Musings for the first Sunday after Christmas

Sunday, December 26, 2010
First Sunday of Christmas

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Pastor Macholz

INTRODUCTION
As we celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, our gospel today confronts us with the death of innocent children at the hands of Herod. The birth of Christ does not remove the power of evil from our world, but its light gives us hope as we walk with all the "holy innocents" of past generations and today who have suffered unjustly. In our gathering around word and meal, God continues to redeem us, lift us up, and carry us as in days of old.

Stephen, Deacon and Martyr
Stephen was a deacon and the first martyr of the church. He was one of those seven upon whom the apostles laid hands after they had been chosen to serve widows and others in need. Later, Stephen's preaching angered the temple authorities, and they ordered him to be put to death by stoning.

Prayer of the Day (ELW)

O Lord God, you know that we cannot place our trust in our own powers. As you protected the infant Jesus, so defend us and all the needy from harm and adversity,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

First Reading

Isaiah 63:7–9

God does not delegate divine intervention to a messenger or angel. God's own presence brings salvation. The prophet and all who read these words join in celebrating God's gracious deeds. God trusts that God's people will not act falsely.

⁷I will recount the gracious deeds of the LORD,
the praiseworthy acts of the LORD,
because of all that the LORD has done for us,
and the great favor to the house of Israel
that he has shown them according to his mercy,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
⁸For he said, "Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely";
and he became their savior
⁹in all their distress.
It was no messenger or angel
but his presence that saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Psalm (ELW)

Psalm 148

The splendor of the LORD is over earth and heaven. (Ps. 148:13)

¹Hallelujah! Praise the LORD ^| from the heavens;

praise God ^| in the heights.

²Praise the LORD, ^| all you angels;

sing praise, all you ^| hosts of heaven.

³Praise the LORD, ^| sun and moon;

sing praise, all you ^| shining stars.

⁴Praise the LORD, heav- ^| en of heavens,

and you waters a- ^| bove the heavens.

⁵Let them praise the name ^| of the LORD,

who commanded, and they ^| were created,

⁶who made them stand fast forev- ^| er and ever,

giving them a law that shall not ^| pass away. R

⁷Praise the LORD ^| from the earth,

you sea monsters ^| and all deeps;

⁸fire and hail, ^| snow and fog,

tempestuous wind, do- ^| ing God's will;

⁹mountains ^| and all hills,

fruit trees ^| and all cedars;

¹⁰wild beasts ^| and all cattle,

creeping things and ^| flying birds;

¹¹sovereigns of the earth ^| and all peoples,

princes and all rulers ^| of the world;

¹²young ^| men and maidens,

old and ^| young together. R

¹³Let them praise the name ^| of the LORD,

whose name only is exalted, whose splendor is over ^| earth and heaven.

¹⁴The LORD has raised up strength for the people and praise for all ^| faithful servants,

the children of Israel, a people who are near the LORD. ^| Hallelujah! R

Second Reading

Hebrews 2:10–18

Through Jesus' suffering and death, the trail to eternal salvation has been blazed for us. We do not fear death, because he has conquered the power of death. Thus Christ, our merciful and faithful high priest, has the final say over the destiny of our lives.

¹⁰It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. ¹¹For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, ¹²saying,
"I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you."
¹³And again,
"I will put my trust in him."
And again,
"Here am I and the children whom God has given me."
¹⁴Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. ¹⁶For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Gospel

Matthew 2:13–23

Matthew relates the slaughter of babies in Bethlehem as one example of evil in the world. Jesus has been born into this world to manifest God's presence and save his people from their sins.

¹³Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." ¹⁴Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, ¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."
¹⁶When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
¹⁸"A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."
¹⁹When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ²⁰Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead. ²¹Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. ²³There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."

Reflections

I forget from time to time how dreams play such a dramatic part in Joseph’s life and by default, in Jesus and Mary’s life. They seem to be appearing from everywhere at any time without any warning. Not a surprise there, that’s how they normally operate in scripture!

It was an angel that appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to take Mary as his wife, that the child she would bear would be the God Son. Now another angel appears and warns him to flee to Egypt until another angel appears telling him it’s safe to return home. They are relentless! And, Joseph is obedient.

Note that the first one sends Joseph into Egypt, the place where the Israelites had been in bondage and set free after the final plague which involved the slaughter of the first born. Now he is being sent back there in order to avoid the murder of his son, Jesus. God sometimes works in strange ways and through strange mediums, doesn’t God?

I mean, really, save the world through a Messiah born in a stable and seen first by shepherds? No place in the inn? Fleeing to Egypt? Angels galore? Calling me to faith? Sending me out to tell the story and share the good news like the shepherds? Come on, how ridiculous is that?

You tell me.

Let Us Pray

For those for whom love is a stranger

The homeless who have no place to rest their heads

All who go hungry again and again and again

Those in need of healing

Open hearts to hear this old, old story anew

Quote

"God came to us because he wanted to join us on the road, to listen to our story, and to help us realize that we are not walking in circles but moving towards the house of peace and joy. This is the great mystery of Christmas that continues to give us comfort and consolation: we are not alone on our journey. The God of love who gave us life sent his only Son to be with us at all times and in all places, so that we never have to feel lost in our struggles but always can trust that he walks with us.

The challenge is to let God be who he wants to be. A part of us clings to our aloneness and does not allow God to touch us where we are most in pain. Often we hide from him precisely those places in ourselves where we feel guilty, ashamed, confused, and lost. Thus we do not give him a chance to be with us where we feel most alone.

Christmas is the renewed invitation not to be afraid and to let him-whose love is greater than our own hearts and minds can comprehend-be our companion"

- Henri Nouwen