Scriptures for the Second Sunday After Christmas, January 4th, 2009

Second Sunday After Christmas,
January 4th, 2009


The Scriptures


Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm 84 or 84:1-8
Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a
Matthew 2:1-12


Jeremiah (31:7-14)

Thus says the Lord:

Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,

and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;

proclaim, give praise, and say,

"Save, O Lord, your people

, the remnant of Israel."

See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,

and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,

among them the blind and the lame, those with child and

those in labor, together;

a great company, they shall return here.

With weeping they shall come,

and with consolations I will lead them back,

I will let them walk by brooks of water,

in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;

for I have become a father to Israel,

and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,

and declare it in the coastlands far away;

say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him,

and will keep him as a shepherd a flock."

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,

and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,

and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,

over the grain, the wine, and the oil,

and over the young of the flock and the herd;

their life shall become like a watered garden,

and they shall never languish again.

Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,

and the young men and the old shall be merry.

I will turn their mourning into joy,

I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

I will give the priests their fill of fatness,

and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,

says the Lord.
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What is the meaning of "home" and "contentment" for you?How might you describe the kind of joy that this prophecy anticipates if you were to claim it for your own life? ...for our community? ...for our nation? ...for our world?
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Psalm (84:1-8) Quam dilecta!

How dear to me is your dwelling, O God of hosts! *

My soul has a desire and longing for your courts;

my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.



The sparrow has found her a houseand the swallow a nest where she may lay her young, *

by the side of your altars, O God of hosts,my Ruler and my God.



Happy are they who dwell in your house; *

they will always be praising you.



Happy are the people whose strength is in you; *

whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.



Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, *

for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.



They will climb from height to height; *

the God of gods will be revealed in Zion.



O God of hosts, hear my prayer; *

hearken, O God of Jacob.

Behold our defender, O God, *

and look upon the face of your Anointed,


(St. Helena's Psalter)
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The acolytes, vergers, and clergy use this psalm in the vesting room prior to our going into worship. Read this passage as a prayer before worship. You might want to use it as part of your preparation before church.
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Ephesians (1:3-6,15-19a)



Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.



I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.



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How does the first paragraph of this passage describe your identity?Let the prayer of the second paragraph be the apostle's prayer for you.
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Matthew (2:1-12)

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:



`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"



Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

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How might this story be an icon for inter-religious dialogue?Offer a prayer for all children and innocent civilians who are victims of politically motivated threat and violence.

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For a way to Pray with these scriptures, go to the following link for instructions about how to use Lectio Divina with the Sunday readings: Praying the Scriptures with Lectio Divina (http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id272.html)Click here for "Praying the Scriptures with Lectio Divina"