Sermon
Advent IV – December 22-23, 2007
Isaiah 7:10-17; Matthew 1:18-25
Hillary T. West
We’re near the end today. Advent IV brings us right to the very cusp of Christmas. The tension is mounting. The air is pregnant with anticipation.
We remember that Advent is that time of year when we’re called to the simplicity of life. We’re asked to empty ourselves of extra stuff so that we can be open to the miracle of the coming Christ. For most of us, we’re not there yet. A friend mentioned that he was spending the day wrapping so that he wouldn’t be up Christmas at 2:00 a.m. This morning/yesterday morning, Target opened at 8:00 a.m. The check out clerk said she was exhausted and still not ready. My husband called from the Kroger. He was laughing because the whole neighborhood was food shopping. Baking and cooking are some of those last things on the list.
The pace has not slowed. We’re standing right on the edge and ready or not, Christmas is coming. Because, that’s exactly what God does. God comes, whether we’re ready or not, to remind us of who we are and to show us the power of God working in us.
Today it is in Matthew’s gospel that we hear the story of all stories to show us God’s coming. It’s a story of potential scandal and certain salvation; a story of the fragility of humanity and the ferociousness of faith; it’s a story of little expectation that leads to exceptional possibilities. It’s a story of God at work, loving us with total abandon.
We begin with, a mom; a young woman, Mary. We don’t know much about Mary. Except that she’s from Nazareth, a simple, insignificant agricultural town with a population of about 2,000. She comes from humble means with little expectations. Mary is probably following the cultural norm for young women of 12 or 13. She and Joseph have entered into an engagement. Now, this engagement may well have been arranged by their parents. It’s even possible that Mary and Joseph do not know each other prior to this arrangement. The engagement or betrothal gives Joseph legal rights over Mary. The relationship is bound, sealed, legally. But, betrothal means that Mary and Joseph while referring to one another as husband and wife, are not living together. So, there is an assumption here in this betrothal period: that Mary is a virgin. Violation of that assumption is severe. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Mary is found to be with child. The very breath of God has descended upon her. Unlike Luke’s gospel where Mary is visited by an angel of God, in Matthew we don’t know how Mary finds that she is pregnant, only that the child within her is that divine power from which life is drawn.
Joseph, Mary’s husband, is a just man, right with God. He’s a kind and merciful man of honor, and integrity. He’s a simple man, a carpenter; and a good, faithful Jew. He wants to follow the letter of the Law. Joseph has not yet learned that God has chosen Mary to be the God bearer. He falsely believes that Mary has been unfaithful. Her infidelity can result in the harshest of punishments, including death.
But, God knows what Joseph does not know; that God has chosen Joseph to be the husband of Mary and the father on earth of Jesus Christ. God chooses Joseph because he knows that Joseph will respect Mary’s dignity and shield her from disgrace. So, rather than drag Mary through an ugly public trial, Joseph prepares to divorce her quietly. But, it seems that Joseph’s plans do not come to fruition. God intervenes again. In a dream, Joseph is visited by an angel.
Throughout scripture we learn of God speaking to us through dreams. Dreams are a common means for revealing God’s will. And angels, also commonly seen in scripture are messengers from God and announcers for God. They are those divine beings that come bearing God’s words.
Angels often appear in fearful settings.
In Luke’s gospel, the angel, Gabriel, appears to Zechariah to tell him that his wife will have a baby. Zechariah is terrified. Gabriel comforts him, “do not be afraid…you will have joy and gladness.” Later, the angel announces to Mary that she has found favor with God. Startled by the angel’s words, Mary wonders. The angel comforts her, “do not be afraid.
And as Joseph considers his own flight options the angel appears and announces, “Do not be afraid”. In fact, what the angel is really saying is something like, “don’t let fear hold you back, don’t stop from doing what God calls you to do; it’s ok…God is with you.” Fulfilling the words of the prophet Isaiah, the angel continues to reassure Joseph: “You don’t have to run away. It’s ok to commit to your marriage to Mary. God has already blessed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit and her child is from God. This child will be called, Jesus, the one who comes as one of us; the one who saves, the one who helps, the one who brings us back into a right relationship with God; the Messiah, the anointed one, king of kings.
This honorable and sensitive Joseph, descendant of great king David, abandons his plan and chooses to obey. He takes two important steps. First, he honors the betrothal. Second, just as the angel commanded, he names the baby, Jesus. This simple act makes Joseph the child’s legal guardian. And, just to keep us all straight about Jesus, born of Mary, through the Holy Spirit, the God who comes to save; the gospel writer reminds us that Joseph is not intimate with Mary until after Jesus was born.
It’s the greatest story ever told. We’ve all heard it before. But, like all great stories, this time, in listening, we may be hearing the story with different ears. Or, maybe we’re hearing it for the first time this season, because we just haven’t had the time to empty ourselves enough to prepare for how God enters into our lives.
It’s in our emptiness that we can be filled with God. “Begin with little” Benedictine sister, Joan Chittister advises. If “we have little to begin with”, she says, “then we have even less to lose.” And, then, we don’t assume, we don’t try to control; instead, we’re left open to extraordinary possibilities.
My guess is that’s exactly how it is for Mary and Joseph. They’re simple folk. They don’t have a lot of resources. We know from Luke’s gospel that when they return to Joseph’s home town, Bethlehem, for the census, they don’t have the family support. Jesus is born under very primitive conditions and we never learn of close relations coming to help.
In fact, Mary and Joseph may well feel they are not up to the task of serving as God bearers for the world. Mary is too young. Joseph sees the potential for serious scandal. They’re frightened, scared, and worried.
And God intervenes, because that’s when God comes. God comes when, in the middle of the night our sleep is crowded with the fear of our failures. God comes when we can’t turn our hearts to loving because we’re pounding with pride. God comes when we’re raw with rage and dangerous with despair. God comes.
For Mary and Joseph, the messenger is a precious angel, full of excitement to be the one who bears the words to Joseph, “take Mary as your wife…she will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, the one who saves us. Through Jesus we will always know that God is with us. In their very emptiness, they are filled with riches. They turn and choose to trust, to live with hope, to have faith in the promise of God with us.
It seems Mary and Joseph’s story is our story as well. A story of trust and belief in God’s presence among us. We are these faithful people, going about our business, trying our best to do what is right. It’s a story about how we’re called to move from sitting on the edge, tentative and uncertain to plunging into God’s love; responding to God being present with us.
This is not a God who just sends angels or the Holy Spirit. This is a God who loves us so much that he chooses to come to us as one of us. A God who fully intervenes and rolls around with us in our complicated mess. We can’t hide from this God of ours. He commands our time and attention. He has come to save us. He restores us. He recovers our life for us.
See, we have this Christmas celebration and it’s great fun; hectic, but fun and joy filled. But, the truth is, we wouldn’t be thinking twice about Christmas if it wasn’t for Easter. It’s at Easter where we really learn about this God who loves us so much that he chooses to live as one of us, and then, chooses to die for us so that we may always know a life of love and forgiveness. What love is greater than this?
So, naturally we celebrate his birth. Some of us may not feel completely ready to have our hearts reborn with the love of Jesus Christ. Maybe over these next 24 hours or so…in the middle of all the last minute rush we want to empty ourselves to hear the announcement. God is with us. And we remember, how he comes to be with us and he promises, “do not be afraid, I am with you.”
We’re in the countdown. This season of waiting and preparing is rolling to an end. New life promises to be born to us and in us. Let’s be ready to take the plunge: to dive into the vision of God in Jesus Christ; to be surrounded by his love; and to uncover the endless possibilities of Christ within us.
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