Monday, December 2, 2013

Monday of the First Week of Advent

Amos 2:6-16, 2 Peter 1:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Psalms: MP - 1, 2, 3; EP - 4, 7.

I have taken over a year off from writing reflections on the Daily Office. I've decided that for the new calendar year, the church one, I am going to make an effort to re-start my daily office reflections. Not a daily thing. But 3 to 4 times a week is the planned effort. So here goes....

Advent Wreath 2013
We have Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem in our Gospel reading for today. Perhaps a seemingly odd choice of scripture readings for this first Monday in the advent season. For we are at the very beginning of our new church year. And we are provided with a portion of Matthew from the near end of that Gospel.

There is a bit of book ending by the writer of this Gospel going on today. He begins this book providing a genealogy of Jesus, Joseph's visit by an angel of God telling him that Mary is to bear the son of God,
 and then the visit by the three wise individuals to the infant who 
they described as the new king of the Jews, and Joseph being gifted another angelic visitor telling him to flee Herod's wrath.  At the 
very beginning of this Gospel, Jesus is announced as the new king and at the end of this Gospel Jesus is treated as a king upon his entry into Jerusalem.

What are we to take away from this reading? Perhaps it is two things. First, it is the marvel at the beauty of the story we enter into at the beginning of this new church year. And secondly, it is to remind us of who and what this infant in a manger we wait upon is and what he becomes. Not a bad start to Advent.
jfd+

Copyright, The Rev. John Dwyer. 2013, all rights reserved.

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