Psalm 72:1-7,10-14,18,19; Matthew 2:1-12 Our Psalm is a prayer for guidance and support for King Solomon. It is a prayer that the king will carry out God’s directive to execute justice and righteousness. The poor are under God’s care, thus the king who is God’s representative acts for the good of the poor and needy. His express purpose is to protect the powerless. Then it talks about foreign kings rendering him tribute. Many find this to be a prophecy regarding the visit of the Magi to Jesus. This last Sunday was Epiphany Sunday where we celebrate the visit of the Magi who pay tribute to the Christ child. In fact, this Psalm ends blessing the Lord God of Israel who alone does wonderous things. So, could this Psalm dedicated to Solomon also be referring to Christ? It talks about righteousness to the king’s son – could this be the Prince of Peace – Jesus? In our familiar Matthew passage about the visit of the Magi – the scribes find another prophecy regarding Jesus birth from the O...

Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 1:47-55 Our Isaiah passage is a poetic oracle of promise. All that is less than whole as God intended will be reversed in a new age. The weak and fearful will be strengthened. Nature will be reversed. Those with disabilities: the blind, the deaf, and the lame will be given new abilities. It ends with the image of a holy highway to bring the exiles through the wilderness to Zion. In our Luke passage we have Mary speaking under a prophetic pulse. This prayer of Thanksgiving contains the themes of God’s concern for the lowly, hungry, and disadvantaged. A very humble Mary states that God has looked with favor on the lowliness of God’s servant. No wonder she mentions that God has lifted up the lowly. Isaiah spoke about the lowly mentioning the blind, deaf, and lame. These are people considered outcasts in society. He tells how God will come and save them overturning their disabilities. Mary is in some ways repeating Isaiah’s prophecy saying that the time the Jew...

Isaiah 11:1-10, Romans 15:4-13 Isaiah 11 is another prophecy of the coming of Christ. The word Christ means Messiah. It again uses the language of a shoot of Jesse, telling of the family tree Jesus will be from. The Spirit of the Lord is said to rest on him. This Spirit includes God’s wisdom, council, might, knowledge, and reverence for the Lord. Righteousness, equity, and faithfulness mark the leadership of Christ who will champion the poor and meek but overthrow the wicked. This reign of the true Davidic king leads to the ultimate advent of the peaceable kingdom where all orders of creation creates a new Eden-like community. In Romans Paul tells how whatever was written in former times was for their instruction. He quotes many Messianic prophecies emphasizing the servanthood of Christ. This he says is to confirm the promises – like our own Isaiah passage – given to their ancestors. He quotes these passages to declare that the Gentiles are included along with the Jews, finishing w...

2025 will be remembered in the Buist household as the great remodel. We are remodeling both bathrooms, our kitchen, floors, and walls. We are literally camping out in our house having to go out to eat or barbeque in our outside kitchen where the microwave lies. Next year we’ll hopefully have photos of our newly redone house. This is my last year before I have to retire from my church’s appointed ministry due to my age. I will work until November 1, 2026 and will return as a volunteer. I will also retire from subbing in 2026 when my credential runs out. It’s been 25 years! I published the 3 rd and final book in my Lone Trilogy, Grace aLONE. Find it on Amazon under Merrijoy W. Buist. I took two trips this year. I flew up to Seattle and took the Clipper ship with my friend Christy to Victoria, Canada. There I toured the beautiful Butchart Gardens, had high tea, and shopped. Then I spent two days at my brother Brian’s and his wife Terri and we had a mini-Seattle family reunion at Ma...

Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14 Isaiah prophesied in chapter 2 about people going up to the mountain of the Lord where God would teach them God’s ways and that they can walk in the Lord’s paths. The prophet beseeches the house of Judah to come and walk in the light of the Lord. In Romans Paul tells them to throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. By doing this they will walk decently by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ making no provision for the desires of the flesh – to step back into the darkness. Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ is a phrase that comes from a baptism liturgy which implies taking off meaning repenting and putting on Christ as spiritual enlightenment and empowerment to live in the light. The early Roman church must have struggled with the items Paul condemns and tells them not to engage in. Many devout Christians today don’t revel, get drunk, have illicit sex, or are licentious. However, many can be caught in quarreling – insisting on your wa...

Jeremiah 23:1-6, Luke 1:68-79 In Jeremiah God talks about the false shepherds, the Judean Kings who destroy and scatter the sheep. Days are coming, however, when God will raise up a righteous branch of David who will be a wise king who executes justice and righteousness in the land. This king will bring salvation to Judea and will be called the Lord of Righteousness. This is the first messianic prophecy in the book of Jeremiah. God says the Lord will raise up true shepherds who will shepherd them – guide and protect them. Due to this they no longer fear. Our passage in Luke is another Messianic prophecy this time done by Zechariah whose son will be John the Baptist. John will be one of the good shepherds mentioned in Jeremiah. Zechariah tells how his son will be the prophet of the most high and give God’s people knowledge of salvation by forgiveness of sins in Christ. Zechariah talks about how what Jeremiah has prophesied is coming true. God has remembered God’s covenant to Abrah...