Sermon 8-6-06 Spiritual Calisthenics John 6:24-35

Sermon 12-18-16 even told what he was thinking. He was there to be sure, but he “God Is With Us” remained in the shadows. It was Mary who took center stage. Isaiah 7:10-17 10 11 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be In contrast, Matthew’s birth story focuses on Joseph, who is the deep as Sheol or high as heaven. 12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put 13 principle actor. We are told that he was a righteous man, and it was 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? 14Therefore the Lord Joseph who was told to name the child Jesus. Joseph also led the himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a movement of the story, for he was advised and directed through the son, and shall name him Immanuel. 15He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16For before the child knows voices of angels speaking in his dreams. After Jesus’ birth, Joseph how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you received additional angelic messages for the sake of the child’s are in dread will be deserted. 17 The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on your ancestral house such safety. This was Matthew’s way of showing that God was with them, days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king faithfully guiding salvation history. of Assyria.” Matthew 1:18-25 As an aside, we should not be concerned about the two birth stories 18 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 being so different. In both cases – and in our Bible as a whole – the to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man purpose of these stories and writings is to reveal who God is. Thus in and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him our birth stories we get to see how God is with us through both in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your Joseph’s and Mary’s perspectives. The stories are different, yes, but wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a son, it is the same God that is revealed through each of them. The stories and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ 22All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: are not meant to be harmonized. We are blessed to have the benefit 23 ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, of different ways of understanding and talking about God. And, of and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ 24When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the course, we must always acknowledge that God cannot be contained angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25but had no marital in any one story or account. relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. Let us Pray: God, as your Holy Spirit spoke to Mary, the mother of In the reading from Isaiah, the prophet was trying to persuade king our Lord, speak to us now through your Word that by hearing we too Ahaz to trust God and not alliances of the human sort. Ahaz didn’t may receive faith and be strengthened to do your will. Amen. listen, nor did he trust in God. Ahaz wanted to be the one in charge. Did he think he could do a better job than God? For his lack of faith, One of the great blessings of our sacred scriptures is the good fortune Ahaz was given a sign straight from God; it was the sign of a child of having four different Gospel accounts of the life and ministry of being born, whose name would be Immanuel, meaning, God is with Jesus the Christ. Two of these accounts, Matthew’s and Luke’s, us. include birth stories, yet these two accounts are very different. On (This reminds me of Matthew’s story of Herod being told by the Christmas Eve we will be reading from Luke, but this morning we three wise men that a new king had been born. Herod does not have heard from Matthew. respond with faith, but with fear, and a savage attack on the Luke’s story of Jesus’ birth focuses on Mary; in Luke’s account she children.) has a speaking part. In Luke’s account Mary is the one told to name For Ahaz, it was a sign of a new king being born. This was not good the child Jesus. And we are told about her responses to certain news for Ahaz, for it was also a sign that Ahaz had lost favor with events. For example, after the shepherd’s visit to the stable, Mary God; he would be replaced; his kingship was coming to an end. Yet treasured what they had told her about the child, pondering their this sign is important for us today, for Matthew repeats the sign as a words in her heart. Joseph doesn’t speak in Luke, and we are not revelation of Jesus, Messiah; this baby, Jesus, is Emmanuel – God with us. The sign is from ancient times, and it is for all time. himself. I told him I would go right over to see them. There was great Matthew also writes that Joseph was a righteous man. Matthew calls relief on the other end of the line. him righteous for the way he dealt with Mary upon finding her pregnant. Even before he knew who the father was, he planned to When I got to the hospital and entered the room to be with the dismiss her quietly, which was the kind, loving, and merciful thing to family, there were deep expressions of gratitude for my visit. I sat do. and listened while family members spoke. I didn’t have to say anything, except to ask a question or two to better understand what According to Jewish law, Joseph could have exposed her to public they were experiencing. humiliation, which would mark her for life as damaged goods. Or, it was also lawful to have Mary and her sexual partner stoned to death, When I left them, there was a completely different feeling in the because she and the other man had violated her marriage contract room. There was hope, and comfort that wasn’t there before. And I with Joseph. hope you can understand what I’m saying: it wasn’t me that made the difference. What made the difference is that someone (me, in this This story gives us a chance to think about what it means to be case) heard the call for help, and went. I was someone who came to a righteous. Jews who keep the Law were considered righteous. The family in distress bearing compassion. Anyone can do that! scribes and Pharisees liked to flaunt their righteousness, by making a show of how well they kept the letter of the Law. And they looked Anyone who bears compassion to another human being is creating a down their noses at those who, for whatever reason, could not keep channel for that person to experience the presence of the God, whose the whole Law. name is Emmanuel – God with us. Anyone who comes in mercy, care, and love, is creating a channel for others to see God; to The term “righteous indignation” comes to mind. We can spot these experience God; to be touched by God. And let me say that this people quite easily and we like to label them the holier-than-thou presence of the Holy Spirit is real! Real, indeed! folks. Of course, when we do that we unwittingly join their ranks! Righteousness is not about judging others, or showing how we are Yet in Matthew, Joseph is considered righteous for not demanding or better than others. Righteousness is about opening a channel for the pressing the letter of the Law! He was righteous for being merciful, love of God to break through – to heal and make new. In addition, kind, and loving. Again, Joseph was merciful, kind, and loving practicing this kind of righteousness opens us to the voices of God’s before he knew that God was with him – with them – through Mary’s messengers, who are directing us into the fullness of God’s pregnancy. Joseph was a righteous man not in response to something, graciousness. Very powerful! Very powerful, indeed! or to puff himself up before others; he was righteous because it was his nature to be merciful, kind, and loving. Let us pray…O Holy One, we are your people; we bear your word of promise that you will be with us always, through every age. Use us Thus I believe the gospel is showing us that true righteousness – now to be a blessing to those who walk in darkness and doubt, today, being merciful, kind, and loving – opens us to experience the God and every day. We pray in the confidence of your name; Emmanuel. whose name is Emmanuel – God with us. The implications here are Amen. quite significant; through our own acts of mercy, we can make visible Emmanuel, God with us, for others. It could be transformative and life-changing for someone. In fact a little kindness can be healing. An old friend called me recently and asked a favor. There was urgency in the call, and his anxiousness was palpable. His family, who lived in the Valley here, was dealing with a medical crisis. He asked if I could drop in on his family, for he was delayed in coming