Loving God, you continue to be with us through Jesus, who is Emmanuel.  Make us aware of your presence with us both in good times and in bad, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

          Emmanuel.  God is with us.  I have always thought that this is one of the best names that is given to Jesus, for Jesus truly is God with us.  It is a name that actually comes from the prophet Isaiah. It is also a name that leads us into all sorts of deeper meaning, especially when we pay attention to what was going on when Isaiah first gave his message about Immanuel.

         The child who would be called Immanuel was given as a sign to King Ahaz of Judah.  It was not a virgin who gave birth to him, but a young woman – which is the meaning of the Hebrew word.  (And for those who like to know these things, it is the Greek translation of the Old Testament that uses the word virgin, which we see in Matthew.) The reason that King Ahaz needed a sign such as this is that two kings were threatening Jerusalem with an attack. Israel and Syria had joined together against Judah, “and the heart of [Ahaz and] his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind”, says Isaiah (Is. 7:2).

         This child Immanuel would be a sign that God is with them in the midst of this attack and would deliver them.  They are, in fact, delivered from this attack by Israel and Syria.  However, the relief is very short-lived.  Soon the Assyrians come and invade Judah, and Isaiah’s message continues to be “God is with us” (Is. 8:10).  God was with them in the midst of deliverance and God was with them in the midst of destruction.  The message is clear: No matter what is going on, God is with us.

         Fast-forward hundreds of years to the birth of Jesus, told from the perspective of Joseph.  We are told that Mary “was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 1:18).  However, all that Joseph knows is that his fiancée is pregnant, and the child is not his.  It is clear that Joseph agonizes over what to do, and because of his love and compassion, he decides against any public accusation or stoning.  However, before he can act on his decision “to dismiss her quietly” (Mt. 1:19), God comes to Joseph in a dream, tells him that the child is from the Holy Spirit, and encourages him to take Mary as his wife and to name the child Jesus.

         Mary and Joseph, too, are given the sign of Emmanuel – God is with us – and boy, are they going to need it!  We get to hear about Mary and Joseph accepting God’s message and becoming the parents and guardians of this very special child.  In fact, it is important for us to know that when Joseph names the child Jesus, it is an act of adoption.  As far as anybody else knows, this child belongs to Joseph and Mary.

         However, the part that we don’t hear about is the reaction of family and friends and neighbours who knew that Mary was pregnant before she lived with Joseph.  It is hard to imagine that nobody else had noticed, and it is equally hard to imagine that they would believe any claim of the Holy Spirit’s involvement.  It is highly likely that Mary and Joseph dealt with plenty of snide remarks and gossip, and possibly even shunning. However, in spite of any ridicule, and in spite of a birth among the animals and early threats to the child’s life, God was with them.  God was with them in and through this child, and God was with them through dreams and angels and gifts that would pay for their journey to Egypt.

         As we learn through Mary and Joseph and many others along the way, sometimes there is a price to pay for following where God leads.  However, even now, the promise of Emmanuel remains.  For all those who put their faith in Jesus, God continues to be with us through him.  In fact, even at those times when we might be asking, “Where is God?”, God is with us, whether we are being saved from harm or are experiencing death and destruction.

         I remember hearing the story of a South Korean theologian named Chung Hyun Kyung.  She told about being kidnapped, tortured and imprisoned while she was a student.  She also said that it was while she was being tortured that Jesus became real to her. She sensed that God was there with her through Jesus, and it was that experience that solidified her faith for her.

         For our part, I would hope that we do not need to be tortured in order to know that God is with us. For some people, their experience of God’s presence comes through dreams or through answers to prayer.  For others, they experience the presence of Jesus through other people who show up to help at just the right time in just the right place.  Others tell about angels keeping them from harm or miraculous healing.  And still others experience God with us through worship and singing and prayer and receiving the sacraments.

         While the child that Isaiah first pointed to was a reminder to the people that God is with them, Jesus is more than just a reminder.  For Jesus is the only one who is God with us.  In fact, that’s how Jesus can be with us in both good times and in bad, for he has experienced all of it – except sin.

         Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus continues to be with us – in the noise and in the quiet, in the darkness and in the light, in the holy and in the ordinary, in sorrow and in joy. Thanks be to God for the gift and the promise of Emmanuel!  Amen.

Advent 4 (NL 1)                                            Matthew 1:18-25

December 23, 2018

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2018 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved