Text Messages

Text Messages focus on the backstory of the upcoming text for this Sunday’s sermon. Provided by our pastors, these messages will give some background on that section of scripture text and give a few hints about where the sermon might be going. We hope you find these Text Messages helpful!

Sunday, December 22, 2024

SERMON SERIES:
“Bethlehem: Close to Home”

MESSAGE THEME:
“Love Incarnate”

TEXT(S):
Micah 5:2-5a

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. 3Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. 4And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; 5and he shall be the one of peace. If the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil, we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight installed as rulers.

Luke 1:39-55

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

REFLECTION:
From Pastor Kris Tostengard Michel

Of the four Gospels, Luke mentions more women by name than Matthew, Luke or John. These two women, Mary and Elizabeth, are key to introducing the story Luke is about to tell.

Young Mary is pregnant and has come to visit her relative, Elizabeth, who lives in the hill country. We might imagine that she has gone there to hide or to think about her options. The angel Gabriel has informed her that Elizabeth is pregnant, too. Elizabeth is “getting on in years,” and although she and Zechariah have longed for a child, her time of bearing children has passed. Both women are now impossibly pregnant. Luke is beginning to show us that nothing will be impossible for God.

At least two things in this encounter stand out: Elizabeth and Zechariah are not the first couple to conceive a child for a special task. God chose Sarah and Abraham, Rebekah and Isaac, Rachel and Jacob, and Hannah and Elkanah – all thought to be barren – to bear children for a purpose, as well. Faithful Jews have been waiting a long time for God to keep ancient promises, and the appearance of an elderly couple expecting a child is a sign that God is about to act.

Luke uses Mary’s song [an echo of Hannah’s song, sung long before her (1 Samuel 2:1-10)] to announce a central theme of his Gospel: in God’s upside down kingdom, the lowly are lifted up, and the powerful are brought down low. Her song proclaims God’s love of justice and foreshadows what her son will announce he has been anointed by the Spirit to do: to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, and to set free those who are oppressed.

Links – see question #1:

Holden Vespers ’86 – https://youtu.be/BUnaV2cSEsI?t=389

Canticle of the Turning – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7fTuH_0agE

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  • Mary’s song, the Magnificat (Latin for magnify) has been set to music countless times through the centuries. As a congregation, we are especially familiar with “Magnificat” from Holden Vespers ’86 and the hymn, “Canticle of the Turning” (ELW #723). Listen to the recordings linked above, and note what strikes you about each one.
  • There’s a big age difference between Elizabeth and Mary, yet both of them are key to the story Luke is telling. Name some people from another generation who are important in your life, and describe why that is. What gifts of a different generation have you experienced at church?

PRAYER:

Spirit of the Living God, surprise us anew, and show us how you are at work in the world. Open our hearts to receive your good news and to trust you with our lives. Amen.