Readings for 12/21-12/27/20

Christmas is a time to dwell upon the wonderful mysteries of God – the miraculous condescension of God into human flesh, and His salvation that comes not by earthly strength but in meekness, humility, and trust. We may ask with Mary, “How can this be?” And the answer is by the power and the Spirit of God. Isaiah speaks of the righteous Branch, on Whom the Spirit of God shall rest, who will judge the peoples not by what He sees and hears, but in perfect righteousness. He will see into their hearts, as only God can. St. Paul writes that through the Holy Spirit, we humans will call the Holy and Living God: Abba, Father, Daddy – and we will be called His sons. Next to that, Simeon and Anna recognizing the Messiah as a baby seems almost a small thing. People marveled at what was said about Jesus that day, but it was only the beginning of what God was about to do. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, and rest in His Holy Spirit, as we look forward to the impossible things He has in store for us.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

The first lesson is from the book of Isaiah, chapter 11, verses 1-5:

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

The Epistle lesson is from Galatians, chapter 4, verses 1-7:

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

The Gospel for the first Sunday after Christmas is from Luke, chapter 2, verses 22-40:

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

The Presentation of the Temple, by Philippe de Champaigne [Public domain]

First Lutheran Church of Boston Devotional Readings