December 22, 2013 (full size gallery)
Today was the annual Christmas play. Last year the focus was on the Angel Gabriel. This year it was Mary. The church windows were decorated with art concerning Mary from all over the world. The play, written by Catherine, featured an older Mary reflecting on her life which included the birth of Jesus.
We have heard there were more children in this play than at any other time. We had to delay the beginning of the service since we extra actors who wanted to be in the play. A large crowd of 56 heard and/or participated in the play.
Here is the play. The bulletin is here.
The lectionary this week is about signs –
This week Isaiah is the promise of the birth and with the fulfillment in Matthew
In Isaiah God gives to the “house of David” a promise of – Immanuel. “God is with us” both in Isaiah and with in Jesus ‘ generation. Yes, said Simeon to God, he is "a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel" (Luke 2:32), but to Mary he continued, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed-and a sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:34-35).
Originally a promise that Judah would gain relief from the impending threat from the alliance of northern Israel and Syria through the march of the Assyrians, the verse, excised from that context, the Isaiah passage becomes a promise of God’s presence to bring deliverance in any age and linked with the Mary story fits Jesus well. In Jesus’ ministry God is with us!
Above all, unlike Luke, Matthew’s birth story is about Joseph. For Matthew Joseph is a model. He is ‘righteous’ (1:19)
The Gospel shows the Angel as a sign that Mary’s pregnancy isn’t what Joseph though it was. He is not to divorce her but take her as his wife.
This is a narrative of surprising and unexpected events and suggests a God of unexpected actions. Matthew is very concerned about relating the birth back to Isaiah, In Matthew’s Gospel, there are sixteen times when the author says: “This took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet (or by the Old Testament).” In other words, this logic appealed to a Jewish audience. It was said of Jesus that he was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. This logic helped a Jewish audience believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. Luke does not say that Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy because that reasoning would not have made to sense to his world-wide audience which was not familiar with the Old Testament concepts.
In the Old Testament, the giving of a name, and particularly a name given by God, is full of meaning. The name "Jesus" is Greek for Joshua, and means "God is salvation." The people Jesus will save is Israel, but this does not exclude the Gentiles who will inevitably join with remnant Israel to stand before the presence of God. Although the people of Israel expect the salvation of the nation, this messiah brings a salvation from sin. He does not restore Israel, but rather restores Israel’s relationship with God.
In the context of the Fourth Sunday of Advent Paul provides the "scenery," the space in which we are to understand both the Matthew and the Isaiah texts. It is through Christ that Paul (“we”) has received “grace” (God’s freely given gift of love) and “apostleship” (authority to teach and proclaim the good news. The Gospel is hope and made known to prophets such as Isaiah
The season of advent welcomes the faithful to look at their world with fresh eyes – to correct, to cast anew. The psalmist asks for restore us – save us. That’s one of the role of Jesus we saw in Matthew – redemption. Our hope rests not in what we have done, nor can do, but in all that God is. Vv. 3, 7 and 19 are a refrain: please take us back, God, into the covenant relationship with you!