Christmas: The Nativity of the Lord (Vigil), cycle A
Let us pray...
Father, all-powerful God,
your eternal Word took flesh on our earth
when the Virgin Mary placed her life
at the service of your plan.
Lift our minds in watchful hope
to hear the voice which announces his glory
and open our minds to receive the Spirit
who prepares us for his coming.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN
Reading I: Isaiah 62:1-5
Your God rejoices in you! You are God’s Delight, God’s Espoused! How does this
speak to you? When were you so full of joy you could not be quiet?
The conferral of a new name designated God’s almighty power over creation. When
one was given a new name, that person was made a new creation, (Birmingham, W&W,
p. 88). Isn’t it endearing when someone calls you by a nickname? It draws you close to
each other. God calls you by name, for you belong to God. Relish in it.
Reading II: Acts 13:16-17, 22-25
In this reading, Paul is connecting the messianic promise in the Hebrew scriptures to its
fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Paul wants to be sure his audience is listening to this
message. Jesus came to save them - and us! Know that this Christmas. Jesus comes
to us as a small child, unlike any image of Messiah anyone could have possibly
imagined. But Jesus comes to us now, in our hearts. We must listen for it.
Gospel: Matthew 1:1-25
Matthew begins with this genealogical lineage, almost like a commercial before the main
event. It was so important to the people at that time to see a link between Abraham, the
Father of their faith, and Jesus. The important link is Joseph, since he is Jesus’ legal
father and heir to the house of David. The genealogy shows that God used ordinary,
unknown men and women to be part of the greatest story over told. Not just unknown –
some were downright scoundrels! David himself was no saint, and others were horrible
kings. But everyone has a place in history. We all may have a sordid family tree – Jesus
understands that! (Remember that when you are at your family gatherings this
Christmas!) Jesus stands as a beacon of light in the midst of relational darkness,
(Birmngham, W&W, p. 90).
From Celebration Dec. 2004:
On keeping Christmas all year long: believe and live as if love is the strongest thing in
the world – stronger than hate, stronger than fear, stronger than death. “God-with-us” –
God’s power and love is forever involved with all that is human.
From The Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Matthew Vol I, Barclay:
Jesus is the answer to the dreams of men [and women]. It is true that so often we don’t
see it that way. We see the answer in power, wealth, material plenty and the realization
of anticipated ambitions. But if ever our dreams of peace and loveliness, and greatness
and satisfaction, are to be realized, they can find their realization only in Jesus Christ.
The relationships in this passage are bewildering...first Joseph is betrothed to Mary,
then he wants to divorce her, and suddenly she is his wife. These are the steps to a
normal Jewish marriage procedure in those days:
 Engagement: This was usually done when the couple were only children, through
the parents or a matchmaker.
 Betrothal: This was the sealing of the engagement. The girl could withdraw up to
this point. Once entered, it was binding and lasted a year. The couple would be
called man and wife even though they didn’t quite have the rights yet. Only divorce
could end a betrothal. This is the stage Mary and Joseph were in.
 Marriage: Full marital consent.
Jesus is the Greek form of the Jewish name Joshua, meaning Jehovah is salvation.
Jesus was born by the action of the Holy Spirit, a Virgin Birth. What does this mean for
us? According to the Jewish idea, the Holy Spirit was the person who brought God’s
truth to humanity. It was the Holy Spirit who taught the prophets what to say and what to
do. This is how Mary and Joseph would have understood it. Jesus would be the one
person who could tell us what God is like, and what God means us to be. In Jesus we
see the love, the compassion, the mercy, the seeking heart, the purity of God as
nowhere else in all this world.
From Ronald Rolheiser, The Holy Longing:
God takes on flesh so that every home becomes a church, every child becomes the
Christ-child, and all food and drink become a sacrament. God’s many faces are now
everywhere, in flesh, tempered and turned down, so that our human eyes can see him.
God, in his many-faced face, has become as accessible, and visible, as the nearest
water tap. That is they why of the incarnation.
God is still here, in the flesh, just as real and just as physical, as God was in Jesus. The
word did not just become flesh and dwell among us – it became flesh and continues to
dwell among us.
Closing Prayer:
Gracious God,
Let peace abound in our presence. Purge out of every heart the lurking grudge.
Give us grace and strength to persevere. Give us the grace to accept and forgive.
Help us to laugh more, to give freely, to worry less.
Soften us so you can form us with your love, O Potter.
Empower us as the wind empowers a windmill, O Spirit.
Come, Lord Jesus, live deeply within us this Christmas and always. Amen.