If you are more into listening than reading, Words Twice a Week is available, along with other good stuff, as a podcast from St Paul’s Episcopal Church. Click here.
Ok – we wimped out on the flaming dessert idea, and went for the “almond extract on as sugar cuber” – Fail! Epic Fail! Not only did it not really flame, but the almond extract soaked into the cake and did not really improve the flavor. I did discover that if you put the sugar cube in a little tinfoil dish, it’s a somewhat more dramatic!
And then on the Sunday after Christmas we sometimes did a blessing of the toys and played with them for a few moments in the service. If we were going to church this Sunday, and if you could bring one present to play with that you got this year, what would you bring?
Now – some thoughts on some of this Sunday’s lessons -
Psalm 148
+ Joy to the World – all Creation is called to praise the Lord, who after all, made it all. I assume this means that all creation is called to live so that all the rest of Creation can continue to praise the Lord. Are we holding up our end of that bargain? Or are we pushing some of the rest of Creation toward extinction? And by extension, are we moving ourselves off the stage? The word of this psalm is clearly that that is not God’s dream.
+ first the heights and those in them are called to praise, then the earth and sea and those in them are called to praise, then humans. Or should we understand humans as part of the “earth and sea” section?
+ CEV translates vs6 as “He made them to last forever and nothing can change what he has done”. How do we understand that?
+ Again the CEV translates vs14 “Like a bull with mighty horns the Lord protects his faithful nation Israel…” Putting aside the question of what does God do if Israel is unfaithful, is this a good translation of “He has raised up a horn for his people…?” (NRSV)
+ what images come to your mind when you think of these parts of creation praising God -
- the sun and moon and stars: missed The Conjunction!
- sea monsters and the deep sea: __________________
- fire, snow, frost, wind: __________________________
- mountains, trees: ______________________________
- animals: cardinals at our feeder
- humans: old, young, inbetween: we’ve been watching The Nutcracker
Isaiah 61.10-62.3
+ well, first off we are going to extend it at least to vs4 because that mentions “Beulah” in KJV, that’s the “Happily Married” in NRSV. My mom’s name was Beulah, and yes, she was happily married, first to Wilbur, my dad, and then after he died, to Donald, another wonderful man.
+ we looked at 61.10-11 a couple of weeks ago. It’s nice to have these lessons that we get in a prophetic kind of a way during Advent, and then in a more proclamation or fulfillment kind of a way after Christmas.
+ probably 10-11 is the prophet speaking, and he/she is all geeked up with new clothes and bling and can’t wait to let us know! Of course if we are wearing God’s power and justice – how do we look? As we said before, The Emperor’s New Clothes comes to mind!
+ then scholars seem to think God starts speaking in ch 62, after being silent for a long time. And God says he/she/God will keep speaking as long as it takes.
+ we get a new name, just as Mary did last week – ours is “Crown”, “Diadem”, “Beulah”. Bring forth the royal DIADEM – you can hear the basses chugging along “Crown him, crown him, crown him...Lord of all.”
+ “You will please the Lord and your country will be his bride….” Well, this takes a certain amount of unpacking – is any country that pleases the Lord his bride? Is this just for Israel? How is Israel doing at this? How are we doing?
+ “Your people will take the land….” How does that strike you?
Luke 2.22-40
+ “When the time came for their purification…” - Luke is careful to point out that Mary and Joseph were devout and followed all the guidance of the Law with regard to having a child. They had him circumcised, they waited until Mary was once again “ritually clean” and then they brought him to the temple. And of course they offered the sacrifice permitted for a family in poverty.
+ what sacrifices did your parents make for you, if any? What is the guidance offered by our faith for new parents?
+ if Mary and Joseph are portrayed as following the Law, Simeon and Anna come into the story representing the Spirit. How do Law and Spirit come together in your life?
+ Simeon takes the baby – kind of like the pastor/priest may have taken you when you were baptized - and says “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace…” or some newer translation, noting three things 1) this is God’s doing, 2) it is for all – Jews and Gentiles alike, and 3) this is glory for Israel, not because they are privileged, but as they are God’s faithful servant. This much was probably an early hymn that Luke incorporated.
+ then Simeon goes on in a more somber note - 1) the child will cause some to stand/rise and others to fall; 2) Mary will suffer; 3) all this will reveal people as they are – kind of like a benchmark for your mutual fund!
+ what inspired words would you have for the parents of a new baby?
That’s it for today – Happy Christmas!
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