Word to the Wise
Monday, December 18, 2023 -
[ and ]Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; as king she shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the Land. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: "The Lord our justice." [Jeremiah] "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." [Matthew]
MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2023 MONDAY IN THE THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT
[Jeremiah 23:5-8 and Matthew 1:18-25]
Each of the four gospels is a separate preaching of the story of Jesus Christ - his life, death and resurrection. Although Matthew and Luke borrow a lot from Mark, they each had their own sources and traditions to work from as well, including a document that scripture scholars call "Q," from the German word, "quelle," meaning a "source." We owe it to Matthew and Luke for whatever information we have about Jesus' earthly origins, but it is clear that each of them had a different "agenda" in relating the story of Jesus' birth. Their gospels were not written in chronological order! The infancy narratives were written last and contain hints of all that would be happening to Jesus once he reached adulthood!! In other words, they were written "in the light of" prophecies that came before Jesus was born and events that occurred after he reached adulthood. The first preaching was about Jesus' adult life, death and resurrection, but people began to ask questions about his origins. Both Matthew and Luke contain "geneaologies" as well as stories of Jesus' birth. As today's gospel scripture from Matthew puts it: "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet....."
Today we have the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah (first scripture) to frame the "annunciation" scene to Joseph!! (Later on this week, we will have, in Luke, the annunciation to Mary!!) The birth of Jesus is not simply one event but a part of a much larger context of God's plan of salvation, as those two genealogies testify. The story has improbable characters and improbable pregnancies as it unfolds in history. All of this will come at us in the scriptures for this week as we prepare ourselves and our homes to welcome a newborn Jesus of Nazareth, the "Christ child!" Stay tuned! AMEN