Readings for Advent 4 December 20, 2009

Take a moment to centre yourself in prayer:



O God, prepare us to be a loving presence with others. In the story of Mary we hear that love prepares unexpected things within our hearts. In the prophecy of Micah we hear that hope is prepared in an unexpected community. Our psalms of praise invite us into the care of a shepherd, who treats us with grace. In reflecting on your Word, O God, prepare us to be a loving presence in the world. Amen



Our gospel readings today focus on the story of Mary, and the news that she will bear God's child, with all the accompanying mystery around immaculate conception. So we will look at various references to Jesus, and his followers' evolving understanding of his parentage and birth story.



The oldest Christian written record comes from the letters of Paul, and there are two references in particular that I want to note:



Galatians 3:23-4:7

23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
4My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; 2but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. 3So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits* of the world. 4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our* hearts, crying, ‘Abba!* Father!’ 7So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.



Three things to note:

1) Paul called Jesus “God’s son”, and believed that Jesus was truly divine;

2) Paul said Jesus was "born of a woman, under the law", reflecting his belief that Jesus was also really human;
3) In the original Greek the same word for son is used for Christian followers as well as Jesus, thus we are all "children of God". Paul is not stating a biological reality, but a theological one.



Romans 1:1-6

1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ...



Note:

1) Paul's characteristic use of the title his (God’s) Son for Jesus;
2) Paul describes Jesus as descended from David, according to the flesh - perhaps indicating some paternal connection to Joseph, who provides the Davidic connection for the Messiah;

3) Paul "declares" Jesus to be Son of God because of resurrection (not conception).



Paul’s references to Jesus' nature and parentage simply reveal that he took Jesus' divine nature for granted and didn't worry about the mechanics of it. Paul believed Jesus was the son of God and the proof was in the resurrection, not the conception. Paul also referred to the apostle James as Jesus’ brother, but by the time Luke was writing the gospels this acknowledgement of Jesus' human family ties was dropped.

There is no birth narrative in the gospel of Mark, so while it is the earliest gospel, written around 65-75 AD, it suggests there was little discussion or speculation around Jesus' conception. In fact, there is no mention of Joseph at all in the gospel and Jesus' birth family very little: in 6:3, when Jesus is rejected in his home town, the people say “Is this not Jesus, the son of Mary, brother of James, and Joses and Judas and Simon and his sisters?” What seems clear in Mark is the distancing of Jesus' ministry from his biological family for a family of faith.


In John's gospel (the last gospel written, about 90-100 AD) there is no birth story, but if you read John 1:1-18, you have a sense that John believed Jesus Christ/"the Word" was God's "only-begotten" Son long before creation. Therefore his point is more theological than biological.


Matthew and Luke, on the other hand, provide very detailed stories “explaining” Jesus’ parentage, but they are very different from each other, and were probably written around 80-90 AD.

In Matthew,

1) Joseph and Mary were already living at Bethlehem, there is no connection to Nazareth prior to Jesus' birth;

2) they were already married, though Mary was pregnant (not by Joseph) prior to the marriage;

3) the visitors to see the Christ child were the magi of Matthew 2:11, when they came to “the house”. There is no mention that there were 3 of them, only that they brought 3 gifts, and that Jesus may have been as old as two years.

4) Jesus and family then fled to Egypt, for fear of Herod, then some time later went to Galilee beyond Herod's reach and made their home in Nazareth.


With Matthew, it was especially important that the birth narrative fit with the Hebrew prophecies.

In Luke,

1) Mary and Joseph were both living at Nazareth;

2) They were betrothed, which was legally binding and involved co-habitation;

3) They travelled to Bethlehem for the census, and wound up staying in a stable;

4) Their visitors were shepherds, who were called to the manger by angels, not a star;

5) In Luke 2:39, we read that they returned to Nazareth, under no threat from Herod.

READ Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:46-55

Luke 2:1-7, 8-14, 15-20



How do you feel about the story, and what difference or "truth" does it hold for you, in your journey of faith?



Christians today find themselves on a diverse and colourful spectrum between Christian fundamentalists, who believe in the literal, revealed word of scripture; and progressive Christians, who question the necessity of immaculate conception.



I find it helpful to focus on what difference this story makes in my life. In Diana Butler Bass' Christianity for the Rest of Us, she tells this story:



After presenting a lecture in a large southern cathedral, Phyllis Tickle was asked what she thought about the Virgin Birth. The discussion grew heated, but after the question-and-answer period a young man, about seventeen years old, came up to her and said politely, “Ma’am, there’s something I don’t understand.” She was prepared to delve more deeply into the complexities of the Virgin Birth with him, but then he said, “I don’t understand why everyone is so upset about this. I believe in the Virgin Birth. It is so beautiful that it has just got to be true—whether it happened or not.” Phyllis felt a shift occur with the young man’s words. “He had moved beyond mere facts to understanding based on apprehending beauty. I felt like I was standing on holy ground.”

Readings for Advent 3 - December 13,2009

Zephaniah 3:14-20 • Isaiah 12:2-6 • Philippians 4:4-7 • Luke 3:7-18

John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness, from Cameroon







A prayer to begin:

God of hope,
you call us home from the exile of selfish oppression
to the freedom of justice,
the balm of healing,
and the joy of sharing.
Make us strong to join you in your holy work,
as friends of strangers and victims,
companions of those whom others shun,
and as the happiness of those whose hearts are broken.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

This weeks study was prepared by Steve Clifton. Comments and Questions are welcome.

Zephaniah

We read rarely from the prophet Zepheniah so it may be a good thing to recall somethings about him and his book.. In 1:1, Zephaniah tells us that he is descended from Hezekiah, most likely the king who ruled Judah 715-687 BCE. This prophet's intimate knowledge of Jerusalem and affairs in the court, and the absence of a theme found in other prophetic books - denunciation of the king - suggest that he was of royal descent. 1:1 also tells us that his ministry began in the reign of King Josiah, the great reformer. But his denunciation of corruption in religious affairs suggests that his prophecies date from before the reforms of 621 BCE. The book predicts doom for Judah for failing to follow God's ways, and adverse judgement on other nations, too; however, the final chapter promises comfort and consolation for those inhabitants of Jerusalem who wait patiently for the Lord and serve God as a community. They will rejoice when God comes into their midst.

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Earlier in the chapter, the author has spoken of the failure of Jerusalem and her inhabitants to behave properly towards God. He has destroyed other nations as a warning to them. In spite of this, God will cause Gentiles to turn to his ways: they will serve him by permitting the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem.

Questions for reflection:

V. 15 - “The Lord has taken away the judgments against you.” Imagine being given a clean slate, and having all our mistakes wiped out.Imagine if all prisoners were pardoned for their crimes and set free. Are there wrongs that have been done to us that we would have trouble forgetting? are their crimes committed that just should not be pardoned .Our society has mixed feelings about this. How much do we have to pay for our mistakes? Are their sins that God should not take away judgment for?

V. 19 - “I will change their shame into praise.” Shame often seems a feeling/emotion that we have whether or not we also have guilt for a situation. For example, someone who has been abused may feel shame despite not being responsible for being abused.Victims may feel shame. How good would it be for victims to have their shame removed?

Isaiah 12:2-6

This passage is in a similar vein to our reading from Zephaniah. V.one and v. four begin “... in that day”; 11: 10 says “On that day” other nations will note that a king of David’s line (“the root of Jesse”) sits on Israel’s throne; they will ask about him and the divine glory that is with him. “On that day”, says 11:11 God will gather the remnant, the remaining faithful, from throughout the world. So the day is the end of the era, when the Messiah will come. In a second song in verses 4 to 6, the people not only give thanks but also proclaim the good news to all nations. God's people are inhabitants of “Zion”, “royal” because God, “the Holy One of Israel” dwells there.

Here is a passage where the understanding of ‘salvation’ in its most basic sense of safety, safe-keeping from harm, is quite evident. In God, we are safe, safe from ourselves, safe from others, safe from being lost and destroyed.

Questions for reflection: What do you need to feel safe from? What does the world need to be saved from? What does God offer that would make us safe?

Philippians 4:4-7

Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, a prosperous Roman colony in northern Greece, from prison. We do not know whether this imprisonment was in Ephesus or in Rome. It appears that he was held under house arrest. It is possible that the epistle is actually made up of three letters. It contains many personal references, exhorts members of the Philippian church to live the Christian life and to good ethical conduct, introduces Timothy and Epaphroditus as his representatives, and warns against legalists and libertines. Lastly, he thanks the Philippian community for their material support.

Paul began the conclusion to the letter back in Chapter 3. After a digression – to warn against heresy and self-indulgence and to urge devotion to Christ – he tries to finish the letter, but certain concerns intrude. It seems that “Euodia” and “Syntyche”, two workers for Christ, differ in their understanding of what the way of Christ is, and that this is causing disunity in the Philippian community. We do not know to whom Paul refers as his “loyal companion” (verse 3); he is asked to be instrumental in achieving reconciliation.

We are reading from the end of the letter. Verse 4 is the conventional Greek salutation (like our goodbye) but here Paul means “rejoice” literally. Paul expects the Second Coming soon: “The Lord is near.” Then in verse 6 Paul suggests, rather than worrying on their own, the Philippians should ask God to help them, through prayer, both in prayers of “supplication” (petition) and of “thanksgiving”. God’s “peace” will protect them against their own failings and external threats. It “surpasses all understanding” either by being beyond the grasp of the human mind or by achieving more than we can conceive.

Questions for reflection:
V. 5 – “Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” The Greek might translate also as “reasonableness”, “fairness”, “goodness”. Gentleness is not necessarily a trait we value, is it? Particularly not in both genders. It’s OK for a woman, but we don’t often praise men for gentleness. What is good about gentleness? Who do you know who is gentle? How can we let our gentleness be known? What does gentleness have to do with living our faith?

V. 7 – “And the peace of God which passes . . . “ – The ‘passes understanding’ is from the Greek ‘huperechô’, which means, “to be above” or “to hold over”, “to prevail.” God’s peace is above everything. That’s comforting.

Luke 3:7-18

John the Baptist travels throughout the Jordan Valley, preaching return to God’s ways and adoption of an ethical way of life under God. Now he warns against being baptised without the intention to carry out its obligations.

V. 8 – “We have Abraham as our ancestor.” – we might smile at this excuse of John’s listeners, but the phrase is actually all too familiar. Calling on our past and our heritage as a justification for our current behavior is a common tactic of church people!

When John is asked what to do since the portrait he paints of the alternative is so dismal, he responds, like Jesus normally did, with a prescription of what to do, not what to believe. We get very wrapped up in what to believe in the church, and awfully complacent about what we must do and how we must live.

Some of these images of the threshing floor, the granary, etc., lose their meaning for us if we don’t understand these processes ourselves. A winnowing fork, for example, was used to toss wheat into the air, where the wind would separate the wheat grain from the light chaff.

Questions for reflection:

V. 8 – “We have Abraham as our ancestor.” – we might smile at this excuse of John’s listeners, but the phrase is actually all too familiar. Calling on our past and our heritage as a justification for our current practice is a common tactic of church people! Are there any traditions that we should be challenging, trying to change? What changes would you like to see?

When John is asked what to do since the portrait he paints of the alternative is so dismal, he responds, like Jesus normally did, with a prescription of what to do, not what to believe. We get very wrapped up in what to believe in the church, and awfully complacent about what we must do and how we must live. What do you wish we did more...?

Some of these images of the threshing floor, the granary, etc., lose their meaning for us if we don’t understand these processes ourselves. A winnowing fork, for example, was used to toss wheat into the air, where the wind would separate the wheat grain from the light chaff. We all have "wheat and chaff" in life. What is life's wheat, the good and important stuff? What is chaff; what can be let go of...?