Holden Evening Prayer meditation- Rom 1:1-7
Meditation for Holden Evening Prayer- Blue Christmas-
Advent 4
Romans 1:1-7
1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
1:2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures,
1:3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
1:4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the gentiles for the sake of his name,
1:6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
1:7 To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, there is a lot packed into this introduction to Paul’s letter to the Romans. …
There is the idea of slavery to Christ. There is the idea of calling, and apostleship, and the gospel. Resurrection from the dead, and the obedience of faith among the gentiles, and belonging to Jesus Christ, and sainthood, and there is the mention of the Trinity- Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
… There is a lot packed into this introduction to Paul’s letter to the Romans. …
Perhaps the reason this passage is given as a reading for Advent is that it declares Jesus as the one “promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures”. It says, he is “Descended from David according to the flesh”, and he is “Son of God with power according to the Spirit”. … He is the expected Davidic messiah. And, he is both of earth and of heaven. That sounds a lot like incarnation. … Those are pretty appropriate themes for Advent.
In Advent, we stand with our spiritual ancestors, the ancient Hebrews, awaiting the coming of the Messiah, and with him, the coming of the messianic age, … where all things will be set right. Where justice will be applied to all injustices. Where all bullies will be dealt with, and where all wounds will be healed.
And we can relate to this this ancient yearning of the Hebrews because we expect that Christ will come again to complete the hopes of Messianic age that he began with his birth. … Jesus will come as the undisputed King and Judge. The proud will be brought low, and the humble will be lifted up. The wrongs will be righted, and the oppressed will be set free.
A very pregnant Mary is a good image for Advent, as well. Both because his birth was the inauguration of the Messianic Age that the ancient Hebrews longed for, but also because pregnancy is a good metaphor. … We await the fulfillment of the Messianic Age like an expectant mother awaits the coming of her child. She feels the discomfort as her body nears the day. Likewise, humanity feels the discomfort of the brokenness of the world. We yearn for the arrival of the one who can set things right, just as an expectant mother yearns for the arrival of her child that will put an end to her birth pains. …
Today we are also recognizing Blue Christmas. This Christmas, for many of us, there will be empty seats at the table. An important voice will be missed from the conversation. The grief we feel is a part of that Messianic yearning for the world to be put right.
We have Blue Christmas because, in the midst of celebration, we feel it’s important to set aside space for those who are having a hard time celebrating at the time of year. But maybe those who are struggling are grasping a part of this liturgical season that the commercial side of this season misses.
I have read that the traditional themes for Advent are death, judgement, heaven, and hell. (I’m not sure we want to rename our Advent candles, but there is a strong historical case to be made for that). … And even once Christmas arrives, we remember the poverty of the holy family, that they struggled to find a place to stay, and their baby had to be placed in a manger. After Christmas day we remember the Martyrdom of St. Stephen. Then soon after we remember the Massacre of the Holy Innocents when Herod, in his greed for power, was willing to kill babies to hold onto his throne, … Which then forces the Holy Family to flee and become refugees.
`We might be tempted to think that Advent and Christmas are about Coca-Cola Santa, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Christmas cookies, fruit cake, and twinkling lights. … And I love all that stuff, … but we should be careful that we don’t banish the discomfort associated with Advent and Christmas. The pain is a part of the story. … Incarnation isn’t just about the Son of God taking on flesh, it’s also about God entering into the mess with us.
Romans 1:1-7
1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
1:2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures,
1:3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
1:4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the gentiles for the sake of his name,
1:6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
1:7 To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, there is a lot packed into this introduction to Paul’s letter to the Romans. …
There is the idea of slavery to Christ. There is the idea of calling, and apostleship, and the gospel. Resurrection from the dead, and the obedience of faith among the gentiles, and belonging to Jesus Christ, and sainthood, and there is the mention of the Trinity- Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
… There is a lot packed into this introduction to Paul’s letter to the Romans. …
Perhaps the reason this passage is given as a reading for Advent is that it declares Jesus as the one “promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures”. It says, he is “Descended from David according to the flesh”, and he is “Son of God with power according to the Spirit”. … He is the expected Davidic messiah. And, he is both of earth and of heaven. That sounds a lot like incarnation. … Those are pretty appropriate themes for Advent.
In Advent, we stand with our spiritual ancestors, the ancient Hebrews, awaiting the coming of the Messiah, and with him, the coming of the messianic age, … where all things will be set right. Where justice will be applied to all injustices. Where all bullies will be dealt with, and where all wounds will be healed.
And we can relate to this this ancient yearning of the Hebrews because we expect that Christ will come again to complete the hopes of Messianic age that he began with his birth. … Jesus will come as the undisputed King and Judge. The proud will be brought low, and the humble will be lifted up. The wrongs will be righted, and the oppressed will be set free.
A very pregnant Mary is a good image for Advent, as well. Both because his birth was the inauguration of the Messianic Age that the ancient Hebrews longed for, but also because pregnancy is a good metaphor. … We await the fulfillment of the Messianic Age like an expectant mother awaits the coming of her child. She feels the discomfort as her body nears the day. Likewise, humanity feels the discomfort of the brokenness of the world. We yearn for the arrival of the one who can set things right, just as an expectant mother yearns for the arrival of her child that will put an end to her birth pains. …
Today we are also recognizing Blue Christmas. This Christmas, for many of us, there will be empty seats at the table. An important voice will be missed from the conversation. The grief we feel is a part of that Messianic yearning for the world to be put right.
We have Blue Christmas because, in the midst of celebration, we feel it’s important to set aside space for those who are having a hard time celebrating at the time of year. But maybe those who are struggling are grasping a part of this liturgical season that the commercial side of this season misses.
I have read that the traditional themes for Advent are death, judgement, heaven, and hell. (I’m not sure we want to rename our Advent candles, but there is a strong historical case to be made for that). … And even once Christmas arrives, we remember the poverty of the holy family, that they struggled to find a place to stay, and their baby had to be placed in a manger. After Christmas day we remember the Martyrdom of St. Stephen. Then soon after we remember the Massacre of the Holy Innocents when Herod, in his greed for power, was willing to kill babies to hold onto his throne, … Which then forces the Holy Family to flee and become refugees.
`We might be tempted to think that Advent and Christmas are about Coca-Cola Santa, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Christmas cookies, fruit cake, and twinkling lights. … And I love all that stuff, … but we should be careful that we don’t banish the discomfort associated with Advent and Christmas. The pain is a part of the story. … Incarnation isn’t just about the Son of God taking on flesh, it’s also about God entering into the mess with us.
AMEN
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