Our Gospel reading is the account of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.
1st Reading: Micah 5:2-5a
Micah was active as a prophet in the 8th century bce. during the reigns of Ahaz and
Hezekiah, although this latter part of the book may date from the later
exile. The vision is of a restored
monarchy in the line of David, hence the importance of Bethlehem
5:2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who
are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who
is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. 3 Therefore he shall give them up until the
time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred
shall return to the people of Israel. 4 And
he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live
secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; 5 and he shall be the one of peace.
Psalm 80:1-7
Our psalm today is a communal
lament, calling on God as Shepherd to deliver the people from their
enemies. It follows on the first reading
in that it invokes the shepherd image, with Bethlehem in the first reading
being the home of the Shepherd King, David.
The Song of Mary (Magnificat)
Our psalm today is Luke 1:46-55, Mary’s song upon hearing the
greeting of her cousin Elizabeth. Mary’s song closely parallels that of her
ancestor Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10). She
sings of a world turned upside down as her own world has been. She sings also in the past tense, as if
justice has already come.
My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God
my Savior; *
for he
has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all
generations will call me blessed: *
The Almighty
has done great things for me,
and holy
is his Name.
He has mercy on those who
fear him *
in every
generation.
He has shown the strength
of his arm, *
he has
scattered the proud in their conceit,
He has cast down the
mighty from their thrones, *
and
lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry
with good things, *
and the
rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of
his servant Israel, *
for he
has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise made to our fathers,
*
2nd
Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10
In this passage the author of Hebrews uses Psalm 40:7-9 to
illustrate how the coming of Christ into the world has led to salvation for
all. This text reminds us of the connection between Christmas and Good
Friday/Easter. The one leads necessarily
to the other.
10:5 Consequently, when Christ came into
the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body
you have prepared for me; 6 in
burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do
your will, O God’ (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).” 8 When he said above, “You have neither
desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and
sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “See, I have come to do your
will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10 And it is by God’s will that we have been
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Gospel
Reading: Luke 1:39-55
Our Gospel reading is
the account of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. The words of Elizabeth serve to confirm the
announcement of the angel Gabriel. The
babe leaps in Elizabeth’s womb reminding us that John is subservient to Jesus. Mary breaks into song, a song which closely
parallels that of her ancestor Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10). She sings of a world turned upside down as
her own world has been. She sings also in
the past tense, as if justice has already come.
1:39 In those days Mary set out and went
with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40
where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the
child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are
you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the
mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For
as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for
joy. 45 And blessed is she who
believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the
Lord.” 46 And Mary said, “My soul
magnifies the Lord, 47 and my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for
he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on
all generations will call me blessed; 49 for
the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is for those who fear him from
generation to generation. 51 He has
shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of
their hearts. 52 He has brought
down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty. 54 He
has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our
ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
The Scripture quotations (except for the
canticle) are from the New Revised
Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian
Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are
used by permission. All rights
reserved. The Canticle and Psalm translations
are from The Book of Common Prayer. Commentaries are copyright © 2018
Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY 14843. www.EpiphanyEsources.com. All
rights reserved. Permission is given to copy for individual or group study with
this attribution.
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