Dec. 18, 2022
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Texts: Isaiah 7 Matthew 1-18
“PREPARING OUR HEARTS FOR GOD WITH US”
Our readings today provide a powerful link and juxtaposition between two characters who receive the same prophesy from God that they will receive a sign in a child who will be born to a young woman and his name will be Emmanuel which means God with us.
These readings begin with characters in difficult situations which require them to make an important decision. King Ahaz of Judah is literally in middle of the Syro-Ephraimite war. He has the option of siding with Assyria or Syria and Israel. Joseph, a common tradesman, just learned that his betrothed is with child and that child is not his. He can remain with her or break off the engagement. The wrong choice in either of these situations will have tragic consequences for someone – Judah under King Ahaz or Mary and her unborn child.
Both men make their decisions. King Ahaz chooses to side with Assyria and Joseph chooses to quietly dismiss Mary – a “righteous decision” because the alternative for dismissal would have her stoned. However, do not be mistaken, even a quiet dismissal will leave Mary and the child alone and destitute.
God intervenes. And, here is where the contrast lies between our characters.
God through Isaiah approaches King Ahaz and invites him to request a sign that will lead him to the right decision for Judah. Now, I have to admit – if I were offered a sign from God, I wouldn’t turn it down. But, not wanting to test God, Ahaz refuses. God intervenes anyway through Isaiah’s prophesy. Ahaz ignores the prophesy and allies with Assyria which eventually leads to Assyria invading Judah and causing great destruction (Isaiah 7:13-8:10). For all his boasting of faith in God, King Ahaz did not trust that God was there for him and decided to take matters into his own hands to the destruction of Judah. Yet, even as he went against God’s sign and suffered the consequences of that choice, God remained with Ahaz, Judah, and the people.
God intervened with Joseph as well, through a dream. Joseph is given the same prophecy that God gave Ahaz through Isaiah. Joseph answers in action not words. He knew God with him and responds with trust and faith that God would continue to be with him, Mary, and their unborn child. He immediately does as the angel of God commanded.
Now, why am I going into all of this? Well, as I prayed with our text this week, I kept coming back to the heart of God’s promise of a sign to both men – Emmanuel – God with us.
The season of Advent is a season of preparation for the Christ child, God with us. This is what many of us are taught from an early age. However, what these passages teach us is that God with us is a sign of something that already was. God has been with us from the beginning of creation. We have numerous examples of God with us throughout the Hebrew Bible. God was with Abraham in three strangers; Moses in a burning bush; and Joseph, son of Jacob, in dreams. These are just a few of the many signs of God with us.
None of these ordinary people were perfect. They forgot that God was with them, ignored signs, and made mistakes. But God remained with them.
God promised through Isaiah’s prophecy a different kind of sign, the bullhorn of signs – the sign of God with us in Emmanuel. This is the sign of God coming to dwell among us on our terms. God comes to us in the form of a helpless child born to a woman in all the fleshy realities of humanity.
A sign of something that was, is, and will be.
So, I wonder, what is Advent really preparing us for if the coming child is a sign of something that already was and is?
Well, just like the people of God in ancient times, we forget God is with us. We ignore God’s signs and choose our way over God’s ways.
So, I think Advent is actually a time for preparing our hearts to know God with us through the Christ child and through the myriad other signs that God offers us on a daily basis.
This past Thursday, with a laundry list of things to do in this full season, I happened to be near the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento. I knew I needed to get back to my car to finish my errands, yet still found myself wandering into this amazing sacred space. As I sat in quiet reflection I heard the quiet rumblings of a group of people, hidden from view, in mid-day prayer. I saw a man standing still as he pondered a large painting in a side chapel. Another woman walked slowly as she admired the beautiful sacred art. And yet another man, who looked dirty and disheveled, paced back and forth in front of the altar railing breathing heavily. Each of us found our way to the Cathedral that day to prepare our hearts to know God with us. It was a powerful reminder of our scripture today. That day, with my heart prepared, I noticed the signs of God with us in each person and within myself.
The two characters in our lessons today were both men of faith. However, I think King Ahaz’s heart may not have been prepared to receive the sign of God with him. Joseph, in silence, was fully prepared. When God reached out to him in a dream, he was prepared to follow and trust that God was with him and would continue to be with him in the challenges that he would face as the earthly father of Jesus.
How do we prepare ourselves to notice the signs of God with us? Sitting in a sacred space like the Cathedral or here at St. Martin’s is one place where we might choose to prepare our hearts. But there are others. Do you prepare through quiet prayer-time over a cup of coffee or tea? Or do you prepare through a daily walk, encounters with other people, your garden, the glow of the sun setting or rising, or through art you create or just enjoy?
As we enter this final week of Advent, I invite us to continue preparing our hearts to receive the gift and sign of God with us. Let us notice where these signs already reach us in our daily lives. Let us also consider how can we start each day with Emmanuel in Advent, during Christmas, and throughout the year. Amen.
