Sunday December 27 Christmas 1
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Psalm 93
A psalm of praise to God who is forever and who makes the world secure. “The waters lifted up their voice” means that although the raging sea (the original chaos) is threatening to drown everything, God’s voice is stronger. Appropriate for a Sunday when we celebrate God’s victory in the resurrection.
The raging sea can be circumstances in our lives, in our inner life, or in the life of the world.
Psalm 96
Praise to God who really will bring equity (equality) and righteousness (which is the old English translation of dignity and justice) to the whole of humanity.
Isaiah 62.6-7, 10-12
Early Christians interpreted this expectation of release from captivity 600 years before Jesus, as a prophecy of the birth of Jesus.
Matthew 1.18-25
Joseph has experienced a disaster in his relationship with Mary in that she is pregnant but not by him. In a dream he is told that this disaster in his most important relationship is about to be turned into an event of enormous importance. Dreams and references to the Old Testament guarantee the validity of this revelation.
Matthew quotes a passage from Isaiah in which, 700 years earlier, Isaiah had given a hopeful image to his besieged king: that his enemies would be defeated within nine months – the time in which it would take a young woman to give birth. Early Christians re-interpreted this verse, as was normal practice at that time, as a prediction of Jesus’ virgin birth.
In our time, just as with the king Isaiah was advising, nations put their trust in their own strength, not the generous self-giving available from God. The result is the desperation we see all around.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
you have shed upon us the new light
of your incarnate Word.
May this light, enkindled in our hearts,
shine forth in our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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