Evening Prayer; Lessons and Carols
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Adam and Eve waited. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob waited. Isaiah waited. Micah waited. All of Israel waited. The inhabitants of Bethlehem waited. All the patriarchs and prophets, the saints of old waited. Mary and Joseph waited. You have waited. Advent was pregnant with the expectation of coming of the Lord. The wait is over. The Promised Seed has come.
It is not incorrect to hear the readings for tonight as moving forward, through the preaching of the Lord by the mouth of His prophets, ever reminding, ever proclaiming the Promised One until at last He is here. Yet I submit that you ought to meditate on them in reverse. The Gospel readings illumine the Old Testament lessons. Saint Augustine expressed it this way: “In the Old Testament the New Testament is concealed; in the New Testament the Old Testament is revealed.”
With His incarnation and birth, the Christ will take history backward to that moment in the Garden when Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He will take His people back to that moment and remind us of the first time the Gospel was spoken: I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her Seed; he shall strike your head, and you shall strike His heal.
The protoevangelium, the first Gospel proclamation, was actually given to Satan. It was a death threat that rattled in his ears for millennia, and continues today. It was as if God said to Satan, “You will not win. Though you have plunged My creation into slavery, I Myself will rescue them. I will send My Son in the flesh to crush your head, to stomp your skull. You will bruise His heel, but that consequence will redeem My beloved ones from your grip. You may think you will win, but I will have the final victory.”
This is the thread that runs throughout sacred Scripture; Genesis to Isaiah through Micah and the prophets. It is not gold, but scarlet, blood red in fact, for the One who is born in order to die. He is called Yeshua, YHWH is salvation, for will save His people from their sins.
He is foreshadowed in the Seed of the Woman. He is the Angel of the Lord who swore by Himself to Abraham. He is the Substitute for all of us Isaacs. He is the Light shone, dispelling the great darkness of our sin. He is the Son given in peace and righteousness. He is the Shoot from Jesse’s stump, who is the Tree of Life, restoring fallen man and creating a new Eden. He is Ruler in Israel, and the Shepherd of His flock the Church. He is Jesus. He is the Son of the Most High. He is the Holy Son of God. He is Immanuel. He is Christ the Lord. He is the Word made flesh. And He is here for you.
To those who know and feel their sin, who have the weight of guilt on their conscience, who are hounded by death and the devil, who tremble at the demands of holiness of the stern Law, this is mercy from a holy and gracious God. This is joy beyond all sadness. This is life interceding and stopping death dead in its tracks. This is victory over hell and Satan. This is triumph over the powers of darkness. This is peace beyond all understanding. This is Christmas.
“All out of darkness we have light, Which made the angels sing this night. All out of darkness we have light, Which made the angels sing this night: ‘Glory to God and peace to men Now and forevermore. Amen.’”
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Adam and Eve waited. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob waited. Isaiah waited. Micah waited. All of Israel waited. The inhabitants of Bethlehem waited. All the patriarchs and prophets, the saints of old waited. Mary and Joseph waited. You have waited. Advent was pregnant with the expectation of coming of the Lord. The wait is over. The Promised Seed has come.
It is not incorrect to hear the readings for tonight as moving forward, through the preaching of the Lord by the mouth of His prophets, ever reminding, ever proclaiming the Promised One until at last He is here. Yet I submit that you ought to meditate on them in reverse. The Gospel readings illumine the Old Testament lessons. Saint Augustine expressed it this way: “In the Old Testament the New Testament is concealed; in the New Testament the Old Testament is revealed.”
With His incarnation and birth, the Christ will take history backward to that moment in the Garden when Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He will take His people back to that moment and remind us of the first time the Gospel was spoken: I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her Seed; he shall strike your head, and you shall strike His heal.
The protoevangelium, the first Gospel proclamation, was actually given to Satan. It was a death threat that rattled in his ears for millennia, and continues today. It was as if God said to Satan, “You will not win. Though you have plunged My creation into slavery, I Myself will rescue them. I will send My Son in the flesh to crush your head, to stomp your skull. You will bruise His heel, but that consequence will redeem My beloved ones from your grip. You may think you will win, but I will have the final victory.”
This is the thread that runs throughout sacred Scripture; Genesis to Isaiah through Micah and the prophets. It is not gold, but scarlet, blood red in fact, for the One who is born in order to die. He is called Yeshua, YHWH is salvation, for will save His people from their sins.
He is foreshadowed in the Seed of the Woman. He is the Angel of the Lord who swore by Himself to Abraham. He is the Substitute for all of us Isaacs. He is the Light shone, dispelling the great darkness of our sin. He is the Son given in peace and righteousness. He is the Shoot from Jesse’s stump, who is the Tree of Life, restoring fallen man and creating a new Eden. He is Ruler in Israel, and the Shepherd of His flock the Church. He is Jesus. He is the Son of the Most High. He is the Holy Son of God. He is Immanuel. He is Christ the Lord. He is the Word made flesh. And He is here for you.
To those who know and feel their sin, who have the weight of guilt on their conscience, who are hounded by death and the devil, who tremble at the demands of holiness of the stern Law, this is mercy from a holy and gracious God. This is joy beyond all sadness. This is life interceding and stopping death dead in its tracks. This is victory over hell and Satan. This is triumph over the powers of darkness. This is peace beyond all understanding. This is Christmas.
“All out of darkness we have light, Which made the angels sing this night. All out of darkness we have light, Which made the angels sing this night: ‘Glory to God and peace to men Now and forevermore. Amen.’”
RSS Feed