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Readings for December 22, 2019 Fourth Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7:10-16. Context. In the 730s BC, the Assyrian kings began a campaign of imperial expansion to the south towards Egypt. They threatened the much smaller kingdoms of Syria, Ephraim, and Judah. Syria and Ephraim had formed an alliance, but Judah had not joined them. So Syria and Ephraim began an assault on Judah to force Judah’s cooperation. For whatever reason, the king of Judah at the time, Ahaz, didn’t seem interested in what God through Isaiah had to say to him. But God gave him a sign anyway to proclaim to him that within a few short years, Syria and Ephraim would no longer be a threat. Ahaz had nothing to do but trust in God’s promise. The sign was this: a pregnant young woman (probably Isaiah’s wife) would bear a son, who would be called Immanuel, “God with us.” (Isaiah had another son whose name, Shear-jashub, was interpreted “A remnant shall return,” suggesting that most of Judah’s enemies would be crushed.) And by the time this child, Immanuel, was weaned and understood the difference between right and wrong, Syria and Ephraim would be defeated. Indeed, by 721 BC, Assyria had conquered the kingdoms of Syria and Ephraim. The words of Isaiah had come true. 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. Reflection. Most of us wouldn’t know these words of Isaiah if Matthew hadn’t used them in his description of the birth of Jesus (more on that below). But in their context, they highlight not so much the prophecy of Isaiah as the diffidence of king Ahaz when presented with a sign from God. What was the king’s problem? Maybe he had a good idea of what Isaiah was going to say (“trust in God alone, not in the might of princes”), and just didn’t want to hear it. We know that the kings of Judah had a penchant for international intrigue, and loved to make deals with the rulers of Egypt – even though the Egyptians inevitably would fail to come through. Are we so different from Ahaz? How often would we rather muddle through life on our own without seeking God’s guidance – when we know that God would probably suggest that we do things differently? ******************* Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19. Context. This week’s psalm may have first been penned at the very time of the Assyrian assault on the tribes that made up the northern kingdom of Israel: Ephraim and Manasseh (named after Joseph’s sons) were the largest and most powerful of the ten northern tribes. Benjamin was on the border between Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south. The psalm is a lament: God has apparently abandoned the people to their enemies. The psalmist cries, “Turn from your anger, O God, and we will never turn away from you again!” Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves. Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. … But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself. Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name. Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. Reflection. When times were good, the Israelites tended to forget about God. When times were bad, they pleaded with God not to forget them, and promised to be an obedient people. Sound familiar? ******************* Romans 1:1-7. Context. This week’s reading is a salutation typical of letters: “From the sender (Paul), To the recipients (the Christians at Rome), Greetings!” Into this basic framework, Paul supplies not only a perfect summary of the content of this particular letter, but also the core of his preaching: Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Scriptures, descended from David, living life like the rest of us, and made Son of God with power when God raised him from the grave in anticipation of the general resurrection of the just at the end of time. Because of this, all nations (Gentiles), together with the Jews, have been called to be the people of God; and Paul, a slave of this Lord, has been set apart to preach this good news and to call all to obedience to this same Lord – over against the other lords of this world, Caesar included. 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. Reflection. The birth of Jesus isn’t just a warm and friendly story; it’s the first act in a drama that will transform the entire world. For many people, from then until now, the script is absurd and meaningless. But for Paul the drama ends with a “new world order” of justice, peace and blessing where even death is defeated. And Paul calls us to give our allegiance to that new order starting right now. Yet we are often tempted to compromise with the powers that be: “We can’t have peace without strength.” Certainly the last century has taught us that “peace through strength” is simply a recipe for endless war and destruction. Can you imagine “strength through peace”? ********************’ Matthew 1:18-25. Context. Matthew began his gospel with an account of the genealogy of Jesus, punctuated by the mention of four non-Israelite women who were central to the unfolding story of God’s people but who didn’t conform to the moral or theological conventions of the time: Tamar, a Canaanite and the widowed and childless daughter-in-law of Judah, who through a ruse got Judah to father a child by her (he later pronounced her “righteous”); Rahab, the harlot of Jericho who saved the Israelite scouts from death at the hands of their enemies; Ruth, the Moabite woman who seduced the Israelite Boaz (their son was to be the grandfather of David); and “the wife of Uriah” the Hittite, Bathsheba (her marriage made her less than Israelite), whom David had raped and whose husband Uriah had been murdered on David’s order – her son Solomon would carry on the royal dynasty and covenant with God. With this introduction, Matthew begins the story of Jesus’ birth with a description of his pregnant, unmarried mother Mary, and Joseph’s dilemma. “Jesus” was a common name at the time, and is the equivalent of the Hebrew “Joshua.” (Note: Just before he died, Moses had told the people that God would raise up a prophet like himself to lead them; and it was Joshua that led them into the Promised Land. Matthew will emphasize throughout his gospel that Jesus is the new prophet like Moses, leading the people to a new promised land.) 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.

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