Elliott's Muses

Matthew 3 jumps forward 30 years as Jesus begins to be public in ministry.   Jesus grew up in Nazareth, the son of Joseph and Mary, but Joseph is no longer in the story.   We know that Jesus was trained by Joseph to be a carpenter. [1]   Yet Matthew spends no time (and neither do any of the other Gospel writers, except Luke [2] ) telling us about the years he lived in Nazareth.    The time had come that Jesus would reveal himself and begin his public ministry, but it was not Jesus who announced his coming at first, but rather, his cousin, John, the Baptizer.  In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”  Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem

 At the beginning of 2024, I embarked on further editing to update the book I had written in 2021 - "Reading the New Testament in A Year, A Devotional Commentary".  I had labored in writing that book for over 18 months, but I wanted to update it in terms of content, accuracy, and clarity.  It was my desire to make sure this book represents the best of my abilities to understand the scripture in light of my own spiritual journey.  Over the years, I have continued to write on biblical subjects and teach from the Bible.  In retirement, I’ve had more time to look at the overall nature of this New Testament Devotional Commentary, and while I’m pleased with the original documents, I realized that more can be gained by better editing and clearer messaging. Is it important?  I believe it is, and the reason why is this: The Word of God is inseparably linked to God. The Psalmist said it clearly: “ I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast lov

As we come to the end of the twelve days of Christmas, we also come to the celebration of the Epiphany.   The Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas season.   The word “epiphany” means “a manifestation”…something that has been hidden is now “made visible”.   The celebration of the Epiphany in the church’s liturgy will occur this Sunday and comes from  the visit of the Magi in M atthew’s Gospel. Matthew 2:1-2,   10-11 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,  saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him…”  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Twice in the narrative, the Magi indicate their long journey

For many of us, Christmas is a travel season.   It might be that people travel to you, or it might be that you have traveled to others.   Many times it’s families that get back together.   Sometimes it is a gathering of relatives in a larger group.   Our situation isn’t normal, but it is a reality for many others.   With our children scattered to the four corners of the earth, we celebrated Christmas together with some friends (who were in the same situation).   With modern technology, we were able to be together with our family for a couple of hours on Christmas morning – which was an amazing gift made possible by today’s technology.   We live in a day that lets it be possible to have time with family tho we are thousands of miles away from each other. Before the mid-20 th century, there was little opportunity to be with family if they were not in the same locality.  That is the story of this eleventh day of Advent.  First, the Scripture: Matthew 2:13-15,   Now after they had le

When we think about Christmas we realize that God came down and the birth of Jesus was a divine, but also human birth.  In the birth we celebrate the Incarnation of Emmanuel – God is with us.  Today, we celebrate the name that God gave to both Mary and Joseph to give their new-born - Jesus.  The Scripture background: Matthew 1:20-21   “… an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’"   Luke 1:30-31 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. The name “Jesus” means “Jehovah Saves”.  In Hebrew it would be Yehôshuaʿ, translated Joshua.  I’m sure you’ve already noticed that the naming of Jesus was not left to Mary a

We have entered a new year, and for many the holidays are behind and life is returning to normalcy.  Advent has prepared us to celebrate and live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  We can do that, but it is not easy.  It is the way of the Cross, the way of humility, the way of wisdom, and the way of grace.  Today is entitled “courageous faith”, in honor of the Church’s remembrance of two great early Church fathers – St. Basil the Great (329-379) and St. Gregory Nazianzen (330-390), bishops and doctors of the Church.  Although not celebrated today, a third saint deserves mention in this area of courageous faith - Gregory of Nyssa, a brother of Basil the Great.  All three are known as the Cappadocian Fathers because they lived and served the church in the Cappadocia region of what is now Turkey.  All three were friends and they worked tirelessly to protect the Church from Trinitarian and Christological heresies, which greatly advanced the Church’s defense of orthodoxy. While they made an

 It’s the beginning of a New Year.  The calendar has changed and last year is history.  Change is something that we seldom feel comfortable with.  Yet, we don’t have to live with fear about the future because we have the faithfulness and love of God to remind us of his care.  Advent reminded us that God had a plan and a purpose that he fulfilled in sending his Son, born of the Virgin Mary.  He sent His Son to be a Human, though he was God.  On this last Octave day of the twelve days of Christmas, let’s remember that God continues to carry out his plans even to today. Scripture reminds us of this:   Galatians 4:4-7 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.  And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"  So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child the