Lessons for December 30, 2008 – First Sunday after Christmas

The first lesson

Isaiah 63:7-9
 
    I will tell of the Lord's unfailing love. I will praise the Lord for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love. [8] He said, "They are my very own people. Surely they will not be false again." And he became their Savior. [9] In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.  (NLT) 

Psalm 148
 
L.  Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens!
C.  Praise him from the skies! 
L.  Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven! 
C.  Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! 
L.  Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds! 
C.  Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
L.  for he issued his command, and they came into being. 
C.  He established them forever and forever. His orders will never be revoked.
L.  Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, 
C.  fire and hail, snow and storm, wind and weather that obey him, 
L.  mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 
C.  wild animals and all livestock, reptiles and birds, 
L.  kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, 
C.  young men and maidens, old men and children. 
L.  Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
C.  For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! 
L.  He has made his people strong,honoring his godly ones—the people of Israel who are close to him.
C.  Praise the Lord!  (NLT)
 
The second lesson

Hebrews 2:10-18

    And it was only right that God—who made everything and for whom everything was made—should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation. [11] So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. [12] For he said to God,

    "I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters.
        I will praise you among all your people."
 
[13] He also said, "I will put my trust in him." And in the same context he said, "Here I am—together with the children God has given me." [14] Because God's children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. [15] Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. [16] We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, not to help the angels. [17] Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. [18] Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.  (NLT)

The Gospel Lesson

Matthew 2:13-23
 
    After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up and flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said. "Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the child." [14] That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, [15] and they stayed there until Herod's death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: "I called my Son out of Egypt." [16] Herod was furious when he learned that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, because the wise men had told him the star first appeared to them about two years earlier. [17] Herod's brutal action fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah:
 
    [18] "A cry of anguish is heard in Ramah—
        weeping and mourning unrestrained.
    Rachel weeps for her children,
        refusing to be comforted—for they are dead."
 
    [19] When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him, [20] "Get up and take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead." [21] So Joseph returned immediately to Israel with Jesus and his mother. [22] But when he learned that the new ruler was Herod's son Archelaus, he was afraid. Then, in another dream, he was warned to go to Galilee. [23] So they went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets concerning the Messiah: "He will be called a Nazarene."  (NLT)