Year
ABCParaphrases of the Scripture Lections
for the Feast of the Nativity - Proper II - December 25
Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary.
Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT)
P. O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.
* Isaiah 62:6-12
Jerusalem, I have sent the town criers up onto the wall.
........I have told them to shout day and night,
................to never let anyone shut them up.
Their job is to shout and chant without a break,
........to keep up the pressure
................until the LORD puts Jerusalem back on her feet
................and makes her the toast of all the earth.
“I have given my word,” says the LORD,
........“and you can count on it.”
“Never again will I let your enemies in
........to plunder the food and wine
................you have put so much work into.
From now on everyone will enjoy the fruits of their own labour;
........those who bake the bread
................will eat with thankful hearts;
........those who pick the grapes
................will enjoy the wine in my temple.”
People of Jerusalem, throw open your gates.
........Get everything ready for the home comers.
Resurface the road,
........fill the potholes, clear the stones,
................put up signs to show everyone the way.
The LORD has an announcement to make,
........and all the earth will hear it;
“I am coming soon to save you, Jerusalem,
........and I will bring a reward
................to make up for all you have suffered.
You will be known as people dedicated to me,
........as the people I have reclaimed and brought home.
You will be called “the place to be,
........the city no one wants to leave.”
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
* Psalm 97
You, LORD, are the ruler of everything!
........The whole earth celebrates!
........Up and down the coast, everyone is shouting for joy!
Deep, dark clouds of mystery hide you from us;
........justice and integrity are the bedrock of your rule.
You are a consuming fire, leaping in all directions,
........purging the earth of its enemies.
Your touch splits the darkness with bolts of light;
........the earth is lit up and shakes like a leaf.
You are Lord of all the earth, and in your presence
........even the mountains go weak and melt like wax.
The heavens herald you as the one who puts things right;
........all people everywhere witness your day of glory.
Those who worshipped hollow facades
........will hang their heads in shame.
Those who take pride in the power of possessions
........will be horrified when it all proves worthless.
All these false gods and short-lived saviours
........crumble and fall before you, the real thing.
From the Temple Mountain to the farthest flung town,
........your people are celebrating with great joy, O God,
................because you have seen the truth and brought about justice.
You, LORD, are number one in all the universe;
........in a league of your own,
................far above anything else that seeks our allegiance.
You love those who detest evil, LORD;
........You stand guard over those who are loyal to you;
................You come to their rescue if they fall prey to violence.
When people have integrity and do what is right,
........you light up their lives and fill them with joy.
All who build their lives on the bedrock of your truth and justice
........are celebrating all you do, LORD.
Just the mention of your holy name
........and they burst forth with a flood of gratitude!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
* Titus 3: 4-7
When God our Saviour showed up,
........overflowing with goodness, love and kindness,
................we were rescued from the horrors of our past.
God saved us,
........for no other reason than because God wanted to.
We had never done anything to deserve it.
........It only happened because God’s mercy is so extravagant.
The Holy Spirit stepped in
........and took us down into the healing waters.
We came out thoroughly rejuvenated,
........like newborn babies with a fresh start before us.
Through our contact with Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
........God has poured out the Holy Spirit on us,
................like a rich oil that soaks into every pore.
So now, having been given a clean slate
........through God’s extravagant generosity,
we are marked out to receive the full inheritance,
........the life without limit that everyone has been longing for.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
* Luke 2: (1-7), 8-20
........Many years ago, the Roman Emperor Augustus gave orders for a census to be conducted throughout the whole empire. This was the first time it had been done while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Every man was required to go and register himself and his family in the town where he had been born. For Joseph, this meant travelling all the way from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea. Bethlehem had been the home town of King David, and Joseph, being a descendent of David, had been born there too, so that was where he had to report. Joseph’s fiance, Mary, travelled with him to Bethlehem for the census. She was pregnant and the baby was due any day. There was no accommodation left anywhere in the town, so they ended up camping out in the stables behind a pub. Sure enough, she went into labour while they were there and gave birth to her first child - a baby boy. Mary wrapped the baby in a bunny rug and made up a bed for him in a feed trough.
........The region around Bethlehem was sheep country, and that night there was a bunch of shearers spinning yarns around their campfire. Suddenly the whole sky lit up with the glory of God, and the Lord’s messenger stood among them. They were packing death, but the messenger said to them, “It’s okay! There’s no need to panic. I’m here with good news, news that will give everyone everywhere good reason to celebrate. A saviour has just been born in David’s town. He is God’s chosen one, the Lord of all. Go and see for yourselves. You’ll know you’ve found him when you see a baby wrapped in a bunny rug and lying in a feed trough!”
........The second he’d finished speaking, the messenger was joined by a whole crowd from heaven, all praising God and shouting at the tops of their voices, saying:
........“All the glory belongs to God in heaven,
................and let there be peace on earth for all God’s people!”
........Then it was all over - the crowd went back to heaven and the shearers were left sitting there looking at one another, gob-smacked. “We’d better go and check this out,” they said. “Let’s go into town and see if we can see what’s happened, what the Lord has let us in on.”
........So without messing around they headed straight into Bethlehem, and sure enough, they tracked down Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the feed trough. When they saw all this, they began telling everyone what they had heard about this child. People could hardly believe their ears when they heard what the shearers were saying. But their words were precious to Mary and she repeated them over and over in her mind, wondering what would become of it all. The shearers headed off towards their camp again - a rowdy mob, singing and shouting in the streets about how fabulous God was because of everything they had seen and heard. Everything had been just the way they had been told it would be.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net