Category Archives: Christmas / Advent

Celebrating the birth of Jeconiah’s seed, Jesus Christ

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Who is Jeconiah? We find him in the first chapter of Matthew:

And Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, — Matthew 1:11-12 BSB

So he’s in Jesus’ genealogy, but so are a lot of other people known only by being in genealogical lists. Let’s look further.

“As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Coniah  son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off. In fact, I will hand you over to those you dread, who want to take your life—to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Chaldeans.  

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Isaiah 40: one prophecy with three fulfillments

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Isaiah 40:1-11 may be one of the best-known passages among all the Old Testament prophets. As anyone who knows Handel’s Messiah will immediately recognize, the text for several movements in the first part come from the first eleven verses:

  • Isaiah 40:1-4, the first tenor recitative and aria, “Comfort ye my people” and “Every valley shall be exalted”
  • Isaiah 40:5, the first chorus, “And the glory of the Lord”
  • Isaiah 40:9, part of the first alto aria (with chorus), “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion”
  • Isaiah 40:11, the second alto aria, “He shall feed his flock”

We associate these verses with the Christmas story because John the Baptist claimed to be the “voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,” words quoted in the tenor recitative.… Read the rest

Jesus’ government: the image of God on the throne of David

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A familiar Advent scripture says that a child will be born to us and the government will rest on his shoulders. A less obviously Advent-related scripture explains what that government will be like. The child, of course, is Jesus. In both scriptures, he has an extensive list of important titles.

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The visitation: Mary visits Elizabeth, John greets Jesus

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After the dramatic stories of Gabriel’s appearances to Zechariah and Mary, Luke 1:39-45 describes Mary’s visit to Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth. The two women were related.

Although artists have painted or otherwise portrayed the visitation for centuries, it’s easy to read right past it. But like many minor characters, Elizabeth has a special message for us.

Mary, probably a girl of about 14, has just become pregnant as a virgin. That’s what Gabriel said. The townspeople would eventually know only that she was pregnant out of wedlock.

Gabriel had also told her that Elizabeth was pregnant in her old age. (That likely means 40, give or take a few years.… Read the rest

Gabriel, Zechariah, and Mary: a Christmas study in contrasts

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In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel had good news for both Zechariah and Mary. They both asked him similar questions. Zechariah’s got him reprimanded and punished, but Mary’s did not. Why? Maybe the questions aren’t as similar as they might seem at first. 

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Prophecy and Joseph’s obedience in Matthew 2

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Once the frenzy of Christmas shopping and all the returns have finished, stores and most of society turn away from Christmas to the next big thing. But the Christmas season in the church calendar goes on for a couple of weeks. In this time after Christmas, it seems especially important to look at what else happened in Jesus’ life shortly after his birth. Matthew’s account of the flight to Egypt cites three prophecies that especially deserve attention.

Matthew 2 tells of the visit of the Magi and Herod’s violent response to the birth of Jesus. It adds more to what it said in the first chapter about the heroic faith of Joseph.… Read the rest

A wide-angle view of Christmas: Revelation 12

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In 1 Corinthians 13:9-12, Paul reminds us that now, we know only in part. Our knowledge of God’s ways and plans is like looking at an image in a dirty mirror. We can at least clean up the mirror a little by looking at less-familiar scriptures from time to time.

Our focus on Christmas (and Easter) is like taking a picture with a telephoto lens.

The familiar Christmas story in the gospels portrays a young peasant woman becoming pregnant in an unusual way, then having a very ordinary pregnancy.

The birth experience was certainly inconvenient, but many other women have given birth in awkward circumstances.… Read the rest

Herod and us: the fly in the Christmas ointment

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Christmas, it seems, ought to be such a beautiful time. We celebrate the birth of a darling baby to wholly admirable parents. A bright star shone. The angels sang. The shepherds left their flocks to see the baby. Magi came from a great distance to offer gifts fit for a king. All is calm and beautiful.

Except for Herod.

“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi” (Matthew 2:16 NIV).… Read the rest

The birth of the Word made flesh

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John’s gospel includes no birth narrative, yet the prologue is read on Christmas day in churches of all kinds. Matthew and Luke tell stories about the birth of the Christ. They offer some comment about its spiritual significance.

On the other hand, John’s prologue describes its spiritual significance, with only a single sentence to summarize the stories.

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The lost strangeness of Mary and Gabriel

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Nativity set. We think we know Mary. Do we?

Centuries before the Eastern and Western churches split, the church began to call her the Queen of Heaven, thinking to honor her. In Scripture, however (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:15-18), the queen of heaven is a pagan fertility goddess. When God’s people worshiped her, they provoked God to anger. It’s an insult to Mary to give her the same title as a false goddess.

In centuries of art and church teaching, Mary becomes some kind of other-worldly figure, devoted to perpetual virginity.

Nowadays, a child often portrays Mary church pageants. Another may portray the angel Gabriel.  … Read the rest