First Sunday After Christmas: The Word, Light, and Grace

Today's Scripture Verses


Isaiah 61:10-62:3 (NRSV)

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's sake I will not rest,

until her vindication shines out like the dawn,

and her salvation like a burning torch.

The nations shall see your vindication,

and all the kings your glory;

and you shall be called by a new name

that the mouth of the LORD will give.

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,

and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Psalm 147 (BCP., p804)



Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7 (NRSV)

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.

John 1:1-18 (NRSV)

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.

Blog Reflection

Once again, Christmas Day passed us five days ago.  The stores and malls are not playing their endless round of "holiday" music.   If you heard Maria Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" as much as I did, you, like me, might be happy we are not listening to it anymore.  At least until next November 1st.  Many Christmas trees are already out on the street corner to be picked up.

As for churches that follow a Liturgical Calendar, the Christmas Season continues until January 6th, the Epiphany.  It is not uncommon for us to get questions like: "Um, dude, Christmas is over.  Put the carols away until next year?"   So, why not do that?

We would not put them away now, because the Christmas Season is not one holiday long.  It is an event through which the God who made everything through the Word, became one like us in Jesus Christ.   The story of Jesus Christ entering into our human existence as God with us.  Emmanuel.  God being helpless, vulnerable, in need of protection, nurturing and susceptible to everything you and I are.   Jesus was not even totally safe from the possibility of being killed with the other Holy Innocents, had Mary and Joseph not fled to Egypt with Him.  His arrival was not good news for everyone.   He had His enemies and skeptics all waiting for Him.

It is easy to look back on the people of that time and wonder what in the world was wrong with them.  However, as Marcus Borg wrote in Jesus: A New Vision we only know Him from a post-resurrection point of view.  The historical Jesus is as hidden a mystery to our limited understanding in 2013 as He was to those who knew Him in His own time.  What we do know about Jesus is that He was the Word who brought Light and the Grace of God into our world.   Because Jesus was God's perfect revelation of God's Self.  

Maybe people put Christmas away immediately after December 25th, because Christians have yet to show them how the Word is present now in our time.  As we hear the news that Christianist missionaries are transporting the hate towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to places like Russia, Uganda, other countries, how can people possibly believe in the Word made Flesh?   Why believe in God coming to us in Christ?  

Why believe in the Christmas Story, with Christians celebrating the Americans who will lose their unemployment benefits in only a few short days?

Returning to Uganda for a moment, the Anglican Bishop of Uganda celebrates the passage of the "kill the gays bill".   Amazing that a Bishop in our Anglican Communion celebrates the passing of a bill, that is a new massacre of LGBT people.   How are we to properly celebrate Christmas with that kind of talk?

In the Incarnate Word, Jesus does not promise to end all injustice, oppression and violence.  It would have been great if that would have happened.  However, Jesus came as God with us, to show that God walks with us in Him as we by the power of the Holy Spirit, do what Jesus would do in situations like what we are seeing today.  In the Gospels, Jesus showed us how to welcome the stranger, have mercy on the oppressed and love the one whom others consider unlovable.  Jesus told us that the Kingdom of God had come in Him, and in Him, it is possible for God to do so much to change the world for the better.   All God asks of us in this Christmas Season is to let Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh be reborn in us today, tomorrow and in the New Year 2014 so that we may help make the Christmas mystery ever present and real in our world.

Perhaps we can show others why we sing Christmas Carols another week is such a good idea. When we have compassion on those who live with addictions, mental illness or are  homeless, poor and needy.  In our singing of Joy to the World, may the Lord come and show His love through us.  May we gladly receive Him and share His love with others, because we speak up to end the violence towards women, education, workers and those who are in need of food stamps and immigration reform.   Let every heart prepare room for God among us, as Christians live the meaning of the story of how Jesus Christ, the Word with Light and Grace transforms the world around us, because we who believe in Him, let His Light cast off the darkness.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of
your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our
hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.213).

Almighty Father, whose blessed Son before his passion prayed
for his disciples that they might be one, as you and he are one:
Grant that your Church, being bound together in love and
obedience to you, may be united in one body by the one Spirit,
that the world may believe in him whom you have sent, your
Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.255).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.260).