Leonardo da Vinci, Studies for a Nativity, Pen and brown ink, on pink prepared paper, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Happy Holidays from the Prime Timers!

We are a Christian Education group at St. Martin's for Episcopalians aged fifty and above. If you are near the Parlor in between the 9:15 and 11:00am services, come on in, you are invited! We follow a course of study based on the Revised Common Lectionary, the three year cycle of readings from the Bible you hear at every church service. Next week's readings are right here, at the bottom of the page. For the next two weeks the Prime Timers will be celebrating the events of Christmas and class is suspended, but rest assured the readings will be updated!

Prime Timer Good News!

A Prime Timer tradition is hearing what others are up to, and charging a dollar for the privilege! We donate the money we collect to charities supported by the church. George gave thanks that a personal prayer was answered, just this morning! Elizabeth had a wonderful night out with her daughter; they saw the production of "White Christmas" at Theater Under the Stars. Marty praised his Mom's persistence in assembling a book of memories about her mother, a Christmas present for her sisters. And Murray praises his wife's persistence in creating this year's Christmas letter.

Annunciation

George Laigle is the Prime Timer leader today as we discuss the events of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel comes down and informs Mary that she is to bear the Messiah. As our wonderful new Associate Rector the Rev. Aaron M. G. Zimmerman told us in the sermon this morning, all you have to do is tell people at work that you heard about the Annunciation and it will pretty much stop conversation!

The Virgin birth is a difficult obstacle for non-believers, and it is not hard to understand why. Class allowed that this is outside many people's "comfort zone" of belief. If Mary is a stand-in for us, then maybe the virgin birth is God's gift of divine inspiration to us. Or just maybe it is one incredible miracle!

Prayer, and answers to prayer, can lead to miracles and the presence of the divine in our lives. A class member recalls being taught at an early age that all prayers are answered, and that the answer can be Yes, No or Wait. Maybe people who say that prayers are not answered are not happy with their answers.

Sister Penelope, of the Anglican Community of St. Mary the Virgin in Wantage, England has written:
“Consider Mary as the Second Eve. In Gabriel’s message she encountered a challenge to her faith greater than that at which her prototype had failed, harder and even more momentous than the one her father Abraham had taken up. It is striking that in her acceptance of it she calls herself ‘the servant of the Lord,’ the title of the Second Isaiah’s Servant with the gender changed. With her the words were simply the expression of absolute surrender to God’s will.”

Annette closes class today with a short prayer.

Lectionary readings

The Readings for Sunday, December 25th are from Lectionary Year Two, Christmas Day-B, "Unto Us a Child Is Born": Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14 and Luke 2:1-14 (15-20). The text this week is from the New Revised Standard Version.

Isaiah 9:2-7

² The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
³ You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
⁴ For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
⁵ For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
⁶ For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Psalm 96

¹ O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
² Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
³ Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous works among all the peoples.
⁴ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
⁵ For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
⁶ Honour and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

⁷ Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
⁸ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
⁹ Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.

¹⁰ Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity.’
¹¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
¹² let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
¹³ before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.

Titus 2:11-14

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, ¹²training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. ¹⁴He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

¹In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
¹⁴ ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

NRSV