Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A

God is With Us, Emmanuel!

Readings: Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 24; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25

On Friday morning I was watching the CBC news. They had a discussion about what was memorable to them about Christmas, about their traditions around the season. They talked about food, family get-togethers, gifts and all the warm fuzzy feelings that are associated with the season. They spoke about snow sports and tobogganing. Sadly, but understandably in our post Christian era there was no mention of going to church or of any religious significance to the day.

As Christians we know that Christmas is about more than turkey and Santa Claus and presents under the tree. Yet the story is so familiar to us that we forget how momentous an occasion it is. We forget its deeper meaning and relevance. That is why Advent is an important season of the Church year. Advent helps us to prepare by reminding us about the signs that God is present with us, that God has visited us in a special way. Signs that God will come again!

The signs that God is with us are all around us. Yet very often we ignore them. Even when we recognize them as signs from God we can easily dismiss them as irrelevant. We become preoccupied with distractions – TV, outside activities, negative thoughts. Even the cares of life can become distractions.

And don't you find in everyday living that there are simply so many signs that you easily miss them? There are some that really attract my attention, for example the signs along the Gardiner Expressway. With their flashing neon and constant movement they are almost too distracting. I have come close to having an accident as I watched for the next phase of some of the most interesting ones along the route. The colourful lights and changing images are real attention grabbers.

Then there are signs that somehow I would rather ignore. They cause uncertainty in my mind. My computer is a case in point. It will ask me, "Do you really want to replace that file?" And I think, "Is there some reason I shouldn't? What is going to happen if I replace it? Should I or shouldn't I?"

Some signs are simply confusing. On the country lanes in England when I wanted to know where I was heading, they kept telling me where I had been – twenty miles from York they would remind me. Now although I found that to be fascinating, since I was heading to Oxford where I had never been, I found them less than helpful.

Walking the Camino in May of last year we had to follow signs very closely. The trails are certainly the road less travelled. There are markers to show pilgrims which path to follow. The marker is a shell, which points you in the direction you should take. However, sometimes they are difficult to spot. As you come to a fork in the road, you look for the right path. The sign may be hidden behind brush, or back off the road. Many times they are spaced far apart. If you miss one, you could walk many miles without knowing that you are going in the wrong direction. Fortunately people watch out for you. You will be standing in the middle of small village trying desperately to find the next sign, and a head will pop out of a window. “Peregrine! Camino! They will point you in the right direction. One of the most unhelpful signs was at a fork in the road where there were two markers pointing in opposite directions. Fortunately I knew we were heading for the Atlantic Ocean, and I could see it beyond the fork on the left. It was crucial to read the signs correctly.

That is true in our Christian life as well. The readings today point out our need to follow the signs carefully. They also point out how easily they may be missed, ignored, or misinterpretted. The word in Scripture, which is translated from the Greek as sign is very close in meaning to the word for miracle. And that is no mistake! A sign is a miraculous gift of God's grace that assists us in our faith journey, which allows us clear access to God if we allow it to seep into our consciousness.

The Old Testament reading takes place at a time in Judah's history when the kings of Syria and Israel had formed an alliance in order to depose the King Ahaz. The prophet Isaiah told him to trust God. "Ask a sign of the Lord your God," Isaiah tells him. But Ahaz declines. He says that he does not need a sign. In reality he is afraid of what might be in the future for him in somewhat the same way that a politician might fear the outcome of a poll.

A sign comes to him anyway through the prophet. “The young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.” Because we filter everything through our knowledge of the New Testament, we immediately recognize the Christmas story echoed in this passage. In terms of the situation of Ahaz, there is no certainty about the child to whom Isaiah is referring. Old Testament scholars think it is a prophecy about Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, who became a great king in Israel's history. No matter how we view the prophecy, whether from the Jewish point of view, or from our Christian perspective, the underlying message for him is exactly what it is for us. The future is made possible by the miracle of human birth. Every birth brings God among us. God is in each of us. We are bearers of God in the world. The answer for Ahaz and the people of Judah lies in the political and social ambiguities of human life. For us as Christians it is lived out in our life in Christ.

In the Gospel, God offers a sign to Joseph. It is a sign he would have liked to ignore. For the drama he sees unfolding before him makes him look like a fool. Mary, the woman to whom he is engaged is pregnant. It is not his child. How angry he must have felt when he heard the news! How betrayed! There was one way out for him. He could dismiss her quietly and end the relationship. Everyone would understand. Eventually it would blow over for him and he could get on with his life. But as he slept, he had a dream and resolution came.

Isn't that true to life? So often it is as we sleep and dream that we find the answer to the deepest problems of life, for we free up our minds to interpret the signs around us. Freed from the distractions of our lives, we work out our innermost thoughts and worries. So it is with Joseph. He finds his fears transformed. He begins a new journey in faith. His dismay turns to trust of God.

Sometimes we feel burdened by the decisions we have to make. We want to give it more time. Sleep on it. Joseph did this. He wrestled with his thoughts and feelings. There was no easy solution. He slept on it, but then he acted on it. In trust he carried out what God had asked of him. He accepted Mary. He accepted responsibility for the child. He named the child – Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us.

And then there is Mary. What an astounding woman she is! Not only does she understand the sign that God gives her; she willingly becomes the sign bearer. With her the future is made possible by the miracle of human birth.

Emil Brunner, a Swiss theologian, one of the great teachers of our century, says of the Christmas story, "Faith in Jesus Christ is not an interpretation of the world, but it is participation in an event, in something which has happened, and which is going to happen." Christmas is our opportunity to participate in the central miracle of our faith. Every other true miracle prepares for this, exhibits this, and results from this. These happenings are more significant than anything else in life.

We like things to be simple and clear. Sure signs! What we lack is an Advent attitude, the capacity to wait for the fullness, for it will come when the time is right. The Spirit of God continues to birth human life. We can trust time. God did!

God is with us even when our world seems to be falling apart. Because God is with us, we can be assured that God understands our situation. We can know that God still acts in our world today. We can have the courage to answer God’s call as Mary and Joseph did.

What are the signs of incarnation that God is offering to us today? How will we bear those signs in the world? Will we try to ignore the signs, or will we be active participants in the event? God is with us, Emmanuel.