Revised Common Lectionary - Fourth Sunday of Advent, 22 December 2013

Revised Common Lectionary - Fourth Sunday of Advent, 22 December 2013

PRAYER: Thematic

O God of Elizabeth and Mary,

you visited your servants with news of the world's redemption

in the coming of the Savior.

Make our hearts leap with joy,

and fill our mouths with songs of praise,

that we may announce glad tidings of peace,

and welcome the Christ in our midst. Amen.

Intercessory

Brothers and sisters,

as we joyfully await the glorious coming of the Christ,

let us pray for the needs of the church, our community, and the world.

Prayers of the People, concluding with:

God of promise,

you have given us a sign of your love

through the gift of Jesus Christ, our Savior,

who was promised from ages past.

We believe as Joseph did

the message of your presence

whispered by an angel,

and offer our prayers for your world,

confident of your care and mercy for all creation. Amen.

Scripture

Shepherd of Israel,

may Jesus, Emmanuel and son of Mary,

be more than just a dream in our hearts.

With the apostles, prophets, and saints,

save us, restore us,

and lead us in the way of grace and peace,

that we may bear your promise into the world. Amen.

Isaiah 7: Isaiah Gives Ahaz the Sign of Immanuel

10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. 13 Then Isaiah[a] said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman[b] is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.[c] 15 He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.

Footnotes:

a. Isaiah 7:13 Heb he

b. Isaiah 7:14 Gk the virgin

c. Isaiah 7:14 That is God is with us

Psalm 80: Prayer for Israel’s Restoration

To the leader: on Lilies, a Covenant. Of Asaph. A Psalm.

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,

    you who lead Joseph like a flock!

You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth

2     before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.

Stir up your might,

    and come to save us!

3 Restore us, O God;

    let your face shine, that we may be saved.

4 O Lord God of hosts,

    how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,

    and given them tears to drink in full measure.

6 You make us the scorn[a] of our neighbors;

    our enemies laugh among themselves.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts;

    let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Footnotes:

a. Psalm 80:6 Syr: Heb strife

17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,

    the one whom you made strong for yourself.

18 Then we will never turn back from you;

    give us life, and we will call on your name.

19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;

    let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Romans 1: Salutation

1 Paul, a servant[a] of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit[b] of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 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, 6 including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

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.

Footnotes:

a. Romans 1:1 Gk slave

b. Romans 1:4 Or Spirit

Matthew 1: The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

    and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son;[b] and he named him Jesus.

Footnotes:

a. Matthew 1:18 Or Jesus Christ

b. Matthew 1:25 Other ancient authorities read her firstborn son

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John Wesley’s Notes and Commentary for:

Isaiah 7:10-16

Verse 12. I will not - By asking a sign, as if I questioned the truth of his word: but this was deep hypocrisy.

Verse 13. David - He reproves them all, because they were the king's counsellors. Is it a small thing - Is it not wickedness enough. My God - To vex God's prophets and people, with your oppressions and horrid impieties. And by your ingratitude and unbelief, and disobedience of his commands.

Verse 14. Therefore - Because you despise me, and the sign which I now offer to you, God of his own free grace will send you a more honourable messenger, and give you a nobler sign. A sign - Of your deliverance. But how was this birth, which was not to happen 'till many ages after, a sign of their deliverance from present danger? This promised birth supposed the preservation of that city, and nation and tribe, in and of which the Messiah was to be born; and therefore there was no cause to fear that ruin which their enemies now threatened. Immanuel - God with us; God dwelling among us, in our nature, John i, 14. God and man meeting in one person, and being a mediator between God and men. For the design of these words is not so much to relate the name by which Christ should commonly he called, as to describe his nature and office.

Verse 15. Butter - The common food of children in that country. He - The virgin's son. Know - To discern between things good and evil.

Verse 16. Yea - Not only this land shall be preserved until the virgin's son shall be born, but thine enemies land shall be sorely scourged, and these two kings destroyed within a very little time. This child - Shear-Jashub, whom in all probability the prophet pointed at, and who was brought hither by God's special command, ver. 3. for this very use. The land - The lands of Syria and Israel. Forsaken - So far shall Pekah and Rezin be from conquering thy land, that they shall lose their own lands, and their lives too; which they did within two years after this time, being both slain by the king of Assyria.

Psalm 80:1-7,17-19

PS 80 This psalm was composed upon occasion of some calamity, which befel the tribes of Israel after their division into two kingdoms, and before the captivity of either of them. In which time all the evils mentioned herein did befall them, sometimes in one part, and sometimes in another. The psalmist prays for the tokens of God's presence, ver. 1-3. Complains of heavy distress, ver. 4-7. Illustrates this, by the comparison of a vine, ver. 8-16. Concludes with a prayer for mercy, ver. 17-19. To the chief musician upon Shoshannim Eduth, A psalm of Asaph. Title of the psalm. Shoshannim Eduth - It seems to be the name of a musical instrument.

Verse 1. Joseph - The children of Joseph or Israel. The name of Joseph, the most eminent of the patriarchs, is elsewhere put for all the tribes. Cherubim - Which were by the mercy seat above the ark.

Verse 2. Before Ephraim - Here is an allusion to the ancient situation of the tabernacle in the wilderness, where these tribes were placed on the west-side of the tabernacle, in which the ark was, which consequently was before them.

Verse 3. Turn us - To thy self.

Verse 17. Be - To protect and strengthen him. Right-hand - Benjamin signifies the son of the right hand, a dearly beloved son, as Benjamin was to Jacob. Son of man - The people of Israel, who are often spoken of as one person, as God's son and first-born.

Verse 18. Go back - Revolt from thee to idolatry or wickedness. Quicken - Revive and restore us to our tranquility.

Romans 1:1-7

Verse 1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ - To this introduction the conclusion answers, chap. xv, 15, &c. Called to be an apostle - And made an apostle by that calling. While God calls, he makes what he calls. As the Judaizing teachers disputed his claim to the apostolical office, it is with great propriety that he asserts it in the very entrance of an epistle wherein their principles are entirely overthrown. And various other proper and important thoughts are suggested in this short introduction; particularly the prophecies concerning the gospel, the descent of Jesus from David, the great doctrines of his Godhead and resurrection, the sending the gospel to the gentiles, the privileges of Christians, and the obedience and holiness to which they were obliged in virtue of their profession. Separated - By God, not only from the bulk of other men, from other Jews, from other disciples, but even from other Christian teachers, to be a peculiar instrument of God in spreading the gospel.

Verse 2. Which he promised before - Of old time, frequently, solemnly. And the promise and accomplishment confirm each other. Deut. xviii, 18; Isa. ix, 6, 7; Chapter liii; lxi; Jer. xxiii, 5.

Verse 3. Who was of the seed of David according to the flesh - That is, with regard to his human nature. Both the natures of our saviour are here mentioned; but the human is mentioned first, because the divine was not manifested in its full evidence till after his resurrection.

Verse 4. But powerfully declared to be the Son of God, according to the Spirit of Holiness - That is, according to his divine nature. By the resurrection from the dead - For this is both the fountain and the object of our faith; and the preaching of the apostles was the consequence of Christ's resurrection.

Verse 5. By whom we have received - I and the other apostles. Grace and apostleship - The favour to be an apostle, and qualifications for it. For obedience to the faith in all nations - That is, that all nations may embrace the faith of Christ. For his name - For his sake; out of regard to him.

Verse 6. Among whom - The nations brought to the obedience of faith. Are ye also - But St. Paul gives them no preeminence above others.

Verse 7. To all that are in Rome - Most of these were heathens by birth, ver. 13, though with Jews mixed among them. They were scattered up and down in that large city, and not yet reduced into the form of a church. Only some had begun to meet in the house of Aquila and Priscilla. Beloved of God - And from his free love, not from any merit of yours, called by his word and his Spirit to believe in him, and now through faith holy as he is holy. Grace - The peculiar favour of God. And peace - All manner of blessings, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. This is both a Christian salutation and an apostolic benediction. From God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ - This is the usual way wherein the apostles speak, "God the Father,"God our Father." Nor do they often, in speaking of him, use the word Lord, as it implies the proper name of God, Jehovah. In the Old Testament, indeed, the holy men generally said, "The Lord our God;" for they were then, as it were, servants; whereas now they are sons: and sons so well know their father, that they need not frequently mention his proper name. It is one and the same peace, and one and the same grace, which is from God and from Jesus Christ. Our trust and prayer fix on God, as he is the Father of Christ; and on Christ, as he presents us to the Father.

Matthew 1:18-25

Verse 19. A just man - A strict observer of the law: therefore not thinking it right to keep her.

Verse 21. Jesus - That is, a Saviour. It is the same name with Joshua (who was a type of him) which properly signifies, The Lord, Salvation. His people - Israel. And all the Israel of God.

Verse 23. They shall call his name Emmanuel - To be called, only means, according to the Hebrews manner of speaking, that the person spoken of shall really and effectually be what he is called, and actually fulfil that title. Thus, Unto us a child is born - and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace - That is, he shall be all these, though not so much nominally, as really, and in effect. And thus was he called Emmanuel; which was no common name of Christ, but points out his nature and office; as he is God incarnate, and dwells by his Spirit in the hearts of his people. It is observable, the words in Isaiah are, Thou (namely, his mother) shalt call; but here, They - that is, all his people, shall call - shall acknowledge him to be Emmanuel, God with us. Which being interpreted - This is a clear proof that St. Matthew wrote his Gospel in Greek, and not in Hebrew. Isaiah vii, 14.

Verse 25. He knew her not, till after she had brought forth - It cannot be inferred from hence, that he knew her afterward: no more than it can be inferred from that expression, 2 Sam. vi, 23, Michal had no child till the day of her death, that she had children afterward. Nor do the words that follow, the first-born son, alter the case. For there are abundance of places, wherein the term first born is used, though there were no subsequent children. Luke ii, 7.

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