Scripture:
Luke 2:21 (English Standard Version)
21And(A) at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised,(B) he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Cross references:
Luke 2:21 : Luke 1:59
Luke 2:21 : Luke 1:31; Matt 1:21, 25
Reflection:
What's the significance of a name? For the Jewish people the giving of a name had great importance. When a name was given it represented what that person should be in the future. An unknown name meant that someone could not be completely known. To not acknowledge someone's name meant both denial of the person, destruction of their personality, and change in their destiny. A person's name expressed the reality of his or her being at its deepest level. A Jewish child was named at the time of circumcision, eight days after birth. This rite was instituted by God as an outward sign to single out those who belonged to the chosen people. It was a sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham and his posterity. In fulfilment of this precept, Mary's newborn child is given the name Jesus on the eighth day according to the Jewish custom. Joseph and Mary gave the name Jesus because that is the name given by God's messenger before Jesus was conceived in Mary's womb. This name signifies Jesus' identity and his mission. The literal Hebrew means the Lord saves. Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made man will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). In the birth and naming of this child we see the wondrous design and plan of God in giving us a Savior who would bring us grace, mercy, and freedom from the power of sin and the fear of death. The name Jesus signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son who became man for our salvation. Peter the Apostle exclaimed that there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved (Acts 2:12). In the name of Jesus demons flee, cripples walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised. His name is exalted far above every other name (Philippians 2:9-11). The name Jesus is at the heart of all Christian prayer. It is through and in Jesus that we pray to the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians have died with one word on the lips, the name of Jesus. Do you exalt the name of Jesus and pray with confidence in his name?
Prayer For The Day:
Lord Jesus Christ, I exalt your name above every other name. For in you I have pardon, mercy, grace and victory over sin and death. You humbled yourself for my sake and for the sake of all sinners by sharing in our humanity and by dying on the cross. Help me to always praise your holy name and to live for your greater glory.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Daily Word - A Virgin Birth - Luke 2:1-20
Scripture:
Luke 2:1-20 (English Standard Version)
The Birth of Jesus Christ
Luke 2
1In those days(A) a decree went out from(B) Caesar Augustus that all the world should be(C) registered. 2This was the first(D) registration when[a] Quirinius(E) was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up(F) from Galilee, from the town of(G) Nazareth, to Judea, to(H) the city of David, which is called(I) Bethlehem,(J) because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,[b] who was with child. 6And(K) while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and(L) wrapped him in swaddling cloths and(M) laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in(N) the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels 8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord(O) appeared to them, and(P) the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all(Q) the people. 11For(R) unto you is born this day in(S) the city of David(T) a Savior, who is(U) Christ(V) the Lord. 12And(W) this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby(X) wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13And suddenly there was with the angel(Y) a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14(Z) "Glory to God(AA) in the highest, (AB) and on earth(AC) peace among those with whom he is pleased!"[c]
15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby(AD) lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19But(AE) Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned,(AF) glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Footnotes:
Luke 2:2 Or This was the registration before
Luke 2:5 That is, one legally pledged to be married
Luke 2:14 Some manuscripts peace, good will among men
Cross references:
Luke 2:1 : Acts 17:7
Luke 2:1 : Luke 3:1
Luke 2:1 : Acts 5:37
Luke 2:2 : Luke 2:1
Luke 2:2 : Luke 3:1
Luke 2:4 : Luke 1:26
Luke 2:4 : Matt 2:23
Luke 2:4 : Luke 2:11; John 7:42; 1 Sam 16:1
Luke 2:4 : Matt 2:1
Luke 2:4 : Luke 1:27
Luke 2:6 : Luke 2:4
Luke 2:7 : Luke 2:12
Luke 2:7 : Luke 2:16
Luke 2:7 : Luke 22:11 (Gk)
Luke 2:9 : Luke 24:4; Acts 12:7
Luke 2:9 : Luke 9:31; Acts 7:55; 2 Cor 3:18
Luke 2:10 : Luke 2:32; John 11:50; Zech 9:9
Luke 2:11 : Isa 9:6
Luke 2:11 : Luke 2:4
Luke 2:11 : Matt 1:21; John 4:42
Luke 2:11 : Acts 2:36; 10:36; Luke 23:2; Matt 1:17
Luke 2:11 : Luke 1:43
Luke 2:12 : 1 Sam 2:34; 2 Kgs 19:29; 20:8, 9; Isa 7:11, 14
Luke 2:12 : Luke 2:7
Luke 2:13 : Gen 28:12; 32:1, 2; 1 Kgs 22:19; 2 Chr 18:18; Psalm 103:21; 148:2; Dan 7:10; Rev 5:11
Luke 2:14 : Luke 19:38; Psalm 148:1; Matt 21:9
Luke 2:14 : Luke 10:21; Matt 6:10; 28:18; John 17:4; Acts 7:49; Eph 3:15; Col 1:16, 20; Rev 5:13
Luke 2:14 : Luke 1:79; Psalm 85:10; Isa 9:6, 7; Hag 2:9; Acts 10:36; Rom 5:1; Eph 2:14, 17; Col 1:20
Luke 2:14 : Luke 3:22; 12:32; Eph 1:5, 9; Phil 2:13
Luke 2:16 : Luke 2:7, 12
Luke 2:19 : Luke 2:51; Luke 1:66; Gen 37:11
Luke 2:20 : Luke 7:16
Reflection:
In the Roman empire censuses were taken every fourteen years for assessing taxation and ascertaining who were elgible for compulsory military service. Joseph and Mary traveled eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethelem. This was a most inconvenient time and a physical ordeal for Mary since her baby was due any day now! And as luck would have it, Bethelehem was overcrowded. They had to settle for the most primitive of accomodations -- an open stall for animals. Why would the Messiah have to be born in such pitiable conditions and in total obscurity? God's ways are different from our ways. He, the Most Exalted One, condescends for the sake of the lowly and the opprest. The Lord descended not in pomp and majesty befitting a King, but in meekness and lowliness to show us the way of perfect love. The only room for Jesus was the cross he came to bear for our sins. In Jesus lowly birth we see the foreshadowing of the greatest sacrifice God would make for our sake when his only begotten Son willingly embraced death on the cross for our salvation.
Mary and Joseph were both from the line of David, King of Israel. Jesus's birth in Bethelem fulfilled the prophecy that the Messiah would descend from David and be born in David's city, Bethelem (Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-2; Micah 5:2-4). Why did the angels announce the birth of the new-born King of Israel to shepherds, rather than to the Jewish populace at large or to the leaders of Israel? God chose to come in lowliness to show his loving-kindness and power to those who were humble of heart and ready to receive him. Does the Lord find an eager welcome in your heart and home?
Why did the Word of God become flesh? "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.' And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known" (John 1:14-18). Augustine said: Closed in darkness, it was necessary to bring us the light; captives, we awaited a Savior; prisoners, help; slaves, a liberator. Are these things minor or insignificant? Did they not move God to descend to human nature and visit it, since humanity was in so miserable and unhappy a state? Jesus is true God and true man. The Son of God assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. The Son of God ...worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like to us in all things except sin (Gaudium et Spes).
What is the significance of the Incarnation for us? The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us with God our Father. God loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins (1 John 4:10). The Father sent his Son as the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). The Word appeared to take away sins (1 John 3:5). The Word became flesh that we might know and experience the love of God. God's love was revealed to us in the way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him (1 John 4:9). For God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
There is a great paradox in the mystery of the Incarnation, the Son of God taking on human flesh that we might be clothed in his divinity. Scripture says "he became poor that we might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9) -- rich not in material things which pass away, but rich in the things that last -- eternal life and happiness with the Triune God-- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Incarnation is the mystery of this marvelous exchange: "O marvelous exchange! Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our humanity." (Antiphon I of Evening Prayer for January 1st)
Prayer For The Day:
Lord our God, with the birth of your Son, your glory breaks on the world. As we celebrate his first coming, give us a foretaste of the joy that you will grant us when the fulness of his glory has filled the earth.
Luke 2:1-20 (English Standard Version)
The Birth of Jesus Christ
Luke 2
1In those days(A) a decree went out from(B) Caesar Augustus that all the world should be(C) registered. 2This was the first(D) registration when[a] Quirinius(E) was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up(F) from Galilee, from the town of(G) Nazareth, to Judea, to(H) the city of David, which is called(I) Bethlehem,(J) because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,[b] who was with child. 6And(K) while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and(L) wrapped him in swaddling cloths and(M) laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in(N) the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels 8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord(O) appeared to them, and(P) the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all(Q) the people. 11For(R) unto you is born this day in(S) the city of David(T) a Savior, who is(U) Christ(V) the Lord. 12And(W) this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby(X) wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13And suddenly there was with the angel(Y) a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14(Z) "Glory to God(AA) in the highest, (AB) and on earth(AC) peace among those with whom he is pleased!"[c]
15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby(AD) lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19But(AE) Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned,(AF) glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Footnotes:
Luke 2:2 Or This was the registration before
Luke 2:5 That is, one legally pledged to be married
Luke 2:14 Some manuscripts peace, good will among men
Cross references:
Luke 2:1 : Acts 17:7
Luke 2:1 : Luke 3:1
Luke 2:1 : Acts 5:37
Luke 2:2 : Luke 2:1
Luke 2:2 : Luke 3:1
Luke 2:4 : Luke 1:26
Luke 2:4 : Matt 2:23
Luke 2:4 : Luke 2:11; John 7:42; 1 Sam 16:1
Luke 2:4 : Matt 2:1
Luke 2:4 : Luke 1:27
Luke 2:6 : Luke 2:4
Luke 2:7 : Luke 2:12
Luke 2:7 : Luke 2:16
Luke 2:7 : Luke 22:11 (Gk)
Luke 2:9 : Luke 24:4; Acts 12:7
Luke 2:9 : Luke 9:31; Acts 7:55; 2 Cor 3:18
Luke 2:10 : Luke 2:32; John 11:50; Zech 9:9
Luke 2:11 : Isa 9:6
Luke 2:11 : Luke 2:4
Luke 2:11 : Matt 1:21; John 4:42
Luke 2:11 : Acts 2:36; 10:36; Luke 23:2; Matt 1:17
Luke 2:11 : Luke 1:43
Luke 2:12 : 1 Sam 2:34; 2 Kgs 19:29; 20:8, 9; Isa 7:11, 14
Luke 2:12 : Luke 2:7
Luke 2:13 : Gen 28:12; 32:1, 2; 1 Kgs 22:19; 2 Chr 18:18; Psalm 103:21; 148:2; Dan 7:10; Rev 5:11
Luke 2:14 : Luke 19:38; Psalm 148:1; Matt 21:9
Luke 2:14 : Luke 10:21; Matt 6:10; 28:18; John 17:4; Acts 7:49; Eph 3:15; Col 1:16, 20; Rev 5:13
Luke 2:14 : Luke 1:79; Psalm 85:10; Isa 9:6, 7; Hag 2:9; Acts 10:36; Rom 5:1; Eph 2:14, 17; Col 1:20
Luke 2:14 : Luke 3:22; 12:32; Eph 1:5, 9; Phil 2:13
Luke 2:16 : Luke 2:7, 12
Luke 2:19 : Luke 2:51; Luke 1:66; Gen 37:11
Luke 2:20 : Luke 7:16
Reflection:
In the Roman empire censuses were taken every fourteen years for assessing taxation and ascertaining who were elgible for compulsory military service. Joseph and Mary traveled eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethelem. This was a most inconvenient time and a physical ordeal for Mary since her baby was due any day now! And as luck would have it, Bethelehem was overcrowded. They had to settle for the most primitive of accomodations -- an open stall for animals. Why would the Messiah have to be born in such pitiable conditions and in total obscurity? God's ways are different from our ways. He, the Most Exalted One, condescends for the sake of the lowly and the opprest. The Lord descended not in pomp and majesty befitting a King, but in meekness and lowliness to show us the way of perfect love. The only room for Jesus was the cross he came to bear for our sins. In Jesus lowly birth we see the foreshadowing of the greatest sacrifice God would make for our sake when his only begotten Son willingly embraced death on the cross for our salvation.
Mary and Joseph were both from the line of David, King of Israel. Jesus's birth in Bethelem fulfilled the prophecy that the Messiah would descend from David and be born in David's city, Bethelem (Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-2; Micah 5:2-4). Why did the angels announce the birth of the new-born King of Israel to shepherds, rather than to the Jewish populace at large or to the leaders of Israel? God chose to come in lowliness to show his loving-kindness and power to those who were humble of heart and ready to receive him. Does the Lord find an eager welcome in your heart and home?
Why did the Word of God become flesh? "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.' And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known" (John 1:14-18). Augustine said: Closed in darkness, it was necessary to bring us the light; captives, we awaited a Savior; prisoners, help; slaves, a liberator. Are these things minor or insignificant? Did they not move God to descend to human nature and visit it, since humanity was in so miserable and unhappy a state? Jesus is true God and true man. The Son of God assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. The Son of God ...worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like to us in all things except sin (Gaudium et Spes).
What is the significance of the Incarnation for us? The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us with God our Father. God loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins (1 John 4:10). The Father sent his Son as the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). The Word appeared to take away sins (1 John 3:5). The Word became flesh that we might know and experience the love of God. God's love was revealed to us in the way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him (1 John 4:9). For God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
There is a great paradox in the mystery of the Incarnation, the Son of God taking on human flesh that we might be clothed in his divinity. Scripture says "he became poor that we might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9) -- rich not in material things which pass away, but rich in the things that last -- eternal life and happiness with the Triune God-- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Incarnation is the mystery of this marvelous exchange: "O marvelous exchange! Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our humanity." (Antiphon I of Evening Prayer for January 1st)
Prayer For The Day:
Lord our God, with the birth of your Son, your glory breaks on the world. As we celebrate his first coming, give us a foretaste of the joy that you will grant us when the fulness of his glory has filled the earth.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Daily Word - Joy In Redemption - Luke 1:67-80
Scripture:
67 And his father Zechari'ah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, 74 to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Reflection:
Does the proclamation of the gospel fill you with joy and hope? When the Lord comes to redeem us he fills us with his Holy Spirit, the source of our joy and hope in the promises of God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, blessed the Lord and prophesied the wok of redemption that was to be accomplished by the Messiah. In sending the Messiah God has made a gracious visit to his people to redeem them. This was the mission for which Jesus Christ was sent into the world — to redeem those sold for sin and sold under sin. In the feast of the Incarnation we celebrate the gracious gift of God in sending his only begotten Son to redeem us. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may inspire us and fill us with joy and boldness to proclaim the message of the Lord's visitation and redemption.
Prayer For The Day:
Lord, you have been gracious and merciful towards your people. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may bear witness to the joy of the gospel to those around me.
67 And his father Zechari'ah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, 74 to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Reflection:
Does the proclamation of the gospel fill you with joy and hope? When the Lord comes to redeem us he fills us with his Holy Spirit, the source of our joy and hope in the promises of God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, blessed the Lord and prophesied the wok of redemption that was to be accomplished by the Messiah. In sending the Messiah God has made a gracious visit to his people to redeem them. This was the mission for which Jesus Christ was sent into the world — to redeem those sold for sin and sold under sin. In the feast of the Incarnation we celebrate the gracious gift of God in sending his only begotten Son to redeem us. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may inspire us and fill us with joy and boldness to proclaim the message of the Lord's visitation and redemption.
Prayer For The Day:
Lord, you have been gracious and merciful towards your people. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may bear witness to the joy of the gospel to those around me.
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