Christmastide

January 1, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 147:12-20

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
   Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
   he blesses your children within you.He grants peace within your borders;
   he fills you with the finest of wheat.He sends out his command to the earth;
   his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;   he scatters frost like ashes.He hurls down hail like crumbs—
   who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
   he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
He declares his word to Jacob,
   his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
   they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!

The following words caught my attention as I read the above scripture:
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
   they do not know his ordinances.

My brain added a phrase following this one “with the coming of Immanuel, God opened the door to all nations” but still ended with:
Praise the Lord!

The coming of God with Us is celebrated primarily for the salvation Christ brought to each of us. I think we sometimes forget that Christ came for the salvation of all people and charged those of us who choose to follow him to be the conduits in our world today to make that happen. That last charge is addressed in many ways and has been since the birth of the church. Our humanness sometimes enhances our ability to share the love of God with others and sometimes distracts from introducing people to the ways of Christ. Our humanness sometimes leads us to think we are particularly special in God’s eyes when indeed all God’s children are special in God’s eyes. Jesus did not tell the parable of the lost sheep for no reason.

As we start this new year, this new decade, let us address anew God’s call to share God’s love with everyone.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we are more self-righteous than righteous. Open our eyes to the needs of all your children. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.