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Trinity Episcopal Church Hattiesburg, Mississippi Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A, Advent 4) December 23, 2007 Go To Trinity's Home Page

Isaiah 7:10-16
Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-25
Collect of the Day
From the Revised Common Lectionary as Adapted for Use by the Episcopal Church
and Authorized by the 74 th General Convention of the ECUSA

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “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. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25)

No Unadoptables Here
The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop, Rector

     When I was in junior high school, my sister, who is ten years older than me, returned to Klamath Falls from attending Good Samaritan Nursing School in Portland, Oregon. As a young adult member of the work force, she began to exercise her independence. And of course, I watched all of this with excited envy. She was living an independent life, just at the time I was entering into my teen years – which if nothing else is a time when teenage DNA craves independence.

     One of the first things my sister did was to buy a car. It was 1961 sickly green Ford sedan. The car wasn’t much to look at, but it provided independence. The freedom that car gave my sister became so important that she named the car.

     Naming things is an important human activity. Giving names to objects makes conversation easier, where things are referred to by their names rather than by ambiguous word phrases like “the whatchamacallit” or the “whosit.” Only people who know each other really well can interpret the meaning of sentences like, “Can you hand me the doohickie so that I can open the doomafichy and get out the thingamabob?”

     Perhaps more important than making conversation easier, naming things provides ownership of the object named. If you doubt this, just look at the billions of advertising dollars spent on making the names of specific products known to consumers, and the additional millions spent protecting product names from trademark and copyright infringement.

     Microsoft corporation, for example, filed a motion a few years ago against the Lindows Corporation, contending that the name “Lindows” was too close to “Windows,” the name of the Microsoft operating system.[1] Here’s another one: Ever put a frowny emoticon in an email ( L)? In 2001, the Despair Company was awarded a registered trademark for the ‘frowny’ emoticon by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and threatened to sue anyone who used the trademarked :-( symbol in email.[2]

     Both of the readings from Matthew and Isaiah tell about the enormous promise held in the births of babies at two very different times in history. In the reading from Isaiah, Ahaz, the King of Judah, fears an attack on Jerusalem from neighboring kings in what is modern day Syria. Isaiah is sent by God to Ahaz to prophesy. Ahaz is told by Isaiah that God will provide a sign that Judah will not fall. The sign is that a young woman – a virgin – will bear a son, and she shall name her son Immanuel. We do not know the identity of this child, but the baby’s name is significant. “Immanuel” means “God With Us.” The writer of this part of Isaiah looked at his nation’s past and felt that God had played a direct hand in protecting and preserving the people from what seemed like immanent destruction. The baby’s name itself held the promise of salvation for Judah.

     Centuries later, Matthew the Evangelist looked to the person of Jesus, and saw the presence of God, active in this world. Matthew’s story of Jesus’ birth focuses on the role and responsibility of Joseph. In first century Palestine, arranged marriages between thirteen year-old boys and girls as young as twelve were common. Once the contract and the bride price had been agreed upon, the couple were legally bound. Although they continued to live with their respective families for a year or more, they began to live increasingly independent lives.

     During that time, the families got to know each other, and they worked out the dowry. They searched the records in Jerusalem because in a little country like Judah, it was possible for close relatives to get married and never know that they were relatives. Presumably the couple learned to communicate, and maybe even began to understand what the other meant when they said “pass the thingamajig” at supper.

     Eventually the ceremony would take place, and the bride would move to the groom’s house. The period between the betrothal and the wedding was sacrosanct, and an infringement of marital obligations like conception of another man’s child was punishable by divorce and even death.

     Joseph had been born in Bethlehem, but had moved to Nazareth as a young man. In Nazareth, he met Mary and they became engaged. During the betrothal period, Joseph did what all grooms do. He dreamed. He dreamt of the life he and Mary would have. He dreamt of building a home for her and their children. Joseph must have noticed that during the betrothal period, Mary suddenly became quiet and withdrawn. When Mary’s behavior changed, he was probably distraught with worry. What had he done? Had he displeased her father? Did they find something in the Temple records that would prevent them from getting married?

     Eventually, Joseph could not stand not knowing what was wrong with Mary. He was unprepared for her answer: “I’m pregnant.” I imagine her in tears with this admission, and Joseph probably felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach by a mule. He knew he loved her, and he respected her. They had planned a life together. How could this have happened without her parents knowing, without Joseph knowing? Then Mary told him the extraordinary story about how the Spirit of God had come upon her.

     Joseph was probably furious. He probably thought, “It is one thing for her to betray our love, but it is quite another to tell me a story that is plain blasphemy. Do I look like an idiot?

     “The law says that a woman found in adultery should be stoned to death. Maybe that’s really what she deserves for ruining our love, and my faith and trust, and for wrecking my reputation! This is going to ruin me! People count on me. I am descended from King David himself. I am respected. Just think how this story of being visited by the Spirit of God is going to go down in the market place!”[3]

     Joseph must have been beside himself with concern and worry; for himself and his reputation, as well as for Mary and her very life. Although he could have given her a private bill of divorce without explanation, the real reason would soon be obvious. Mary and her child would be doomed.

     In a dream, Joseph was visited by an angel who told him that he should not be afraid to take Mary as his wife. The angel told him that it was he who should name the baby Jesus. Jesus was a common enough name in those days, so the significance is not in the name itself. The significance lies in the fact that Joseph named the baby. And by naming him, he claimed him as his own.

     Joseph knew this child was not his biological offspring. But Joseph, who believed Mary as best he could, adopted the baby as his own son. Joseph did the unexpected; he rose above his own sense of self righteousness. Jesus often did the unexpected too, challenging prevailing social conventions and breaking down all kinds of distinctions between different groups of people. It would seem that doing the unexpected in the name of justice and honor and decency is something Jesus might have learned from his father.

     The metaphor of adoption is an important aspect of Advent. Joseph made Jesus welcome as his son, and that is what Advent asks us to do as well: to make ourselves welcoming adoptive parents of Jesus. Having a son conceived outside of marriage was not what Joseph dreamed of after he and Mary were betrothed. But Joseph made Jesus welcome, and no one in Nazareth knew that Jesus was not Joseph’s son. Joseph’s acceptance of Jesus shows us that there are no unadoptables in God’s family. All are part of the Kingdom. That’s the beauty and wonder of adoption: it is where you are wanted and accepted.

     A high school drama teacher tells this story about acceptance. At his school, sports were given priority. That meant that the stage, which was in the gymnasium, had to set up and torn down every night along with all the props. The sports teams always had funding, but the drama troupe had to beg for money. Athletes interested in drama faced resistance from the coach. Jocks were celebrated whereas thespians received little recognition. Despite these obstacles, the drama teacher accepted anyone who wanted to participate, and kept the kids focused and interested. Before one opening night and while he was gathering the cast together to go over last minute details, he asked if anyone had anything to say. One girl said, “You know what I like best about the drama program? It is where the kids who don’t fit in fit in. It feels so good to be accepted somewhere.”[4]

     We are all children of God, but we don’t always act like it. Sometimes we let our self righteous natures get the better of us. Sometimes we are hurt by others so deeply that we cannot do anything but hurt back. And in so doing, we become estranged; most of the time we don’t take the higher road, like Joseph did. Despite everything, Joseph adopted Jesus. Joseph searched his heart and found that it was prepared to accept this baby as his own.

     I pray that we too may be able to do likewise, and willing accept others into our hearts, just as we are all accepted in God’s heart.

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Isaiah 7:10-16

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test. Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 Qui regis Israel

1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; *
shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, *
stir up your strength and come to help us.

3 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

4 O LORD God of hosts, *
how long will you be angered
despite the prayers of your people?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; *
you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

6 You have made us the derision of our neighbors, *
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

16 Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, *
the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.

17 And so will we never turn away from you; *
give us life, that we may call upon your Name.

18 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Romans 1:1-7

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “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. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Collect of the Day

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

[1] “Microsoft sues Linux start-up over name.” Cnet News. Downloaded 16 December 2004 from http://news.com.com/2100-1001-277314.html?legacy=cnet.
[2] http://despair.com/frownonthis.html
[3] The quotation is from a story by Ross Bartlet that was reprinted in SynthesisAdvent 4 - Tradition. 17(12):2004.
[4] Adapted from “Competing for Christ.” Homiletics 16(6):57-59, 2004.

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Copyright © 2007, William G. Stroop - All Rights Reserved.
20 December 2007

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