Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 21, 2008 - Fourth Sunday of Advent
[2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38]The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
These familiar words are heard by most of us, I'd bet, in a way that immediately focuses our attention on the person of Mary! After all she IS the principal character in this scene, isn't she? (Along with Gabriel, of course!) Yes, yes, that's true. But if we have paid attention to the first scripture of the day from the Book of Samuel, the identification of Joseph as being "of the house of David" should jump out at us! The evangelist, Luke, is concerned with establishing the "credentials" of Jesus from day one, and Joseph supplies a vital element in those credentials: descent from King David! Notice further in the gospel today that Gabriel states: "and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,,," Anyone in the early Christian community, which contained mostly people of Jewish background, reading the Gospel of Luke, which was put into written form after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70AD, would be familiar with the promise made to David by the Lord in the Book of Samuel! The identification is repeated and underlined by the further story of the trip to Bethlehem, the "city of David," because Joseph was "of the house and family of David." Perhaps for some, the relevancy of Jesus' "Davidic descent" is minimal. But if we are to be truly rooted in the experience of Jesus' birth in this season and later in preaching about him AFTER his resurrection, we cannot just select him free and clear of any Old Testament elements!!!! Jesus was born in human history - a history which reveals God's promises to the world and especially to the Chosen People. How can we know that Jesus is the fulfillment of those promises? Luke provides an answer! When we look at the Christmas creche, we are drawn to the immediate experience of the event of Jesus' birth. Yes, there is the star and the Magi and the shepherds (and the various animals),but there is also the history and the legitimacy of the one who is being born to us! He is Jesus, son of David! AMEN
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