4ADVENT4
YEAR A
Matthew 1: 18-25 (Sermon 1: God’s Holy Mongrel”)
Romans 1: 1-7
Isaiah 7:10-16 (Sermon 2: “The
Humble Sign”)
Psalm 80: 1-7 & 17-19
PREPARATION
It’s almost time for
Emmanuel.
Time for renewed wonder and awe.
Time
for gratitude and joy.
Time for celebration.
Time
for loving.
Time for adoration.
Look!
A Virgin shall
conceive and give birth to a son,
and his name shall be called Emmanuel;
which means, God-with-us.
It’s
almost time.
Emmanuel,
God is with us!
Hallelujah!
OR -
God’s messenger said to Joseph in a dream:
“Do not hesitate to marry Mary,
for that which is conceived in her
in the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
His
name shall be called Emmanuel,
which means God-with-us.
Humanly speaking, Jesus Christ is descended
for King David.
But by the power of the Holy Spirit he is
designated Son of God.
His
name shall be called Emmanuel,
which means God-with-us.
PRAYER
God of Mary and Joseph, and of all who look
for the glory of God on earth, give us eyes to discern the work of your hands
among us.
Do not allow us to approach Christmas with
our eyes closed to the remarkable things you do in complete simplicity. Fill us
again with that humility which can feel awe and gratitude.
May we see glimpses of your presence in many
people, and get ready to worship you in that outpouring of glory which began
when a young woman carried Emmanuel in her body. For your
name’s sake.
Amen
!
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Let us confront our failings in the presence of God-with-us,
Emmanuel.
Let us pray.
Restore your people, loving God,
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Because our many preparations for Christmas
are fast becoming long on the trivial and short on the profound;
Restore your people, loving God,
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
.
Because we make sure that food for the body
is plentiful but exist on a meagre spiritual diet, often taken while we are on
the run.
Restore your people, loving God,
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Because you come to call us to our senses,
forgive our sins, and rekindle our depleted faith, hope and love;
Restore your people, loving God,
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Advent Friend, you see us as we are, and you
know our true needs better than we do. Please deal with us in line with our
deepest needs. Rebuke or encourage, discomfort or soothe, forgive or affirm,
push us hard or quietly lead us. Immerse us in the healing, saving grace of Emmanuel, and make
us both whole and holy. To your eternal praise and glory.
FORGIVENESS
My friends, hear the
good news: “Mary will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he
will save his people from their sins.”
You have inherited that promise, and become a part of the story of
Jesus. In him you are a redeemed people.
Thanks
be to God.
PRAYER
FOR CHILDREN
Dear God,
whenever we get sour and grumbly,
or our faith seems weak and crumbly,
please help us all to become
like your holy daughter Mary,
who loved you bravely yet humbly,
no matter what pains it cost her
or how many friends it lost her.
Amen!
Turn our way, God our Shepherd,
you who muster your people.
You who rule in radiance
among the saints and martyrs,
unfurl your mighty love
and come to our rescue.
Revive our hopes, God of the stars,
show us your face and we shall be
healed.
Lord of the sparkling
night sky,
don’t rebuff our foolish prayers.
Too long we eat the
bread of sorrow,
and drink the cup full of tears.
Our ineffectiveness
makes us a joke,
our enemies can’t stop laughing.
Revive our hopes, God of the stars,
show us your face and we shall be
healed.
Put your hand on the
person at your side,
the earth-child who shares your strength,
then we will never turn our backs on you;
as you give life, so we will sing your name.
Revive our hopes, God of the stars,
show us your face and we shall be
healed.
(
another version is found
in “More Australian Psalms”
page 121 Ó Open Book Publishers)
JOSEPH
Being a just person,
he wanted things ended
discreetly,
not drawing attention
to the girl’s condition
or her shame.
Being a person of
faith,
he entertained the word
of angels,
and so risked himself
to the sniggers and sneers
of neighbours.
Being a good
carpenter,
he served the public well
by daylight,
and in the evening hours
shaped and polished a cot
for God’s sake.
Ó B D
Prewer
God of Mary and Joseph, keep alive in us the
faith that you are still at work in ordinary people, accomplishing
extraordinary things. When we become anxious, and cannot discern your pattern
in the jigsaw of our affairs, bring us back to the basics of trust and
obedience. Lead us forward, one step at a time, one day at a time. Give us the
humility to leave the overall picture to your generous and ingenious
providence.
Through Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Amen!
SERMON
1: GOD’S HOLY MONGREL
Matthew
1:18
Now
the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been
engaged to Joseph, before they had lived together she was found to be carrying
a child through the Holy Spirit.
There is no doubt about it. Strictly
speaking, most of us are mongrels.
I am not using the word mongrel in an abusive
way.
There are some folk who like to project
themselves as people with a noble and pure blood line: True Scots, Welsh,
Irish, Aborigine, Roman, Greek, Tamil, Norman, Maori, Jew, or Egyptian.
If any of you entertain that pretension, then
may you sleep uneasily. You see, it all depends on
which side of your family tree you choose to claim, and how far back or how
wide you choose to go. We can be slyly selective in choosing an honourable
blood line. Go back a little further, go a little wider, and we will soon
discover that we are all mongrels.
In
But should we be the descendants of a
Forget the pretensions. The truth is, we are all mongrels.
WOMEN IN THE FAMILY TREE
Which brings me to Jesus,
and Matthew’s account of his conception, birth and his family tree.
Matthew and Luke are the only two Gospels
that speak about the birth of our Christ. They totally agree on two key
matters;
1/
Jesus was conceived out of wedlock.
2/
The pregnancy was the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew precedes the story with the family
tree of Jesus. This holds two surprises.
First, it is the family tree of Joseph, not
Mary. Jesus is listed in the blood line of Joseph. That seems strange, if
Joseph is not the father of this Child.
Secondly, the family tree deliberately
includes some questionable characters. It’s almost as if Matthew is insisting
on the mongrel nature of this child. He lists the names of some women
of dubious character and blood.
In doing this, I reckon Matthew is
magnificent in his grasp of the meaning of Christ Jesus! Matthew breaks with
the male convention and deliberately include females
in the genealogy. And what females they are! Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and of course, Mary.
Women were outsiders in the male-dominated
Hebrew society. They were like possessions, mere chattels, to be at the service
of men like a donkey or a camel, and disposed of whenever a man saw fit.
What is more, four of the women whom Matthew
mentions are associated with some scandal. Three of them were not even Jews.
Tamar had twins by her father-in-law. Rahab was a
despised Caananite prostitute who assisted Joshua at
Isn’t this just marvellous! Matthew seems to
go out of his way to contaminate the family tree! There were plenty of
respectable women in that family tree who could have been mentioned by Matthew.
But no, he deliberately goes for the disreputable, and includes them in the
genealogy before announcing:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in
this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged
to Joseph, before they had lived together she was found to be carrying a child through the Holy Spirit.
OUTSIDERS ARE IN
Matthew is making a credal statement with
profound social implications. He is saying to the world: “
Outsiders are in!”
The one true Messiah is God’s Holy Mongrel!
What happened when Mary conceived out of wedlock and gave birth to a baby, was God’s doing;
she was found to
be carrying a child through the Holy Spirit.
It is a wonderful event which includes all
people. All humanity. Especially all
those outsiders and the lost. The wonderful love of Jesus belonged to
all races and classes.
The unexpected, unwarranted, immeasurable,
grace of God does not focus on the respectable and the well bred, not on the
powerful and the well to do. It embraces the meek and the poor, the
misunderstood and the abused, the disreputable and the disenfranchised.
God’s Holy Mongrel is Emmanuel, God-with-us,
God for us, whoever we are.
This is the true Gospel as Matthew presents
it. Please, my friends, never let go of this Christian
good news. No matter what our family or social background, no matter what our
race or our culture, no matter what our education or our upbringing, no matter
whether we have sinned in little matters or sinned in major, disgusting ways,
Jesus was conceived and born to include us, to gather us into the warm arms of
God.
The God of Christmas will stop at nothing to
redeem the people of planet earth. The holy incarnation happened for you and
for me. God’s most beautiful, matchless Holy Mongrel has come among us, full of
truth and grace.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in
this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged
to Joseph, before they had lived together she was found to be carrying a child through the Holy Spirit.
THE FIFTH WOMAN
Earlier I spoke about the four Old Testament
women who are mentioned the family tree of Jesus. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathseba.
What about the fifth woman who is mentioned?
She is of course, Mary. It seems that Mary
was most likely a simple country girl, maybe no more than 14-16 years old. She
had no power, no special wealth or fame, and is not described as having any
special physical beauty. In truth, Mary was just another example of the many
nobodies who loved God with a simple yet profound faith. A
faith profound enough to display amazing courage and resilience for her God.
As a pregnant teenager, she would have had to
endure gossip. She would have been the subject of smutty jokes by men in the
local pubs, been smirked at by other “pure” girls, and
scorned by the virtuous women of the town. The rumour was spread, persisted , and then was later written into non-Christian
documents, that Mary been promiscuous with a Roman soldier.
Her child was said to have been a bastard
Roman.
Yet this firth woman in the family tree of
Jesus, accepted her unexpected pregnancy, and her calling to be the mother of a
suffering Messiah, with tremendous courage.
She saw her baby as the gift of the Holy Spirit, to be cherished and
nurtured for the glory of God. Her kid might be seen by many as a mongrel, but
her son was God’s Holy Mongrel.
Her nurture of him, both physical and
emotional, and her spiritual teaching and example, would shape the Saviour
Christ. No matter which way you look at it, Mary stands as one of the most
remarkable human beings that has every walked on this planet. Hail Mary,
favoured by God, the Lord is with you!
The song of praise which Luke tells us that
Mary sang (the psalm we call the Magnificat, a version of which we will sing in
a few minutes) was a joyful proclamation of God’s love for the nobodies of this
world. God is going “all out” to help the poor, the meek, and the oppressed.
Matthew is on the same theme. But he does it in a different way. For
Matthew, the Child’s family tree preaches the wonderful Good News:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place
in this way. When his mother Mary had been
engaged to
Joseph, before they had lived together she was found to be carrying a child
of the Holy
Spirit.
WE ARE INCLUDED
And you shall call his name Jesus, for he
will save his people from their sins.
That name Jesus, meaning liberator, includes
us all. He became one of us, another mongrel in the human family of mongrels;
Yet he displayed a love and a loveliness of spirit surpassing all other, so
that each person might
inherit a kingdom prepared before the beginning of the universe. It was all
God’s doing, this Jesus thing. Emmanuel.
Speaking for myself, I am happy to be a
mongrel with the blood of
English, Spanish, French, and Cornish forebears in my veins. But
I am ever so more happy to be a worshipper of the Holy
Mongrel, Jesus Christ, whose blessed coming we will celebrate this week. This
is truly the greatest Holy Spirit-event possible! It embraces us all.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in
this way. When his mother Mary had been
engaged to
Joseph, before they had lived together she was found to be carrying a child
of the Holy
Spirit.
SERMON 2: A HUMBLE SIGN THAT IS ABOVE ALL OTHERS
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore
our God will give you a sign. Look, a young woman will conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Emmanuel.
After three weeks when I have wallowed in the
magnificent poetry of Isaiah, this week’s reading from Isaiah pitches me into a
proverbial mares nest!
Although the words sound comforting to our
pre-Christmas ears, this text concerning a young mother and a baby called
Emmanuel, is hotly debated by Bible scholars.
Some see it as good news, some as bad news; some a promise, some a
threat.
For some scholars it as a promise predicting
the birth of Jesus, but for others it had merely local relevance to Isaiah’s
day; a dire warning that before the baby (optimistically named Emmanuel) grew
to be a youth, the land would be devastated.
I have no intention of trying to be umpire. I
have neither the skill, the experience nor the weight to
stand my ground between the contestants. The eager beavers among you may
wish to follow it up in libraries or on the internet. But let me warn you: like
the sad searcher in the “Rhubaiyat of Omar Khayyam” you may find that at the end of all your scholarly
searching you go out through the same door as that by which you came in.
Instead of leading you on the paper chase, I
wish to take the passage as it is commonly (maybe simplistically) interpreted.
It sounds as if Isaiah was prophesying the birth of a king who will establish
salvation.
THE MESSIAH WHO IS TO COME
To many present day Jews, they still read it
that way. As a Christian, I see within
its words (which may have originally been intended for an event in Isaiah’s
day) a foreshadowing of the birth of Christ and his incomparable mission of
salvation.
Certainly that is how Matthew saw it and uses
it in the Gospel. Like most New Testament writers, he saw intimations of Jesus
throughout the Old Testament. What could be more natural?
I am a practical person. When the passage is
read without explanation in a Christian community, what comes into your mind?
Therefore
our God will give you a sign. Look, a young woman will conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Emmanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
For most of us, we immediately think of Mary
and her child Jesus. We think of Christmas. We think of how Jesus is the
fulfilment of the most profound hopes of the Old Testament prophets. If that is
how in fact the words do speak to us, then clearly that is in truth how they do
speak to us now. Ipso facto.
To say this is not to denigrate the stringent
scholastic debates about the text. It is simply to say this is how we hear it.
We hear echoes of Christ in many parts of the Old Testament. It is integral to
our faith that God is working his purposes out in history. History is the stage
of revelation; especially through the Jewish people, and in the fullness of
time, through that one perfect Jew named Jesus of Nazareth.
In our Christian view of the world as a
Divine milieu, it is appropriate that we will find hints of Christ in many
places. And there are plenty of these hints in the book of Isaiah.
Well! I’ve ended up saying far more than I
intended by way of introduction!
Back
to the main issue. First,
let us put the
words of Isaiah in context.
Place:
Time: maybe about 730-735 BC.
Action: The prophet Isaiah confronts the King
of Juda, a ruler named Ahaz.
The crisis: The northern Kingdom of
Question: Will Ahaz
continue to put his faith in these kinds of political alliances, or return to
sole trust in God.?
The king is a political animal. Devious Ahaz is intent on political alliances, while at the same time maintaining an
outward show of piety before the people.
There is plenty of drama in the situation
when Isaiah confronts Ahaz.
For Isaiah, to take the political course on
which Ahaz is bent, will ultimately mean disaster.
Boldly he challenges the king. God speaks through Isaiah to the king: “Ask God
for a sign that you can
trust; any sign from the skies above to the subterranean world
beneath your feet.”
But the king is sly and evasive. Ahaz puts on a pious act: “I will not ask for a sign: I
will not put the Lord to the test.”
Now this sounds like good, honourable religion.
The listening courtiers would have been impressed with Ahaz’ piety. But in fact, the real reason for
refusing to ask for a sign is that Ahaz has already
made up his mind. He has no intention of letting the meddling prophet produce
signs to the contrary. He does not want God upsetting his plans.
At this point Isaiah says: Well, your
highness, you
are going to have a sign anyway. Here it is: Therefore our God will give you a
sign. “Look, a young woman will conceive
and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
He goes on to say that before the child is
old enough to choose between right and wrong, God will have brought disaster on
the alliance between
Signs are a tricky business. For Jews and Christians it is generally a “no go zone” to ask God
to give us a sign. To demand that God prove himself,
is faithlessness. That is the pious line that Ahaz
took when he said he did not want a sign.
Nevertheless, a large number of Christians try it on.
It goes something like this: “If you want me to do.... x...... then give me a
sign”. Mostly they will not talk about it openly, but secretly it happens. If I
were a betting man, which I “aint”, I would wager
that a number of the members of this congregation have at some time ventured
into the sign game
For me it comes in the same basket of trouble
as shutting your eyes, flipping the Bible open, plonking your finger on a
random text, and then claiming that text as God’s guidance. Even worse are
those boxes of texts into which you insert tweezers to draw out “God’s
Word”. I reckon with all these games, we
wear God’s patience thin.
To demand that God prove himself,
is a faithless action. It is the hub of the temptations that that encircled
Jesus in the wilderness.
Yet on the other hand, to refuse to believe a
sign that God gives, is also faithlessness.
In the confrontation of Isaiah with Ahaz, it
is God who is offering the sign. To turn
your back on a sign, is passing judgement on yourself.
For the Jews, the great signs of God had been
the deliverance of their nation from bondage in
Isaiah announces a new sign: a young woman
giving birth to a baby, and calling it Emmanuel.
Matthew appropriates this sign in his
introduction to the Gospel. Luke touches the same theme when the angel’s tell the shepherds: “And this will be a sign to you: you will
find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”.
This is not us begging God for a sign. It is
God taking the initiative giving us a sign that shall transform the world.
As signs go, this is an unlikely one. Babies
are being born all the time.
Every minute a host of new babies make their
entry into this life. They whimper and cry, suckle, dirty their nappies, and sleep. Their
mothers think that each one is the most beautiful baby ever born, and their
fathers (well most fathers, anyway!) look on with pride and protective love.
But let’s face it: babies are common place.
There is nothing unusual about a baby that we should look on it as a sign of
God’s presence and salvation. Babies are just a part of life. Even if some baby
should be called Emmanuel, God with us, it is not sufficient to make us sit up
and take notice. Numerous parents give their children grandiose names.
Isaiah’s sign did not sound like one that
would stop the king and nation in their tracks. Yet, as it has turned out, it
has been such a sign that has changed the course of history: the firstborn
child of a humble woman called Mary, is God’s greatest
sign of salvation.
One more baby is not the kind of sign to grab
a nation’s attention.
Yet this sign of God is the reason why we are
here together in this house of prayer at this moment.
Although it is faithless to ask for a sign,
it is also grave faithlessness to ignore the sign that God has given.
IRONY: TRUE BELIEVERS ARE SOMETIMES
DENIGRATED
I guess this is one of the sad ironies:
On one hand you have cunning evaders like
King Ahaz who appear very religious as they mouth: “I
will not test God by asking for a sign.” However, most stubbornly they refuse to believe
the sign that God has already given.
On the other hand there are those who do
sincerely believe God’s sign, and so get on with the religious, social and
political implications, yet who are denigrated as irreligious trouble makers by
Ahaz and all his political dopplegangers
in the present scene.
It has been the fate of many of the greatest
believers to be either ignored, derided or persecuted
because they have truly taken Emmanuel seriously.
ONE SIGN IS SUFFICIENT
Let me speak emphatically: If you in your
whole life have no other sign than that given in the stable at Bethlehem, you
have more than enough to make your life one long song of humble service and
praise.
Do not be distracted by those seemingly very
religious protagonists who are always boasting of the signs God gives them.
According to them, hardly a days goes by without the
Lord signalling this or that. What is more, some of them will look down their
noses at those who conscientiously live their lives, aware of only one sign,
namely: Look, a young woman will conceive
and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. Isaiah 7:14
A warning: Those among us who may believe we
have been given additional signs of God’s will and purposes in our lives, would
do well to go quietly and humbly. Such additional signs may be an indication of
our spiritual poverty. It is my hunch, based on my own personal experience of
my tatty faith, that additional signs may be granted
to those of us whose faith is weak. We
weaker creatures may need an extra jolt, and occasionally God may give it.
Therefore I admire those among my sisters and
brothers who have done marvellously with no other sign than that of Christ
Jesus.
There is no more significant sign than that
Baby in a manger. It will keep you busy and grateful for the rest of your life.
Come then, let us indulge ourselves at this
Advent season.
Let us indulge ourselves in the rich wonder
of the baby who suckles at the breast of Mary.
Let us indulge ourselves in carols and
prayers, in greeting and hugging, in decorations and feasting, in the giving of
presents— not only to those who give to us but giving (via agencies like
Christmas Bowl) to those people in dire need.
Let us indulge ourselves by letting our guard
down, so that we can be awe struck once again by the awesome grace of God
incarnate:
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel
.
Alpha and Omega he!
Let the organ thunder,
While the choir with peels of glee
doth rent the air asunder.
Indulge ourselves in the wonder of what we
are soon to celebrate. Here is God’s ultimate sign.
There is nothing that can outrate
this remarkable thing. Never!
Therefore our God will give you a sign.
Look, a young woman will conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Emmanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
THANKSGIVING: THINGS SIMPLE AND PROFOUND
Holy Friend, we thank you for the simple,
humble things
that come to us, bringing flashes of light and
joy.
Thank you for-
A thrush singing its
heart out on a chilly dawn.
Wildflowers in bushland
or on the wide plains.
Music that touches deep
places in our soul.
A small child having
conversation in make-believe land.
Thanks for-
A meal waiting for us
when we arrive home late from work.
The savouring of words
from a favourite poem or song.
A small act of courtesy
on a train, tram or bus.
The person who chats with us in a gathering
of strangers..
Thanks for-
Congregations worshipping inside open
doors.
A verse from the Bible that
comfort us in distress.
The smiling person who
welcomes us when we visit another church.
A simple carol that
releases feelings of love and wonder.
Loving God, best of all we thank you for your
Holy Child Jesus,
who though he was divinely rich, for our sakes became poor,
and was carried in the womb of a village carpenter’s wife
who took refuge in a cattle shed, and there gave birth,
cleaving history with a light and joy that can never be
smothered.
O Holy Friend, thanks
and praise belong to you for ever!
Through Christ Jesus our
Saviour.
Amen
!
FOR OTHERS
Remembering how God chose a humble young
woman and a carpenter to provide the nurture for Christ Jesus, let us seek the
special blessing of God upon the ordinary Christians who serve unnoticed and
often unappreciated in the community.
Let us pray.
Responses: L:
Be with them, God of Jesus.
P: Be with them, Emmanuel.
Christian carpenters and
other skilled workers who day by day ply their trades with skill and integrity to the glory of God;
Reliable citizens in service
organisations, local government, school committees, little aths,
St Johns Ambulance, Scouts, and the
rural fire service.
Christian
police officers, street cleaners, teachers, gardeners, social workers, parking attendants, nurses, shop assistants.
Single parents who are always
on call, providing
physical and spiritual nurture and lovingly attending
to a thousand small details every day.
The ordinary believers in our
own families whom we often take for granted, and steadfast
Christian friends who are always
there when we need them.
The quiet achievers in our
congregations, who though unheralded, express their faith in numerous practical ways.
Ordinary
pastors and priests of no remarkable gifts or fame, who lovingly and faithfully
tend the flock of Christ.
God of grace, we pray for these, and a host
like them, who constantly leaven this world with goodness and mercy, yet ask for nothing except the knowledge that
they do Christ’s will.
Help us, loving God, to learn the way of
Christ from one another, and in your hands may our very ordinariness become a
witness to your glory in Emmanuel.. Through
Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen!
SENDING OUT
It is almost time for
the special celebration of Emmanuel.
Amen!
Go on your way rejoicing at the one who comes
among us in humility, yet overflowing with grace and truth.
Amen!
Grace mercy and peace, from the Creator,
Saviour and Redeemer, will be with you now and always.
Thanks
be to God!