Happy New Year! Thanks so much for joining me. When I started these summaries a few weeks ago I intended to go through at least Christmas Eve. I’ve loved writing again, though, and I’d like to stay on track at least until Ash Wednesday in February. Won’t you walk with me?
Since Christmas fell on a Sunday, we have only one Sunday in the Christmas season. The paraments are white, and will continue to be white until after the Baptism of Jesus. We are also in the middle of the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas! I noticed earlier this year that it seems like the Twelve Days are being used as a marketing tool in the lead-up to Christmas, maybe more than usual? But in fact, the Twelve Days were the holiday and feasting period between Christmas and Epiphany on January 6.
A few years ago I realized that I was really blowing by the actual season of Christmas. I had Advent well in hand but I didn’t really do very much resting and feasting and enjoying once Christmas Day passed. Once again, living into the church calendar has been good for me and my family. We started planning fun “Christmas-y” things to do in the days after Christmas; we leave the decorations up til January 6; the Wise Men from our creche make their way around the house. (Take THAT, Elf on the Shelf!) It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to be a reminder that these days really are set apart, and they are not merely for goal-setting and self-flagellation over the possible excesses of December. These days are GOOD.
Anyway, enough from me. On to the readings!
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-23
Whew. This is a hard read as we bask in the glow of Christmas. This story is traditionally known as “The Slaughter of the Innocents,” uniquely tragic and (I think) one of the hardest in all of the Gospels.
The passage actually takes place after the visit of the Wise Men. (Spoiler: Epiphany, marking the Wise Men’s visit, is observed on January 6, this Friday. There’s an extra lesson coming this week because I don’t want to skip it.) The Wise Men have unwittingly put Herod on notice that there is a rival to his throne in town.
The passage opens with an angel, yet again, speaking to Joseph in a dream. Don’t you love that Joseph now knows without a doubt to do as the angel instructs? They do indeed escape to Egypt, where the Holy Family likely lives for a couple of years while they wait for Herod to die.
Herod isn’t having any rivals and determines to eliminate his rival by killing everyone who meets the description the Wise Men gave: male child, under two years old. He kills all the boy babies in Bethlehem and the surrounding area.
Imagine that.
Herod here is NOT the same Herod as we find later on in the Crucifixion account, or earlier in Advent with John the Baptist. This is Herod I, also known as Herod the Great. He was known for two things: his immense cruelty and his passion for building. He had several of his own sons killed when he feared they were threatening his power. He was also responsible for the construction of several cities, including Caesarea Maritima (which we will come to in Acts), and the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Herod we met earlier in Advent is this Herod’s son. After the death of Herod the Great, his son Archaleus succeeded him briefly but was such a terrible despot that Rome banished him to Gaul. Herod Antipas, the Herod we met during Advent, is another son.
The passage quoted in v. 18 is Jeremiah 31:15. Rachel, Jacob’s second and favorite wife, was buried near what became Bethlehem. At the time of Jeremiah’s writing, the weeping was because there were no more of her children IN the area—they had all been carried off in exile. But Matthew uses the verse as a sign of mourning the deaths of the innocent Jewish children.
One more note (this has gotten long!): Herod came from a line of Edomites. The father of the nation of Edom? Esau, Jacob’s brother. I found it particularly interesting that here we have an ancient rivalry that shows up yet again.
Old Testament: Isaiah 63:7-9
This chapter opens with imagery of the vengeance of the Lord on neighboring peoples, specifically Edom; it’s actually the source of the “trampling out the vintage” metaphor in the Battle Hymn of the Republic. But that isn’t what we read today in our reading. This portion of the chapter is about the mercy of God.
Another angel makes an appearance in this passage, “the angel of his presence” in v. 9. The saving action of the angel is an important parallel to the angel we see in the Gospels today.
The earlier part of v. 9 is particularly beautiful and a good one to hold fast to in times of trouble: “in all their affliction he was afflicted.” You aren’t alone in the hard things. We are not alone.
Finally, a word note because it’s one of my favorite words to look for: “Hesed.” It’s a beautiful Hebrew word that has no completely accurate English translation. Whenever you see “steadfast love” or “lovingkindness” in the Old Testament, chances are it’s Hesed. It’s a word for the all-encompassing love the Lord has for his people. Even that description doesn’t do it justice, but I’ll leave a broader examination for another day.
This is a hymn of praise that definitely recalls St. Francis of Assisi and his Canticle of the Sun.
This psalm is explicitly monotheistic in its point of view; I’m not sure there is a clearer refutation of pantheism in the Bible. Pantheism is the belief that God is in all things, that God is nature and trees and sky and earth. Not that He is their creator—that they are all manifestations of Him and therefore also worthy of worship. It sounds slightly bonkers but in fact it’s a really common view these days, especially by people who regard themselves as “spiritual but not religious.”
The Christian (and Jewish) view is the opposite. God is God. Everything else is NOT Him, but it is HIS. The sky is not Him, nor the waves in the sea, nor the mountains. The eagle soaring is not Him. Neither is a lion roaring. They point to God as His creations. But they are just that—His creations, not manifestations of Him. To believe in the God of the Bible is to reject explicitly this view of God “in all things.”
It sounds like I’m being a little dramatic but I’m not. This was a view of God that stood in opposition to the gods of the region at the time, but it is also an explicitly counter-cultural view of God now.
Here’s a challenge: listen for this language just in the next week or so. See if you hear pantheistic ideas. I can assure you that you will. Recall THIS Psalm in particular when you hear those things.
The Psalms tell us so much about God in every circumstance. They aren’t just for worship!
New Testament: Hebrews 2:10-18
We have an unknown writer in this book, writing to Jews about Jesus. Like Matthew, he seeks to connect the ancient Scriptures with what he knows to be true about Jesus. This book has, to me, some of the most beautiful language about the Lord that you can find in the entire New Testament. If you aren’t familiar with this book, you will be in for a real treat as we cover more passages.
For today, here is some context. The Gospel reading had Jesus fulfilling more prophecies. This passage is the theology behind why Jesus did it—how God could become someone human, and why.
From 2:2, we see the angels referenced yet again, as deliverers of a true and beautiful message of hope. But mankind are not angels; we are something different in God’s plan. Jesus wasn’t an angel, either. He is higher than both man and angels. But Jesus lowered Himself for us, for love. He rescued His creation for love.
Prayer
Father, thank You for the love You show us by holding us as part of Your beautiful creation. Thank You for the angels who deliver messages to us. Help us to be mindful of the messages we hear, to keep our eyes on You. Most of all, teach us to love more as we join in worship of You with all Your creation. Amen.
On a personal note, when this is published my husband and I will be closing on a new home in a new city! Won’t you please also pray for us in this transition? While it’s a change we sought and welcome, it is still difficult and strange at times. We know the Lord is leading us in a new direction but we want to be faithful.
