Today we read the poetic opening of the Gospel of John in which he proclaims that this Jesus born to a human mother was also the Word (in Greek, logos) made flesh from before the beginning of creation.
1st Reading: Isaiah 61:10—62:3/4
In the beginning of our first reading, Zion herself speaks,
proclaiming the newness that is a gift from God to her. This newness will be a witness to all the
nations. The prophet then speaks (“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent…”). He will proclaim to the world what God has
done for Zion, and tell of her new names: Hephzibah (Delight) and Beulah
(Married) [in 62:4, which is added as an optional extension],
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has
clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of
righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride
adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and
as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause
righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. For Zion ’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem
Psalm 147:13-21
Psalm 147 praises the
God who reigns over creation and provides for it. The use of the word “Zion” reflects the first
reading. The origins of the word “Zion”
are murky. It may have originally referred
to a fortress. In 2 Samuel 5:6-10), “Jerusalem,”
“Zion,” and “the City of David” are used interchangeably. “Zion” is most often used as a
personification of Jerusalem.
13 Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem; *
praise your God, O
Zion;
14 For he has strengthened the
bars of your gates; *
he has blessed your
children within you.
15 He has established peace on
your borders; *
he satisfies you with
the finest wheat.
16 He sends out his command to
the earth, *
and his word runs very
swiftly.
17 He gives snow like wool; *
he scatters hoarfrost
like ashes.
18 He scatters his hail like
bread crumbs; *
who can stand against
his cold?
19 He sends forth his word and
melts them; *
he blows with his
wind, and the waters flow.
20 He declares his word to Jacob,
*
his statutes and his
judgments to Israel.
21 He has not done so to any
other nation; *
to them he has not
revealed his judgments. Hallelujah!
2nd
Reading: Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7
The
epistle reading today is Paul’s only mention of the birth of Jesus. It is in the context of his ongoing argument
about the primacy of justification by faith.
Probably the most important thing to note here is that God is the
actor. For Paul, the Christmas story is
a story about God making himself available to all people. Non-Jews are adopted children and, therefore,
joint heirs with Christ.
Now before
faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be
revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we
might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer
subject to a disciplinarian. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent
his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were
under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you
are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying,
“Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then
also an heir, through God.
Gospel
Reading: John 1:1-18
Today we read the
poetic opening of the Gospel of John in which he proclaims that this Jesus born
to a human mother was also the Word (in Greek, logos) made
flesh from before the beginning of creation.
John skillfully weaves together here language from the Greek notion of
the primal “logos” with the Hebrew figure of Wisdom. John carefully explains the testimonial place
of John the Baptist in verses six through nine.
Jesus is both the Word of God and fully human. He “lived among us” (literally, “pitched his
tent among us”).
In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things
came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.
What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all
people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to
testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not
the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens
everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came
into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his
own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed
in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of
blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the
Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as
of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This
was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was
before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law
indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No
one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s
heart, who has made him known.
The Scripture
quotations (except for the psalm) 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 Psalm
translation is 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 granted to
copy for group study.
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