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Matthew 2:1-15
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

Reflection
You’ve probably heard me say it before, but I think Epiphany is one of the most important holy days of the year. I’ve also called it one of the most under celebrated days in the mainline church. I’m not saying it’s never celebrated–churches across the country will observe it in their worship every year. But simply observing Epiphany as the liturgical Sunday in which we acknowledge the arrival of the Magi misses the point. 

As the passage notes above, the Magi had an important role to fill in a couple of ways. First, the Magi are significant because they are a reminder of the Gentiles’ acknowledgement of Jesus’ Kingship. From locations as far as Persia, India, and Asia these wise scholars came because they saw an aberration in the sky. A bright shining star in the west appeared that hadn’t been there before. We don’t know how familiar these astrologers were with Jewish prophetic literature, but we do believe they knew the constellations. And, when something changed that significantly, they set out to investigate. 

When they had reached King Herod’s region, they began asking where the child had been born. They didn’t have GPS coordinates, so they were likely eyeballing the location. When word got back to Herod that there were wise men from the East searching for a king that had been born, he hatched a plan. King Herod met with the Magi, to both gather information and to tell them to return with the child’s location so that he too might “worship” the child.

The Magi finally completed their task. They found the child and paid homage to Christ as a king. Their presence and presents were God’s way of marking Christ as king of the world, extending Christ’s reign beyond the house of Israel, ultimately including us in God’s salvation plan. 

Second, God also used them to protect the infant Jesus. As the story goes, God warned them in a dream to return home through a different route so as to avoid Herod. They never went back to report anything to the king. Because Herod didn’t know where Jesus was, he was unable to target him. Then God also warned Joseph in his dream that he should take Mary and the child and flee to Egypt where they would find safety. Once again God spoke to humans in their dreams to accomplish his will. The Magi’s willingness to heed the message revealed to them in their dreams shouldn’t be overlooked. Because they were obedient, the child was saved from death. God’s provision and protection were realized through the Magi. In these two ways, we can see how critical the Magi were in the story of Christ’s birth. 

Luke 2:8-14
Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

Reflection
It’s Christmas and because I’m still a couple days behind on these Jesse Tree devotionals, our passage for today lines up quite well. In it we find the story of the angel and the heavenly hosts who join the celebration. All the other characters and settings in the story are part of our material world–the people, animals, the town, the stable, and even the star. Even God himself had materialized into this world through the babe in the manger. 

Then there’s the angel and the heavenly hosts, who are not part of our material world. They are celestial beings that do not possess the same metaphysical make up as us ground dwellers. They are phenomenal being that exists in multiple realms–our world and in whatever is beyond. They don’t seem to be governed by time, yet step into time at various points in Israel’s history. Our passage today represents one of those times. 

Keep in mind, the shepherds didn’t know this all was going to happen, so you can only imagine their surprise when an angel suddenly stood before them. The Angel of the Lord offers the standard angelic greeting, “Do not be afraid.”  He’s got some good news: the promised Messiah was born and the shepherds weren’t too far from where he was. The angel offers them a “sign.” Signs were very much a part of Judaism and the culture as a whole, so the mention of the babe wrapped in bands of cloth (or swaddling cloth, as some prefer) would have been significant to their understanding of the event that just transpired. 

Then, the story gets really good. Upon announcing the gospel of Christ’s birth, there was a heavenly flash mob of sorts, filled with a multitude of heavenly host. Admittedly, I’m no angelologist, nor do we know exactly what is meant by “heavenly hosts.” What I am certain of is that it must have been a sight to behold. I imagine it was so much more than an ordinary choir of angels all standing up in the heavens in nice, neat rows. It must have filled the heavens with countless beings all engaging in worship and praise, glorifying God and singing his praises. Talk about an epic party. Finally, God sent a savior. The Light had entered the world and our Creator assembled a welcoming party like no other.

Luke 2:15-21
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them. When the eighth day came, it was time to circumcise the child, and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Reflection 
This past week, my family and I were playing a new western themed board game called Western Legends. It’s a “sandbox” game, which means you can move your character around the board at your own leisure in order to do western type things a certain locations. For example, you can wrangle cattle, prospect for gold, play poker at the saloon, or rob the bank (if you’re so inclined). While we were playing, I was reading some of the text on the back of the card, which is meant to add a story element to the gaming experience. I casually noted that these little western themed paragraphs were “flavor text” for the game. 

Shannon looked at me with a furrowed brow and asked what I meant. It was term that she hadn’t heard before that afternoon. I proceeded to explain that in the tabletops gaming world, when game designers and publishers include a narrative facet to a game that doesn’t actually have any bearing on the competitive or strategic aspects of the game, it’s often referred to as “flavor text.” In other words, text is added as “flavor” to the game. They make the gaming experience more interesting or flavorful for the players, but in the end, they don’t add anything mechanically substantial to the game itself. 

Over the years, I’ve come to the perspective that when people read our passage today that they see it as flavor text. When you read the whole story of Jesus’ birth, we have strong main characters like Jesus and Mary. The center of the action is around their dilemma. Joseph and the inn keeper are the supporting cast, as you need both of them for the story to progress. The wise men or Magi (who shouldn’t be at the birth in the first place, due to the distance they would have travelled to get to Bethlehem) are kind of cameo characters who serve their role at the end of the story to validate it for a wider audience. They are important to the story line, but have an auxiliary role that when removed doesn’t distract from the main point. 

Then there are the shepherds and their sheep. Aren’t they cute? We put them in the background of our nativity scenes with their sheep. They are often leaning on a staff and look like teenage boys. We lean our wobbly sheep figurines next to them for support, and that’s pretty much what they become–flavor text to support the larger scene of Jesus’ birth. 

But they are so much more than that in this story. When we consider the humble nature of Christ’s birth and how it’s meant to represent the larger “upside-down” kingdom that Jesus brings into the world, the shepherds’ role in the story takes on a new meaning. They were the locals, who symbolize the common everyday folk that Jesus came to seek out. The shepherds weren’t important. They were laborers who worked for the flock owner and got stuck with the night shift. They didn’t have money, fame, or power. Both the shepherds and their flocks are symbols for the very people Jesus would minister to in about thirty years. In many ways, they are “us” in that story and their presence on the first night of Jesus’ earthly life is significant, because it means that “we” were represented in the story. We didn’t provide safe passage, housing, or honor the new born babe with gifts, but were not just flavor text. We were the ones who marveled, and continue to marvel to this day, at the miracle of God’s birth that night. And, just like the shepherds who, after seeing the Christ-child, went out and shared the news of his birth. In this holy season, how much more are we called to share of Christ’s birth to all those whom we encounter.

Hey Everyone,

Merry Christmas Eve! I trust you are all doing well as we approach the end of the holy season of Advent and enter into the bliss of Christmastide. We get twelve days of Christmas to be reminded of the joy of our salvation in Christ Jesus. In order to help you celebrate, we’ve got two services this weekend that we want you to know about.

First, join us tomorrow night, Saturday, December 24th for our ecumenical Christmas Eve Service in the yard of CPC. With a liturgy of Scripture and song, we’ll join together with the Lake City community to usher in Christmastide by lifting our voices and candles to welcome in the new born King. The service will begin at 5:30pm and last around 30 minutes. This service will be available via Zoom, and the downloadable worship bulletin can be found below.

Next, don’t forget that we’re still having Sunday morning worship this Sunday, December 25th at our usual time- 10:00am. On Christmas, we’ll celebrate Jesus’ incarnation as we light the Christ candle and sing our favorite Christmas hymns. The lectionary texts are included in the downloadable online Order of Worship below.

Here are your announcements for the week:

Intergenerational Study of the Bible for Youth
No Intergenerational Study of the Bible for the next two weeks. We’ll return on Epiphany Sunday, January 8, 2023.

Games Up Here
No Monday night games for the next two weeks. We’ll return on Monday, January 15, 2023. 

Wednesday Bible Study
No Wednesday Bible Study for the next two weeks. We’ll return on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

Men’s Prayer Breakfast
No Men’s Prayer Breakfast until 2023.

Communion and Monthly Potluck
Don’t forget, on Sunday, January 8, 2023, we’ll celebrate the Eucharist and have our first-of-the-month potluck directly after the service. Our theme will be noodles, a symbol of life and health for they year ahead. 

Here are your links for the weekend services:

Saturday Christmas Eve Service (5:30pm):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88489308747?pwd=RHVFY1BybkU0a1RXZE9GRlBZWWpNUT09

Sunday Christmas Service (10:00am):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88489308747?pwd=RHVFY1BybkU0a1RXZE9GRlBZWWpNUT09

Matthew 1
An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, who bore Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

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 pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. 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. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.

Reflection
I’m willing to bet that most people just jump to the beginning of the story in the first chapter of Matthew. They may skim over the names listed in Jesus’ genealogy, just to see if they recognize any of the people. But in less time it takes for a sports car to accelerate to 60mph, they are reading the words “Now the birth of Jesus…” And why wouldn’t they? The names of who begat whom isn’t very exciting, at least not at first glance. 

If we take a closer look, however, I think we’ll discover that there is a rich treasure trove of stories and figures found in that genealogy. Some of these stories we’re familiar with, while others, not so much. The lineage begins with Abraham and carries through to Isaac and Jacob. Of Joseph’s brothers, Judah’s tribe would give rise to the earthly King David. His son, the wise King Solomon would build a dwelling place for the Living God. These are stories we’ve read this season, all about great heroes of our faith. But this genealogy also holds some lesser known figures that had an incredible impact on Jesus’ lineage.

Consider the role the prostitute Rahab had on Israel’s history. Not only did she dramatically save the Jewish spies, she ended up mothering Boaz, the righteous man who married Ruth, the Moabite. Two women who were both foreigners to the Israelites, whom God used as part of Christ’s ancestry. They both bear witness to God’s plan for the salvation of all humanity. While not all of those names in Jesus’ linage have stories around them, the list tells the larger story of God’s redemptive plan for Israel. God’s faithfulness is seen in this seemingly boring list of names. Each figure having a small role. If you’re inclined, scroll back up and see for yourself. 

Luke 1:17-20, 57-80
With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that this will happen? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”

(After some time)

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his child David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness in his presence all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

Reflection
One of the hidden gems in the narrative of Christ’s birth can be found in these two passages, both from chapter one of Luke’s gospel. In the first section, our story picks up where the December 17th devotional left off. The Angel of the Lord continued to engage with Zechariah about the promised prophet that Elizabeth would carry soon. 

We’re told that the child will have the spirit and power of Elijah (which is no small measure). We also learn that the prophet will turn the hearts of parents to their children. This little phrase is often overlooked when considering the larger narrative of Christ’s birth–which is a travesty. From the 50,000 foot perspective, we understand that things are going to change when Christ comes on the scene, but the text tells us that parents would turn to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous. 

This parental turning becomes more important in the text when one understands the history of Israel’s calling to train up their children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). From the time God made his covenant with Abraham, the covenant was always made with all of the current generations and all of the future generations yet to come. In this way, the Israelites were given a divinely ordained task to raise their children in their faith. The festivals were developed to help pass on faith to the younger generations. Understanding the journey of the Israelites was essential to their identity as God’s chosen people. 

Like many aspects of Jewish life in the 400 years of silence, the parental efforts toward teaching and training their children in the ways and practices of Judaism had faltered. The loss of Jewish identity began in the home. The angel’s proclamation shouldn’t be taken lightly, as it came with a clear indictment of the failure of parents. When I read this passage, I can’t wonder what God thinks of our efforts to pass on faith to our children. 

Luke 1:26-56
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly, he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Reflection
One of the most remarkable calling stories in the Scriptures, Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel stands out as one of the most important passages in Scripture. The Annunciation (as it’s called in many circles) is one of the first signs Israel received that their Messiah was coming into this world. Perhaps, not surprisingly, God chose to use one of the most unexpected vessels to accomplish his will–a teenage girl. Then, this passage ends with the Magnificat–Mary’s song of praise. She responds to God after learning that she would bear the Christ-child. Both parts of this passage (beginning and end) offer two-sides of an important narrative that illuminates God’s majestic plan for the redemption of the world. 

In the middle of this passage, however, we find another important text that communicates so much about the nature of our world and the Holy Spirit’s presence in it. Aptly called the Visitation, the text shares a tender moment between Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, and her cousin Mary, who  is now carrying the Messiah in her womb. When Mary entered the room and greeted her cousin, the baby inside of Elizabeth responded in an unusual way. The baby didn’t just move as would be typical for his gestation, but the little baptist leapt! (I like to imagine him like one of those Irish dancers that only kick their feet around, while the torso remains still). The baby sensed the presence of God incarnate. 

And if that wasn’t enough, the passage continues to tell us that in John the Baptist’s leap,  Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. That means that something in the intensity of the joy that the baby felt transferred and spread the presence of the Spirit from John to his mother. Though I would never claim to understand how the Spirit moves, my imagination is piqued  knowing that the joy of the Spirit in John was powerful enough to spread to Elizabeth. How much more might the Spirit spread through us, if we embrace the joy of our salvation?

Luke 1:1-16
Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I, too, decided, as one having a grasp of everything from the start, to write a well-ordered account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may have a firm grasp of the words in which you have been instructed.

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s turn of duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.

Reflection
The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth is a well known biblical story, yet sometimes it’s overlooked for its theological significance. After Luke’s preamble about why he’s writing these things down, he begins his Gospel with the story of Christ’s birth. Luke, however, doesn’t start with Jesus’ genealogy or a detailed historical depiction of the event of Christ’s birth. Rather, he starts with Zechariah and Elizabeth and their miraculous pregnancy. Not only was Elizabeth past the typical childbearing years of her life, she was also unable to have children, as the text duly notes. Once again we see God using the most unassuming folks to accomplish his will. Just like Abraham and Sarah, a pregnancy seemed impossible. 

Zechariah, a priest from the line of Aaron, Israel’s first priest, was performing his regular duties in the sanctuary, when the Angel of the Lord came with this exciting news. The angel offers the standard greeting “do not be afraid,” and proceeds to proclaim the good news of the birth of Israel’s next prophet who we know as John the Baptist. For those who might have forgotten, these pregnancies–both Elizabeth’s and Mary’s–come at the end of over 400 years of silence, without any prophets, kings, or leaders in the nation of Israel acting as the voice of God. The priests and scribes were the only figures guiding the Jews and many of them had fallen prey to the corruption of the times. 

God was not only preparing to send his Son into the world, but also a prophet to prepare the way for him, and Yahweh had a few operating instructions for Zechariah. He was to name his baby boy, John. As the child grew, he was instructed to keep him from wine and strong drink. Great joy and gladness would come from his birth and he would turn many Jews back to the Lord. Then, something phenomenal happens, Zechariah was told that his baby would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. Let’s pause for a moment and consider the significance of this pronouncement. The baby, who hadn’t been conceived yet, was already promised the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In a period of our history where the Holy Spirit was not given yet to all of humanity, this baby was set apart for a specific purpose. God’s master plan of redemption and love for his people is seen once again in this miracle. 

2 Kings 2
Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”

Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”

Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 

Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” He responded, “You have asked a hard thing, yet if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water. He said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? Where is he?” He struck the water again, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha crossed over.

When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. They said to him, “See now, we have fifty strong men among your servants; please let them go and seek your master; it may be that the spirit of the Lord has caught him up and thrown him down on some mountain or into some valley.” He responded, “No, do not send them.” But when they urged him to the point of embarrassment, he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men who searched for three days but did not find him. When they came back to him (he had remained at Jericho), he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”

Now the people of the city said to Elisha, “The location of this city is good, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.” He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went to the spring of water and threw the salt into it and said, “Thus says the Lord: I have made this water wholesome; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.” So the water has been wholesome to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke.

He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!” When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. From there he went on to Mount Carmel and then returned to Samaria.

Reflection
There are a lot of things going on in this passage that have the potential to distract from the larger theological claim. It starts by foreshadowing Elijah’s impending departure from this earth and how his protégée, Elisha, was handling it. Three times Elijah tried to leave Elisha behind: before his trips to Bethel, Jericho, and the Jordan. Three times, Elisha insisted that he would not leave Elijah. He knew his teacher was departing soon and he was going to remain with him. 

Then, we see God’s power in Elijah as he parted the Jordan, a miracle akin to the parting of the Red Sea by Moses. After crossing, Elijah asked Elisha if he had any last requests. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. A tall order indeed, which comes with some strange conditions. Elijah said that if Elisha sees him taken away by God that his double portion will be granted, but if he doesn’t that it won’t. No wonder Elisha wasn’t going to let his mentor out of his sight. His timing appears to be perfect as, not long after, Elijah was taken from this earth in one of the most spectacular ways possible and Elisha was there to witness it. The double portion was his. 

After Elijah’s ascension, Elisha went to try out the new powers of the spirit by attempting the same miracle that Elijah did earlier in the text–parting the waters of the Jordan. When it doesn’t go down as expected, Elisha questioned where God was in that moment. God does empower him to perform the miracle and make his way to Jericho where the other prophets could tell, even from a distance, that God’s Spirit now resides with Elisha. 

The other prophets are determined to find Elijah, should God have dropped him off in some remote location. Then, after three days of searching they return satisfied that Elijah was taken. This narrative is followed by another miracle purifying the city’s water and then we come to perhaps my most favorite part of the passage and the symbol we remember Elisha by during our Jesse Tree devotionals. The story of the bears. 

After everything Elisha had been through and the incredible miracles performed at the Jordan and on behalf of the city’s water supply, he decided to head back to Bethel. On his way, some young boys started mocking him and ridiculing him for his baldness. Clearly sensitive about his receding hairline, Elisha cursed them. What happened next is absolutely baffling to me. The power of his curse brought about a couple of female bears who proceed to, not just chase the boys off and scare them for their disrespect, but “maul” forty-two of them. Forty-two boys were mauled by two bears for making fun of the newly empowered prophet’s bald head.

Even as I type this, I’m amazed by this text and find myself wondering what the point is. We witness several miracles, one of the most dramatic ascensions in the Scriptures, and a pretty confusing slaughter of a bunch of rowdy young boys. So what are we left with? In the end, I think the real theological point of the text is not found in the details of the passage, but in the 50,000 foot view. God did not leave Israel when He took Elijah from this earth.  Through Elisha he empowered another to continue guiding Israel.

1 Kings 17
Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” The word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the wadi. But after a while the wadi dried up because there was no rain in the land.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there, for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 

Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. She then said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” But he said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. He cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” 

The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” So the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

Reflection
There are a number of Old Testament prophets that are featured in their own books of the Bible, but Elijah is not one of them. He lived and prophesied in the 9th century BC during reign of King Ahab, the seventh king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He is known as the unrighteous king who found himself in a battle with Elijah over whose god was more powerful–Baal or Yahweh. That story ends with fire reigning down from the heavens to ignite Elijah’s water drenched altar, confirming for all of Israel, that Yahweh truly was the Living God. 

While that narrative can be found in 1 Kings 18 (and is well worth the read), our text for today contains far less drama and excitement. What it does contain, however, is the odd story of how God provided for Elijah during the drought they were facing.

In reference to our ornament for today, we see God cared for Elijah through the ravens that brought him bread and meat. Next, through an encounter with a poor widow and her son, God continues to care for both Elijah as well as the hosts he foisted himself upon. Every day, when the widow went to gather the meal and the oil, both were sufficient to feed all three. Through these examples, we see God use unusual means to care for the prophet and a widow, who was ready to accept death for herself and her son. And, later in the story when the son actually dies, Elijah is there to call upon God for a miracle, and the son is raised back to life. It makes me wonder if that was why God directed Elijah to the widow in the first place. 

Although we can wonder about a number of facets of this text, what is clear is that God loves the prophet Elijah and wasn’t about to let him die. Perhaps God was keeping him around for all of his exploits in chapter 18. Once again, we see God’s loving and faithful hand guiding the people of Israel.