Moses and the New Prophet

 

Deuteronomy  18:15-20, the First Reading for the 4th Sunday after Epiphany in the Year of Mark, is matched very well with the Gospel Reading which centers on Jesus' emergence as the bringer of a "new teaching".  In this brief passage we hear Moses declare that God will raise up a new prophet and this one shall speak "everything that [the Lord] command[s]."  This new prophet is also an answer to prayer, according to Moses.  It is clearly, then, an act of grace.  It will be the preacher's task to make this clear to the listener.

(The following questions are meant to probe a fundamental question for Law and Gospel preachers, i.e. how does the Word function in the text? These questions are not meant to stand alone, but are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions that have other concerns.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This text functions first as a proclamation of God's grace in answering prayer. The people had prayed at Horeb for an alternative to the fearsome direct communication from God, and God has answered with a prophet to speak God's word. This is, then, a Gospel function, proclaiming good news.  The latter verses function as Law, telling of God's judgment upon those who fail to heed the words of God's prophet, as well as on any prophet who speaks words which are not from God.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are God's people, hearing this word of Law and Gospel from the mouth of Moses.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience is present here as the exhortation to heed the call of God's prophet.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Using the language from the text, we can imagine several couplets:  death/life; God's fire/God's grace.

5.  Exegetical work:  Second century theologian, Origen of Alexandria, clearly understood that God's concern about false prophets was an example of God's care for the people.  He wrote:  "We can be prepared to find some prophet of impiety - and perhaps not just one but several - who will tell us of a word of the Lord, which the Lord has not at all commanded, or a 'word of wisdom' which has nothing whatever to do with wisdom.  His purpose is to slay us by the word of his mouth." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT vol. III, p. 304).  Martin Luther, in his extended Lectures on Deuteronomy, declares that this short passage is "the chief passage in this whole book and a clearly expressed prophecy of Christ as the new Teacher." (Luther's Works, vol. 9. p. 176).  He goes on to say that "it is necessary for this Prophet to bring a new word, a word which Moses has not taught, because here God promises that He will put words into His mouth."  Luther continues, "But there cannot be another word beyond the word of Moses, unless it is the Gospel, since everything that belongs to the teaching of the Law has been transmitted most perfectly and amply by Moses, so that nothing further can be added." (Ibid.).  Expanding on this idea, Luther says, "...since this Prophet finds Moses teaching [the Law] and is Himself set up as a Teacher next to him, His Word must teach something else.  But He cannot teach anything else than sin, wrath, and death unless he teaches righteousness, grace, and life. Therefore, it is necessary that He be a teacher of life, grace, and righteousness, just as Moses is a teacher of sin, wrath, and death."(Ibid., p. 178).  Again, Luther says, "Since, therefore, the future Prophet is to teach differently from Moses, His Word must not be the Word of the Law, which kills and terrifies, but a Word that makes alive and consoles." (Ibid., p. 182). 

6.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Henry Mitchell advised the preacher to seek the point in the text where the celebration takes place.  In this text there is much to celebrate.  It will be the wise preacher who raises this up.

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Miracle of Mercy

 

The book of Jonah is a story of miracles.  Unfortunately, a minor character - the great fish - gets all the press.  The miracles of note are the repentance of Nineveh, and, more importantly, the mercy of God.  This is the focus of Jonah 3:1-5,10, the First Reading for the Third Sunday after Epiphany in the Year of Mark.  It is a text as full of grace as any in the Old Testament.  It will be the preacher's delight to announce this grace.

(The following questions have been developed to get at some fundamental concerns of Law and Gospel preaching around the function of the Word.  For more about this method, and Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word functions primarily as Gospel, especially the last verse:  "God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them."  Even the brief message from Jonah is a signal of grace, for he announces that God's judgment will come in 40 days.  There is a 'grace period', as it were.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  While God's threatened judgment is certainly part of the story, there is really no word of Law here (i.e.  The Word functioning to expose our need for a Savior).  Jonah's five word sermon announces the Law, but the Law is not directed at the reader.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  Since it is always important to identify with those to whom the Word is addressed, we have two choices here.  We can identify with Jonah or with the Ninevites.  To Jonah the word is "Get up, go, proclaim." To the Ninevites, the word is, "Repent."

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The word to Jonah is a classic call to obedience.  Jonah is a called prophet of God's people.  He has a job to do and God calls him to it.  He, of course, famously tries to outrun the Lord in the first go-round, but eventually obeys.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The obvious couplet in this story is judgment/mercy, or the city overthrown/the city saved.  God's grace is clear.

6.  Exegetical work:  From the ancients to modern day, scholars have marveled at the complete repentance of Nineveh.  4th century bishop and scholar, John Chrysostom had this to say:  "[The Ninevites] do not know the issue, and yet they do not neglect repentance.  They are unacquainted with the method of the lovingkindnesss of God, and they are changed amid uncertainty.  They had no other Ninevites to look to, who had repented and been saved.  They had not read the prophets or heard the patriarchs, or benefited by counsel, or partaken of instruction, nor had they persuaded themselves that they should altogether propitiate God by repentance.  For the threat did not contain this.  But they doubted and hesitated about this, and yet they repented with all carefulness." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. XIV, p. 144).  For George Robinson, early 20th century commentator, the repentance of the Ninevites is overshadowed by the miracle of God's abundant mercy:  "The catholicity of divine grace - this is the chief lesson of this book...It is the Old Testament counterpart to John 3:16, "For God so loved the world." (The Twelve Minor Prophets, p. 90).  Modern day scholar, James Limburg, has this to say:  "The response of the citizens of this city has been held up as exemplary not only in Judaism.  Jesus commended them, 'because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah'... The Midrash on Jonah gives a number of concrete illustrations of Nineveh's repentance.  The Koran also holds up the Ninevites as exemplary because of their faith."  (The OT Library series, Jonah, pp. 87-88).

7.  How does the Crossings community model work with this text?  Dana Bjorlin does a nice job of separating this text into two parts:  Jonah's mission and God's mission.  Clearly, Jonah's mission is incomplete and lacking in every way; God's mission is perfect in every way.  See the complete analysis archived under its reference at crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation!

And A Little Child Shall Lead Them

 

The Call of Samuel is perhaps one of the most well-known stories in the Bible, for it is often included in children's Bibles.  I  Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20], the First Reading appointed for the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany in the Year of Mark, contains this story.  This story is anything but benign, however, for it contains within it God's fierce judgment on the house of Eli, the priest.  Remarkably, it is the boy Samuel who bears the news to Eli, now for the second time.  As such this story carries with it the heaviness of the Law, as well as assurance of God's care.  The preacher will need to let both messages speak.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but they serve to answer some fundamental questions around the functioning of the Word, a central concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  For more on these questions, the method which underlies them, and Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available at wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This story functions primarily as Law, in that there are consistent references as to the need of the nation and the priesthood of Eli to move towards repentance.  Immediately preceding this text, in chapter 2, we see more details regarding the exact nature of the sins that God has called into judgment.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  Glimpses of Gospel are rare in this text.  In two separate places we see the Spirit breaking through briefly as Eli acknowledges God's presence.  At the end of verse 8 we read that "Eli perceived the Lord was calling the boy."  Instead of hindering Samuel's attention to God's voice, Eli instructs him to listen closely.  At the end of the passage, again Eli acts in faith.  When Samuel finally tells him what God has said, Eli responds, "It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him."  Both of these passages hint at grace peaking through.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We could identify with either Samuel or Eli, for the Word is addressed to both.  If it is Samuel with whom we identify, then our challenge is to listen closely to the voice of God.  If it is Eli, then our challenge is to repent.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience is the Word functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to God's grace.  We could interpret this whole story as such, i.e. we, who are God's servants, are called to always listen attentively to God's voice, and to avoid patterns which scandalize the Gospel.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? There are a number of terms in this text that lend themselves nicely to couplets.  A few examples:  the word of the Lord is rare/God's word is heard everywhere; dim eyesight/clarity of vision; lamp growing dim/lamp of God burning brightly.

6.  Exegetical work:  The second half of verse one states that "the word of the Lord was rare in those days, visions were not widespread."  It is instructive that the verb translated "widespread" is the common Hebrew verb "karatz", which is most often translated as "breaking through."  Here it is found in its passive form suggesting that divine communications were not allowed to "break through".  Visions were rare perhaps because spiritual 'cataracts', if you will, had grown over the eyes of the people of God.  Notice in verse two, special attention is given to Eli's eyesight which also was growing dim.  He, as leader of God's people was clearly no help.  To reinforce all this, verse 3 mentions that "the lamp of God had not yet gone out", suggesting once again that the people of God were going to have trouble seeing very well.  These opening verses very much suggest the spiritual state of the people.  

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  How do we bring the experience of the text to the listener?  This was always Fred Craddock's question.  Here, the preacher will need to enter into this story and invite others to enter in as well, in order to bring this experience to others.

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Beginning of the Good News

 

Genesis 1:1-5, the First Reading appointed for the Festival of the Baptism of our Lord in the year of Mark, is as familiar as any text in scriptures.  As such we are likely to miss its richness, assuming that its familiarity ensures understanding.  Could it be that these opening words of the Bible are both Law and Gospel proclaimed, even as we have begun to understand them embodied in Christ?  It will be the preacher's task to answer this question.

(The following questions have been developed to help answer fundamental questions surrounding the function of the Word in the text.  These questions are a central concern of Law and Gospel preachers, for as the text functions, so must the sermon.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This amazing opening statement functions as both Law and Gospel.  It functions as Law in the sense that it announces that apart from God's work, the world is formless and void.  It functions as Gospel in that God initiates light, calls it good, and separates it from the darkness.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  It's a bit difficult to identify with any person in this unique text, but one tack might be to identify with the one to whom this is addressed - one needing faith.  There is no one whose life does not, at least at times, feel formless and void, chaotic, in need of divine intervention.  The proclamation that God comes amidst our chaotic lives is good news.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text? There is clearly no call to obedience here.  That will come later in this text, when God says, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it."

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  As stated above, this text is a condensed version of the cosmic story of grace.  Couplet language should reflect that:  darkness/light; chaos/order; unnamed/named; formless/formed by God.

5.  Exegetical work:  Nahum Sarna, in his excellent commentary, makes the case for translating the opening verse "When God began to create heaven and earth."  He then follows that up with the suggestion that verse 2 is parenthetical, "describing the state of things at the time when God first spoke."  The completion of the sentence Sarna understands to be in verse 3. So what we have is, "When God began to create heaven and earth - the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water - God said, 'Let there be light';  and there was light."  (The JPS Torah Commentary, Genesis, pp. 4-6).  This translation, I believe, captures well the Law/Gospel core of this text, as it highlights the work of God as bringing light into an unformed and void world.  Sarna is also attentive to the artistic ordering of the text, noting that "the opening proclamation contains seven words; the description of primal chaos is set forth in twice seven words;"etc. (Ibid., p. 4).  In Sarna's view, "the quintessential point of the narrative is the idea of ordering that is a result of divine intent."(Ibid, p. 6).  Walter Brueggemann, another esteemed scholar, agrees with Sarna that this text is primarily proclamation.  In speaking about the entire opening narrative of Genesis, Brueggemann says, "Our exposition will insist that these texts be taken neither as history nor as myth.  Rather, we insist that the text is a proclamation of God's decisive dealing with his creation."  (Interpretation series, Genesis, p. 16).  "[This text] makes a theological claim that a word has been spoken which transforms reality.  The word of God which shapes creation is an action which alters reality."  "It is important to hear this text as a declaration of the gospel." (Ibid., p. 26).  Brueggemann goes further:  "The good news found here is that there are beginnings.  There are not simply repetitions, moving pieces around, or copying. There are beginnings, and they are wrought by the speech of God which evokes among us a new world.  The church has discerned this good news in Jesus of Nazareth.  Through him, God's powerful speech is still being spoken.  God's powerful wind is still blowing." (Ibid., p. 38).

6.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Moving listeners from disequilibrium to equilibrium was the advice Eugene Lowry often gave to preachers.  With the evident chaos-to-order movement in this text, the preacher might find Lowry's advice most helpful. 

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Word Made Flesh - WOW!

 

John 1:[1-9]10-18, the gospel lesson appointed for the 2nd Sunday of Christmas, is as rich and multivalent as any text in the Bible.  There are so many images, so many concepts worth exploring, that the preacher is hard pressed to decide on what to focus on in the sermon.  Nevertheless, decide one must and so it behooves the preacher to find a focus and stick with it. As the old adage goes:  "The preacher that is determined to exhaust a subject will only succeed in exhausting the listener."

(The following questions have been developed to explore the function of the Word in a text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  These questions are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions that explore other concerns.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The opening verses (10-11) function primarily as Law, alerting us to the fact that it is possible to neither recognize nor accept the Word.  Verses 12-18 function as Gospel in that they announce what God has done and is doing in the face of the world's rejection of the Word.  In order then, God gives power to become children of God; the Word becomes flesh and lives with us full of grace and truth;  all receive grace upon grace from God's 'superabundance'; grace and truth come through Christ; God makes known the Son who is close to the Father's heart.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those who are addressed by both the Law and the Gospel in this text.  We are those who are capable of not knowing the Word and rejecting that same Word.  We are also those whom God desires to make children of God. We are those who have been given the gift of the Word made flesh in all of its superabundance.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  We might think that verse 12, "but to all who received him who believed in his name," is a call to obedience, but it is not.  It is a call to faith.  The call to obedience is the Word functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to God's work in our life, (e.g. acts of love and compassion).  The Word does not function in this way here.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There is plenty of vocabulary in this text that lends itself well to couplets.  A couple of suggestions:  dead/alive; cursed/graced; deceit/truth.

5.  Exegetical work:  Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament is a treasure trove of information on just about any important word in the New Testament, but the extensive article on 'logos' is worth the price of the set itself.  Here are just a few of the insights from this extensive article:  "Logos is that which gives the event its theme and content." (TDNT, vol. IV, p. 101).  "It is obvious that the main emphasis of the term is always on saying something."  "Logos...is always a spoken word."  "Even in the Prologue to John...it always contains the living concept of a spoken word, in this case the word spoken by God in the world."  "As a genuine word, it always finds its essence and meaning in the fact that it points to Him who spoke it." (Ibid., p.102).  "One of the most serious errors...would be to make this 'logos tou theo' a concept or abstraction." (Ibid., p. 119).  "At the head of the train of thought sketched by the term logos, there stands, not a concept, but the event which has taken place, and in which God declares himself, causing his Word to be enacted." (Ibid., p. 125).  "Jesus is not just the One who brings the Word but the One who incorporates it in His person." (Ibid., p. 126).  "The new thing [in John's prologue] is that the logos is the pre-existent Christ, and that the transition from pre-existence to history is the true theme." (Ibid., p. 129).  "The sole concern [of the NT] is with what has taken place in the name of Jesus." (Ibid., p. 131).  

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  In a recent analysis, Nathan Hall terms our lostness as alienation, and God's rescue project as connection.  We are disconnected from those around us, the truth, and ultimately from God in our lostness.  In Christ God reaches out and reconnects us to Godself, to truth, and finally to one another.  To see all the details of this insightful analysis, go to crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation!

What Time is It?

 

Galatians 4:4-7, the Second Reading appointed for the First Sunday of Christmas in the Year of Mark, begins with the phrase, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son..."  This phrase, 'the fullness of time' coincides with the opening phrase of the Gospel lesson appointed for this day which begins, "When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses..."  This juxtaposition begs the question, what time is it?  Is it time for the Law or the Gospel?  It will be the preacher's task to decide.

(The following questions have been developed in order to explore issues related to the functioning of the Word, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers. These questions are best used in conjuction with other fine sets of questions available to exegetes.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This brief text is primarily an announcement of the Gospel.  Coming as it does, amidst a theological argument about our condition without Christ and apart from faith, it is the point in the argument when the Gospel is announced.  God is clearly the actor - the One who alone has determined that 'the time' has come.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  Although our need for a Savior is everywhere implied in this text, the Word here is not functioning as Law.  We are reminded that we are under the Law apart from Christ and that we are slaves and not children, but the Word does not function here to call us to repentance.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are clearly those whom Paul is addressing.  We are those who lie under the weight of the Law apart from Christ. We are those who are slaves and have no inheritance apart from Christ.  We are children of God only by grace.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  There is no call to obedience in this brief text.  Later in the book of Galatians, Paul is regularly making calls of obedience (e.g. "Live by the Spirit!" 5:16), but here there is none of that language.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The language in this text lends itself quite easily to couplets.  For example:  under the law/free from the law; slaves/children; enslaved/redeemed.

6.  Exegetical work:  Much ink has been spilt in discussion of the phrase "the fullness of time."  For example, Marius Victorinus, 3rd century scholar writes, "So in the same way the fullness of time was achieved when all had become ripe for faith and sins had increased to the utmost, so that a remedy was necessarily sought in the judgment of all things."  (Ancient Christian Commentary on the Scriptures, NT, vol. VIII, p. 54).  John Calvin wrote that "the time ordained by God was seasonable and fit.  The right time for the Son of God to be revealed to the world was for God alone to determine."  (Reformation Commentary on the Scriptures, NT, vol. X, p. 134).  Luther, in his extensive commentary, suggests that the fullness of time is the time when the law was fulfilled, i.e. its purpose was achieved.  (Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, p. 353).  Charles Cousar, contemporary exegete, says that "God is the prime figure.  He determines the appropriate moment for the new age to break into the old." (Interpretation series, Galatians, p. 94).  So whether it was urgency, fitness, purpose, or the breaking in of a new age, that caused God to act, it is clear that the timing of the Christ event was up to God.  Perhaps as Erik Heen said in his online commentary in 2014 on Working Preacher "If God has sent the Christ of Israel to redeem the world, then the fullness of time has come."  In other words, the Christ event makes this the right time.

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Since we are dealing with a theological treatise here, it will be more important than ever to heed Charles Rice' advice to help listeners recognize their shared story here.  How does the Jesus story intersect theirs? That is an important question to be mindful of in this sermon.

Blessings on your proclamation!

A Child? Here?

Isaiah 9:2-7, the First Reading appointed for Christmas Eve, can hardly be read without hearing Handel's rendering of "For Unto Us a Child is Born" in the background.  This text, delightful as it is, is a classic example of God's power made present in weakness.  How is it that a mere child can provide light to the nations, give joy as at the harvest, break the yokes of oppression, and bring peace to the tramping warriors whose garments are rolled in blood?  It will be the preacher's great joy to announce this miracle.

(The following questions have a particular focus - how is the Word functioning in the text?  This, of course, is not the only way one can look at a text, but it is of special concern to Law and Gospel preachers, for how the Word functions informs how the sermon will function.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com and amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text? There is nothing but good news - Gospel - in this text.  Darkness has been vanquished, light has shined, nations are multiplied, joy and exultation abound, oppressors are broken, and an era of endless peace, justice and righteousness has begun.  How?  By the birth of a child.  Miraculous?  No doubt.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no Law here, no word that exposes our need for Christ.  That being said, the evidence of our need for a Savior is everywhere implied:  deep darkness, yokes of burden, oppressors, tramping warriors (i.e. war).  Yet, there is no call to repentance here.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We have our choice as to whom we would most closely identify with here.  Are we those who have known deep darkness?  Do we bear yokes of burden or oppression?  Have we known bloody wars?  Whatever suffering we have encountered, this word comes to us in the midst of it and assures us of God's presence - Immanuel.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience, the Word functioning to invite us into a certain way of living, is not present here.  Titus 2:11-14, the Second Reading for this day, is a good example of a call to obedience.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There is plenty of language in this text which can be used to create couplets.  A few possibilities:  darkness/light; sorrow/joy; oppression/freedom.

6.  Exegetical work:  It is noteworthy that the open sentence involves a present tense participle and a perfect verb.  This gives us a bit different opening sentence:  Those who are walking (presently) in darkness have seen (accomplished fact) a great light. This gives the sense that a glorious event has broken into the ongoing march of existence.  God has broken in with the announcement of a child.  It is also worth noting that the 'deep darkness' is the same term translated in Psalm 23:4 as "the shadow of death."  This term, a metaphor for deep gloom, is common in the psalter (e.g. Psa 44:19, 107:10, 14). Another item of interest is that the words translated as 'authority' in verses 6 and 7, in the KJV translated as 'government,' are to be found nowhere else in the OT.  This begs the question of whether the prophet is intentionally entering the political arena here.  Certainly the text is full of images of battle, wars, and political power plays. Luther, in his Christmas sermons, centered in on the personal nature of these words.  He saw beyond the wide political context down to what is at stake for each believer.  Note his words in his sermon on Luke 2:[1-14]: "This is the meaning of Isaiah 9[:6]: 'To us a child is born, and to us a son is given.'  To us, to us, born to us and given to us.  Therefore see to it that you derive from the Gospel not only enjoyment of the story as such, for that does not last long.  Nor should you derive from it only an example, for that does not hold up without faith.  But see to it that you make his birth your own, and that you make an exchange with him, so that you rid yourself of your birth and receive, instead, his.  This happens, if you have this faith."  (LW, vol.  52, p. 16).

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  I very much appreciate Eric Evers' 2015 analysis of this text, entitled "This is No Place for Children."  He lifts up the absurdity of God's plan of salvation, once again underscoring the deep darkness that this Child overcomes.  We are without hope, stuck, and cursed, says Evers.  Only the Child can bring us out of this.  See the entire analysis, archived under its reference at crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation!