I’ve always liked the Twelve Days of Christmas; not just the song about a bird nut, but the actual days. Glassy-eyed, we put away assorted toys and trace down scraps of tissue and tinsel where the cat has chased them under the couch. These are days to sit deep in the early evening under the tree-lights, days to replay the zest of children of all ages who’ve visited during the last several days… Sunday’s readings exult in the ultimate Presence of the Holy after the Rush is over.
Don’t disdain Third Isaiah (chapters 56-66) just because we know so little about this author (or authors). These happy chapters overflow with tidings of comfort and joy, and remind God’s People then & now that a holy dawn comes to even those who dwell in deep darkness. Let the presenter not just read this passage (61:10-62:3), but DECLAIM it: “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.” (62:1) The entire world will marvel at our new apparel, and the renewed flame which burns within us, which we wear as a crown of beauty!
The Galatians, people of what’s now central Turkey, knew little about Jewish life and tradition. So Paul needed to write to them about Jesus coming in “the fullness of time.” (4:4) This is but a small shard of a much greater concept of the Birth of Jesus for the Whole World, Jews & Gentiles alike. It’s a message of renewal, of freedom for the captives and light for the lost. Christmas is a message of what God has already done, would that we Galatians know this burning torch of rescue.
Every congregation has a Simeon and an Anna, and thanks to Luke for pointing this out! (2:22-40) Where would we be without the ancient saints who show up as soon as the doors are open–maybe having their own key–who know the traditions and where the bodies are buried, who can show us where the light switches are? More, the Simeons & Annas embody devotion, prayer and loyalty: they are the Pillars of the Church. The “original” Simeon longed to see Messiah; two alternatives spring out of the story. He “would not see death” (v.26), but now has “seen your salvation.” (v.30) These days of Christmas tell the Returned Exiles, the alien Galatians, and the saints long gone and yet to come that God’s salvation blazes in the darkness like a burning torch!
May your Christmas be blessed with the warmth of God’s People, and be filled with cheer and hope and merriment!
God Bless Us, Every One! Horace Brown King
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