Sermon Tone Analysis

Title

Mother of God, Mother of us all

Outline

You can tell a mother by seeing her with her child

King Solomon knew that, when he knew that the true mother would save her child’s life at all costs, even if a rival ended up raising it

The shepherds, rough as they were, knew that - the minute they saw Mary looking lovingly at the sleeping Jesus, they knew that he was hers.

And they knew that this must be the one the divine messengers had been speaking about and therefore that what they had said about him was true.

The might not have understood, mind you, but they knew and they shouted it out to all whom they saw.

And Mary, who knew the whole story, or at least her part and what Gabriel has said about her son, knew what had been said about him and that he was indeed hers.

But she did realize she did not fully understand, so she pondered or meditated on all that she knew until, perhaps in the resurrection, perhaps in the coming of the Spirit, it all fit together.

The part that was clearer was

“God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law”

The “fullness of time” may have seemed obvious, for it had happened.

She was a woman, the child came from God, and, yes, she was law abiding.

Of course, she did not know in what sense he was God’s Son.

The how of the “throne of his father David” and “he will reign over the house of Jacob forever” were surely beyond her, but were comprehensible in human terms

The part that was less clear was

“to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption” Israel did need to be freed from Roman overlordship; perhaps that was what his name “savior” meant.

There was a part that probably only became clear when the Holy Spirit was guiding her meditations - perhaps in the Upper Room, but likely earlier

Then she understood what “the Son of the Most High” and “the child . . .

will be called holy, the Son of God” really meant - that she had given birth to God, incomprehensible as that was

Then she understood, at least intuitively in the Spirit, “God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” [for she now really knew God as Father] So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.”

And that if she were a child of God and an heir, she was that through motherhood, but the rest of the company were and the rest of Israel would be that through adoption.

And that meant that she was the mother of us all, an “us all” that she could not imagine, for only with Pentecost would her world encompass the Mediterranean world, with the exception of those strangers from the East who had come so long ago and that brief stay in Egypt [Herod the Great probably died within 2 years of Jesus’ birth]

Mary meditated, pondered, until God made the truth real

We respond with honor and thankfulness to she who is the Mother of God and our mother and with adoration and worship to the great Son she bore, Son of God and ruler of the world.

Readings

FIRST READING

Numbers 6:22–27

22 The LORD said to Moses: 23 Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites.

Say to them:

24 The LORD bless you and keep you!

25 The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!

26 The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

27 So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.

RESPONSE

Psalm 67:2a

2 May God be gracious to us and bless us;

may his face shine upon us.

Selah

PSALM

Psalm 67:2–8

2 May God be gracious to us and bless us;

may his face shine upon us.

Selah

3 So shall your way be known upon the earth,

your victory among all the nations.

4 May the peoples praise you, God;

may all the peoples praise you!

5 May the nations be glad and rejoice;

for you judge the peoples with fairness,

you guide the nations upon the earth.

Selah

6 May the peoples praise you, God;

may all the peoples praise you!

7 The earth has yielded its harvest;

God, our God, blesses us.

8 May God bless us still;

that the ends of the earth may revere him.

SECOND READING

Galatians 4:4–7

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption.

6 As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Hebrews 1:1–2

CHAPTER 1

1 In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; 2 in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,

GOSPEL

Luke 2:16–21

16 So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.

17 When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.

18 All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.

19 And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

21 When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Notes

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022 | CHRISTMAS

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD

YEARS ABC | ROMAN MISSAL | LECTIONARY

First Reading Numbers 6:22–27

Response Psalm 67:2a

Psalm Psalm 67:2–8

Second Reading Galatians 4:4–7

Gospel Acclamation Hebrews 1:1–2

Gospel Luke 2:16–21

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