Sermon
St. Paul’s Church
Sunday, December 22
Matthew 1:18-25
Well, it’s almost here - Christmas Eve. The night that we, once again, await with eager anticipation. The night on which the baby Jesus, our Lord and Savior will, once again, find his way into that stable manger in Bethlehem - a newborn baby encircled by Heaven’s angels, local peasants, and barnyard animals. The night on which we, once again, have the opportunity to hear or to tell the story of perhaps the greatest miracle ever. And, yes the night on which we, once again, share in the delight of opening all those mysterious packages piled under the Christmas tree.
Advent, the season of expectant waiting and joyful anticipation, is almost over. The glorious day of our Lord’s birth will be here in just a few days. In just a brief 48 hours we will gather round the family creche and gaze fondly at the baby Jesus, the precious figurine that we have just placed ever so gently among all the other creche figurines. Mary, Joseph, shepherds, animals and whoever else we have stuffed into that little barnyard scene are all waiting, waiting with baited breath for the much anticipated arrival of the baby - the baby whom Joseph will name Jesus.
The next day, on Christmas morning, we will gather as a family at church and sing traditional hymns of wonder and praise at the birth of “the Little Lord Jesus.”
Hymns such as Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O Come All Ye Faithful, What Child is This?, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, Away in a Manger, and perhaps one of the most famous... Joy to The World.
Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!
Let earth receive her King...
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns
Let us our songs employ...
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
no thorns infest the ground...
He rules the world with truth and grace;
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of his love.
Later, after the festivities of church, once again gathered around our beautiful Christmas tree, we open presents, greet family and friends, and feast on a big turkey or roast beef dinner followed by afternoon walks, family football, and other guilt driven exercises to “work off” that last piece of pie topped with whipped cream. At the end of the day we will be exhausted. In exhaustion we will “plop” down in our favorite chair or on our favorite couch and, as the Christmas tree lights glow brightly in the dimmed living room, chances are we will marvel, once again, at the mystery and glory of Christ’s birth - His coming into the world; God made man, to be with us - among us. God incarnate - our Holy gift from God the Father. A promise of righteousness among all nations.
Stretched out in relaxation, we may remember the final words of another blessed hymn, Silent Night...”Silent night, Holy night. Son of God, love’s pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at thy birth. Jesus, Lord at thy birth.”
Pure light, radiant beams, redeeming grace....words that bring expectations of joy, happiness, peace, redeeming grace, righteousness - justice for all. In this Christmas moment we are focused on God’s gifts to us - His gifts of creation, righteousness, reconciliation, and salvation.
Yes indeed, Christmas eve and Christmas day overflow with the joy of welcoming, yet once again, the Christ-child into our lives, and it is filled with the hope that his coming will assure our salvation, justice throughout the world, and the peace that passes all understanding.
As we sit in our living rooms, bleary-eyed with fatigue and over-flowing with the bounty that God has bestowed upon us we are pleased with life and optimistic about our future - a future filled with hope and joy.
But wait - is that all that rests in the creche and under the Christmas tree? Our Christmas gifts - boxes big and small tied up in colorful ribbon, and the figurines in the Creche - figurines that exemplify the miracle of God incarnate; God made man in this baby Jesus? Is that it? The receiving and enjoyment of gifts and a bounteous lifestyle? Or, is there more? Is there something else tucked away in that creche and under the tree that we have overlooked - overlooked, at least for the moment?
I believe that there is a great deal more under the tree and in the creche - a great deal more that cannot be seen, cannot be described, cannot be known before it occurs. I believe that under the tree and lying in the creche is the presence of God that shines out and into in each and every one of our lives. A presence that cries out to us, like a voice crying out in the wilderness. A voice that cannot be heard. A voice that is silent, but that we hear so very clearly when it calls out to us.
Contemporary Christian writer, Frederick Buechner writes,
“Listen to your life. Listen to what happens to you, because it is through what happens to you that God speaks. It's in language that's not always easy to decipher, but it's there, powerfully, memorably, unforgettably.”
(Excerpt from Listening to Your Life : Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner by Frederick Buechner)
In our Gospel reading today we have just experienced a perfect example of what happens when this silent voice unexpectedly calls out to us - the story of Joseph’s encounter with God through an angel that appears to him in a dream. Remember - God’s call comes to Joseph in his dream, and when Joseph wakes up he speaks not one word either of question or objection. He simply acts directly and immediately in obedient response to God’s instructions - instructions that send him in the exact opposite direction of where he had intended to go with his life. Joseph’s response is an example of the power of God’s call when it comes to us - if, we allow ourselves to hear it. God’s call can transform our decisions and our lives in a flash - if we are listening; if we have faith.
In his obedient and unquestioning response to God, Joseph is a model of faithful discipleship.
Joseph had made the decision to break off his betrothal to Mary after he learned that she was with child. Matthew tells us that Joseph made this decision because he was a “righteous” man. Joseph’s decision was based on teachings of Jewish Law. He was doing what was expected of any good and faithful Jew.
Then unexpectedly - the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and commanded him to do the exact opposite saying - “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” What Joseph initially had understood as the righteous thing to do was challenged directly by the call of God. God instructed Joseph to act in direct disobedience to what he understood to be the demand of the law.
What to do? The law says one thing - God says another... This is the faith in action part of the story.
Joseph’s faith prevailed. Joseph was willing to risk becoming disobedient in the eyes of the world and the law. Joseph was willing to become an outcast to family and community. As God had commanded, he would marry Mary, and name his son, Jesus.
What would you have done? Not an easy question to answer, is it?
What happens to us when plans based on our concepts of righteousness and justice come up against messages that God sends us about His creative mercy? What happens to us when God’s silent voice intrudes on our comfortable Christmas evening afterglow and challenges our notion of law and righteousness or justice? What happens when God’s voice disrupts our carefully laid plans and decisions? What happens when God’s dream for us is in direct opposition to the dream that we have for ourselves?
How do we know when God is speaking to us, and when the voice we hear is just the voice of our own ego needs? How deep is our Christmas Day faith? How far will our vows of discipleship lead us?
These are difficult questions - very difficult for any and all of us. But, I believe that these very difficult questions cannot be evaded. They are there - right there -in our lovingly arranged creche and in the beautiful gifts of abundance beneath the Christmas tree. Right there, in front of our eyes, Jesus; Immanuel; “God With Us.”
In his Augsburg Commentary Robert Smith writes, “This Jesus is a pure gift, holy surprise, a fresh act of God, a new genesis, a new creation. And it all comes about from the Holy Spirit. We live with an awareness that God’s power is among us and ready to lead us in ways that we can only imagine. Is that good news, or is the prospect a bit frightening? If we do not anticipate the Christmas event both with hope and with just a bit of anxious fear, then we are not sufficiently tuned to the implications of God’s presence among us.”
Are we prepared for the gift that shines out from under the Christmas Tree? Are we prepared for Christ’s arrival in our lives? Are we prepared to respond to a call from God when it comes - even if that call mandates a major change in our lives?
Are we prepared to receive the gift of God and to be a disciple of Christ?
Are we prepared to allow Christ to rule our lives with truth and grace? Are we prepared to receive our King? Is our heart prepared to make room for him?
Are we prepared prove the glories of his righteousness and the wonders of his love?
Are we prepared to be a Joseph?