Archive for the ‘2 Samuel 7’ Tag
Above: Mosaic of Jesus, from Hagia Sophia
Image in the Public Domain
The Face of God
DECEMBER 24, 2023
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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2 Samuel 7:(1-7), 8-11, 16
Psalm 89:1-4, 14-18 (LBW) or Psalm 98 (LW)
Romans 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38
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Stir up your power, O Lord, and come.
Take away the hindrance of our sins
and make us ready for the celebration of your birth,
that we may receive you in joy and serve you always,
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 14
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Stir up your power, O Lord, and come among us with great might,
and because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 14
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Second Isaiah, writing after the demise of the monarchy of Judah, reinterpreted the divine promise regarding the Davidic Dynasty in 2 Samuel 7:(1-7), 8-11, 16 to refer to the Jewish people instead. St. Luke seemed not to have preferred that interpretation. C’est la vie.
Without getting lost in the weeds of how Jews interpret certain passages of scripture versus how Christians interpret the same passages, I note the historical problem of 2 Samuel 7 and Psalm 89 as a fact. One may reasonably state that many descendants of King David lived during the time of Jesus. I descend from Scottish royalty, but I am one of many people who do so. I assert, therefore, that being a descendant of King David was unremarkable in first-century C.E. Palestine.
Yet Jesus was remarkable. And he has become the defining figure of the faith of much of the world, including me. Indeed, as I read and ponder the assigned readings, I settle upon Romans 16:25-27 as a wonderfully succinct passage, as well as the keynote for this passage. As much as I push back against shoehorning Jesus into every other nook and cranny of the Hebrew Bible and reducing the Hebrew Bible to a prequel to the New Testament, I also affirm that Jesus (the incarnated form of the Second Person of the Trinity, however that works) is the face of God for me.
So, on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, I wish you, O reader, a holy remainder of Advent and twelve days of merry Christmas.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 3, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TENTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT KATHARINE DREXEL, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTONIO FRANCESCO MARZORATI, JOHANNES LAURENTIUS WEISS, AND MICHELE PRO FASOLI, FRANCISCAN MISSIONARY PRIESTS AND MARTYRS IN ETHIOPIA, 1716
THE FEAST OF SAINT GERVINUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF HENRY ELIAS FRIES, U.S. MORAVIAN INDUSTRIALIST; AND HIS WIFE, ROSA ELVIRA FRIES, U.S. MORAVIAN MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT TERESA EUSTOCHIO VERZERI, FOUNDER OF THE INSTITUTE OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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Above: King David as a Byzantine Emperor
Image in the Public Domain
Washing Our Robes and Bearing Spiritual Fruits
NOVEMBER 29, 2021
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The Collect:
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.
By your merciful protection alert us to the threatening dangers of our sins,
and redeem us for your life of justice,
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 18
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Samuel 7:18-29
Psalm 90
Revelation 22:12-16
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So teach us to number our days
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
–Psalm 90:12, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Earlier in 2 Samuel 7 God had said to David via the prophet Nathan not to build a magnificent temple, contrary to divine wishes. No, God said, God would make David the founder of a great dynasty. David would not build a literal house for the Ark of the Covenant, but God would make a metaphorical house of David. The monarch was overcome with gratitude.
That was all well and good, but the Davidic Dynasty became an instrument of exploitation of the people. The monarchy became the definition of national identity. The former model, in which God was the national sovereign, was no more. One reason for the change of the narrative and its opinion of monarchy was political. The Biblical authors, who were myriad, disagreed with each other frequently. Thus, for example, the prophet Samuel’s warning against monarchy came to coexist with texts affirming monarchy.
Nevertheless, the consistent witness of the Old and New Testaments for social justice–frequently in the economic realm–resounds down the corridors of time and reminds us that we do not live in the fully realized Kingdom of God. Society is not an abstraction. No, it is simply people. We make society what it is, so we can change it. May we improve it, respecting the image of God in others and ourselves. May we love our fellow human beings–especially those who differ from us–as we love ourselves. May noble intentions lead to positive results for the benefit of people, the common good of society, and the glory of God. As I mentioned in the previous post, abundant grace is available to empower us to accomplish the purpose of having a proper, respectful, and awe-filled relationship with God and bearing the related spiritual fruits.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 10, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WALSHAM HOW, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF WAKEFIELD AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, FRANCES JANE DOUGLAS(S), HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF EUNICE SHRIVER KENNEDY, FOUNDER OF THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS
THE FEAST OF SAINT LAURENCE OF ROME, ROMAN CATHOLIC DEACON AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SHERMAN BOOTH, ABOLITIONIST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/08/12/washing-our-robes-and-bearing-spiritual-fruits/
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Above: Elisabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun and Her Daughter, by Elisabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun
Children of God Through Faith
DECEMBER 23, 2022
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The Collect:
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come!
With your abundant grace and might,
free us from the sin that hinders our faith,
that eagerly we may receive your promises,
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 19
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Samuel 7:18, 23-29
Luke 1:46b-55
Galatians 3:6-14
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His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
–Luke 1:50, The New Revised Standard Version
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The readings for today tell us that God has done mighty things. God has made a shepherd the founder of a great dynasty. And, through a descendant of that shepherd we have the Good Shepherd who has fulfilled the Law of Moses and extended the blessing of Abraham to Gentiles and made us children of God through faith.
This faith, in Pauline theology, is inherently active. Thus Paul and James agree that works are essential. The difference between Paul and James is purely semantic. One defines faith as intellectual, and therefore dead without works. The other conceives of faith as encompassing works. This faith–this active faith–is something to celebrate all year, but especially at the cusp of Christmas, when we observe the birth of the one through whom we Gentiles are children of God through faith.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 5, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY ZACCARIA, FOUNDER OF THE BARNABIES AND THE ANGELIC SISTERS OF SAINT PAUL
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ADALBERO AND ULRIC OF AUGSBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
THE FEAST OF H. RICHARD NIEBUHR, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF WILLEM A. VISSER ‘T HOOFT, ECUMENIST
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/children-of-god-through-faith/
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Above: Christ Pantocrator
An Advent Challenge
DECEMBER 15-17, 2022
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The Collect:
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come!
With your abundant grace and might,
free us from the sin that hinders our faith,
that eagerly we may receive your promises,
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 19
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The Assigned Readings:
2 Samuel 7:1-17 (Thursday)
2 Samuel 7:18-22 (Friday)
2 Samuel 7:23-29 (Saturday)
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 (all days)
Galatians 3:23-29 (Thursday)
Galatians 4:1-7 (Friday)
John 3:31-36 (Saturday)
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Hear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you that led Joseph like a flock;
Shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the Cherubim,
before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Stir up your mighty strength
and come to our salvation.
Turn us again, O God;
show the light of your countenance,
and we shall be saved.
–Psalm 80:1-4, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
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The following content is appropriate all year yet especially in Advent.
We read in 2 Samuel that David, by God’s request, will not build a Temple (house) for God. No, God will make David the founder of a dynasty (house) instead:
Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
–Verse 16, The New Revised Standard Version
Such extravagant grace came with a great responsibility, which many members of the dynasty disregarded, unfortunately.
The New Testament readings for these days speak of Jesus of Nazareth, a descendant of David and a very different sort of king. In Jesus, we read, eternal life–in this life and in the next one–and the gateway to eternal life exist. In Jesus the Law of Moses is fulfilled and a new covenant of grace and adoption is ours if we accept and follow him. In Jesus all human categories which divide us from each other cease to exist.
Yet many of us who have called ourselves Christians have maintained many or all of these categories–such as
Jew or Greek…slave or free…male and female
–Galatians 3:28, The New Revised Standard Version
(a partial list, I admit). Other such divisions include native-born and foreign-born, heterosexual and homosexual, rich and poor, and lighter-skinned and darker-skinned. In so doing we have sinned–missed the mark. We have re-erected barriers which God destroyed. And we feel righteous for all our unrighteousness, oddly enough. We like barriers and categories, for they help us label others and therefore label ourselves. In fact, however, if we are in Christ, that is the only label which really matters. Why have so many of us been so oblivious for so long? What does God have to do–send us a giant, flashing neon sign, a pillar of fire, a burning bush, or something else? Why was the Incarnation insufficient to attract our attention to this spiritual truth?
My Advent challenge to all who read this post is the same I pose to myself: To leave torn down that which our Lord and Savior tore down.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 4, 2013 COMMON ERA
INDEPENDENCE DAY (U.S.A.)
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/an-advent-challenge/
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Above: An Oil Lamp
Image Source = Rama
Being Light in the Darkness
JANUARY 25, 2024
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Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.
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2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said,
Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this is a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O Lord GOD!
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And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people for ever; and you, O LORD, became their God. And now, O LORD God, confirm for ever the word which you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken; and your name will be magnified for ever, saying, “The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,” and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, “I will build you a house”; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue for ever before you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed for ever.
Psalm 132:1-5, 11-15 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 LORD, remember David,
and all the hardships endured;
2 How he swore an oath to the LORD
and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not come under the roof of my house,
nor climb up into my bed;
4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep,
nor let my eyelids slumber;
5 Until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
11 The LORD has sworn an oath to David;
in truth, he will not break it:
12 “A son, the fruit of your body
will I set upon your throne.
13 If your children keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their children will sit upon your throne for evermore.”
14 For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he has desired her for his habitation:
15 “This shall be my resting-place for ever;
here will I dwell, for I delight in her….”
Mark 4:21-25 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
And he said to them,
Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.
And he said to them,
Take heed what you hear; the measure you get will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
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The Collect:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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A Related Post:
Week of 3 Epiphany: Thursday, Year 1:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/week-of-3-epiphany-thursday-year-1/
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Illumination is, for many of us in the industrialized parts of the world, simple. As I write these words, I count four light bulbs in front of me, two above and behind me, three around one corner, five in the bathroom, one in an understairs closet, four in the bedroom, three in the kitchen, one near the kitchen and by the back door, one outside the back door, and another one above the front door. Then I have two storm doors and some windows with blinds; natural light is easy to obtain, rendering most of the light bulbs unnecessary to use most of the time. I tend to use a light bulb for a long time before having to replace it. Yet, if I wished, I could bathe my dwelling place in light. Nevertheless, I prefer to use no more than one well-chosen light-bulb at a time. The light stands out relative to the darkness around it.
Many of the people to whom Jesus spoke lived in small, dark houses. Oil lamps could be difficult to light, so one did not extinguish a lamp casually. So a safety-conscious person who had to run an errand covered the lamp before stepping out. That way the lamp would still cast light into the darkness upon the person’s return.
Light is essential, for it allows one to see where one is going. And we tend to take light for granted when there is much of it. But let darkness fall, and the great amount of light one candle or light bulb or oil lamp can emit becomes obvious.
The light sines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
–John 1:5 (Revised Standard Version)
Jesus is the light in the spiritual darkness. The never-extinguished flame from his wick has lit many other candles and oil lamps, to the current generation. How many candles and oil lamps will you light, or at least not extinguish? And what will the results of your lighting be? This is about far more than people affirming doctrines. No, it is also about people living according to the demands that grace, which is free but not cheap, makes on them as they love their neighbors, work for justice, et cetera.
KRT
Above: King David in Prayer, by Pieter de Grebber
A Link in the Chain
JANUARY 24, 2024
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Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.
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2 Samuel 7:4-17 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
But the same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David,
Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have seen moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”
Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David,
Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more; as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of men; but I will not take my merciful love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.
In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
Psalm 89:1-4 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Your love, O LORD, for ever will I sing;
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever;
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn an oath to David my servant;
4 ‘I will establish your line for ever,
and preserve your throne for all generations.’”
Mark 4:1-20 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):
And Jesus began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and at in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he taught them in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:
Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
And he said,
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
And when he was alone, those who were about him with the Twelve asked him concerning the parables. And he said to them,
To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.
And he said to them,
Do you understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other tings, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown among the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
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The Collect:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
Week of 3 Epiphany: Wednesday, Year 1:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/week-of-3-epiphany-wednesday-year-1/
2 Samuel 7:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/fourth-sunday-of-advent-year-b/
Matthew 13 (Parallel to Mark 4):
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/25/proper-10-year-a/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/week-of-proper-11-wednesday-year-1/
Luke 8 (Parallel to Mark 4):
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/week-of-proper-19-saturday-year-1/
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David was a significant figure in the Bible. That statement might seem so obvious as to be implicit, but repeating such statements is useful sometimes. In 2 Samuel 7 we find the promise of the Davidic dynasty, from the lineage of which the Messiah came. David was a link in the chain. How might the chain have turned out had he been an ineffective link?
After Jesus, of course, the surviving Apostles (including Matthias) and Paul and his coworkers, include Apollos, Aquila, Priscilla, Timothy, Silas, and Barnabas) took up the charge and forged other links in the chain. How might history have played out differently had they done their jobs poorly? Fortunately, the seeds found fertile ground and the plants have flourished.
So the chain comes to the current generation, to you, O reader, and to me. We are heirs to a tradition which contains giants of faith, many of whom will always be anonymous to us. Without ossifying the tradition or transforming it into an idol, may we honor it, our forebears in it, and God, and therefore help forge new links in the chain.
KRT
Above: The Annunciation, by El Greco
Nothing is Impossible with God
DECEMBER 24, 2023
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THE FIRST READING
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 (New Revised Standard Version):
Now when the king [David] was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan,
See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.
Nathan said to the king,
Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you.
But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:
Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
THE TWO OPTIONS FOR THE RESPONSE
Canticle 15 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
(The Magnificat plus the Trinitarian formula)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Your love, O LORD, for ever will I sing;
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever;
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn an oath to David my servant;
4 ‘I will establish your line for ever,
and preserve your throne for all generations.’”
19 You spoke once in a vision and said to your faithful people:
“I have set the crown upon a warrior
and have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my holy oil have I anointed him.
21 My hand will hold him fast
and my arm will make him strong.
22 No enemy shall deceive him,
nor any wicked man bring him down.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and love shall be with him,
and he shall be victorious through my Name.
25 I shall make his dominion extend
from the Great Sea to the River.
26 He will say to you, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
THE SECOND READING
Romans 16:25-27 (New Revised Standard Version):
Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith– to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
THE GOSPEL READING
Luke 1:26-38 (New Revised Standard Version):
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said,
Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.
But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her,
Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
Mary said to the angel,
How can this be, since I am a virgin?
The angel said to her,
The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.
Then Mary said,
Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.
Then the angel departed from her.
The Collect:
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.
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What is really going on here?
That was the question a spiritual mentor of mine in the early-middle 1990s asked himself when he approached any passage from the Bible. Let us apply it to the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year B.
Nothing is impossible with God.
We read this in the Gospel lesson. How does an obscure young woman become the mother not only of the Messiah, but of God incarnate? And how does a shepherd, the runt of his family, become a great king and the founder of a dynasty? God makes such things happen. Let us appreciate the mystery, not quarrel about divine tactics.
Nothing is impossible with God.
When we examine our own lives and those of the people closest to us, do we believe that nothing is impossible with God? Have we become so jaded that we have lost hope that God can and will act wondrously and beyond our expectations? I hope not.
To what spectacular wonders is God preparing to give birth in you and in others? Time will tell. By faith and grace, may we look forward to the blessed events.
KRT
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/nothing-is-impossible-with-god/
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Above: John the Baptist, by Titian, 1542
Here Ends Our Advent Journey
DECEMBER 24, 2023
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2 Samuel 7:1-16 (Revised English Bible):
Once the king was established in his palace and the LORD had given him security from his enemies on all sides, he said to Nathan the prophet,
Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the Ark of God is housed in a tent.
Nathan answered,
Do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.
But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:
Go and say to David my servant, This is the word of the LORD: Are you to build me a house to dwell in? Down to this day I have never dwelt in a house since I brought Israel up from Egypt; I lived in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I journeyed with Israel, did I ever ask any of the judges whom I appointed shepherds of my people Israel why they had not built me a cedar house?
Then say this to my servant David: This is the word of the LORD of Hosts: I took you from the pastures and from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have destroyed all enemies in your path. I shall bring you fame like the fame of the great ones of the earth. I shall assign a place for my people Israel; there I shall plant them to dwell in their own land. They will be disturbed no more; never again will the wicked oppress them as they did in the past, from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I shall give you peace from all your enemies.
The LORD has told you that he would built up your royal house. When your life ends and you rest with your forefathers, I shall set up one of your family, one of your own children, to succeed you, and I shall establish his kingdom. It is he who is to build a house in honour of my name; and I shall establish his royal throne for all time. I shall be a father to him, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I shall punish him as a father might, and not spare the rod. But my love will never be withdrawn from him as I withdrew it from Saul, whom I removed from your path. Your family and your kingdom will be established for ever in my sight; your throne will endure for all time.”
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-29 (Revised English Bible):
I shall sing always of the loving deeds of the LORD;
throughout every generation I shall proclaim your faithfulness.
I said: Your love will stand firm for ever;
in the heavens you have established your faithfulness.
I have made a covenant with the one I have chosen,
I have sworn an oath to my servant David:
I shall establish your line for ever,
I shall make your throne endure for all generations.
A time came when you spoke in a vision,
declaring to your faithful servant:
I have granted help to a warrior;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
I have found David my servant
and anointed him with my sacred oil.
My hand will be ready to help him,
my arm to give him strength.
No enemy will outwit him,
no wicked person will oppress him;
I shall crush his adversaries before him
and strike down those who are hostile to him.
My faithfulness and love will be with him
and through my name he will hold his head high.
I shall establish his rule over the sea,
his dominion over the rivers.
He will say tome,
You are my father,
my God, my rock where I find safety.
I shall give him the rank of the firstborn,
highest among the kings of the earth.
I shall maintain my love for him for ever
and be faithful in my covenant with him.
I shall establish his line for ever
and his throne as long as the heavens endure.
Luke 1:67-79 (Revised English Bible):
And Zechariah his [John’s] father was filled with the Holy Spirit and uttered this prophecy:
Praise to the Lord, the God of Israel!
For he has turned to his people and set them free.
He has raised for us a strong deliverer
from the House of his servant David.
So he promised: age to age he proclaimed
by the lips of his holy prophets,
that he would deliver us from our enemies,
out of the hands of all who hate us;
that, calling to mind his solemn covenant,
he would deal mercifully with our fathers.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to rescue us from enemy hands and set us free from fear,
so that we might worship in his presence
in holiness and righteousness our whole life long.
And you, my child, will be called Prophet of the Most High,
for you will be the Lord’s forerunner, to prepare his way
and lead his people to a knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins:
for in the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from heaven will break upon us,
to shine on those who live in darkness, under the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
The Collect:
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.
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Saint John the Baptist (or Baptizer or Immerser) was the forerunner of Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, and heir to the House of David. John identified Jesus, baptized him, and died before Jesus did.
As I have typed these texts and pondered them I have played a recording of the Christmas Oratorio of Johann Sebastian Bach. It is a glorious work, a product of Bach’s deep Lutheran faith. One fact about it stands out in mind: The Christmas Oratorio contains the music to which I am used to singing the great Good Friday hymn, “O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded.” The liner notes to the two-CD set give the following English translation to the German text of the chorale:
How can I fitly greet Thee,
how rightly Thee extol?
Of Man the best Beloved,
thou treasure of my soul!
O Lord, I pray Thee carry
the torch to light my way,
that I may know thy treasure
and serve Thee day by day!
That is an appropriate attitude for any day, especially that time when Advent transitions into Christmas. Like John, may you decrease as Jesus increases.
Merry Christmas!
KRT
Written on June 4, 2010
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/here-ends-our-advent-journey/
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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