Advent IV

 



Isaiah 7: 13-14
Isaiah said, Listen house of David!  Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men?  Will you also try the patience of my God?  Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.  By the time he learns to reject what is bad and choose what is good, he will be eating curds and honey.

Long before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah was making strong prophecies of what would come in the face of political upheaval. I wonder what Isaiah’s listeners thought about the idea of a virgin giving birth. I must admit that I would have been very skeptical if I was there, hearing that prophecy. Can you imagine how you would receive that prophecy today as you scrolled through your Facebook feed? I know I would keep on scrolling, hoping to find something fun to read from someone who wasn’t crazy! And yet, this virgin birth is one of the important miracles of our faith. Lord, empower us to see and believe in miracles today.

Matthew 1:18-25
Moving ahead we read Matthew’s report on the birth of Jesus.  This account focuses quite heavily on Joseph’s predicament where he learns that Mary is pregnant and he is considering divorcing her. It was the custom that righteous men did not marry impure women.  Because of his kindness, Joseph was planning to divorce Mary secretly rather than publicly shaming her.  

Just in the nick of time, Joseph dreamt of an angel of the Lord telling him not to be afraid to honour his betrothal because the child Mary was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And…there was to be no looking in a book of baby names, this child was to be named Jesus because he would save people from their sins.  It's interesting that Matthew quoted what Isaiah prophesied in verses 22-23:  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means God is with us).

I am grateful for the rest of this account where upon awakening, Joseph did exactly what the angel commanded. He stepped out in faith and married Mary and she delivered Jesus, via the virgin birth.  

Once again, I think of how our modern world considers this ancient story of faith. It is easy to get caught up in the commercialism, the meal preparations, Santa Claus, the parties, the movies, the concerts, and other distractions of the Advent/Christmas season. It is really easy to miss the profound birth of Jesus, our saviour. Lord, help us to leave room in our modern sensibilities and experiences to deeply believe in the wonder and miracle of Jesus’ birth. Help us to prepare for and celebrate this season looking to Christ, rather than to the bright distractions that surround us. Enjoy a blessed Advent season!   

I hope you appreciate this song proclaiming the miracle of Christ’s sovereignty, contrasted with the fun, but distracting, little Christmas-themed quilts I’ve been making in preparation for the big day!

Carol Young 

Holy Forever  Chris Tomlin

 

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