Common Lectionary

Think with me about a best man at a wedding. The best man simply stands alongside the groom, making sure all attention is riveted on the groom. The best man has fulfilled his role most admirably when he draws no attention to himself but diverts all attention to the groom.

The identity of the Magi is a mystery. Unfortunately, most of the popular notions about the magi are misleading. It is doubtful they were similar to the camel-riding travelers we usually see portrayed in pictures and Christmas pageants. The popular Christmas carol, "We Three Kings of Orient Are," is wrong on several counts. There's no evidence there were three of them-only that they brought three kinds of gifts. Scripture does not say they were kings; in fact, they almost certainly were not. As far as them being from the Orient, we simply have no information regarding their origin other than they came from the east.

Here it is-the day we've been waiting for and spending for during the past few weeks if not all year. I suspect most people get up earlier on Christmas Sunday than on an average Sunday. After all, what self-respecting boy or girl lets Mom and Dad sleep in on Christmas Day?

Have you ever tried to put into one sentence what a magazine or newspaper article, a book you're reading or a movie you've seen is all about? All you want to do is say it in a simple, clear way. It's not all that easy to do, is it? Perhaps the article in the newspaper was about the trouble at the local high school. It's not clear what kind of trouble we're talking about. Sometimes it's tough to put into words what we read, heard or learned.

So often the Old Testament is perceived as portraying a wrathful God of vengeance; but in this Old Testament passage, we see the compassionate, loving nature of God. Comfort is spoken to those who suffered through the Babylonian exile. These Israelites saw the destruction of their homeland, Judah; their capital, Jerusalem; their sacred temple on Mt. Zion. They were exiled from their land to live among the enemy for nearly 50 years. The prophets described the exile as punishment for the rebellious, apostate house of Judah. They saw Babylon as the rod of God's anger against His people.

No matter the custom or culture, weddings are important and revered events. As a pastor, I always have been extra sensitive to the nature of a formal wedding. I want everything to be just right. I want everyone to be punctual, especially myself. A number of years ago, I arrived at the church to perform the wedding of a precious young couple. I was greeted by an angry father of the groom, wanting to know why I was so late. I told him I was not late, but early. However, the time of the wedding had been changed, and I was not informed. Thinking I was in my usual waiting area, the pianist started the wedding, but I was not there. Although I was not at fault, I still felt badly that I was late for the wedding.