Revised Common Lectionary: First Sunday after Christmas Day

Year A

Isaiah 63:7-9; Psalm 148:1-14; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23

Praise the Lord! – Through His power and His love, He has saved us.

The Lord our God is ‘mighty to save’. He has shown His ‘steadfast love’ to us. He has become our ‘Saviour’. ‘In His love’, He has ‘redeemed’ us (Isaiah 63:1, 7-9).

We read here about the power of God - He is ‘mighty to save’- and the love of God - ‘In His love’, He has ‘redeemed’ us.

What love the Lord has for us - ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...’ (John 3:16)!

What power there is in the Gospel of love - ‘The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes’ (Romans 1:16)!

What a ‘Saviour’ we have - Our Lord Jesus Christ is ‘able to save to the uttermost all who come to God through Him’ (Hebrews 7:25)!

Think of Jesus Christ. Think of His love, His power, His salvation.

Thank Him for all He has done for you - ‘Alleluia! What a Saviour!’(Church Hymnary, 380)

We consider all that the Lord has done for us and we join with the Psalmist in saying, “Praise the Lord” (Psalm 148:1, 14).

God wants to bless you. Make sure that you don’t miss out on His blessing.

God invites each of us to receive a great blessing - the blessing of being His ‘children’(Hebrews 2:13).

We become God’s children through faith in Christ: ‘To all who received Him, who believed in His Name, He gave power to become children of God’(John 1:12).

What will you do with God’s great invitation, His invitation of love? Will you receive Christ and become a child of God? Will you miss out on the blessing ‘because of unbelief’(Hebrews 3:19)?

God is waiting for your answer - ‘Today, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts’(Hebrews 3:7, 15).

Throughout life, we must guard against ‘an evil, unbelieving heart, leading us to fall away from the living God’. ‘Every day’, we must take care that we do not become ‘hardened by the deceitfulness of sin’(Hebrews 3:12-13).

As God’s children, let’s grow in Christ (1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18).

God has a great plan for you – let His power and love flow through you to others.

The story unfolds according to God’s saving purpose and not Herod's Satanic schemes. Herod dies. Jesus lives. The purpose of man is defeated. The purpose of God prevails.

Jesus’time in Egypt is full of prophetic significance (Matthew 2:15; Hosea 11:1). Egypt was the place of bondage. God turns everything around, making it the place of protection (Exodus 1:11; 13-15). The emphasis is not on the place. It is on what God is doing, as He fulfils His purpose.

 From Bethlehem to Egypt and then to Nazareth - the young Jesus is being taken from place to place - all in the perfect plan of God. Again, the emphasis is not on the place but on God’s purpose. Nazareth was a humble place, dignified by the fact that God chose it to be the home of His Son.

Our concern is not with wise men or famous places. ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus’. ‘Stand amazed in the presence of Jesus’.

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Year B

Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 148:1-14; Galatians 4:4-7 (or Philippians 2:5-11); Luke 2:22-40

The Name of Jesus is Good News. It tells us of the Saviour’s love.

‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me... to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’ (Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus has fulfilled these words (Luke 4:18-21). Jesus has come, ‘proclaiming the Good News of God.’ He tells us that ‘the time has come.’ This is the time of opportunity, the time for making our response to Jesus Christ. He calls for our response - ‘Repent and believe the Good News!’ He calls us to make our response now - ‘now is the acceptable time... now is the day of salvation’ (Mark 1:14-15; 2 Corinthians 6:2). There will come a time when the time of opportunity comes to an end. When Christ returns ‘with power and great glory’, it will be ‘the Day of vengeance of our God.’ We do not know when Christ will return. Get ‘ready’ for His Return. Put your ‘faith’in Him (Isaiah 61:2; Matthew 24:30, 36, 44; 25:13; Luke 18:8).

God has given us ‘a new Name’. It is ‘the Name which is above every name’, the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 62:2; Philippians 2:9-11). Christ loves us. He has given Himself for us. He calls us His ‘Bride’ (Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 21:2, 9). Through faith in Christ, we have become ‘the Holy People.’ Through Him, we are ‘the Redeemed of the Lord.’ We have been ‘Sought After’ by the Lord. In Him, we are ‘the City No Longer Deserted’ (Isaiah 62:12; 1 Peter 2:9-10; 1:18-19; Luke 19:10; John 14:18). ‘There is a Name I love to hear... It tells me of a Saviour’s love, who died to set me free. It tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea... Jesus, the Name I love so well, the Name I love to hear! ... O how I love the Saviour’s Name, the sweetest Name on earth!’ (Mission Praise, 672).

We hear the Good News of the Saviour’s love, and we say, “Praise the Lord.”

‘Praise the Lord’. Psalms 146 and 147 began and ended with these words. Now, we find the same beginning and ending in each of these three Psalms - ‘Praise the Lord’. Our personal song of praise to God - ‘Praise be to the Lord my Rock... I will sing a new song to You, O God... I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your Name for ever and ever; Every day I will praise You... My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord... I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live’ (Psalm 144:1, 9; Psalm 145:1-2, 21; Psalm 146:2) - is just a small part of something so much richer and fuller - ‘Let everything that has breath praise the Lord’ (Psalm 150:6). May these great Psalms of praise inspire us to praise the Lord more truly and more fully.

We hear the Good News of our Saviour. God has given His Spirit to us.

‘God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts’ (Galatians 4:6). The Spirit is not a reward we earn by being good people. The Spirit is God’s gift (Titus 3:5). Paul connects the gift of the Spirit with Christ’s death for us and our faith in Christ (Galatians 3:13-14). We do not come to God with our religion in one hand and our morality in the other, insisting that we deserve to be blessed by Him. We look away from ourselves to Christ - ‘Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy Cross I cling’ (Church Hymnary, 83). All pride in ourselves must be brought to Christ’s Cross as we humbly pray, ‘Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me, break me, melt me, mould me, fill me’ (Mission Praise, 613). God has given His Spirit to us. Let’s give ourselves to Him - to ‘be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18).

We hear the good News of our Saviour. God will complete His good work in us.

Do you feel like you can`t go on? Do you feel like giving up? Here`s God`s Word of encouragement for you: ‘He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the Day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1:6). God finishes what He starts - ‘He didn`t bring us this far to leave us. He didn`t teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn`t build His home in us to move away. He didn`t lift us up to let us down’. In all the changes of life, we must remember this: God is faithful. His love is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. We don`t keep going because we are strong. We are ‘kept by the power of God’ (1 Peter 1:5). In ‘humility’ let us live ‘to the glory and praise of God’ (Philippians 2:3; 1:11). ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ (Philippians 2:11) – He will give you the strength to keep going when you feel like giving up.

We hear the Good News of our Saviour. Let us offer our worship to Him.

Jesus ‘fulfilled all righteousness’ (Matthew 3:15). His circumcision and presentation to the Lord was ‘according to the law of Moses’ (Luke 2:21-24; Leviticus 12:1-8). Jesus’obedience was always more than mere conformity to ‘the written code.’ He was walking ‘in the Spirit.’ He was filled with ‘the Spirit of the living God’ (2 Corinthians 3:3, 6). His obedience came ‘from the heart’and His ‘praise’came ‘not from men but from God’(Romans 6:17; 2:29). What joy there was for Simeon and Anna! This was ‘salvation’, ‘redemption’ (Luke 2:30, 38). As you journey through life, don’t ‘lose Jesus’ (Luke 2:43-45). Keep close to Him! If you do ‘lose Him’, where will you find Him again? - ‘In the temple’ (Luke 2:46). Have you lost your way? Find your way back to ‘the sanctuary of God’ - and things will start to fall into place again (Psalm 73:16-17)!

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Year C

1 Samuel 2:18-20,26; Psalm 148; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52

‘There is none holy like the Lord, there is none like Thee; there is no rock like our God’(1 Samuel 2:2). Let us find our joy and our strength in the Lord: ‘My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord’(1 Samuel 2:1). May the Lord help us to be ‘His faithful ones’ who walk with Him (1 Samuel 2:9).

‘Praise the Lord’. Psalm 148 begins and ends with the words - ‘Praise the Lord’. May this great Psalm of praise inspire us to praise the Lord more truly and more fully.

Christ wants to reign in us. He wants to enrich our lives (Colossians 3:15-16). In Him, there is so much blessing. Let’s enjoy it!

As you journey through life, don’t ‘lose Jesus’ (Luke 2:43-45). Keep close to Him! If you do ‘lose Him’, where will you find Him again? – ‘In the temple’ (Luke 2:46). Have you lost your way? Find your way back to ‘the sanctuary of God’ – and things will start to fall into place again (Psalm 73:16-17)!