IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BIBLE LESSON December 14, 2009 Issue

HALLELUJAH!

BETH CAREY

WHAT A CHRISTMAS GIFT we find in this week's Bible Lesson! It is a great reminder of the season and its meaning to each of us.

The Gospel's familiar account of Jesus' birth from the book of Luke appears in Sections I and II. Matthew's telling of the star and the wise men is included, as well as the beginning of Mary's "Magnificat," the song of praise when she learns of the upcoming birth, based on Hannah's song in First Samuel 2:1-10.

This birth was certainly a "hallelujah" experience for Mary and Joseph. The word alleluia, a form of the shout "hallelujah," which means "Praise the Lord," opens the Golden Text. The sixth section repeats the word, and then tells us why we praise God: "Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (Rev. 19:6, cit. 21).