Thursday, December 18, 2014

Sunday Gospel Reflection, December 21, 2014: The promises of the Lord I will sing forever...



Do you keep all your promises?

As we fly toward Christmas later this week, we pause this Sunday to remember the reason for the season:  that Jesus Christ was sent by God to fulfill once and for all God’s promise, the covenant established with David – work that is not over yet, because it continues to take place in us!

Sunday’s reading from the Second Book of Samuel reminds us that God told David explicitly:  I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins… David is thus part of salvation history unfolding, the salvation history we have been tracing all through Advent on our Jesse tree.  Although David didn’t quite grasp God’s message, we do:  Jesus is the ultimate heir to the throne, Son of the Most High, the angel Gabriel tells Mary in Luke's Gospel, the Messiah who will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.  His very name, Jesus, Yeshua, means Savior:  Jesus is the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages, as Paul tells the Romans, planned by God from the beginning of time to bring salvation to humankind.

Hence, in Jesus, God kept his most monumental promise, confirming his faithfulness (Psalm 89).  Thanks to the Incarnation of Jesus, our bond with God is an eternal and open connection that nothing, nothing on earth can change.  Salvation, we know, is still evolving; we are still trying to take it in.  Our life still has somewhere to go – and God still has something to accomplish in us, God’s work in us is still not finished, and we are all a part of that ongoing and endless kingdom. As we continue to participate in salvation history, may we forever sing the goodness of the Lord, remembering his promise and greeting its fulfillment in the very holy days to come, celebrating that promise in the very person of Jesus Christ, the embodiment of God's Love for all.

This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
Image source:  Wordle

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