ISAIAH 42:1-9

THE BACKGROUND

These words of Isaiah were written during exile.  They present an unnamed servant of God.  The attributes are given to this servant that are unusual for a prophet or king.  Over the centuries, Christians have felt that this passage points to God’s #1 servant, Jesus.  While this certainly is a valid argument, it does not explain what it meant to people for the 500 years between the writing of these words and Jesus. Let’s look at what the passage says.

THE DETAIL

• Right off the bat, the first verse sounds a lot like verse 17 in today’s gospel lesson. God is delighted with this servant of His.  God’s Spirit will rest on him, and he will serve the nations.  More on “the nations” in The Takeaway.  (v. 1)
• The servant is not your ordinary leader.  This servant is soft-spoken; he is gentle.  Yet, his influence reverberates far and wide.  People will listen to him, even way out there on the coast.  (vv. 2-4)
• Now, God gives His servant his marching orders.  He is to be a covenant or promise to the people.  He is to free people from their chains, and open their eyes. (vv. 5-8)
• God says all this will happen exclusively to His chosen servant.   (v. 9)

THE TAKEAWAY

God presents us with a role model; with the type of behavior that He would value in someone who is His servant.  Jesus, being God’s son, came to earth to give us an example of this behavior.  But we, too, are God’s servants in this time and place. As such, we should also strive to emulate these traits.  We should act with gentle authority.  We should work to free the unfortunate from their burdens, and open their eyes to the love of God through our actions. 

When “the nations” appears in the bible, it is a reference to the rest of the world.  It means “out there”, those other people, not us Israelites. God is telling His people through Isaiah that His vision is for all peoples to know and love Him.

ACTS 10:34-43

THE BACKGROUND

During Jesus’ time, the People of God were a closed society.  The Hebrew people kept to themselves, except for whatever they were forced to do by the occupying Romans.  Jesus’ ministry, with a few exceptions, was focused primarily on the Jewish community.  In the early years of the church, all of the believers were Jewish Christians.  This is about to change.  In the first part of chapter 10 (not included in today’s reading), God sends Peter a dream, sanctifying all food, even non-Kosher foods. 

God also sends a messenger to Peter.  The messenger is from the household of Cornelius, an officer in the Roman army. Cornelius is a “God-lover”—a Gentile who loves Yahweh, but has not converted to Judaism.  God prompts Cornelius to have a messenger go and fetch Peter. 

As soon as Peter finishes the dream, there’s a knock on the door.  It is Cornelius’ messenger.  Peter follows, and meets Cornelius.  It is clear to Peter that he has been called to preach the gospel to this Roman Gentile soldier!

THE DETAIL

• Peter’s first words are loaded with meaning—“I truly understand that God shows not partiality…”  It is clear to Peter that the Good News of Jesus is not just for His Chosen People, but for “…every nation…” (vv. 34-35)
• Peter goes on to explain the life and ministry of Jesus, his death, and his resurrection. (vv. 36-41)
• He tells them that their mission is to “tell the people… that Jesus is the one…”, and that “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins…” Everyone.  Even an officer in the Roman army.  (vv. 42-43)

THE TAKEAWAY

The season of Epiphany began on January 6th.  As we studied last week, Epiphany marks the coming of the wise men “from the East” to worship Jesus.  These men, as well as Cornelius, are not Hebrews.  They signal the coming of a new age; God sent his son for all nations, including Gentiles like you and me.  In the words of Isaiah, “… the former things have come to pass, and new things I [God] now declare..”  (Is. 42:9)

MATTHEW 3:13-17

THE BACKGROUND

After the story of the visiting of the wise men, and the aftermath of their visit, the gospel of Matthew fast-forwards to John the Baptist’s work.  We join this scene, to find that Jesus has come to seek John out.

THE DETAIL

• Jesus comes to John to be baptized.  John tells Jesus that Jesus should be baptizing him!  He’s right, you know.  (vv. 13-14)
• But Jesus wants to do this “to fulfill all righteousness”.  This is a confusing phrase.  Apparently, John got it, but I didn’t at first.  I had to think about the words.
  • To “fulfill” indicates the completion of something that was planned or foretold. 
  • “Righteousness” can mean two things.  It can mean adherence to the law, but it can also mean a right action.

“Fulfilling all righteousness” now means to me that Jesus had planned to do this. It also means that Jesus felt that baptism was a “right action”, or a good thing for people to do.  He wanted baptism to be part of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus.  (vv. 15-16a)

• So Jesus was baptized by John.  Then things got wild.  God, Father and Spirit, appeared to bless the event.  The words spoken by God are very close to the first verse in today’s passage from Isaiah.  Yes, Jesus’ baptism most certainly was part of God’s plan.  (vv. 16b-17)

THE TAKEAWAY

Jesus’ life was one big example of living a godly life.  I believe that he was leading by example by being baptized by John.  Did Jesus need to repent?  Of course not!  But I believe that he wanted to make it known that repentance and baptism are good and righteous actions for us all. 

NOTE:  The bible passages we study today may not all be the same as those read in church. There several reasons for this. If you’re interested in knowing why, just ask me.

NUMBERS 6:22-27

THE BACKGROUND

The setting for this book is that Moses is leading God’s people through the Sinai wilderness.  God speaks to Moses, who in turn relays the message to the people. In the book of Numbers, God spells out how He expects His people to conduct their lives.  By doing these things, they will set themselves apart from the Canaanites who inhabit the Promised Land.

THE DETAIL

• God sends a message through Moses to Aaron and his staff.  They are the Levite tribe, and are in charge of everything associated with worship.  He dictates a blessing to them that He wants to give His people.  (vv. 22-23)
• The blessing consists of several parts.  When they say this, God will:
  • Bless and keep them.  In other words, He will shower them with His grace, care for their needs, and protect them.  (v. 24)
  • Make his face to shine upon them.  Twice in Psalm 80 (verses 3 & 7) the prayer says “Lord, make your face shine upon us, and we will be saved.  (v. 25a)
  • And be gracious to you.  I have been taught that God’s grace is his undying love for us, freely given.  God is telling his priestly crew on earth to shower His people with His loving grace through this blessing.  (v. 25b)
  • Lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. A countenance is one’s face or facial expression.  This is an interesting one, since people generally believed that if you saw the face of God, you would be struck dead!  In this case, however, God’s face or facial expression will put their souls at rest. (v. 26)
  • God concludes by saying that if they say the blessing in this way, His name shall be placed on His people.  Everyone will know that they are His.  (v. 27)

THE TAKEAWAY

One of the pastors I’ve had used one expression frequently.  Somebody would share with him something that was troubling them.  His answer would almost always include “Be at peace”. More often than not, it had a calming effect.  We should remember that we are blessed by our Heavenly Father, His face shines upon us, and we should be at peace.

GALATIANS 4:4-7

THE BACKGROUND

In the verses preceding today’s passage, Paul speaks of the burden that living under the Laws of Moses imposes on us.  IT’S HARD!!!  It’s a hopeless endeavor, and we cannot save ourselves.  It is like being a slave with no hope of freedom.

THE DETAIL

• BUT WAIT!  THERE’S MORE! At just the right time, God sent his son to us.  He was “born of a woman”, so we would know that he was human.  And he was born “under the law”, so he knew what it was like to be burdened with the law.  (v. 4)
• Why did he do this?  He did this to save us from the burden of the law, so that we could all be adopted as God’s children.  (v. 5)
• Since we are his children, God is now our Father.  We can even call Him “daddy”—that is what “Abba” means.  The Holy Spirit can help us with this giant step.  (v. 6)
• The last verse reminds us that we are no longer slaves to sin, but are free to be God’s children.  In Paul’s day, slaves inherited nothing upon the death of their master.  They were either sold off, or inherited by the master’s heirs.  The children got everything.  This is Paul’s point, and it is still true today.  As children of God, we are free from the burden of sin, and inherit the kingdom!  (v. 7)

THE TAKEAWAY

This is actually an assignment for you.  In most Southern homes, the father is called “Daddy”, even by adult children.  In other places like Michigan, where I’m from, we called our fathers “Dad”.  The next time you pray, address God with whatever loving name you called your father.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help, if it is difficult for you.  But try it.  This is the right way, after all, isn’t it?

MATTHEW 2:1-12

Okay, let’s face it.  You know this story so well, that you could probably recite it by heart. Well, almost.  Read through the story one more time.  Now, it’s time for a pop quiz.  The answers will be given below.  More than one answer may (or may not) be possible with the multiple choice questions.

Question #1

Who were these men  “from the East”?  Were they:

1. Kings
2. Wise men
3. Astrologers
4. Magicians

Question #2

How many of them were there?

Question #3

What were their names?

Question #4

When did they see Jesus?

1. The same night as the shepherds
2. Later that same week
3. The bible doesn’t say

Question #5

Where did they visit baby Jesus?

1. In the stable, in his manger
2. At his home in Nazareth
3. At somebody’s house in Bethlehem

THE ANSWERS

1. In the original Greek that Matthew wrote his gospel in, he used the word magi.  In the Greek language, that word means either astrologers or magicians.  Most translations, including the King James, use the phrase “wise men”.  The main point that God is making by receiving these foreign visitors is that God’s gift of a son is not just limited to the Hebrew people.  Jesus came for us all!
2. The bible doesn’t say!  A tradition has grown that if there were three gifts, there must be three wise men. Maybe, for the expensive gifts like the gold, a few of them chipped in.  But we really don’t know. 
3. Again, the bible doesn’t say!  Over the years, somebody decided to name them Gaspar, Balthazar, and Melchior.  But we really don’t know, because the bible doesn’t say.
4. The bible is not clear on this.  We like to place them with the shepherds on the same night.  But when Herod orders the slaughter of all the babies in Bethlehem, it is for all children aged two and under.  Hmm…
5. This one has a two-part answer.  Herod sent them to Bethlehem, so they must have been there still.  But verse 11 says that they entered a house. I guess Joseph must have gotten on his cell phone and called a relative or friend.  However it happened, they were no longer in the stable, no matter what the nativity scenes in your neighborhood looked like.

THE TAKEAWAY

The answer to question #1 contains the takeaway from this passage.  God’s loving grace is no longer for only for His chosen people, but is for the entire world. Thanks be to God!

ISAIAH 62:6-12

THE BACKGROUND

This passage is taken from one of the last chapters of the book of Isaiah.  The people of God have returned to the Promised Land from Babylonian captivity.  They discovered that the Land of Milk and Honey needed a lot of hard work, to restore it to its former glory.  They were disillusioned and discouraged.  Is this an appropriate selection for Christmas Day?  We’ll see.

THE DETAIL

• God has placed sentinels on the high walls surrounding the city of Jerusalem.  They are there to sound the alarm, in case of attack, or are threatened.  God tells his people to be alert and sound the alarm constantly, until He restores Jerusalem, and its reputation is well-known.  (vv. 6-7)
• God reassures His people that He will protect them from harm, and nobody’s going to “eat their lunch”.  They will enjoy the fruits of their own labor.   (vv. 8-9)
• Now, God tells His people to get to work and rebuild their city.  (v. 10)
• The rest is a sort of pep talk, reminding them that they have been saved by God, and are not forsaken.  They have been redeemed.  (vv. 11-12)

THE TAKEAWAY

Sometimes, reality is not as sweet as our dreams.  God came to His people with a word of encouragement.  They were discouraged and depressed.  God reassures them, and gives them a pep talk.  God comes to people in need today, through His people here.

At Christmastime, we like to wrap ourselves in a warm and fuzzy blanket made of Christmas carols and sweet memories.  But Christmastime is also a difficult time for many people.  Some are reminded of a loved one who is no longer with them. Others are faced with financial or emotional difficulties.  Christmas is just another reminder of their failure.  We need to be sensitive to the feelings of those around us.  This Christmas is a good time to share God’s love. One way to do this is by being sensitive to those around us, and being ready to be Jesus in our time and place.

TITUS 3:4-7

THE BACKGROUND

Paul had appointed Titus as a bishop, or leader, of the church on the island of Crete.  Paul gives Titus and his church some specific instructions in this letter.  In the previous chapter, Paul has given them some sage advice on how to live their lives as Christians.  He tells them what to do and what not to do.

So often, Paul’s writings provide a condensed, precise statement that explains a truth of the Christian faith.  These verses from his letter to Titus are one of these statements.

THE DETAIL

Having spent many words instructing them on how to act as Christians, Paul wants to remind them that their salvation does not come from what they do.  It does not come from their “works”, or good deeds.  Their salvation comes purely from God as a free gift—through his grace and mercy.  It comes through the gift of His Son, so that we might have eternal life.

THE TAKEAWAY

At Christmas, it is most important to remember that God freely gave His son to us, to save us from our sinful lives.  We cannot work our way into God’s favor; we get that by having faith in His son.

LUKE 2:1-20

THE BACKGROUND

The first chapter of Luke, after an interesting introduction (vv. 1-4), is about the birth and life of John the Baptist.  Chapter 2 is the well-known story that is so often read in church at this time of year. Since it is so well-known, I’ll skip describing it in The Detail, and go directly to The Takeaway.

THE TAKEAWAY/ FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Most of this passage focuses on the shepherds.  It is noteworthy that because of their profession, it was nearly impossible for them to worship God.  In order to prepare to enter the temple would require about a week of ritual cleansing. Shepherds were, therefore, sort of outcasts of the normal society.  These are the first to hear of the birth of the Messiah.  More remarkably, they did not find him in a cradle fit for a king, but in a feed trough in a stable.  What does this say about our God?  Surely, this was intentional.  Why would God have his precious son enter our world in this way?  What does this say about who He values in our society?  The savior is not born to high society folk, but to common people.  The first visitors are not wise men, but lowly shepherds.  Jesus came for people like you and me. 

ISAIAH 7:10-16

THE BACKGROUND

In today’s first reading, we could simply latch onto verse 14, and cast the rest to the side.  But if we did, we’d miss the richer meaning of these verses.  We’d miss what God was trying to say through Isaiah to Ahaz, the king of Judah.

• King Ahaz was faced with a double threat.  His two neighbors to the north—Israel and Syria had been defeated by the Assyrians to their north.  Israel and Syria had been paying a financial tribute to Assyria, and they were sick of doing so.  They wanted Judah to join them in a revolt against Assyria.  Ahaz refused to join the party, so these two nations began attacking Judah.  Ahaz was in a pickle.  Assyria was the big bully, but these two kingdoms were also causing him grief.  What should he do?  He should, as King of Judah, listen to what God would like him to do for His people.  God knows that Ahaz is undecided as to what to do.  The riskiest of his options is to trust in God.    Let’s see what happens. 

THE DETAIL

• God recognizes that Ahaz has his doubts about God’s presence, so through Isaiah God tells Ahaz to ask Him for a sign.  (vv. 10-11)
• Ahaz does not put God to the test.  It appears from this statement that Ahaz is a man of faith.  But his actions will show this not to be the case. (v. 12)
• God despairs—“You’re wearing me down!!!”  (v. 13)
• God will give Ahaz a sign, regardless.  God says—“Guess what?  Your wife is pregnant, and will bear a son!  The Davidic line will be passes from you to him!  This proves that I am with you.”  (v. 14)
• Verses 15 and 16 are a little confusing.  One way to interpret this is that maybe the “curds and honey” is a reference to the milk and honey of the Promised Land.  A “child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good” means that they can discern between good and evil.  It generally refers to when a person reaches maturity (puberty in middle eastern cultures).  Essentially, God is telling Ahaz that the problem will solve itself in 10-12 years. Ahaz must simply have faith in God, and wait. 

THE TAKEAWAY

According to 2 Kings 16, Ahaz decides to go to the Assyrian king, and tell him what is going on.  He asks the Assyrian king to save him.  In the end, Ahaz gives Assyria a lot of money to be Judah’s protector.  Worse yet, Ahaz has an altar to the Assyrian gods installed in God’s house in Jerusalem.

But what about God’s sign? Ahaz’s son was Hezekiah.  And yes, about the time that Hezekiah was reaching puberty, Syria and Israel were destroyed.  They were no longer a threat.  The Davidic line continued on, despite Ahaz’s indecision and lack of a strong faith.

Early Christians, including Matthew, recognize these words as foretelling the gift of God’s son.  God would indeed live among us. 

ROMANS 1:1-7

THE BACKGROUND

In modern times, we write letters according to a certain format:  First, the date, then the name to whom the letter is addressed (“Dear Betty,”).  Then comes the body of the letter, followed by a closing address (Yours truly,) and the name of the person writing the letter.

In Paul’s day, letter forms were different; almost backward to today’s format.  It started with the name of the person writing the letter, followed by a greeting.   Then comes the body of the letter, often followed by greetings to named individuals. This is how Paul’s letters were written. Usually, in his opening greeting Paul will make a statement of faith—state some truth or truths about God, Jesus, and our relationship with them.

It is also important to note that this letter was written to a church which Paul has neither founded or visited.  So, one purpose of his opening greeting is to introduce himself to the church in Rome. 

THE DETAIL

I’m going to paraphrase this reading, verse by verse.  If I make comments along the way, they will be in parenthesis.

1. Hi, my name is Paul.  I’m a servant of Jesus Christ.  I have been called to be an apostle, so that I can proclaim the Good News of God.
2. God promised this Good News first to the many prophets of old.
3. It is the Good News of the gift of his son.  On the human side of things (“according to the flesh”), he was descended from King David (and therefore fit to be our king).
4. On the spiritual side of things (“according to the spirit of holiness), God exalted him through his crucifixion.
5. We, my team, have received God’s free grace, and have been designated as His apostles to everyone including the Gentiles.  We are doing this for the sake of his holy name (and not ours).
6. We have been called to care for everyone, even including yourselves who believe in Jesus.
7. To all the Christians (“saints”) in Rome we greet you in the name of God the Father and Son.

THE TAKEAWAY

Paul will go on to explain all these words in great detail.  The most important takeaway from this passage is that God’s gift of loving grace is free to all believe.  This grace is available not only to his “chosen people” but to all—even us Gentiles! 

The word “saint” means “holy”.  The beatification of saints by the Catholic Church did not begin until several hundred years before Paul wrote this.  Paul used the word “saint” to refer to all those who believed in Jesus. 

MATTHEW 1:18-25

THE BACKGROUND

Matthew wrote his gospel mainly to the Jewish community.  His aim was to demonstrate how Jesus fulfilled Holy Scripture known by all the Jews of the time.  This is why he quotes the Old Testament more than any other gospel writer.  It’s why you’ll see the phrase “as it is written…” many times in Matthew’s gospel.  In fact, Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, tracing him back through David, all the way to Abraham.  Today’s passage comes right after the conclusion to this genealogy. It’s almost Christmas, so we (finally) get to hear about the birth of Jesus.

THE DETAIL

• So, Mary is engaged to Joseph, but was “found to be pregnant”.  This is nothing special, even to this day.  But in this case, she was “with child from the Holy Spirit.”  (v. 18)
• Joseph could have taken several courses of action.  In this case, because he is a prudent man and apparently was concerned about Mary’s well-being, he wanted to dismiss her quietly.  (It’s is what they did back then.)  (v. 19)
• But wait! There’s more!  In steps an angel, and explains to Joseph that this pregnancy is part of God’s plan to “save his people from their sins.”  (vv. 20-21)
• Matthew now refers to Isaiah 7:14 (that we just read), and tells his readers that Holy Scripture was being fulfilled in this remarkable act.  (vv. 22-23)
• Joseph displays far more faith and trust in God than did King Ahaz.  In spite of the shame he would face, he was obedient to God, and married Mary.  Furthermore, he respected what was to happen so much that he did not exercise his marital privileges until after Jesus was born.  (v. 25)

THE TAKEAWAY

We really don’t know much about Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph.  But we can tell a lot about his faith and goodness by this story.  He shows love and caring for Mary. Furthermore, he listens and obeys God’s messenger regarding Mary’s pregnancy.  Even though it would be a costly decision, he chooses to obey God, and be Mary’s husband. 

God has plans for our world. We can help, hinder, or simply get out of the way.  Let’s be like Joseph, and obey God’s plans for us!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Emmanuel means “God with us”. Jesus walked this earth and experienced life as we know it.  He will come again.  Meanwhile, he lives in our hearts and is present when we gather in his name, and in the sharing of the bread and wine of the Eucharist.  God is truly with us in all that we do.

ISAIAH 35:1-10

THE BACKGROUND

This passage is yet another of Isaiah’s prophecies that Christians have used to apply to Jesus, the Messiah.  In today’s gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus also refers to this text.  But the people of Isaiah’s time knew nothing of Jesus. Jesus wouldn’t be born for another 500 years.  When God spoke these words to His chosen people back then, it was because they needed to hear from him.  They were in exile, and facing assimilation and or extinction.  What did God intend His words to mean back then?  Let’s find out.  We’ll apply them to Jesus soon enough!

THE DETAIL

• Most of the first paragraph describes a time of ecological upheaval.  Everything will be turned on end.  They are to expect the unexpected. 
  • The desert will blossom. (vv. 1-2a)
  • The cedars of Lebanon will flourish in the desert, the desert will become fertile, like the valleys of Carmel and Sharon.  (v. 2b)
  • God’s power will be obvious to everyone because of this.  (v. 2c)
  • Get ready, and get fit—you’re going to be going back home soon!  (v. 3a)
  • God will rescue His people, which will become a vengeful act to their captors.  (vv. 3b-4)
• The miracles continue, this time with God’s people.  (vv. 5-6)
• The changes to the desert continue.  They signal the mighty power that God has and uses in rescuing His people.  (v. 7)
• There will be a clear and safe way homeward.  God’s redeemed are the only people who can travel on this path. (More vengeance, or is this a hint of the future?)  (vv. 8-9)
• The prophecy ends with the return home in joyous gladness.  (v. 10)

THE TAKEAWAY

In this time of climate change, I would love to take these hopeful words literally.  God does have the power to reverse the damage that mankind has done to the environment.  But this message of hope was given to strengthen the faith of those who wait for their Messiah.  For them, it was the one who would lead them home.  For me, it is Jesus, when he returns.
 

JAMES 5:7-10

THE BACKGROUND

Martin Luther did not have a high opinion of this epistle, because it puts a heavy emphasis on “works”. Martin Luther knew that “works” did not get us to heaven; faith does that.  But the words in today’s reading from this little book are perfect words for those of us who wait.

THE DETAIL

• James tells us to be patient, just like a farmer is patient after sowing his crops.  (v. 7)
• In like manner, we must strengthen our hearts and be patient.  Jesus could come any time now.  (v. 8)
• The previous chapter indicates that there was some suffering within James’ church(es). James encourages them to not focus on these troubles and grumble against one another.  Jesus is near—don’t let him catch you grumbling!  (v. 9)
• Finally, James reminds his readers of the suffering and patience of Jesus, who loved everyone, even from the cross.  (v. 10)

THE TAKEAWAY

We live in the “in-between times” between Jesus’ first and second coming.  Waiting for Jesus’ return, we also need patience.  We need the patience of a farmer, or the patience of the prophets, who also waited for the coming of the Messiah.

MATTHEW 11:2-11

THE BACKGROUND

This is an interesting story.  John the Baptist has prepared the way for the Messiah.  He is in Herod’s jail now, where he will be executed.  John has a large following.  Through them, he sends an interesting message to Jesus.

THE DETAIL

• John asks his cousin if “he’s the one, or not”!  This question always puzzled me.  You think he’d just know!  But then again, John was expecting the one who followed him to come with “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”  Matthew 3:12.  And did Jesus act like this?  To an innocent bystander, you might see Jesus doing some healings and exorcisms, but also attending banquets with sinners and tax collectors.  Where was the fire?  (vv. 2-3)
• Jesus is the ever patient, ever loving teacher.  Rather than be angry with John, he asks him “What do you see?”  Then, he quotes Isaiah 35:5-6a from today’s first reading.  (vv. 4-5)
• He also throws in a little encouragement for John and others to simply watch, and not take offense.  (v. 6)
• In the second paragraph, Jesus turns to the crowd, and praises John.  He reminds them that they were surprised by what they saw in John.  Maybe Jesus is also telling his followers that they might also be surprised by what they will see in him.  (vv. 7-11)

THE TAKEAWAY

Even John let his expectations of the Messiah cloud his vision.  Jesus tells us to observe what is happening around us, and decide for ourselves.  Don’t let expectations cloud our vision.  Yes, Jesus is coming.  And yes, we should count on being a little surprised that are expectations might be a little off. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

If Jesus came tomorrow, what would you expect him to look like?  Would he wear sandals and a linen robe, or Dockers and a golf shirt?  What would you expect him to do that would convince you that he truly is the returning Jesus?

ADVENT COMMENT

Last week’s Advent theme was Hope.  Next week is Joy, and the last week is Peace.  This second week of advent carries the theme of Love.  We will see this love at work, especially in the second reading.

1. Hope
2. Love
3. Joy
4. Peace

ISAIAH 11:1-10

THE BACKGROUND

Long ago, God made a promise to His people that the Davidic line of kings would continue forever.  (2 Samuel 7:16)  During Isaiah’s time, the kingdom of Judah was being seriously threatened by Assyria.  Judah’s defeat would have meant the end of the Davidic line.  Today’s passage offers God’s people hope and reassurance in a time of uncertainty. 

THE DETAIL

• The prophet uses the image of a shoot of new growth coming out of the stump of an old tree that had been cut down.  The old tree is named Jesse, which is a reference to King David’s father.  A new branch issues forth, signifying new life for the Davidic line.  (v. 1)
• What follows is a long list of this new king’s virtues, the main virtue being his righteousness.  (vv. 2-5)
• An era of peace is proclaimed.  So peaceful is this time that the natural order is even changed to eliminate threats from bloodthirsty or poisonous creatures.  (vv. 6-9)
• The prophecy is summarized is verse 10.  This chosen one of God (a messiah) will be so glorious that other nations will be drawn to him.

THE TAKEAWAY

So, who was this promised messiah?  The answer depends on when you were born.  This prophecy was relayed to God’s people about 750 years before Jesus’ time. It probably meant something else to the people to whom God first intended it.

To the people of Isaiah’s time, hopes were pinned on the new king Hezekiah being God’s chosen one. Hezekiah was indeed a holy and righteous man.  In many ways, he embodied this prophecy.  But he was also a warrior king.  Verses 6-9 didn’t fit into his job description.

A hundred and twenty years later, Judah was defeated by the Babylonians.  It was feared (and justifiably so) that the chances of returning to Judah and a David-like king were not very likely.  But these words from Isaiah provided comfort and promise for a new day.

Christians have long read this passage using their “Jesus Glasses This passage describes our Messiah beautifully.  Messiah Jesus was the embodiment of righteousness.  He lived as a perfect example of righteous living, while he walked this earth.  When he comes again, he will bring peace.

ROMANS 15:4-13

THE BACKGROUND

Last week, I mentioned that the young Christian church in Rome consisted of a mix between Jewish and Gentile Christians.  It goes without saying that there was tension in this mix of cultures.  In today’s passage, Paul gently offers some suggestions for relieving this tension.

THE DETAIL

• Since the Christian Jews were well-versed in the Old Testament, this first verse was probably aimed at them.  He reminds them that all of scripture was written for their instruction.  (Now, he has their attention!)  (v. 4)
• He then borrows a couple of good words from that first sentence (steadfastness and encouragement), and builds upon it.  He prays that God will grant them to live in harmony, and in glorify God in one voice.  Yep. He wants them to get along together. (vv. 5-6)
• Sometimes, when translating a word from one language to another there is no exact equivalent. In this instance, the word that appears as “welcome” can also mean “accept”.  I think the best thing to do here is to fuse them together, and use a combined meaning:  to welcomingly-accept someone.  To warmly, and whole-heartedly accept the others.  Paul instructs these diverse people to warmly and wholeheartedly accept and love one another, just as Christ “welcomingly-accepted” them.  (v. 7)
• He goes on to remind them how Jesus did this—by being obedient to the Father’s wishes for him to be His servant [by dying on the cross for everyone].  (vv. 8-9a)
• He backs up these statements with some Old Testament quotes which clearly show the Jewish Christians that God has always intended for the Gentiles (“the nations”) to also receive His grace.  The references are Psalm 18:49, Deuteronomy 32:43a, Psalm 117:1, and today’s first lesson Isaiah 11:10.
• Paul concludes with a blessing that they will be filled with the hope and joy that comes in believing in Jesus.  But wait! There’s more!  May they also abound in the Holy Spirit.  (v. 13)

THE TAKEAWAY

Paul’s words to this church are just as poignant for us today.  How often do we seek out those Christians who are most like us, ignoring those who are different?  Paul reminds us that Jesus died for everybody.  He loves everybody.  We, too, need to love everybody, no matter how different they may be, accept them as-is, and warmly welcome them as our brothers and sisters.

MATTHEW 3:1-12

THE BACKGROUND

Matthew got his gospel story off to a good start in chapters one and two, showing Jesus’ ancestral connection to Abraham and David.  Then, he jumped right into the Immaculate Conception, and birth of Jesus. Suddenly, in chapter three, he hits the pause button.  The scene jumps to Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist, who has a special assignment.

THE DETAIL

• John’s message is simple, but vital.  He is preparing people for the coming of the Messiah.  He is the one that Isaiah spoke of (Is. 40:3), who would prepare the way of the Lord.  (vv. 1-3)
• The description of John makes us stop and think.  The reference to the leather belt might have been to draw a parallel to Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).  I guess they didn’t wear leather belts back in the day.  Also, John’s diet isn’t all too appealing.  But living on locusts and wild honey might indicate that he was totally dependent on the Lord for food, just like Israel was during the Exodus. (v. 4)
• He must have done something right, because many were coming to him to confess and to repent. Perfect activities to engage in, when you know that the Messiah is on his way.  (vv. 5-6)
• When the religious elite appear, John does not hold back.  He urges them to confess and repent, or suffer the consequences.  (vv. 7-10)
• John states that he is only a messenger.  A forerunner. The one who follows is the one to worry about.  (vv. 11-12)

THE TAKEAWAY

John’s message is before us today.  Jesus is coming, and we are not whole.  We need to prepare a place for him in our hearts.  It is time for us to reflect on all the ways that we have fallen short of God’s expectations.  We can do better.  How will you prepare your heart for Jesus’ arrival? 

THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

The four Sundays before Christmas form the season of Advent.  The word advent means “coming”.  We are talking about the coming of Jesus, past, present, and future.

PAST

The prophets of old long foretold the coming of the Messiah, God’s anointed one.  During this season, we will wait and watch for the coming of our savior.  We will learn about John the Baptist, who prepares the way for the Messiah.  We, too, will long with Jerusalem for his coming.

PRESENT

When we celebrate Christmas this year, we will do a little pretending.  We will express great joy that on this day our savior is born. During the season of Advent, we prepare our hearts for his arrival.  It is a time for a little house-cleaning; time to examine our spiritual failures, and resolve to serve the baby Jesus better in the future.

FUTURE

We are told, and know that Jesus will return again.  Part of our preparing for his arrival on Christmas Day is to remind ourselves of his second coming.  Our self-examination isn’t just to get ready for his pretend arrival on the 25th, but his promised arrival at some unknown time in the future.

If you’re like me, you want to go straight to the manger, and sing Silent Night and other favorite Christmas carols.  But first, we have some work to do.  We will begin in the future, and work our way backward.  This week, we will discuss his second coming.

ISAIAH 2:1-5

THE BACKGROUND

Things are not looking good for Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel has been overrun by the Assyrians.  Many have been carted off to Babylon.  Now, they are knocking on Judah’s door.  In the midst of all the fear, God speaks a word of promise through his prophet Isaiah

THE DETAIL

• God gives Judah a glimpse into the future.  In the future, God will dwell once more in His house on a high hill (in Jerusalem).  (vv. 1-2)
• People from all over the world will come to Jerusalem to learn about God.  (v. 3)
• God will reigns as their king, and do what kings do—act as a judge in cases of dispute between nations and people.  (v. 4a)
• God will do this in a remarkable new way—He will do it peaceably.  There will be no need for weapons of war, because there will be war no more.  (v. 4b)
• “House of Jacob” is another name for God’s chosen people living in Judah.  He encourages them to live their lives with this hope in their heart.  (v. 5)

THE TAKEAWAY

These words of hope must have sounded strange to those who first heard it, since they were expecting to be wiped out by the Assyrians.  After their defeat and movement into captivity, perhaps they held this glimmer of hope in their hearts.  More hopeful words would be spoken, but these were the first.  That is what it meant to those who first heard God’s Word,  But we Christians now read this passage through our “Jesus Glasses”.  With the coming of His son, all nations do flock to the New Jerusalem, his church, to receive God’s abundant grace.  We are still working on the “war thing”, so the work is not yet completed.  We’ll talk more on that below. 

ROMANS 13:11-14

THE BACKGROUND

This letter was written by Paul to the church in Rome.  That church consisted of a mix of Jewish and Gentile Christians.  It was written before he travelled there.  In this section of his letter, he offers some good advice on how to get along together and behave as a Christian family.

THE DETAIL

• Verse 11 begins with “Besides that…”, which always makes me wonder what was said previously.  In the previous verses (vv. 8-10), Paul tells them to focus all their attention on loving one another.  That all the laws can be summed up in loving one another.  In this verse, he shifts gears with his “besides that”.  Besides loving one another, he wanted to talk about how to behave as Christians, knowing that Jesus could come at any time. (v. 11)
• Paul uses the imagery of light and darkness to make his point.  They have turned away from their former religious lives (darkness), and now follow the Light of the World, Jesus.  In the same way, they should put away their former ways of darkness (our bad behaviors), and let their little lights shine, as the song goes.  The text really says to “put on the armor of light”, but that is the same thing, really.  (v. 12)
• We are encouraged to live honorably, and not follow the desires of our own.  Paul often calls these “desires of the flesh”, which includes not just licentiousness, but jealousy and quarreling, too.  (v. 13)
• Paul tells us to “put on Jesus”.  Just as we have put on Jesus in our baptism, like a baptismal robe.  We should clothe ourselves with Christ-like actions and attitudes.  In other words, practice the love he mentions in verses 8-10.  (v. 14)

THE TAKEAWAY

It is all too easy to fall into the trap of all these sins of the flesh.  When someone crosses you, for example, it is easy to forget about the law of love, and get angry.  Here, we are reminded to live each day like Jesus will be here tomorrow.  Let it go.  Love one another.  Live in the light.

MATTHEW 24:36-44

THE BACKGROUND

Since we are beginning a new church year, the source of our gospel readings will change.  Last year, most of our readings came from Luke.  This year, they will come from Matthew. Occasionally, every year, readings from John will be used.  Most of the time, the readings cycle through Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in a three year cycle. 

Today’s reading from Matthew focuses on the end times—on Jesus’ second coming. 

THE DETAIL

• Jesus makes a bold statement that many like to ignore:  NOBODY knows when he will return.  Not even Jesus knows!  Yet, many preachers make a lot of money claiming to predict this event.  (v. 36)
• Jesus goes on to give some examples.  His first example is Noah and the Flood.  Nobody knew when that event was going to take place. Even Noah didn’t know when.  It is important to note that the evil people are swept away, not Noah and his faithful few.  (vv. 37-39a)
• Jesus says that it’ll be just like that when he returns.  (v. 39b)
• He gives two more examples.  Two are working. One is swept away, and the other left behind. This might sound like the rapture, but I will offer another point of view below, in the takeaway.  (vv. 40-41)
• Jesus makes his point clear.  He wants us to keep awake, because we really don’t know when the day is coming.   (v. 40)
• Jesus gives one final example.  It is about a homeowner who gets robbed.  If the homeowner had been alert to the fact that he was about to be robbed, he could have been prepared, and chased them away. (v. 43)
• So, in case you haven’t gotten Jesus’ message by now, he tells us again—be ready!  He will return when we least expect it. 

THE TAKEAWAY

Jesus came on Christmas Day a long time ago, and will come again.  The Kingdom of God that Jesus taught us about has already arrived, at least in part. It will be brought to completion when he returns.  We live in the in-between time. 

Christians have been teaching and expecting Jesus’ return for over 2,000 years now.  It is only natural that people have become complacent, and “fall asleep” about Jesus’ second coming.  When they fall asleep, so can their faith also fall asleep.  Jesus wants us to remain constantly alert and engaged. 

Advocates of the rapture warn Christians not to be “left behind”.  At first glance, three of Jesus stories above seem to support this teaching.  But take a closer look.  In the “left behind” concept, the unfaithful or unworthy are left behind, and the faithful are taken away.  But in the first story, Noah and his faithful family are left behind, while the wicked are swept away. In the stories about the field workers and miller women, it does not say whether those left behind were good or bad.  But if the story about Noah is Jesus’ first example, it follows that the good workers are left behind.  This is the exact opposite of what the believers of the rapture teach. Therefore, according to this teaching of Jesus, we want to be the ones left behind!

Whether you agree with me on this or not, Jesus point remains the same—do not become complacent in your faith. Keep awake, alert, and engaged. He just might be coming soon and very soon!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Who do we keep awake and prepare for his return?  Today’s reading from Romans offers a few good suggestions.  Can you think of more?