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Second Sunday of Christmas • Year C
January 5, 2025
Historical Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son, we might be made to abound in good works. Grant this, we pray, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Thematic Collect
Steadfast God, your will for all creation has been revealed through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Grant that, having been shown your glory and received your grace, we may also be obedient to your will; through Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Common Thread
Wisdom is a gift of the Spirit of God. It is not something we learn in a classroom or technically even in the school of hard knocks, rather it is a quality bestowed upon the faithful by a loving Lord who desires his people would know his will and his holy Word. Jesus, at the young age of 12, exhibited this gift of wisdom as he discussed the Scriptures with the teachers in the Temple.
First Reading • 1 Kings 3:4-15
The Lord met young King Solomon in a dream and offered him whatever he might ask for. Oh, the possibilities of what request could have been made. But Solomon loved the Lord. He had recently finished an ambitious building project: his own house, a house for the Lord, and a wall around Jerusalem. Solomon's greatest desire was to follow in his father David's footsteps - to be a wise and good king for the people of God. So instead of asking for long life, riches, or power, Solomon asked for wisdom. God was pleased with this request and granted Solomon a wise and discerning mind and heart.
Psalm • Psalm 119:97-104
The psalmist proclaimed his love for the law of the Lord. Through God's commandments, he has become wiser than his enemies who do not know God's law. God himself teaches his people through his law, instructing us in his ways and giving us an understanding of his holy will. God's Word is sweeter than honey and instructs those who will listen to his ways of righteousness.
Second Reading • Ephesians 1:3-14
As those chosen by God, we have received every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. This is a collective "we" in that God has given to the Church of Christ all we need for the mission of the gospel. Having adopted us as sons and daughters, God has given us everything according to his will which includes forgiveness of sins, abundant grace, an understanding of the mysteries of his will, and an inheritance that will last forever.
Gospel • Luke 2:40-52
At just 12 years old Jesus showed his wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures and God's ways as he stayed behind at the temple while his parents journeyed home. We often marvel at the bursts of delightful wisdom that children speak on occasion. "Out of the mouths of babes," we say. Just when we think they aren't listening, out of their mouths comes a word or phrase or thought they heard from a grown-up. It's especially thrilling when their pronouncement is concerning something heard or saw in worship! As for Jesus, his wisdom was God-given because he was God. Much like we come into our own as we grow up, Jesus' coming into his own was recorded by St. Luke in his gospel. Still a pre-teen, Jesus was able to hang with scholars, rabbis, and priests.