Oriental turtle-dove

Luke 2:21-32

Eight days later, the time came to circumcise the baby, and he was given the name Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.

Then, after their purification had been completed in accordance with the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as prescribed in the law of the Lord, “Every first-born male shall be deemed to belong to the Lord”); and also to make the offering as stated in the law of the Lord: “A pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.”

Turtle-dove:  What was the meaning of the turtle-doves? *

Thoughts: on being poor — Donna Ross

In Jesus’ time the Law made provision for the poor, but they still felt the weight of their poverty. How Joseph and Mary must have wished they had enough money to purchase a lamb for their special baby!

Yet even if they had money to buy a lamb, that lamb might have been rejected; perfect lambs, more expensive lambs, had to be purchased at the sanctuary: that way God got a perfect sacrifice, and the Temple made a profit.

In our time the laws also make some provision for the poor, but the poor still are made to feel the weight of their poverty, labeled as lazy, and roundly criticized for their lack of planning for their own futures.

 * Turtle-doves

After childbirth, women were excluded from all religious ceremonies until their mandated time had passed (see Leviticus 12).  At the end of that time, the new mother was required to bring a lamb and a young turtle-dove (or pigeon) to the Temple for sacrifice. Since this offering was expensive, poor women could bring two turtle-doves if they could not afford a lamb.  

Adoration of the Shepherds
Albrecht Dürer, c. 1510

Luke 2:8-20

Now in this same district there were shepherds out in the fields, keeping watch through the night over their flock, when suddenly there stood before them an angel of the Lord, and the splendor of the Lord shone round them.  They were terror-struck, but the angel said, “Do not be afraid; I have good news for you; there is great joy coming to the whole people.  Today in the city of David a deliverer has been born to you — the Lord’s Messiah. And this is your sign: you will find a baby lying all wrapped up, in a manger.”

All at once there was with the angel a great company of the heavenly host, singing the praises of God:

Glory to God in highest heaven,
And on earth peace for those on whom God’s favor rests.

After the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Come, we must go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”  So they went with all speed and found their way to Mary and Joseph; and the baby was lying in the manger.  When they saw him, they recounted what they had been told about this child; and all who heard were astonished at what the shepherds said.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered over them.

Meanwhile the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for what they had heard and seen; it had all happened as they had been told.

Shepherds:  Who were these shepherds? *

Thoughts: on being poor — Donna Ross

Once again, Luke tells us that angels appear to announce that God is at work in the world. But once again, the “Christmas story” has become so familiar that we may not have heard its full meaning. How does “news” — any kind of news — get to the poorest people in this world? And what is “good” news for people who are desperately poor?

* Shepherds

* Shepherds, while dear to us from Christmas stories and pageants, had no social standing in ancient Israel.  They were always very poor, and they were also considered “unclean” — not just dirty from caring for sheep, but “unclean” in the ritual sense; because they had neither the time nor the money to purify themselves properly, they were unable to participate in religious ceremonies.

The birth of Jesus
Giotto, c. 1305

Luke 2:1-7

In those days a decree was issued by the Emperor Augustus for a general registration throughout the Roman world.  This was the first registration of its kind; it took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria.  For this purpose everyone made his way to his own town; and so Joseph went up to Judaea from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to be registered at the city of David, called Bethlehem, because he was of the house of David by descent; and with him went Mary who was betrothed to him.  She was pregnant, and while they were there the time came for her child to be born, and she gave birth to her son, her first-born.  She wrapped him round and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them to stay in the inn.

Registration:  What was the general registration? *

Thoughts: on being poor — Donna Ross

Sometimes a story has become so familiar that we don’t see all of its meaning. We may see Mary and Joseph making their long and exhausting journey, and we may see that Bethlehem’s inns were already completely filled with travelers. But we may not see Joseph and Mary’s extreme poverty, or recognize their powerlessness.

Yet we must learn to see what their poverty meant, because in Bethlehem of old – just as in our cities today – there was always room at the inn for those who have enough money and influence.

* Registration

Every 14 years, for taxation and military service, Rome conducted a census throughout the empire.  Copies of Roman census documents have been recovered from archeological sites in Egypt, covering the years from 20 to 270 CE. Following the 14-year pattern, the census Luke reports would have been taken in 8 BCE.

Through this silver star pilgrims can look down into the cave where,
ever since the first century, Christians have believed Jesus was born.

By the summer of 1970, our time in Beirut had come to an end, and Israel was our first stop on the way back to the United States.  (Because Arab countries would not accept passports stamped with the Israeli seal, if we had traveled to Israel while living in Lebanon we would not have been able to return to our home in Beirut.)

With our two little boys (no longer babies now, but 3 and 4 years old), we stayed for several nights in the hostel at St. George’s Cathedral in East Jerusalem.  What the boys remembered of Jerusalem were the ducks on the grounds of St. George’s. (Each morning we were there, the Dean of the Cathedral would let the boys help him feed the ducks.)

St. Georges’ garden: Feeding the ducks

What we remembered were our day trips around the Holy Land, from Jerusalem to the Galilee to the Dead Sea, with a Palestinian Christian as our guide.

In old Jerusalem, we watched bulldozers knocking down Palestinian homes, to create easier access to the Western Wall (the “Wailing Wall”), the remnant of the great Temple of Jesus’ day.

Throughout the centuries, Jerusalem (which means “City of Peace” in Hebrew) has never really been at peace. Army after army has attacked its walls — and within those walls, thousands upon thousands of families have suffered and died.

Jerusalem: destruction of Palestinian homes

From Jerusalem our guide drove us the short distance to Bethlehem (which means “House of Bread” in Hebrew).  Today a great wall divides old (and Palestinian) Bethlehem from newer (and Jewish) settlements on the West Bank of the Jordan River. But In 1970 the small town of Bethlehem was still completely open to the rocky hills surrounding it.

(Throughout the centuries, Bethlehem has always been a mostly Christian town. In 1967 — the year we went to Beirut — Bethlehem and the West Bank were still 86% Christian. But by 2017, the Christian population of the West Bank had dropped to 12% —and today’s Bethlehem has less than 11,000 Christians.)

In Bethlehem we entered the ancient church built over the traditional site of Jesus’ birth.  Feeling our way through the church’s shadows, we found a silver star on the marble floor — and looked through the star into the even greater darkness of the cave below.

Bethlehem: Basilica of the Nativity

The cave beneath the silver star is the oldest of all Christian holy sites.  In the early 4th century, a basilica was built over the cave; when that church was destroyed by war in the 7th century, another basilica was built upon the original foundation.

But the site of the silver star, while sanctified by the prayers of many pilgrims, left me cold.  How I wished that I could have stood in the simple cave beneath, without the silver and gold accretions of the centuries!

Bethlehem in the late 20th century

And you, my child, you shall be called the Prophet of the Highest.
for you will be the Lord’s forerunner, to prepare his way….

Zechariah, the baby’s father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and uttered this prophecy:

Blessed be the God of Israel!
For he has turned to his people, saved them, and set them free,
and has raised up a deliverer of victorious power
from the house of his servant David.

So he promised: age after age he proclaimed
by the lips of his holy prophets,
that he would deliver us from our enemies,
out of the hands of all who hate us;
that he would deal mercifully with our forebears,
calling to mind his solemn covenant.

Such was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to rescue us from enemy hands,
and grant us, free from fear, to worship him
with a holy worship, with uprightness of heart,
in his presence, our whole life long.

And you, my child, you shall be called Prophet of the Highest,
for you will be the Lord’s forerunner, to prepare his way
and lead his people to salvation through knowledge of him,
by the forgiveness of their sins.

For in the tender compassion of our God
the morning sun from heaven will rise upon us,
to shine on those who live in darkness, under the cloud of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Blessed: Why is Zechariah’s song called “the Benedictus”? *

Thoughts: on parenting — Donna Ross

As Zechariah begins his song of praise he speaks to God, thanking God for bringing deliverance to the people of Israel. Now Zechariah looks down at the baby in his arms, and speaks to the baby:

And you, my child,
you shall be called the Prophet of the Highest,
for you will be the Lord’s forerunner,
to prepare his way and lead his people to salvation….

All children have the God-given potential to change the lives of those around them. As we look into the faces of our new babies and give God thanks, can we — like Zechariah — also look into their hidden futures and see the gifts they will share with others? Do we dare to look into their future and see also their struggles, the dangers they will face, even their deaths?

What kind of love best prepares children for their future?

*  The Benedictus

Since the earliest days of the church, this song has been chanted by monastics as the primary song or “canticle” for morning worship.  In Latin, the song begins with the words,  Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel — “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.”

“His Name is John”
St. John the Baptist Church, Savage, Minnesota

Luke 1:57-66:

Now the time came for Elizabeth’s child to be born, and she gave birth to a son.  When her neighbors and relatives heard what great favor the Lord had shown her, they were as delighted as she was.  Then on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father.  But his mother spoke up and said, “No!”  he is to be called John.”

“But,” they said, “there is nobody in your family who has that name.”  They inquired of his father by signs what he would like him to be called.  Zechariah asked for a writing-tablet and to the astonishment of all wrote down, “His name is John.”  Immediately his lips and tongue were freed and he began to speak, praising God.

All the neighbors were struck with awe, and everywhere in the uplands of Judaea the whole story became common talk.  All who heard it were deeply impressed and said, “What will this child become?”  For indeed the hand of the Lord was upon him.

Names:  Why did the relatives want to name John after his father? *

Thoughts: on parenting — Donna Ross

Luke’s first chapter has told us a story of a miraculous conception and a momentous birth.

This aging couple has never been able to have children. So when an angel tells Zechariah that his wife will conceive and bear a child, he is understandably skeptical. Yet to their great joy Elizabeth does conceive, and when the baby is born, they name him “John” — meaning “Yahweh’s gift.”

Every child, of course, is a special gift from God. But perhaps only those who spend years trying to conceive can appreciate the joy of parents like Elizabeth and Zechariah.

Rob and I spent some years trying to conceive before we gratefully turned to an adoption agency. As our babies were placed in our arms, we gave them names that connected them to a member of their new family — a father, an uncle, an adopted grandmother.

We didn’t know at the time that it was Biblical custom to name a child after a close relative; but it’s a wise custom to connect every child to the family that loves them and gives them a home.

Who gave you your name?  Who does your name connect you to?

* Names

It was Jewish custom to name a boy after his father, grandfather, or other close relative; the name was always given to the baby on the eighth day, the day of his circumcision. John is a shorter form of the name Jehohanan, which means Yahweh’s gift, or God is gracious.  John was the name the angel Gabriel had given to Zechariah, and John also described his parents’ gratitude for God’s gift. 

Magnificat, by the Rev. Wil Gafney (21st c)

Wil Gafney is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School.

Luke 1:46-56:

And Mary said,

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord,
rejoice, rejoice, my spirit, in God my savior;
so tenderly has he looked upon his servant, humble as she is.

For, from this day forth, all generations will count me blessed,
so wonderfully has he dealt with me,
the Lord, the Mighty One.

His name is Holy; his mercy sure from generation to generation
toward those who fear him;
the deeds his own right arm has done disclose his might:
the arrogant of heart and mind he has put to rout,
he has torn imperial powers from their thrones,
but the humble have been lifted high.
The hungry he has satisfied with good things,
the rich sent empty away.

He has ranged himself at the side of Israel, his servant;
firm in his promise to our forebears,
he has not forgotten to show mercy to Abraham,
and his children’s children, for ever.

Now Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home.

Promise:  What was the promise God made to Abraham? *

Thoughts: on parenting — Donna Ross

We’ve always heard Mary’s proclamation of her joy in the “Magnificat”:

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord,
rejoice, rejoice, my spirit, in God my savior;
so tenderly has he looked upon his servant, humble as she is.
For, from this day forth, all generations will count me blessed,
so wonderfully has he dealt with me,
the Lord, the Mighty One.

But we haven’t always heard Mary’s proclamation of God’s justice:

God has torn imperial powers from their thrones,
but the humble have been lifted high.
The hungry he has satisfied with good things,
the rich sent away empty.

Mary is saying that God’s justice will turn the powers of this world upside down.

Today our nation is divided by our cries for justice and peace. For instance,

We argue about war:
should we become pacifists,
or should we intervene to protect the innocent?

We argue about racism:
should we accept that it takes time to eradicate prejudice,
or should we intervene to protect the victims of oppression?

And we argue about abortion:
should we protect the right of women to make their own choices,
or should we intervene to protect the lives of unborn children?

God calls us to work for justice and peace among all people; God calls us to respect the dignity of every human being. How can we do both?

Has our idea of justice become clouded by our focus on unborn children,
without regard to their pregnant mothers?

Has our idea of justice become clouded by our focus on women’s rights,
disregarding their unborn children?

How can we care for mothers as well as babies
(and babies as well as mothers)?

God said to Abraham, “This is my covenant with you:  You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations… I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.  I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”
See Genesis 17:1-7

The Visitation
Church of the Visitation in Ein Karem, Israel

Luke 1:39-45:

About that time Mary set out and went straight to a town in the uplands of Judah.  She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.  And when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby stirred in her womb.

Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried aloud, “God’s blessing is on you above all women, and his blessing is on the fruit of your womb.  Who am I, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?  I tell you, when your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby in my womb leapt for joy.  How happy is she who has had faith that the Lord’s promise would be fulfilled.”

Uplands:  Where were the uplands of Judah? *

Thoughts: on parenting — Donna Ross

Years ago, I visited a woman a woman named Mary once every month. Indeed, Mary became one of my most treasured friends – indeed, she became my spiritual mother.

Mary was a Sister in the Roman Catholic order of Notre Dame de Namur, and had served as a teacher in East Africa. When she returned to the States, she continued serving others as a spiritual director.

A spiritual director learns to listen on many levels. There are the spoken words of the person who has come to share his or her life. There are the silent thoughts of the spiritual director herself, rising up in response to what the other person is saying. And finally, there is the voice of the Holy Spirit, who is moving in the hearts of both persons. Indeed, the Spirit has brought these two persons together — and both have come together to listen to what the Spirit has to say.

My friend Mary often compared spiritual direction to Luke’s story of the Visitation. In every visitation one person, led by the Spirit, seeks out another person to hear a word of wisdom — and then the Spirit moves between the two.

Just so, in Luke’s story Mary has been inspired to seek out Elizabeth, her older cousin; and Elizabeth, when she hears her cousin’s voice, is inspired to bless Mary and strengthen her faith in God’s leading.

Parents, whether physical or spiritual, learn to listen to their children on many levels. (There is the sharp cry of a hungry baby — will milk be comfort enough? Or will a parent’s arms give comfort even more lasting than food?)

Who in your life hears your stories, tries to hear the Spirit’s voice for you, and then offers you words of comfort and wisdom?

The baby stirs in Elizabeth’s womb
Society of the Holy Child Jesus

* Uplands of Judah

The heart of Judah (Judaea) was the upper hill country, known as Har Yehuda (“Hills of Judaea”), extending south from the region of Bethel (at present-day Ramallah) to Beersheba and including the area of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Hebron.

The hill country of Judea
(abandoned Palestinian homes after the 1967 war)

The Annunciation
Fra Angelico, 15th century

The story continues:  Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, with a message for a girl betrothed to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David; the girl’s name was Mary.

The angel went in and said to her, “Greetings, most favoured one!  The Lord is with you.”  But she was deeply troubled by what he said and wondered what this greeting might mean.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for God has been gracious to you; you shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus.  He will be great; he will bear the title “Son of the Most High”; the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David, and he will be king over Israel for ever; his reign shall never end.”

“How can this be,” said Mary, “when I have no husband?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy child to be born will be called “Son of God”.  Moreover, your kinswoman Elizabeth has herself conceived a son in her old age; and she who is reputed barren is now in her sixth month, for God’s promises can never fail.”

“Here am I,” said Mary; “I am the Lord’s servant, as you have spoken, so be it.”  Then the angel left her.

Girl:  Why does this translation call Mary a “girl”? *

Thoughts: on parenting — Donna Ross

Many young girls, like Mary, become pregnant before they are ready to be mothers.
What should they do?  This is the question for every pregnant girl and woman without resources; it’s also a question for the rest of us: What should we do?

Is there a way for our world to care for mothers as well as babies?
(Is there a way for our world to care for babies as well as mothers?)

* Girl

For centuries, most Bibles identified Mary as a “virgin”, based on the translators’ understanding of a prophecy in Isaiah (Look, the virgin is with child and shall bear
a son, and shall name him Immanuel…Isaiah 7:14)   

The Hebrew word translated as “virgin” here is almah, which can also mean “a young woman of marriageable age”, or “newly married woman.”

Around 200 BCE, as Greek became the language educated people were reading, Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek.  In Isaiah 7:14 they translated the Hebrew word almah into the Greek word parthenos (which does mean “virgin”).  This Greek translation was the “Old Testament” used by our New Testament writers, including Luke.

The Angel Appearing to Zacharias
William Blake, 1799

The story begins:  Luke 1:5-25

In the days of Herod king of Judaea there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of the priesthood called after Abijah.  His wife also was of priestly descent; her name was Elizabeth.  Both of them were upright and devout, blamelessly observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.  But they had no children, for Elizabeth was barren, and both were well on in years.

Once, when it was the turn of his division and he was there to take part in divine service, it fell to his lot, by priestly custom, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer the incense; and the whole congregation was in prayer outside.  It was the hour of the incense-offering.  There appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense.  At this sight, Zechariah was startled, and fear overcame him.  But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard: your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.  Your heart will thrill with joy, and many will be glad that he was born; for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord.  He shall never touch wine or strong drink.  From his very birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit; and he will bring back many Israelites to the Lord their God.  He will go before him as forerunner, possessed by the spirit and power of Elijah, to reconcile father and child, to convert the rebellious to the ways of the righteous, to prepare a people that shall be fit for the Lord.”

Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this?  I am an old man and my wife is well on in years.”

The angel replied, “I am Gabriel, I stand in attendance upon God and I have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news.  But now listen; you will lose your powers of speech, and remain silent until the day when these things happen to you, because you have not believed me, though at their proper time my words will be proved true.”

Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, surprised that he was staying so long inside.  When he did come out he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had had a vision in the sanctuary.  He stood there making signs to them, and remained dumb.

When his period of duty was completed Zechariah returned home.  After this his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she lived in seclusion, thinking, “This is the Lord’s doing; now at last he has deigned to take away my reproach among men.”

Priest:  What kind of priest was Zechariah? *

Thoughts: on parenting — Donna Ross

How different today’s world is from Zechariah’s world! Today we know that Elizabeth may not have been “barren” after all — but it may have been Zechariah who was infertile. Today we know that babies are created when a mother’s egg unites with a father’s sperm — but in Luke’s day it was thought that the whole baby was carried in its father’s sperm, with the mother contributing a receptive womb (just as fertile soil receives the farmer’s seed).

And yet again how similar our worlds are, after all. So many couples today, just like Elizabeth and Zechariah, long for babies who never come. All babies, then and now, are miracles for their parents — and sometimes for the rest of the world, too.

Have you known a “miracle” baby?

* Priests

Zechariah was not one of the priests who served daily in the Jerusalem Temple, but one of a multitude of country priests who lived throughout Israel.

Every direct male descendant of the first Jewish priest, Aaron the brother of Moses, was automatically a priest. However, by the first century C.E. there were so many priests that they had been divided into 24 sections, with each section coming up to Jerusalem for two weeks a year. Even with 24 sections, there was still a surplus of priests in each section, so lots were cast for the most important jobs.

During the week when his section was serving, Zechariah drew the lot for offering incense in the sanctuary.