Purify our
conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ,
at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and
reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
1st
Reading: Isaiah 7:10-16
Our first reading is tied to our Gospel reading, in
which Joseph is to proceed with his marriage to Mary and raise her son. The
angel quotes from this passage about “the virgin” who is to conceive. There is
a translation problem with the use of “virgin” in the Gospel, which comes from
the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures with which Matthew would have
been working, which translated “young woman” (in the original Hebrew) as
“virgin” in Greek. The description of the dilemma in which King Ahaz finds
himself can be read in 2 Kings 16:1-20.
This is taking place about 734 b.c.e.
Hebrew scholars highly dispute the identity of the child described here.
Christians have always seen this as a foretelling of Jesus. The difference
between “Immanuel” and “Emmanuel,” is that the former spelling is Hebrew and
the latter Greek.
7:10 Again the Lord spoke to
Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign of the
Lord your God; let it be deep as
Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But
Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. 13 Then
Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary
mortals, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore
the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and
shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. 15
He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse
the evil and choose the good. 16 For
before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land
before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.
Psalm
80:1-7, 16-18
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. In our context verse
16 may refer to Jesus, or perhaps to Joseph.
2nd
Reading: Romans 1:1-7
As Paul
opens his lengthy letter to the Romans, he calls attention to Jesus’ lineage
from David and his descent “to the flesh.”
He was then declared “Son of God” by his resurrection (although the
Gospel writers use the title for him long before his death and resurrection).
Verses 2-6 may have been an early creedal formula.
1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart
for the gospel of God, 2 which he
promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was
descended from David according to the flesh 4 and
was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by
resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to
bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his
name, 6 including yourselves who
are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To
all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel
Reading: Matthew 1:18-25
Matthew’s birth story differs greatly from the
more familiar Luke. Here, at its
beginning, it is Joseph who is the main character, not Mary. It is he who receives a dream and makes the
decision to proceed as if he is the father, thus making Jesus a son of David
(as the genealogy which precedes this passage has made clear). The quote from Isaiah 7 is noted above,
including the switch to the title “virgin.”
The most important thing about this passage for Matthew is found in the
title “Emmanuel,” meaning, “God with us.”
This is the child of the promise.
1:18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his
mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was
found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her
husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public
disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But
just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your
wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name
him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had
been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall
name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the
Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but
had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him
Jesus.
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. All rights reserved. The Collect of the Day
and the Psalm translation are from The
Book of Common Prayer. Commentaries are copyright © 2019 Epiphany ESources,
67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY 14843, www.epiphanyesources.com.
All rights reserved. Permission is given
to copy for group study. Bulletin inserts are available. Go to our website for
more information.
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