2025-12-21 Advent 4

Scripture Readings

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!

Picture it. 1979. No internet. No cell phones. If you wanted to learn stuff you had to look it up in books, you know, those things with pages in them! They were all the rage at one time, before digital screens took society hostage. But back in 1979 there were several popular “baby naming books.” And of course, at the top of the list in popularity in those baby naming books were two names. Jennifer for girls. And, (drum role please), Jason for boys! For a solid ten years running afterwards, there were just over 23,000 boys named Jason and 30,000 girls named Jennifer. As you can well imagine, it made the school classrooms fun places to be when every other kid was named the same thing! I think I had 3 other Jasons in one grade one year. Everybody else was named Corey. But then you know what happened in 1988? An absolutely heinous book was written with an equally horrendous title: “Beyond Jennifer and Jason: An Enlightened Guide to Naming Your Baby.” Gasp! Can you believe the audacity of the authors suggesting Jason and Jennifer are less than enlightened?! For shame! But of course, it does lead us to ask, what’s in a name?

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Is 7:14). Isaiah the prophet was way ahead of the baby naming game centuries ago! Possibly the most famous Christmas prophecies did precisely this. In a very mysterious way, a young virgin girl will miraculously conceive a child and He will be pre-named: Immanuel. Not George. Not Steve. Not even Jason. Immanuel - “God with us.” No better name could possibly be given to the long promised and longer awaited Messiah.

Our Gospel lesson from St. Matthew shows us the fulfillment of this prophecy. Joseph and Mary. A betrothed couple, seeing the promises of God coming to fruition in their midst. Talk about a wild ride. The scriptures tell us that without having intimate relations, Mary was with child. They didn’t make a baby but yet, there’s a baby, just the same. It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. It’s not even possible. And further, in a very pious and strict society, this was an enormous problem. There’s no explaining this kind of transgression away - the burden of proof gets bigger and bigger every day!

“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly” (MT 1:18). The wrath of the law against adultery was quite dire. But Joseph had amazing character and didn’t seek the path of justice. He sought mercy and compassion for Mary, opting to simply go to divorce court instead of the rock pile. Talk about Christmas stress! You think you have it tough with buying presents and baking cookies and cleaning the house and putting up the decorations and mailing away the Christmas cards! Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. Imagine the utter turmoil and betrayal he must have felt at this news. The woman he loved was pregnant with somebody else’s kid.

Right in the middle of this Christmas anxiety rollercoaster, God reaches out to Joseph. An angel, a divine messenger from God, comes to throw him a rope and some blessed assurance. “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (MT 1:20-21). “Somebody else’s kid” just got upgraded to a whole new level! It is kicked up to notches unknown to mankind! The prophecy of the Messiah is being fulfilled right before his very eyes. Jesus. Immanuel. The God Who is with us will save His people from their sins. Talk about what’s in a name!

The Advent hymn we sang this morning, “Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel,” gives us wonderful images as to what God’s plan is behind all this. The hymn paints the picture of God coming to save his people Israel who are in mourning until when? Until the Son of God appears! Yes indeed. Until that little bundle of joy arrived in the manger that first Christmas so many years ago, God’s people were in mourning and in darkness all because of the stark reality of death and sin. God knows our now natural sinful state, taken prisoner by the devil. He knows that we have all fallen short of His glory. We’ve all been less than perfect, saying and thinking and doing stuff that is contrary to His will, literally dwelling in spiritual darkness. But in His great compassion and kindness He didn’t want this situation to carry on forever. He didn’t want us to be separated eternally from Him. Instead, it’s just the opposite. God wants to be the God who is with us. And so the hymn continues “from depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o’er the grave!” Even the depths of hell are no match for love and mercy of our God. No wonder the hymn concludes by saying “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to you O Israel!”

Emmanuel has come to you. And this is the Gospel. This is what fills our hearts with hope, peace, joy and above all love. Our fourth candle on the wreath is now lit for precisely this reason. In fact we could say that the entire season of Advent and Christmas can be summed up in this one word. For God so loved the world that he would send His one and only Son to be with us. That God would put on flesh and choose to live as one of us. That the most Holy and Divine would come to earth and be veiled in flesh as a baby in the manger. The depth of this miracle is entirely overwhelming! The absolutely unthinkable happened when Jesus came as a tiny baby, miraculously born to a virgin.

The upside down Kingdom of God. It comes to us in ways we do not expect. God the Almighty is standing this world on its head with the birth of a newborn baby. The nativity scene that is now adorning many mantle pieces, front lawns and even shopping stores the world over is evidence of God’s great love for His people - for you and for me. A young pregnant girl gives birth to a son in the midst of the craziest conditions imaginable! Far from home in a foreign town with no room in the inn. Some filthy cattle stable on the edge of town. Rough hay in a manger instead of super soft baby blankets. The coarseness and the slivers of a wooden manger. Chilly evening desert air no doubt blowing and whirling around. None of these are images that we associate with newborn babies! It’s the complete opposite of the warm, fleecy blankets and soft cuddly toys that would normally surround a Jason or a Jennifer!

But this was all in accordance with the Scriptures. It was all in accordance with God’s plan - His master plan of redemption and salvation! From these humble beginnings would come someone who would change our lives forever! Even some 2000 years later, that same nativity scene is displayed, reminding us of God’s plan. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (MT 1:23). Even in the most unlikely situations of life, that seem totally and completely beyond belief, God is with us. Despite our messed up and misguided lives of sin, God is with us. Little baby Jesus, born that perfect and spotless lamb without sin, would live to die so that God can be Immanuel, God with us, now and for all eternity. Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!