Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the
Christian patron saints of cobblers, curriers, tanners, and leather workers. They were beheaded
during the reign of Diocletian; the date of
their execution is given as 25 October 285 or 286.
·
·
26 Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, Scholar, 899 was King of Wessex from 871 to
c. 886 and King of the Anglo-Saxons from c. 886 to 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex. His father died when he was young and three of Alfred's
brothers reigned in turn. Alfred took the throne after the death of his brother Æthelred and spent
several years dealing with Viking invasions. He
won a decisive victory in the Battle of Edington in 878 and made an agreement with the Vikings, creating
what was known as Danelaw in the North
of England. Alfred also oversaw the conversion of Viking leader Guthrum
·
26 Cedd,
Abbot of Lastingham, Bishop of
the East Saxons,
664
·
29 James Hannington, Bishop
of Eastern Equatorial Africa, Martyr in Uganda, 1885
OLD TESTAMENT: Micah 5:
2 - 5a (RCL)
Micah 5: 2 -
4a (Roman Catholic)
Mica 5:2 (NRSV)
{Ch 5.1 in Heb} But you, O Bethlehem of Eph'rathah,
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.
3 Therefore 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.
4 And 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;
5 and he shall be
the one of peace.
PSALM: Luke 1: 46b - 55
(RCL)
Luke 1:46 (NRSV)
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has
looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now
on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty
One has done great things for me,
and holy is his
name.
50 His mercy is
for those who fear him
from generation to
generation.
51 He has shown
strength with his arm;
he has scattered
the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought
down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the
lowly;
53 he has filled
the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich
away empty.
54 He has helped
his servant Israel,
in remembrance of
his mercy,
55 according to
the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to
his descendants forever."
Canticle 15 The Song of Mary Magnificat (ECUSA BCP)
Luke 1:46‑55
My soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices
in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly
servant.
From
this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on
those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the
strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down
the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the
hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the
help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made
to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Psalm 80: 1 - 7 (alt.
for 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.
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.
Psalm 80: 1 - 2, 14 -
15, 17 - 18 (Roman Catholic)
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!
14 Turn again, O
God of hosts;
look down from
heaven, and see;
have regard for
this vine,
15 the stock that your
right hand planted.
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.
NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews
10: 5 - 10 (all)
Hebr 10:5 (NRSV)
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
"Sacrifices
and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you
have prepared for me;
6 in burnt
offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no
pleasure.
7 Then I said,
'See, God, I have come to do your will, O God'
(in the scroll of
the book it is written of me)."
8 When he said
above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and
offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered
according to the law),
9 then he added,
"See, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order
to establish the second.
10 And it is by
God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all.
In v. 1, the author has stated that the sacrifices offered annually in the Temple on the Day of Atonement (according to Jewish law) foreshadow (point forward to) “the good things [that are] to come” through Christ. He then argues: if the temple sacrifices were “good things”, i.e. cleansing of all inner guilt that sin causes, why did these sacrifices need to continue? (v. 2) These sacrifices, he says, did not wipe the slate clean (v. 3); they can’t (v. 4).
Now, quoting Psalm 40,
the author explains that God prefers obedience (“a body ...”, v. 5)
to sacrifices: doing God’s will is what counts (v. 7).
In v. 8 the
author interprets the psalm. He lists the four types of sacrifice offered in
the Temple, offered according to Mosaic “law” (v. 8).
Jesus, he says (v. 9),
came to do away with “the first” (the sacrificial system) and to inaugurate
“the second” (the self-offering of Jesus). It is “by God’s will” (v. 10),
carried out through Christ, that we have been “sanctified”, been made
ceremonially clean and been perfected, made complete, through Christ’s death on
the cross – “once for all” time.
erse 1: “shadow”: The sense here is foreshadow, rather than the Platonic heavenly-earthly contrast in 8:5 (“a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one”). The “good things to come” will come through Christ. Colossians 2:17 says: “These [dietary laws, Jewish feasts, etc.] are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ”. The annual sacrifices on the Day of Atonement were not able to remove sin; they simply foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus. [NJBC]
Verse 2:
The author’s argument is weak: even though past sins were taken away, there
were still the sins committed since last year’s Day of Atonement. But it is
merely an overstatement of what the author’s faith assures him to be true. [ NJBC]
Verses 3-4: The Day of Atonement rituals reminded worshippers of their sins,
but did not erase them. This statement of the inefficacy of the annual
sacrifices contradicts the belief expressed in Jubilees 5:17-18. But is
not clear whether it is God or the worshipper who remembers the
sins. That it is God who remembers is suggested by 8:12;
there God says “‘I will remember their sins no more’”; however, the author
would then be saying that the sacrifices served only to remind God of sin (and
thus call forth punishment on the offerer). [ NJBC]
Verses 5-7: The quotation is Psalm 40:6-7.
The text roughly follows the Septuagint translation.
In Psalms, “me” is the psalmist (or possibly Israel in exile); here “me” is
Christ at his incarnation. The psalm speaks of ritual being inferior to
obedience, rather than repudiation of sacrifice (as here). The majority of manuscripts
of the Septuagint have for v. 6b: a
body you prepared for me rather than “you have given me an open ear”
(which is from the Masoretic text).
The Septuaginttranslation
is particularly applicable to Jesus, whose obedience was expressed by his
willingness to give his body, himself. [NJBC]
Verse 8:
“ sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings”: These terms
are probably meant to cover the four main types of sacrifice: respectively
peace offerings, cereal offerings, holocausts, and sin offerings (including
guilt offerings). [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “God’s will”, carried out by Christ, is his offering of his
body, which God “prepared” (v. 5)
for him. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “every priest stands day after day”: This indicates that the
author has switched from considering the high priest’s sacrifice to that of
every priest in the Old Testament. [ NJBC]
Verse 13: “wait ...”: Thus the author explains the period
of time between Christ’s enthronement and his second coming. [NJBC]
Verse 13: “enemies”: The author does not tell us who they are, unlike Paul
in 1 Corinthians 15:24-26:
“ after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power” and
“death”. [ NJBC]
Verse 14: “sanctified”: Through the cleansing of the consciences that they
may worship the living God ( 9:14),
Jesus has given his followers access to the Father; they share in his priestly
consecration. [ NJBC] The priesthood
of all believers is in view.
Verse 19: “confidence to enter the sanctuary”: In 3:6,
the author writes: “we are his [Christ’s] house if we hold firm the confidence
and the pride that belong to hope”. See also 4:16; 6:19-20.
[ NJBC]
Verse 20: “opened”: The Greek word, enkainizo, can also
mean inaugurate or dedicate. It is translated
as inaugurate in 9:18.
Verse 20: As the “curtain” before the Holy of Holies was an obstacle to
entering it, so too was Christ’s “flesh” (Greek: sarx). Perhaps the
rending of the Temple veil at the death of Jesus is in view: see Mark 15:38.
[ NJBC]
Verses 22-24: “faith ... hope ... love”: The triad may be intended. [ NJBC]
Verse 22: “sprinkled clean”: A metaphor for the purifying power of Christ
(see 9:13).
Jewish ritual sprinkling only produced external purity, but those washed with
the blood of Christ are cleansed in their consciences. [ NJBC]
Verse 22: “washed with pure water”: Probably a reference to baptism. Paul
writes in 1 Corinthians 6:11:
“you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God”. See also Titus 3:5.
[ NJBC]
Verse 25: While reticence to gather for worship may have been for fear of
persecution, it is more likely that it was due to lack of enthusiasm for the
faith, bordering on apostasy: part of the reason Hebrews was written. [ NJBC]
Verse 25: “the Day”: of Christ’s second coming. See also Acts 1:10-11 (the
Ascension); Philippians 2:16;
Romans 13:12;
1 Corinthians 3:13.
[ NJBC]
Verses 26-31: These verses tell of the fate of the person who willfully sins.
He has a “fearful prospect of judgement”: if you know about Christ and
willfully reject him, you will be punished by God!
Verse 28: Idolatry is probably the violation of the Law. Deuteronomy 17:2-7 prescribes
the death penalty for this sin if confirmed by “two or three witnesses”. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: Luke 1: 39 - 45
(46 - 55) (RCL)
Luke 1: 39 - 45 (Roman Catholic)
Luke 1:39 (NRSV)
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill
country,
40 where she
entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth
heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled
with the Holy Spirit
42 and exclaimed
with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of
your womb.
43 And why has
this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
44 For as soon as
I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed is
she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by
the Lord."
46 And Mary said,
"My soul
magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has
looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now
on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty
One has done great things for me,
and holy is his
name.
50 His mercy is
for those who fear him
from generation to
generation.
51 He has shown
strength with his arm;
he has scattered
the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought
down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the
lowly;
53 he has filled
the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich
away empty.
54 He has helped
his servant Israel,
in remembrance of
his mercy,
55 according to
the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to
his descendants forever."
Now Mary visits her “relative” (v. 36)
Elizabeth. A scholar tells us that the Greek words translated “with haste”
(v. 39)
can be rendered very thoughtfully. In telling us that “the child”
(v. 41,
John the Baptist) “leaped” in Elizabeth’s womb, Luke intends us to understand
that John recognizes his Lord, Jesus. Elizabeth’s reaction, empowered by the
Holy Spirit, is to praise Mary. Luke’s first readers would have recalled the
liberation brought to Israel militarily by two women called “blessed” (v. 42)
in other books: one in Judges, the other in Judith. Elizabeth “exclaimed with a
loud cry” (or voice) – the way marvellous prophecies were given in the Old
Testament.
V. 43 translates
a Semitic idiom: today Elizabeth might say: How can I be thought worthy
of being visited by the mother of my Lord? V. 45 portrays
Mary as the model believer: she trusted that God would keep his promise made
through Gabriel, preposterous as it sounded.
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The meaning of God’s inauguration
in Jesus of the final stage of salvation history is
so rich theologically that Luke interprets it in both vv. 39-45 and 46-56.
[ NJBC]
Verse 37: “nothing will be impossible with God”: BlkLk says that this is a
reference to Yahweh’s
promise to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18:14:
“Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At
the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a
son”, i.e. after the normal gestation period, Isaac will be born. It seems
that Luke recalls the general sense of Genesis 18,
where the promise is that the word will be fulfilled. This explains the
reference to the time since Elizabeth’s conception in v. 45.
Verse 39: “with haste”: If this is the correct translation, Luke
does not tell us why. Note that v. 56 tells
us that Mary then stayed three months with Elizabeth but returned home before
John was born.
Verses 41,44: “leaped”: The “leaping” of Esau and Jacob in Rebekah’s
womb (Genesis 25:22, Septuagint translation)
presents a parallel to the leaping of John the Baptist: such activity is a
foreshadowing of future relationships (different as these relationships are).
[ NJBC]
Verse 42: Elizabeth’s words recall Sisera’s words to Jael (before
she killed him): “Most blessed of women be Jael” (Judges 5:24).
They also recall Uzziah’s words to Judith after she decapitated Holofernes:
“you are blessed by the Most High God above all other women” (Judith 13:18).
In both cases, women liberated Israel. [ NJBC]
Verse 45: “blessed”: In Luke, Mary is the model believer. In 2:19,
after the shepherds have told Mary and Joseph what they have heard, “Mary
treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart”. [ NJBC]
Luke 1:39-45,(46-55)
See on Luke 1:39-45 and Luke
1:46b-55 above.
© 1996-2018
Chris Haslam
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