18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a] 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a #virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was #Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the #Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father #David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the #Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 2
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 🎵🎹🎺🎻 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
Today we jump back not 2000 years to the time of the NT but 4000 years to the
early days of the Old Testament. The time of Abram, from Gen 17:5 Abraham, and before him in the OT record - not
a lot, but, still significant. There are consistent themes emerging and flowing
and not least that God is not removed and distant but interested and involved
with his creation and people.
A highly significant and important passage in the fulfilment of God's promise
that from Abraham and Sarah would be people as uncountable as the stars in the
sky or the sand on the beach. This was part of Abraham's initial call in
Genesis 12 and has been endorsed and enhanced with the promise of a son of his
own through Sarah - we read about that in the previous chapter.
Although we may find aspects of these writings a little strange, what is odd,
is that they are so human, down to earth and presented in such a matter of fact
way. Also, they are no stranger than say, Jesus walking on the water and I have
no problem with that - phone me if you want to know why! Odder than anything we
read, and I have just said it, God involves himself by encountering people in a
very down to earth way.
This chapter is the next step in this important bible account of God's plan of
salvation but in the midst of all the seriousness there are a few amusing
aspects and certainly I find myself smiling whenever I read it. We start with:
1. Enigma
- vv 1-2
Abraham having an encounter with the Lord who when he looks up is / are three
men.
His first encounter was at his call, I've just mentioned it, when God
effectively said: pack your bags, on your camel and I'll take you and show you
something interesting, oh, and all nations will be blessed through you!
He went and did as he was told, more or less, just a few mistakes on the way,
but he trusted with little or nothing to go on. He didn't have a bible on his
mobile phone or even any books
or sheets!
He probably had the reliably handed down account of his family history at least
back to Noah and maybe some more before that.
So back to the current encounter in vv 1-2 - what do we make of it? It is sort
of clear here that there is more than meets the eye but when you read on to the
account of Sodom and Gomorrah it is clear they are not 'humans' although that
is what they appear to be.
Angels - that is messengers, as well as the Lord God, yes without a doubt.
What about more? Who is the supreme messenger of the Lord? We know him as
Jesus, the eternal Son. Who was his replacement among all believers from
Pentecost, remember, another helper? The Holy Spirit. So, The Lord - Father, Son and
Holy Spirit -.
A similar enigma occurs in Exodus 3 at the burning bush. First, we are told the
angel of the Lord, the messenger of the Lord, appeared, then we are told it is
the Lord who is speaking. God does not change and how we know him today, post Pentecost, is how he always
is even though he wasn't or couldn't have been understood in this way before
Jesus arrived, the Word become flesh - the embodiment of the message and so the
messenger - angel of the Lord.
Fascinating and an explanation - no being dogmatic - but make sense too!
2. Haste
- vv 3-8 [3] He
said, "If I have found favour in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your
servant by. [4] Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your
feet and rest under this tree. [5] Let me get you something to eat, so you can
be refreshed and then go on your way-now that you have come to your
servant."
"Very well," they answered, "do as you say."
[6] So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said,
"get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some
bread."
[7] Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a
servant, who hurried to prepare it. [8] He then brought some curds and milk and
the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he
stood near them under a tree.
1. Seems he doesn't want them
around for too long - v 5
2. To Sarah - quick - v 6
3. He ran - v 7 - I envy him,
he's 99 (17:1) oh, and Sara is 90 (17:17) - keep hold of this
4. It must have taken ages -
they have made bread (16kg) to be eaten with a kind of yogurt as an
accompaniment with the cooked calf!
5. Sarah remains in the tent and
Abraham stood nearby under a tree - a meal just for them and not even he
partakes!
Somewhere, deep down, he realises that all of the is a little extra-ordinary.
Perhaps, not surprising, in the previous chapter is the record of some serious
stuff and maybe he is wondering 'what next'? Rightly so!
3. Announcement
- vv 9-12
This is a repeat of some of chapter 17 but this time in the presence of Sarah.
So, a little rewind as I keep mentioning chapter 17 here are the essentials:
1. It is the promise of covenant
(highly special and significant contract) with the sign of circumcision for men
vv 1-2
2. It is the reiteration of him
becoming the father of many nations and a change of name to reflect this, and a
land of their own vv 3-8
3. Sarai is to be called Sarah
and will bear you a son - vv 15-16
4. Ha, ha - goes Abraham under
his breath face down - at our age - v 17
5. Ha, ha, replies God - yes and
through him this promise will be being fulfilled - oh, and call him Isaac - he
laughs!!! All in 19-21
6. One other thing to mention
which has possible future significance as well as closer reality, within a few
hundred years, the promise to both of them vv 6 & 16 of nations and kings.
It was over 400 years to Moses and the significant nation and longer after that
to king Saul and king David his son and who is king David's greater Son?
Significant themes and strands all through but here just seeds.
Back to 18:9-12 after that detour - Where's Sarah, in the tent, so she can hear
as you are in front of it - raised voice by the Lord maybe - baby by this time
next year when I come back!!!! Best joke she had heard in ages - us, at our age!
4. Confrontation
- vv 13-15
But the Lord picked it up and questioned Abraham not just about the laugh but
her disbelief,
He states, v 14 Is
anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next
year, and Sarah will have a son.
And we hear Sarah speak for the first time and it says she lied and denied
laughing.
Hold it, Abraham had laughed as we saw earlier so isn't this a bit harsh? I am
going to say 'no' because as we considered Abraham wasn't rebuked but given the
child's name which would remind him every time, he spoke it or called the child
that he had laughed, Isaac, he laughs. God made his point in his way and meets
and treats all accordingly.
We have to wait until chapter 21 to read the 'positive' outcome vv 1-6:
[21:1]
Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah
what he had promised. [2] Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in
his old age, at the very time God had promised him. [3] Abraham gave the name
Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. [4] When his son Isaac was eight days old,
Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. [5] Abraham was a hundred years
old when his son Isaac was born to him.
[6] Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about
this will laugh with me."
They both responded positively and enjoyed a laugh with God and everyone else
who wished to join them. Now, it would be lovely to say 'and they all lived happily ever after' but they
didn't! They are and remain a dysfunctional family in lots of ways and read on
in Genesis and they are followed by lots more.
Reflections
1. Starting where we are - God
uses ordinary people. Abraham is the father of many people of faith as a blood
line and also, when we get t the NT, by adoption by the HS as a result of
repentance and faith - non-Jews as well as Jews. And we are part of the
fulfilment of the promise in Genesis 12:3 all people on earth will be blessed
through you! Abraham, like all other bible characters, except Jesus, was flawed and a
sinner. God uses sinners who trust him and are people of faith - and that
includes you and me.
2. I am glad. You see the bible
narrative does not air brush or digitally manipulate the characters but shows
them, in the proverbial words of Cromwell, warts and all! I think that's a sign
of truth and authenticity of the text. Same is true of the 12 with Jesus.
Let's steer away from ideas that these texts are changed, exaggerated or the
like. The 'heroes' of the scriptures are not super human but mostly like most
of us!
3. We see what we see in so many
scriptures - and we were there last week, God is supreme over all 'nothing is
too difficult'. We may not see what is happening or where we are heading -
personally, as a gathered people, or in the events of the world - God is
Sovereign.
4. As sovereign he is not aloof,
remote or distant - back to the beginning - he comes to us where we are as well
as how we are! From Genesis 3 onwards we see him regularly with his feet on the
ground, not least here, and especially when we look at Jesus. Consistency from start to finish - oh, and finish, Revelation 21 & 22 et al
is a new heaven and earth and it 'all' coming don' not all going 'up'! Go see -
the notes are on line for reference.
5. Underneath and surrounding it
all is God's 'steadfast / covenant love. Hang on, keep on, hang in and have a
laugh because he really does love you and also, me despite all!
This painting, the only surviving work signed by Botticelli appears to be complex. I have read that it does not simply represent the traditional events of the birth of Jesus and the adoration of the shepherds and the Magi. Rather it is a vision of these events inspired by the prophecies in Revelation.
This painting was done by Correggio between 1528 and 1530. I like the way Mary holds her son Jesus affectionately. However I am not sure why Joseph is so far away from her.
Nativity painted by FRANCESCO DI GIORGIO MARTINI in 1475 on wood. It can be seen at the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Siena (Italy)TheNativity with two angels, Sts Bernard and Thomas of Aquinois the only signed work of the Sienese master.
I think that this painting by Philippe de Champaigne is my favourite as it shows Mary and Joseph's love and adoration towards Jesus. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11-12 I also recommend a very interesting website called the Web Gallery of Art So do you have a special Nativity painting? Let us know. Blessings. N
