2021-Dec-25: The Nativity of Our Lord

 

 2021 The Nativity of Our Lord


Isaiah 52:7-10

Isaiah book 2, from which chapter 15 is taken against the historical backdrop of destruction of the Temple for a people in the midst of a physical exile. As long as God abandons Zion, they are to be in exile. First, a messenger on foot (this was the fastest way of carrying news back in the day) announces to Zion, "Your God is King". Then, sentinels lift up their voices in a song of joy. Finally, Jerusalem herself joins in the joyous acclamation of God’s salvation. Very pointedly, this passage joyously announces the coming of a King, not just any King but God himself. And not just for Zion but in the sight of all nations where all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God. At the center of the beauty of this news is its paradoxical nature. In the birth of child Jesus, the Eternal Word takes on flesh and dwells among us. He comes to defeat not an earthly power but to defeat death itself and give us everlasting life with arms outstretched on the cross.

Psalm 98

Psalm 98, is one of 6 Enthronement psalms and begins with an imperative “call to praise” while affirming the eternal sovereignty of God. The psalm is fitting for Christmas Day because it celebrates the end of the long wait for God’s saving action. For this the psalmist calls for a new song to be written and exclaimed not only with song but with the loud clamoring of “musical instruments” because God has just done something new.

Hebrews 1:1-6

A majority of Bible teachers and commentators believe the Apostle Paul wrote the Hebrews in Hebrew without attaching his name to it and Luke translated it into Greek, but there are others who are not so sure. The prophets was brought the word of God in various ways – sometimes through parables, historical narrative, prophetic confrontation, dramatic presentation, psalms, proverbs, and the like. But now the Son of God himself is coming to redeem us. This glorious Son is eloquently described in seven phrases The word begotten speaks of the equality of substance and essential nature between the Father and Son. It means that the Father and the Son share the same being. Although Jesus took on a human form, he is superior to the angels because angels worship and serve Jesus as their God - this was a hard sell to the Hebrews

John 1:1-18

Gospel according to John starts with his account of Jesus, the Word, back to the beginning of time itself. Before anything else had been created, he was. But we recognised him not. So John came to testify to the light. Jesus the Divine becomes incarnate and dwells among us. The scandal according to John is that the transcendent Word becomes so deeply enmeshed in our twisted world that he is even willing to endure the humiliation and hatred embodied in the cross. For God so loved the world…

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