The readings below are given to prepare us for the readings for Saturday Dec. 20 and Sunday Dec. 21. The Sunday reading from 2 Samuel is about how God chooses to dwell with us. The readings below from 2 Samuel help give us a glimpse of the awesome, and sometimes fearsome, nature of God’s presence with us. The readings from Hebrews may seem strange to us, with their talk of the role of Jesus compared to the role of angels. The goal of the book of Hebrews is to show how Jesus both fulfills and surpasses they ways people encountered God in the Old Testament, including angelic visitations, which play a key role in the Christmas story. The reading from Judges is about the role of angels in the birth of Samson, a ruler during a very turbulent time in Israel. Like Jesus and John his birth was announced by an angel, and the instructions given to Samson’s parents are similar to the one’s given to John the Baptizer’s parents.
How do the readings from 2 Samuel help us understand what it means for Jesus (and his body, the church) to be God’s dwelling place? How does the story of Samson’s birth set the tone for Jesus’ birth? While Jesus’ supremacy over angels may not be a pressing issue for us, what are contemporary rivals to Jesus’ role as the bearer of God’s presence?
Thursday 12/18
2 Samuel 6:1-11
Hebrews 1:1-4
Friday 12/19
2 Samuel 6:12-19
Hebrews 1:5-14
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