19 Lillian Trasher, Missionary in Egypt, 1961
21 Saint Thomas the Apostle ) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, according to the New Testament. He is informally called doubting Thomas because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told (in the Gospel of John account only), followed later by his confession of faith
22 Charlotte Digges (Lottie) Moon, Missionary in China, 1912. Henry Budd, Priest, 1875 the first Native American ordained an Anglican priest, spent his career ministering to First Nations people



OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 7: 10 - 16 (RCL)
                                Isaiah 7: 10 - 14 (Roman Catholic)

Isai 7:10 (NRSV) Again the LORD spoke to A'haz, saying, 11 Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as She'ol or high as heaven. 12 But A'haz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test. 13 Then Isai'ah 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 is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Imman'uel. 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.


PSALM 80: 1 - 7, 17 - 19 (RCL)

Psal 80:1 (NRSV) Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before E'phraim and Benjamin and Manas'seh.
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 of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
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.

Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.


80   Qui regis Israel   (ECUSA BCP)

1   Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; *
  shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

2   In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, *
  stir up your strength and come to help us.

3   Restore us, O God of hosts; *
  show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

4   O LORD God of hosts, *
  how long will you be angered
  despite the prayers of your people?

5   You have fed them with the bread of tears; *
  you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

6   You have made us the derision of our neighbors, *
  and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

7   Restore us, O God of hosts; *
  show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
 

17   And so will we never turn away from you; *
  give us life, that we may call upon your Name.

18   Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; *
  show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.


Psalm 24: 1 - 6  (Roman Catholic)

Psal 24:1 (NRSV) The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
5 They will receive blessing from the LORD,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6 Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. [Se'lah]
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory. [Se'lah]


NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 1: 1 - 7 (all)

Roma 1:1 (NRSV) Paul, a servant 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 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.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Paul introduces himself to his readers:
•  as “servant” (literally slave) of Christ, one under more than the usual obligation Christians have to Jesus;
•  as an “apos-tle”, one sent with a special mission of divine origin; and
•  as “set apart” to spread God’s good news.
(Paul does not reserve the title apostle for the Twelve.) This news of eternal life with God was “promised beforehand” (v. 2): it has been part of God’s plan since before creation. God made known his promise “through his prophets” (principally Isaiah and Jeremiah) in books held to have authority. (When Paul wrote, both Testaments were yet to be defined.) The “gospel” (good news, v. 3) is about one very close to God, “his Son”, here identified in two ways:
•  physically (“flesh”): of David’s line, so meeting the Old Testament prerequi-sites for messiahship; and
•  spiritually (“spirit ...”, v. 4): definitively stated by God to be the “Christ” (Messiah) in resurrecting him.
It is through Christ that Paul (“we”, v. 5) has received “grace” (God’s freely given gift of love) and “apostleship” (authority to teach and proclaim the good news) – with the objective of bringing people (especially non-Jews) to faith in God and thus making it possible for them to place themselves under God’s authority (“obe-dience of faith”). Paul sees the Christians at “Rome” (v. 7) as “called to be saints”: literally called holy ones, belonging to God and consecrated to his service. (The same Greek words are found in the Septuagint, the Greek translation Paul would have used, to describe the Israelite community. We, he suggests, are in con-tinuity with them. In v. 1, he sees himself as in being in continuity with Moses, Joshua and Abraham – all called servants of God in the Old Testament.) Finally, he wishes the Roman community both God’s “grace” (v. 7) and his “peace”, the Jewish notion of a right relationship with God – partnership in reconciliation of all to him, eternal well-being, and wholeness of life.

Acts 18:2 tells us “Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome”. The Christian message had reached Rome by the 40s AD, for in 49 AD Emperor Claudius’ edict expelling Jews from Rome included Christians. The edict was lifted by Emperor Nero in 54 AD.

Verse 1: “servant”: The Greek word, doulos, is also found in 2 Corinthians 4:5 (“slaves”). In the Old Testament, there is a custom of certain persons calling themselves slaves of Yahweh: see Psalms 27:9 (“servant”); 31:16; 89:50. But the term was also used to describe great figures who served him in history leading to God’s saving act: Moses (in 2 Kings 18:12), Joshua (in Judges 2:8) and Abraham (in Psalm 105:6). Paul sees himself as in this lineage. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “called to be an apostle”: For Paul’s call, see also Galatians 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 4:5-6; Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:12-28. [ CAB]

Verse 2: “holy scriptures”: At the time Paul was writing, the terms Old Testament and New Testament didn’t yet exist. That certain books were included in the Septuagint translation (made in the 200s BC) indicated that these books had more authority than others which were excluded from it, yet the faithful also regarded other books (e.g. 1 Enoch and other pseudepigrapha) as being “holy”. The books considered “holy scriptures” varied from time to time and from place to place. Only in the 200s AD was the make-up of the Old Testament standardized (canonized). When Paul wrote Romans, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were yet to be written; however, it is possible that a prototype of Mark’s gospel existed.

Verses 3-4: These verses appear to be a pre-Pauline christological formula. [ CAB]

Verse 3: “descended from David”: See also Isaiah 11:1-10 (“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse ...”, Jesse being David’s father) and 2 Samuel 7:11-14. [ CAB]

Verse 3: “according to the flesh”: In 4:1, Paul says that Abraham is “our ancestor according to the flesh”. See also 9:3, 5; 1 Corinthians 10:18 (where the Greek includes according to the flesh). [ CAB]

Verse 4: “Son of God”: See also Galatians 4:4; Romans 8:3; Mark 1:1, 11 (Jesus’ baptism); 9:7 (his transfiguration); 15:39 (the centurion at Calvary). [ CAB]

Verse 5: “obedience of faith”: To Paul, faith is obedience to the gospel. In 6:17 he says that his first readers “have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted”. See also 16:26 and 2 Corinthians 9:13. [ CAB]

Verse 5: “among all the Gentiles”: In v. 13, Paul says “I have often intended to come to you ..., in order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles”. See also 11:15; Galatians 1:15-16; 2:7-9. [ CAB]

Verse 7: “called to be saints”: This is probably an allusion to being grafted into the covenant. The Greek words Paul uses here, klete hagia , are also found in the Septuagint translation of Exodus 12:16, part of the instructions for commemorating the Passover, the escape from death of Israel’s first-born in Egypt: “On the first day you shall hold a solemn assembly [klete hagia] and on the seventh day a solemn assembly [ klete hagia]”. klete hagia means called into a special relationship with God as a result of God’s very essence, part of which is to call people into a relationship with him. [ NJBC]

Verse 7: “peace”: Hebrew: shalom.

Verses 8-15: For similar Pauline thanksgivings, see 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7; Philippians 1:3-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10; Philemon 4-7. Note that Romans lacks the usual specific references to the life of the community addressed – because Paul was yet to visit Rome (see vv. 10-13). [ CAB]

Verse 9: “with my spirit”: i.e. wholeheartedly. [ CAB]

Verse 9: “in my prayers”: Paul writes in Philippians 1:3-5: “ thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now”. See also 1 Thessalonians 1:2; Philemon 4-5. See further Colossians 1:3; Ephesians 1:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:3. [ CAB]

Verse 14: “a debtor”: i.e. under an obligation to preach to Gentiles. [ CAB]

Verse 14: “to Greeks and to barbarians”: i.e. to non-Jews, both cultured and not. It seems that the Christian community at Rome is of diverse ethnic backgrounds. [ CAB]

Verse 14: “to the wise and to the foolish”: See also 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (“For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God ...”). [ CAB]

Verse 16: God has acted, in Christ, powerfully to save all people who trust in him. [ NOAB]

Verse 17: The quotation is Habakkuk 2:4 in the Septuagint translation. [ NOAB]

GOSPEL: Matthew 1: 18 - 25 (RCL)
                 Matthew 1: 18 - 24 (Roman Catholic)

Matt 1:18 (NRSV) Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah 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 Emman'uel,"
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; and he named him Jesus.

Matthew has told us of Jesus’ descent from David. He is the anointed (“Messiah”) king God has promised. Joseph’s and Mary’s families (“engaged”) have signed a marriage contract but Joseph has not yet taken her (v. 20) into his house. If Mosaic law on sexual relations was fully observed then, Joseph could have brought charges against her, and she could have been stoned to death (“public disgrace”, v. 19) for adultery (then including pre-marital sex). Joseph, while observant of the Law (“righteous”), is compassionate: he “planned to dismiss [divorce] her qui-etly”. God had intervened in the birth of some he has chosen – Isaac, Jacob and Samuel – but never before has he replaced the whole male role. Even so, the mes-senger from God points out Joseph’s role: Jesus is legally descended from David through him. In Aramaic and Hebrew, “Jesus” (v. 21) and “he will save” sound similar. Matthew is keen to show that Jesus fulfills God’s promise made through Isaiah (v. 22). In v. 23, the Greek word translated “virgin”, parthenos, is rendered as unmarried daughter in Acts 21:9. Perhaps maiden is a better translation; it has the same range of meanings as parthenos. Through Jesus “‘God is with us’” (v. 23) but Joseph names him Jesus, not Immanuel.

Luke 1:26-2:40 is a parallel to 1:18-2:23.

Comments: If Mosaic law on sexual relations was fully observed then : During the Roman occupation, the Romans administered capital punishment, not the Jews. Our sources do not indicate whether the Jewish courts could condemn a woman to stoning for pre-marital sex.

Verse 18: “Jesus the Messiah”: The Greek word translated “Messiah” is christos. BlkMt notes that some manuscripts read simply christos. Jesus’ birth is the miraculous coming of God into human life to dwell with people and to save them from their sins. John 1:14 says: “... the Word became flesh and lived among us ...”. “Jesus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. The genealogy (vv. 1-17) might suggest a political nationalistic leader, but, in that the root meaning of the name Joshua is Yah(weh) saves or Yah(weh) is salvation , Jesus’ ministry will be spiritual, not political, redemption.

Verse 18: “Holy Spirit”: A late Old Testament formula for spirit of God: in Ezekiel 37:1-14 (the valley of dry bones), Job 27:3 and Isaiah 42:5 (“breath”), the spirit of God is the cause of human life. The spirit is also active in the creative act (Genesis 1:2). Here in Matthew there is a particular, concrete and special case of that creative activity. In the Old Testament, “holy spirit” occurs in Psalm 51:11 and Isaiah 63:10-11. [ NJBC]

Verse 19: For Mosaic law on sexual relations, see Deuteronomy 22:13-30. Numbers 5:11-31 prescribes the trial by ordeal (for the wife) to be used where a man suspects his wife of being unfaithful. [ NJBC]

Verse 19: “Her husband”: The marriage contract made Joseph Mary’s husband even though they were not yet living together, as it made Mary Joseph’s “wife” (see vv. 20 and 24).

Verse 19: “dismiss her quietly”: Divorce, offered by BlkMt, is the modern-day term. Joseph intended to divorce her “quietly”, i.e. with the legal minimum of witnesses (two). He thought that Mary had violated the marriage tie by having sexual relations with another man.

Verse 20: The reader already knows that Mary is not unfaithful: “from the Holy Spirit” (v. 18).

Verse 21: Being “God ... with us” (v. 23), Jesus “will save his people from their sins”.

Verse 22: “this took place to fulfill ...”: For other instances of this formula, see 2:15, 17-18, 23; 4:14-16; 8:17; 12:17-21; 13:35; 21:4-5; 27:9-10.

Verse 23: The quotation is the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 7:14; however:

While the Septuagint has you shall name, here we have “they shall name”, and
The Hebrew text of Isaiah 7:14 speaks of a young woman ready for marriage (almah); the Septuagint translates it as parthenos, and Matthew follows suit. [ BlkMt]
Isaiah 7:10-16 speaks of a “sign”:

it may mean a supernatural though hardly a virgin birth;
it does refer to a child soon to be born, in whose early childhood the international situation will change radically and the danger to God’s people will be removed;
it does promise God’s coming and intervention to help his people. [ BlkMt]
The evangelist does see a parallel in God’s coming in Jesus to redeem his people. The story of the virgin birth was known to him, although it was not the common preaching message of the Church. Even though the Hebrew of Isaiah does not contain the literal virgin-birth idea, the specific redemptive action of God is present there, just as it is in the birth of Jesus. [ BlkMt]

Acts 21:9 says that Philip the evangelist “had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy”. There parthenos is translated as “unmarried daughters”.

Verse 23: “‘God is with us’”: The identification of the glory or presence of God with a person is first seen in Isaiah 8:7-8, 10 (the source of the quotation). Solomon’s question in 1 Kings 8:27 (“... will God indeed dwell on the earth?”) is now answered in a new way.

Verse 25: The perpetual virginity of Mary is neither affirmed nor denied. The Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds both speak of the Virgin Mary. I suggest that Virgin here is adjectival: to distinguish Mary, the bearer of God, from other Marys. BlkMt says that “[he] had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son” implies that she did later have other children by Joseph.

The basic preaching message of the Apostolic Age began not with the birth of Jesus but with the ministry of John the Baptizer and the baptism of Jesus. The story of the birth of Jesus came to Matthew and Luke through private channels of tradition. Matthew and Luke present the same main points. Their story is rooted in Jewish life and linguistic usage. The basic theological truth that they express is:

God sent Jesus
he was more than a human king descended from David
as son of the living God (see 16:16), he is indeed the Christ, the expected Jewish Messiah, but in his life and work he is linked with God in a deeper way, so that his coming means “God is with us”, and
his coming had long been God’s intent and was a specific powerful act of God to save humankind. [ BlkMt]
Jesus was born as a real human being and lived a truly human life. [ BlkMt]