Today’s Gospel gives us the story of the birth of the baby Jesus as it’s told by Matthew. It’s brief and without the shepherds or multitude of angels we will meet on Christmas Eve. In today’s reading, we hear only that Mary is expecting a child and it is not Joseph’s, circumstances that would have earned Mary a stoning according to Jewish law.
In this Gospel reading we hear the story of Joseph, and an angel’s assurance that this is the work of God’s Holy Spirit. The angel of the Lord recalls part of the story from Isaiah that we heard in the first reading. Joseph, a righteous — obedient and faithful — Jew, would have known it already:
King Ahaz of the southern kingdom of Judah was being threatened by an alliance between Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel and considering entering a dangerous alliance with the Assyrians to secure his own kingdom. The prophet Isaiah spoke to Ahaz, promising that the trouble he was facing would be so short-lived, that an expectant woman would bear a child, and before that child was even two years old, God will have prevailed on behalf of Judah.
In the same way, the angel urges Joseph to trust in God’s presence and activity, and remain with Mary. And, thankfully, while Ahaz took matters into his own hands and forged a disastrous union, Joseph followed the angel’s instructions and trusted God.
So, instead of the stoning or desertion of Mary that could have become the story, we hear what the beloved child shall be called.
Joseph and Mary remained faithful and, when the infant arrived, as his earthly father, Joseph named him “Jesus.”
The name Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua, or Yeshua, derived from the Hebrew yasha‛ for “he saves.” This infant is the one, anointed by God, to save God’s people from their sins.
The other name Matthew gives Jesus is “Emmanuel.” That name, which means “God with us” only appears here in the New Testament, but the theme of God’s presence echoes throughout Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew’s words, we hear Jesus say “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (18:20) and his promise at the Gospel’s conclusion, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (28:20)[i]
Every time we celebrate Holy Communion, we remember that Jesus does the saving work of freeing us from our sin, giving us victory over the grave, and giving us new life through his body and blood.
But, for each of us, Jesus also is Emmanuel: God’s abiding presence in our lives and circumstances who “makes safe the way that leads on high” and “disperses the gloomy clouds of night.” [ii]
The story of Joseph and Mary promises us that when our lives are characterized more by discord or upheaval,
or our hopes or expectations have been turned upside down or toppled completely,
God is still with us, working through real people with real challenges,
to not merely provide band-aids to patch up a bruised and hurting world,
but to transform our lives and communities.
The question we ask this last Sunday in Advent before the Nativity, is “How will we live today knowing that our Savior, God-is-with-us, now?” Like Ahaz and Joseph, we are urged to patiently wait, trusting that we will be victorious because God is with us.
When we recognize God’s Spirit where it appears in our lives, we learn to depend more fully on God’s promises to us, freeing us to take greater risks that God’s vision for the world will come true.
Let us pray…[iii]
Good and gracious God,
Come into our world as Emmanuel.
Come into our world and banish fear.
Come into our world and banish darkness.
Amen.
[i] Brian Stoffregen Exegetical Notes, Advent 4A
[ii] Lyrics, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, translated by John Mason Neale (1851)
[iii] Faith Lens, http://blogs.elca.org/faithlens/
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