Samuel was a Prophet in the time of King Saul and David. Samuel is said to be written or compiled by the J writer in around 10th century BC and by the E writer in the eighth century BC.
His mom was Hannah, she prayed long and hard for a son; so when Samuel was a few years old she dedicated him to God and handed him over to Eli a senior Levite priest. Samuel is given the honor of being the first Acolyte. He was serving Eli as his companion and helper. In due time God called Samuel, and we have the story of Samuel waking Eli in the night several times and Eli told Samuel it was God calling him. Samuel’s other claim to fame was the anointing of David (Jesse’s youngest son) as King. Some difficulties arose because King Saul was very angry and attempted to slay David. Samuel protected David and it came to pass David became the King.
This reading, 7: 1-11, 16, is a Covenant story; a revival of the deal between Abraham & God is played out. The dialog between King David and the prophet Nathan has to do with David’s grandiose plans to build a magnificent temple to house the Arc of the Covenant (GOD). God forcefully tells David (through Nathen), not for me to build a magnificent house! I did not ask for this, I do not want this; God wants an intimate personal relationship. God lives in the heart, the mind, and soul not isolated in magnificent temples. God gives out a litany of all the acts that were accomplished to preserve the people of Israel. In closing, he tells King David: “Your house and your Kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever” (the Covenant restated). In the context of Advent, the story is a good reminder that the real deal is the Covenant of Love in the heart- be prepared in the right way; don’t get lost in the wilderness of building magnificent stuff.
The Roman Letter is considered by biblical scholars to be the exposition of Paul’s theology, independent of local issues and problems. It is the last of his many letters and constitutes a summary of Paul’s faith and teachings. In his grand design, Paul’s aspiration was to spread the Good News in Christ to all; he envisioned his next road trip would be to Spain. However, Paul was arrested before he got on the road again. Chapter 16 is the last chapter of this Letter, it includes greetings to fellow followers and an introduction to one of these followers named Phoebe.
Paul preaches three elements in 16: 25-27: Standing firm against adversity, you are called to spread the word of Christ to others, and the coming of Christ fundamentally changed the game completely. Additionally the Gospel of Christ is for everyone, not just one group of people- Preach the word to all the nations is one of features that is fundamentally different from the earlier prophets. In the end, Paul concludes that the faith is set in acts of Love of God and fellow man.
We can easily see that Advent is nearly done and Christmas is not far away by this Gospel that is often referred to as the annunciation- The Angel Gabriel comes down to a small unimportant village to tell a teen age girl that she is to give birth to GOD’S son, Jesus. WOW!
Only the Gospels of Luke and Matthew detail the Nativity. Luke wrote his Gospel around 62 AD for a wealthy patron Theophilus, but targeted a greater audience, the Roman Empire. His Gospel was written in sophisticated Greek. When Luke was a young guy he hung out with the disciples, his mother was one of the early followers of Jesus. His story of the nativity is from Mary’s point of view. It is widely held that Luke and Mary conversed, so the information is first-hand, not passed down folk traditions. This story is amazing in context of that time. In those days, a betrothed person was in that status for a year, the aspect of a pregnancy could result in severe penalties and becoming a social outcast in her family and village. Mary as one imagines was very disturbed by Gabriel’s announcement. The game was on, Mary accepted the word, and then Gabriel goes on to say that this Jesus will get the throne of David- implications of the Messiah and rule the house of Jacob forever (tying the future to the past). Gabriel tells Mary that her close relative, Elizabeth at advanced aged is pregnant with a son (John the Baptizer). “Nothing is impossible with GOD.” Mary exclaims, “Here I am, the servant of the LORD; let it be according to your word.” The Magnificant, is a wonderful song Luke 46-49, a personal, expression of Mary’s praise to God and Thanksgiving for her being selected.
My soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his handmaiden.For behold, from henceforth : all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm, he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent empty away. He remembering his mercy hath helped his servant Israel as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.
Tying this back to our Prophet Samuel, we have a similar expression of gratitude to God by Hannah (1000 years earlier) for her blessing of a son (First Book of Samuel 2nd Chapter: 1-10).
Mary, as mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God (Μήτηρ Θεοῦ) and the Theotokos, literally, Birthgiver of God. In Islam Mary is regarded as the virgin mother of the prophet Jesus. She is described in the Qur'an, in the Sura as Maryam (Arabic: سورة مريم).
Get on board: the Lord is coming soon! Thanks be to GOD
Submitted by Walt Jaap
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