Christmas I, Midnight
Matthew 1: 1-25
The beginning of the whole
Gospel, according to Matthew in the first chapter.
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| Tamar, Chagall |
This is the book of the
new creation, which has happened through Jesus Christ [or, the generation of
Jesus Christ], a son of David, who is a son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and
his brothers,
Judah the father of Perez and
Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of
Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
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| Ruth and Boaz, Chagall |
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose
mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose
mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of King
David.
David was the father of
Solomon, whose mother
had been Uriah’s wife,
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| David and Bathsheba, Chagall |
Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of
Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
and Josiah the father of
Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of
Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of
Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
 |
| Maternity, Chagall |
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph,
the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the
Messiah.
From Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David to the
deportation to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the exile in Babylon
to Christ are fourteen generations.
The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way: Mary, his mother, was
betrothed to Joseph. But before they were aware of having come together, she
conceived a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph however, her husband,
who was an upright man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, was
considering whether he should quietly set her free [or, decided to consider all
this a mystery.] As he was pondering this, behold the angel of the Lord appeared
before him in a dream and said to him:
“Joseph, son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary as your wife, because that which is to be born of her is
conceived out of the power of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you
shall give him the name Jesus, that is, the Bringer of Healing, for he it will
be who will heal his own of their error and guilt. “
All this took place so that the word of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of
the prophet, might be fulfilled:
“A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they will call his name
Immanuel, that is, God in our midst.”
Now when Joseph rose from his sleep he did as the angel of the Lord
directed him, and he took Mary to himself as his wife, and he knew her not
until she bore her son, and he gave him the name Jesus.
Christmas I, Midnight
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| Angel Speaks to Joseph, Rembrandt |
December 25, 2013
Matthew 1: 1-25
In tonight’s Gospel reading, we hear of a virgin who
conceives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Something, or rather Someone,
descends out of the heights; the pure virginal being can receive this Someone
because she is willing to be the one to fulfill the cosmic and objective needs
of humanity, the need for God to be born as a human being on earth.
Joseph, too, hesitates because he knows that this conception
is beyond the usual order of things, literally beyond conception. He knows that
when great souls are born into a folk, the parents usually surrender them to
the temple. In his quandary, he too ‘conceives from above;’ from the angel he
conceives the thoughts that will guide his actions. For this child is one who will
need more protection than the temple can offer.
We too are capable of these two kinds of conception. Into
the virginal part of our soul we can receive Someone from above. And like Joseph we can conceive divinely
guided concepts in our thoughts. A very
early hymn celebrates this day in which because of both kinds of conception,
heaven begins to work on earth: Fra
Giovanni wrote on this day in 1513:
No heaven can come to us unless
our hearts find rest in it today. Take
heaven!
No peace lies in the future
which is not hidden in this present little instant. Take peace!
The gloom of the world is but a
shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach,
is joy. There is radiance and glory in darkness, could we but see. And to see, we have only to look. [1]
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