Advent 3 B

Nothing to do with Mary. At least directly.

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
— Isaiah 61:1

Verse 1 is cited through editorial insertion in the Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article 8: Person of Christ (FC, SD 8.73) as a supporting text to the argument that Jesus did not receive the Spirit like saints receive the Spirit because the Spirit cannot ever be separated from Jesus because both Jesus, the Spirit, and the Father are eternally united, even as Jesus takes on human form.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

“… pray without ceasing…”
—- 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Verse 17 is cited in a footnote to The Large Catechism, Part 3: The Lord’s Prayer, Introduction (LC 3.4, n. 164) as one of the places in scripture where we are told to pray. It is generally a good idea to return to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 as a reminder of the short list of God’s will for Christians.

TheoThru

Jesus is unique in his relationship to the Holy Spirit, which is why we are encouraged to pray without ceasing. The Spirit, who moves us to prayer, is the Spirit of Jesus and the Father. When we pray, we are communicating directly with the one who made us, loves us, and sustains us. Thanks be to God!