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Sunday of Love
And now we come full circle on the Advent wreath. The fourth and final Sunday of this season of penitence and preparation is about God’s love for us and ours for God. This is not romantic, fickle love but rather the steadfast and enduring love of חֶסֶד (chesed) and ἀγάπη (agapē).
Little Town Of Bethlehem
2But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
3Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
5And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
~Michah 5:2-5
Michah is considered a minor prophet, but he lived in tumultuous times. The Kingdom of Judah was under assault from the Assyrians and he foretold of the troubles to come. Even those were a pale shadow of the sorrows to follow a century later when the Babylonian Captivity would occur after the Siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple of Solomon.
Even amid the strife and fear of invading Assyrians, Michah was granted a vision of a time when the Messiah would come and all strife put arights. Such is the strength of God’s steadfast love. Even in the middle of a prophecy of doom and even of God’s lawsuit against the unfaithful Israelites of his age, Michah is able to predict the coming of not just a king, but a Messiah. A Messiah is one from the rightful line of King David who has not only secular power but spiritual authority as well.
Come And Save Us
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
3Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
4O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
6Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
~Psalm 80:1-7
Even King David had his hard times. He knew well of personal suffering, the trouble of foreign invaders and even falling from God’s favor due to his own untoward behavior. David knew well the failings of men and the fact that God’s love is all we need to wash away all of our troubles.
When we are in that face to face, faithful relationship with the God of all creation, He shall cause His face to shine and we shall be saved.
The Final, Perfect Sacrifice
5Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
~Hebrews 10:5-10
This epistle was addressed to the Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem and includes this reminder that Jesus is the final, perfect sacrifice for our sins. In love, God took human form and died to repair the relationship between us. Even though Jewish Law prescribed specific sacrifices for specific sins, the author of this epistle is pointing out that the law has been replaced by the mortal sacrifice of Jesus.
Family First
39And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
~Luke 1:39-45
I mentioned last week that Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, leapt in his mother’s womb. We see that scripture again this week and it points out the fact that the family knew who Mary bore and how the Holy Spirit led them to react to her baby with love, adoration and celebration.
As we approach Christmas, we have pondered these virtues and the promises of God’s steadfast love. Let us greet family and friends this holiday season with love, adoration and celebration just as Elizabeth and John did for Mary and Jesus. We are all the body of Christ, so it is only fit that we should greet each other in love.