Today’s scripture: Genesis 15:1-6 & Zechariah 6:12-15 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Bradley Compton):
It’s easy this time of year to become caught up in the cultural trappings of the season and the accompanying endemic mania and depression that people like me suffer in the new year’s wake. The latter is particularly tragic for our brothers and sisters in faith because for us Christmas is a time to celebrate the fruition of God’s iterative covenant wherein the divine became flesh and put upon its shoulders the burden we couldn’t carry.
In our scripture passages today we see two specific proclamations made to two different prophets. One was a promise God made to Abram (later known as Abraham) that his genealogy would stretch far and wide into the future (which was of the utmost importance at the time); the other was to Zechariah that he would place a crown on the High Priest Joshua (Joshua is an etymological synonym for Jesus), whose coronation would draw the diaspora out of exile thereby branching out this chosen nation in preparation for the coming Messiah. One might interpret every particular promise to the Old Testament prophets like those in today’s selected scripture to be mere foreshadowing of God’s perfect gift: Christ’s life, sacrifice, resurrection, and the gospel and the Holy Spirit still resonating in hearts all over the world even today.
Again, in these chosen verses we read specific promises God made to individual prophets; but when read in the context of our lives today, they serve the purpose of not only informing us of the history of God’s relationship with the Jewish tribes, but also of a leitmotif reminding us that this promise echoed through millennia of generations and remains steadfast in God’s living Word for us here and now. Through each of us, coming together in God’s name, the kingdom of heaven branches out on earth; and although it may seem at times that our individual lives have little meaning, by our coming together face-to-face or through new media, our collective congregation of progressive Christians rivals the number of stars that we see in a clear evening sky. You or I might find an inner blessing if we bundle up on a cold, clear December evening and focus on the brightest star, remembering that once there was one so bright that it summoned strangers from the East to witness the beginning of God’s final covenant in flesh and blood who would free us from the bondage of sin.
Thought for the day: Christmas is a time for family, friends, food, and gifts; but if we get too caught up in the frustrations of the season, we’re likely forgetting that Christmas is a celebration of the literal birth and fulfillment of God’s new covenant freeing us from our subjugation to sin.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.