Rev Chris Roth

  Luke 2:22-40 In our Gospel reading we meet Simeon and Anna who both have prophetic insight into the child who has been brought to the temple. Jesus has been brought to the temple by his devout parents to fulfill the requirements of the law. In Leviticus we read: “When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt-offering, and a pigeon or a turtle-dove for a sin-offering. He shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement on her behalf; then she shall be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, male or female. If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtle-doves or two pigeons, one for a burnt-offering and the other for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and she shall be clean” (Lev 12:6-8). So, what we see happening here is that Mary and Joseph are dutifully following

  2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38 In our Old Testament reading, we see King David expressing his desire to make a “house” for God, meaning that he wishes to make a temple for God. David has recently united the tribes of Israel under his leadership. He conquered the city of Jerusalem, and established it as his capital city. … Until this point, if you wanted to go to a place to encounter God you would go to the Ark of the Covenant, which had been housed in a tent called the Tabernacle. David thought it was inappropriate for him to live in a palace while God’s Ark remained in a tent. … It is a logical thought. For example, many years later, when the exiles return from Babylon, they get to work rebuilding the city. They finish their houses, but the Temple remains in ruins, and we read in the prophet Haggai,  “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4).  Here, God (speaking through t

  Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Luke 1:46b-55; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 Advent is actually meant to be a bit like Lent. The church wants us to get ready for the big feasts of Christmas and Easter through Advent and Lent. Advent doesn’t always sit well with us as a penitential season because we are usually well into celebrating Christmas before Advent is over. This 3rd week of Advent is a bit unusual in that while many of the advent readings in other weeks speak about the final judgement, or preparing for the second coming of Christ. The 3rd week of Advent is Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means “rejoice”. So this Sunday stands out from what is traditionally a penitential season, and our readings reflect that. I’m going to jump around a bit as we look at how these readings reflect this theme. First, we look at John the Baptist. John is the major character in Advent. He is the last of the prophets of the Old Testament. According to other Gospels, he is dressed in camel’s hair, with

  Isaiah 40:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-15; Mark 1:1-8 In our Gospel reading, John the Baptist cries out with the words of the prophet Isaiah on his lips- ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”’ (Mark 1:2-3; Is 40:3). He is telling the people to prepare for God who is coming to them. Not in the general way where God is with us all the time, but in a special way- a way that needs to be prepared for. The second letter of Peter is again telling us to get ready, but this time for his second coming. Perhaps we can learn something about the second coming from the first. There was a relatively set understanding regarding how the messiah was supposed to come the first time. He would be a king like David. He would remove the occupying Roman forces. He would purify the leadership of the Temple and establish true worship. In a sense, he would ‘make Israel g