December 6, 2020 Advent 2
Matthew 1:1-2, 6, 16-25
Love is the antidote to fear. Be it on a large scale like fear of wars, social unrest or political posturing, love is what will overcome fear. Even in our interpersonal relationships, love overcomes fear, fear of am I not enough, how will I get through this, or economic insecurity. Love overcomes fear.
On this second Sunday in Advent we focus on Love and we have two passages that address just this matter. Isaiah is speaking to a king who has lost his way, in a country that is threatened by war and displacement. King Ahaz of Judah talks about not putting God to the test yet is wavering on his faithfulness. Let’s be clear he has good reason to be afraid. His two northern neighbors, Israel and Syria, are wanting to invade and destroy his kingdom. He has not been a great king, with society breaking down and injustice plaguing the poor. But Isaiah meets him declaring, listen, be still, do not be afraid and have courage (v. 4). He offers comfort and direction. But the king needs to be in right relationship with God. So, Isaiah is very direct saying, “If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all” (v. 9). You might ask where is the love in that? Tough Love maybe. But remember, even though the king does not ask for a sign, the prophet gives him one. “A young woman, a virgin, is with child and shall bear a son, and you shall name him Immanuel” (v. 14). This sign is a promise of God’s presence, a promise of a child, a promise for the future even when things are bleak.
President elect Joe Biden gave a Thanksgiving speech to our nation that also needs encouragement, also needs a sign of God’s presence. Recalling history to unite and encourage, Biden shares, “Think of what we have come through: centuries of human enslavement; a cataclysmic Civil War; the exclusion of women from the ballot box; World Wars; Jim Crow; a long twilight struggle against Soviet tyranny that could have ended not with the fall of the Berlin Wall, but in nuclear Armageddon…To know what’s come before can help against despair. Knowing the previous generations got through the same universal human challenges that we face: the tension between selfishness and generosity, between fear and hope, between division and unity. And what was it that brought the reality of America into closer alignment with its promise of equality, justice, and prosperity? It was love. Plain and simple… To love our neighbor as ourselves is a radical act, but it is what we are called to do” (Biden’s Thanksgiving 2020 speech). Jesus taught love as a radical act, to love God and neighbor as yourself. Jesus is the fulfillment of that sign, as God with us, Immanuel.
Isaiah told the king, “Do not be afraid,” and then he gave the leader a sign of God’s presence, a sign of God’s love, foretelling Christ’s birth. In a similar way the angel told Joseph, “Do not be afraid,” before reframing what had happened with Mary. Be it a prophet or an angel in a dream, both men were encouraged to be in right relationship with God. The king to stand firm in faith and Joseph, the father-to-be, connected to God’s faithfulness through generations, was given a new understanding. Mary had not cheated, no need to fear. God has a plan, no need to fear. God’s message to both men, “Listen, be still, do not fear, have courage, and stand firm in God.” That is a message of love and faith we need to hear today. As we face rising number of COVID19 and a possible shut down, let us listen to the doctors, let us remain in our homes, still and safe, let us not be afraid, because we have courage and faith in our God. The bearer of God’s love is an infant child, born to save our sins, a sign of God’s promise and our hope for the future.
Jesus taught us about the radical act of loving God and loving neighbor as yourself. But before Jesus was born, Joseph showed his own act of radical love. The first decision Joseph makes, before the angel and dream, is to not disgrace Mary even when he is fearful of how she got pregnant. That decision is accounted to him as righteousness. Joseph’s character is righteous and kind. It is when we have difficulties that our true nature comes out, sort of like now with COVID. Are we faithful and trusting or are we more consumed by fear? Are we hopeful and patient or do we worry and fret?
Joseph shows his loving nature by planning to dismiss Mary quietly. Yet, once the promise of God’s love, of the divine nature of Mary’s child is revealed, Joseph overcame his fear and put his faith first, put God first. Joseph raised Jesus as his own. He was not the first and will not be the last man to shows such love. Yet his love of Jesus and Mary, enabled God to love the world, enabled us to be truly loved. Loved by God, loved by God’s son, loved and nurtured by the baby born.
Joseph had one task, to name his son Jesus. It is an act of adoption and a claiming of his heritage. But it also shows the love God has for each of us as adopted children because of our faith in God’s son. The same son who will save the world from its sins as his name declares. So, as we wait for the arrival of God’s son, for Jesus to be born again in our hearts, let us lean into the love that this precious child has lavished upon us. So even when you feel lonely, or are processing this different way of doing Christmas, know that God’s love is constant. Know Jesus loves you and saves you from your sins. Know that Joseph bridges the gap between the genealogy of the patriarchs and the future of humanity in his love of Jesus. That is why Matthew quotes Isaiah, “Look, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call him Emmanuel.” Emmanuel means “God with us” in the Greek. But in Hebrew Emmanuel means, “God IS with us.” Now that might not seem like a big difference, but I believe it is. It speaks to the past, present and future way in which God is with us and loves us through our Savior Jesus Christ.
God sent Jesus to show us love, pure, innocent, holy human love. God gave us two signs, one for the nation of Judah, the other for a new family created by the birth of Jesus. Both reflect God’s love. What we do as a family over the holidays will affect the way we experience God’s love as a country within our health care system and our hospitals. Listen to the doctors, be still at home, and have courage. God’s sign of love in Jesus is a promise- a promise from the past, a promise for today and a promise for our future. The only way the future is cared for is to love it like a child. Love the future, nurture the future and that is done by being courageous enough to love differently, love fully, love in a way that nurtures all of humanity’s future, not destroys it.
God is a God of love. God IS with us NOW.
God is with us in Covid
God is with us in our separated Christmas celebrations
God is with us and Loves us!
God is deeply with us in the breaking of the bread. Soon we will break bread tasting and abiding in God’s love in the here and now! Soak in God’s love as you humbly receive this sacrament of blessing and hope. Amen.
