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Advent IV December 18-19, 2010 Matthew 11:18-25 It was indeed a miraculous conception. In fact, when you think about our Gospel today and look at it closely, the entire story is nothing short of miraculous! Here we have Mary and Joseph, engaged or betrothed, which is actually even a bit more of a commitment than just being engaged. They are not living together, yet Mary is "found to be with child." Now under normal circumstances today one would perhaps look askance at the situation, shake one's head and nod with a knowing smile, but back then being found with child under these circumstances could lead to public humiliation, even death by stoning. But that does not happen. Now we know that Mary "was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit," but at that moment in time, Joseph does not know that. I said the whole pericope is miraculous, and it is. Not only the conception itself, which had never happened previous to this occasion, and has not happened since, but so is the reaction of Joseph. He is an honorable man and is unwilling to expose her to disgrace, or worse. Combine that with the fact that an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream. Both the angel and the appearance in a dream are nothing short of miraculous. But the miracles do not stop there! The angel tells Joseph to "...not be afraid to take Mary as your wife for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." A miraculous conception! But there is even more. The phrase "do not be afraid" does not convey fear so much as "do not shrink from doing something," in this case, the thing is what the angel tells him to do. The angel tells Joseph the child will be a son, and Joseph is to name him Jesus. By taking Mary as his wife, and by naming Jesus, Joseph publically and officially accepted the child. Had Joseph refused to name the child, he would have been announcing that he did not accept the child, but by naming him Joseph accepts the child and the child is now in the lineage of David, as in "Joseph, son of David." But wait! There is even more. The child is to be named Jesus because "he will save his people from their sins." Another miracle because his name not only means "save" or "salvation" but by his life, his crucifixion, death and resurrection, this child will save all who believe in him from their sins. And the miracles do not stop there. Prophecy, spoken by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, is fulfilled and "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us.'" God becomes one of us, a frail human baby. This is incredible that the "Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The miracle and the wonder of God's love for us takes flesh and so we are won and delivered from our sins. This baby is not even yet born and certainly cannot act on its own behalf, much less our behalf, yet he is our Savior! Almighty God becomes a child, flesh and blood, wretched and poor, to be born to an unwed mother in a stable, but that in itself is the miracle of his love, the power of his love, that the chasm between God and mankind is overcome. Joseph wakes from his dream and does as he is commanded. Not to make light of it, but again nothing short of miraculous. How many of you base your actions on a dream? How many of you do as God commands? It is incredible and the subject of another sermon on another day, but Joseph, who stands in the shadow of Mary, acts in a way that many of us could not, would not, do. And now I would like you to think about something for a few moments. Pretty soon, in just a few minutes, you are going to confess your faith. You will do so in the words of the Apostle's Creed. Did you catch that? You are going to confess your faith. So now ask yourself where did your faith come from? Is it something you generated at one time or another in your life? Ask yourself what you had to do with it. Did you grow up with it? Did it grow in you even as you grew up, mature in you as you matured? Is it something that happened somewhere along the line when you became an adult? What about our kids? Do they have faith, even at their respective ages? If so, where did their faith come from? So what does this have to do with our Gospel? Well, I have been talking about miracles since I began, and I am not done yet, either with this sermon or in talking about miracles. God is born in a manager, God becomes one of us, he is with us. Not only that but God comes to us right where we are, right now, and he will be with us to the end of the age. God with us indeed! Joseph trusted God, Joseph had faith and obeyed God and the obedience of faith is a gift, and it is not just for Joseph, but for each one us as well. Then, this story invites us to be dazzled. The name Jesus means "save" or "salvation" in Hebrew and Jesus comes into the world and gives salvation to all who believe, and what is more he gives belief, the gives faith, he gives trust. In Mary a birth occurs, and in each one of us a rebirth occurs as "old things are passed away, behold all things are become new." (2 Cor 5:17) This rebirth in each of us is a miracle as well, because that which is conceived in Mary is of the Holy Spirit, and that which is conceived in us, our faith, is also of the Holy Spirit! Our faith too is a miraculous conception, through baptism and the hearing of the Gospel, by the work of the Holy Spirit, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, as Paul says in his letter to the Romans. What is it all about today? A miraculous conception followed by miracle after miracle, all of which lead to another miraculous conception and we are saved by faith, because God is with us! Emmanuel! AMEN Lutheran Church of the Cross, Nisswa, Minnesota |
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