Open-ended,
Life-centred,
Gospel-Focused Explorations of the Hebrew Bible Readings set for the
Eucharist in the Australian Prayer Book.
ADVENT
4, Year C... MICAH 5:2-5A...For the Gospel
(LK 1:39-45) scroll above.
NOTES: 1]Always read the Hebrew Bible in the light
of our understanding of God revealed in Jesus.2] Micah was a Prophet in the reigns
of kings (of Judah) Jotham, Ahaz, & Hezekiah, i.e. from the 730s to
about 700BC. He was a contemporary of Hosea & (1st) Isaiah. 3] MIC's message emphasises the
coming of a Messiah. In 6:8, his
languageis very Jesus-like. 4] In
v.3, 'giving up' & 'returning' probably refers to the captivity of
Israel (the Northern part of what had been David's kingdom) & a
hoped for return to God by both the South (Judah) & what was left
of Israel. WARMING UP: How
much do we look forward to celebrating Jesus' coming at Christmas, or
is all the trouble just not worth it?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
2 How much does
the place of our birth matter to us? Does it matter much to anyone
else? What about our own 'line of descent' - how much does it matter to
us or anyone else whom we're descended from physically? Isn't our
spiritual 'descent' more important than any physical one? Does Jesus
himself give any indication that it mattered to him that he was born in
'David's town' of David's line? Because we trace our spiritual descent
through the Jewish people, maybe it does matter that we can
identify Jesus' descent from David & our descent from Him? Might a
backdrop be being painted here so that long after, there should be a
traceable biblical / historical record of continuity; of old prophecies
being fulfilled so Jews & non-Jews alike can see that Jesus is the
long promised Messiah?
3
Why would God ever 'give his people up'? Would / could God ever do
that? What if MIC means that Judah as a nation has to give birth to a
people who return to God before God will return to them? Do we have any
expectation that God would 'return' to us as a people if we as a people
returned to God? What would the latter need to involve? What are the
consequences for a people that God 'gave up'? That couldn't happen to
us, could it? Is it possible & reasonable to think in terms like
MIC does about our relationship - or lack of it - with God, without us
becoming a religious crank?
4-5a Does it seem
likely that Jesus deliberately picked up & developed MIC's shepherd
inagery here? (cf. his picking up of ZECH's idea of a king on a
donkey?) Given that shepherding their people was one thing most Hebrew
rulers (including David!) failed miserably in doing, why might it be
important to God to inspire a Prophet like MIC to talk about
re-establishing a real, shepherding king? Would it be true to say that
Jesus, like MIC here, sees shepherding as a heart matter, not just a
head thing? How important is it to us to live 'securely'? Is real
security a matter of locks & bolts or something bigger than that?
What's at the heart of security for us personally? As a nation? What's
peace really all about - for us personally? As a nation? How much
influence can a heavenly / spiritual King, as distinct from an earthly
one, have? In a democracy, when our elected leaders fail to shepherd us
according to God's will, give us security (in God's sense) & peace
(in God's sense) where does that leave us? Where does it leave such a
government?
