at contemplating the Son of God, over eternity, coming into the world.

She Treasured Up All These Things om Her Heart (Luke 2:41-52)

41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

This is the second time Luke writes that Mary “treasured up all these things in her heart” (51; see also 2:19). Interestingly, most English translations retain the wording, even though the Greek verbs differ in each case.

In the first instance, in the birth narrative, her “treasuring” is more a form of pondering, as if she is trying to figure it out. Here, “treasuring” is more about her preserving the memory, as she now knows they have reached a turning point in their lives with this child. I believe it is also significant that the first time she is pondering internally what others say, but here it is to what Jesus himself says. The boy is growing, and everything predicted about him, he is confirming for himself (can we not think of the Church’s rite of Confirmation in this regard?).

As parents of young children, all we can do in response to events that affect them or to their impulsive actions is observe and protect them from harm. As they develop a moral consciousness, we may assert ourselves more, as Mary herself does with Jesus here (see Mark 3:21; John 2:1-4). And all along, we watch, learn, and try to understand who these little people are that God has given us to steward for a time.

Mary has known from the beginning who the child Jesus really is, but she will not fail to be astounded by his full identity as it is revealed over time. In this final Gospel reading for the Christmas season, and the last narrative in the Gospels we have on the childhood of Jesus, we watch and ponder with Mary “all these things” that happen to the Son of God beyond anyone’s control (the birth, the presentation at the temple, the Magi, and now this). With her, we “treasure” them—cherish them and store them away like a stash of fine gold. This will greatly serve us in moments when we struggle to understand Jesus Christ in his adulthood, both in the Scriptures and, more importantly, in his relationship with us as we walk with him.

Today, in the Spirit, as we begin to shift our attention to the fully grown Jesus in Epiphany, we are thankful that the Church’s Christmas season affords us the opportunity, with Mary, to “treasure” the childhood of the Son of God in our hearts.
of the Son of God in our hearts.

Worshiped Him (Matthew 2:1-12)

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:1-12

What do we have here? A gathering of people in one location (note: a “house,” not a barn as in your Christmas cards); heartfelt devotion to the Christ present with them; and an offering. Should this not be considered the first ever recorded Christian worship service? The shepherds who “found Mary and Joseph, and the baby” (Lk. 2:16) at the manger may well claim for themselves, but Luke‘s specifying that the Magi (and maybe Mary and Joseph too) “worshiped him [Jesus]” is the convincing point for me.

Let’s take this event as a worship event and, in the Spirit, join the service. What do we find? It is international, intercultural, and, probably, multilingual worship. Matthew, as I have said in earlier installments, is building a case for the original readers of his Gospel that Jesus is Lord of the whole earth. Here is his opening statement to make that case. There must have been some translation needed at some point in this scene. Our minds run from here to that well-known passage in Revelation: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (7:9).

But we may wonder about the unanimity of devotion to Jesus. Did Joseph and Mary so easily join the worship like the Magi who came from far to do just that? Today, in the Spirit, in wonder over Christ of the nations and the devotion of those in the past who sacrificed so much to welcome him into the world–even with our own doubts, we worship you, Lord Jesus.