Fourth Sunday of Advent Sunday December 23, 2007

Reading 1, Isaiah 7:10-14  Ahaz was the grandson of Uzziah, the Judean king following whose death Isaiah had received his prophetic call. Four years old at that time, Ahaz became king at the age of twenty and reigned for sixteen years. His not wanting to tempt the Lord was not an indication of respect but of lack of faith in the Lord. The hills surrounding the city of Jerusalem were ringed with temples to foreign gods. Ahaz sacrificed and offered incense at all of them. Worst of all was the altar in the Hinnom Valley (Gehenna) on the south side of Jerusalem where infants were burned as a sacrifice to the god Moloch. Ahaz immolated his own son there seeking Moloch’s favor ((2 Kings 16:3-4). Contrary to the advice of Isaiah, Ahaz allied himself with the king of Assyria to whom he sent all the treasures of the Jerusalem Temple as a present.

Reading II, Romans 1:1-7  When we Americans write letters, we tend to get right down to business after “Dear so-and-so”. Such directness, however, was considered crude and offensive in the culture of South America where I worked for several years. Certain formalities of greetings and blessings were expected before stating one’s purpose for writing. So it was in the Greco-Roman culture of Paul’s era. This passage is the formal greeting of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Take a look at the opening verses in the rest of Paul’s letters to get an idea of what should be included in such greetings and how Paul crafted those greetings.

Matthew 1:18-24  A year-long betrothal was the first part of an official marriage for Jewish couples. Infidelity during this time was considered adultery. In the male-dominated Jewish society, a woman pregnant by another man could be publicly condemned, sent back to her parents to remain unmarried for the rest of her life, or even put to death. No similar penalty fell to the man involved. Joseph waved his rights to such actions in taking Mary as his wife. Matthew wrote his gospel for a Jewish audience. Luke, on the other hand, wrote to people raised and educated in Greek society. Differences are apparent in Matthew’s use of symbolic numbers, considerable differences in the presentation of Jesus’ genealogy, and the role of women in society. In Luke’s gospel, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary. Matthew, respectful of his Jewish audience, has the angel communicate through Joseph instead.