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“Naming Him Jesus”
Isaiah 7:10-17; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Romans 1:1-7;
Matthew 1:18-25
Rev. Sandy Nuernberg
Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, WI
4th Sunday of Advent
December 23, 2007
Please pray with me,
Lord Jesus, as we hear your Words and do your will, meld and mold us to be
your disciples , much like Joseph, giving us the grace of your Holy Spirit
silently, yet obediently, as we become ready to have you be born into our
lives, not afraid, but able to move wherever you might lead us. We pray in
your Son’s Name, AMEN.
Listen to the Name, Immanuel!
Emmanuel! God is with us! Just the Name sounds powerful; it rings with the power
of Christ, the HOPE now and in years to come! Our texts tell us, this 4th
Sunday in Advent in celebrating hope, that the Lord came to Joseph, Mary’s
husband, in a dream saying, ‘you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his
people from their sins.’ Naming Him Jesus had power, then in Bethlehem; His
Name, Jesus, has power and hope today for all persons.
Not long ago I drove back and
forth commuting to south Chicago for seminary classes the billboards at the
tolls (5) as I got closer to the ‘windy’ city had a message for the rest of 2001
that read, “God Bless America” on them; you may remember that was right after
Sept. 9/11. I liked seeing them; I felt confident driving along in the
Midwest feeling ‘hopeful,’ but, like many, I wondered about those not knowing
about God or Jesus Christ. What about the rest of the world? If God is with us,
meaning ‘we’ and everyone altogether (all), surely God blesses everyone in the
world, everyone God created in God’s image. Our Christmas story, really, a faith
genealogy of Christ’s birth in Matthew, confirms for us today, that taken
altogether, the ancestors of Jesus so vividly testify God’s will and love and
activity with/for all kinds of persons. During this Christmastide, a time moving
into the new year for us, naming Him Jesus is significant, ‘God with us’ is a
sign in the fulfillment of God’s purposes and prophecy, ‘Emmanuel’ is a sign for
us of the grace, peace, and hope of Christians; of God’s covenant faithfulness
and the resurrection of Christ Jesus known by the work of the Holy Spirit in the
church (I Peter 1:3, Romans 8:18-25).
As is special naming of our newest
born children and grandchildren, it was especially important for those of Jewish
lineage too. It might seem that the birth story of Jesus in our Matthew text is
a ‘fatherless’ story where Joseph received a communication by an angel from God
in a dream. But do we know much about Joseph, the Son of David? Joseph was told
to take Mary as his wife and somehow, miraculously, she would give birth to a
Child. Joseph was told by an angel, “Do not to be afraid.” Other than this
Christmas story, it does seem significant for us that Joseph, the prominent
figure in this birth narrative, was never significant anywhere else, never
mentioned at all in the gospels. But Joseph is a silent, very significant
‘player’ in the incarnation of Christ Jesus; Joseph is a model disciple in his
silentness, never saying a word, yet in his preparation of a most miraculous
Life, his Son to come.
For us who might prefer the
familiar Lukan gospel story of the birth of Christ where Mary is the prominent
figure, which we will hear on Christmas Eve (!!), purposefully, this account in
Matthew is the genealogy of Joseph, not Jesus. It is significant for it
is meant to show us of Jesus Christ as a Jew, Jesus’ roots. But we know Joseph
portrays this lineage silently. Meaningfully for many in God’s story this
carpenter was led in hope from his fears to a future, yet he never speaks in
scripture.
In this purposefulness, granted,
Joseph was probably bewildered and bemoaned the fact that this young woman,
Mary, had been promised, or in Jewish custom espoused or betrothed to him in
marriage. For Joseph, this meant they were bound together; more than an
engagement; but it also meant that a betrothed virgin, pregnant, was an
adulteress! But, lo, Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit in becoming pregnant,
before they were husband and wife. As my great niece, Emily, would say when
seeing her brother in trouble, or upon pondering any dilemma, ‘Oh, oh!’
In the world we live, in our
western culture of this 21st century, this idea of unwed mothers is
not such a ‘big deal.’ In fact, it happens in this day and age, but in Joseph’
time and place it was a very ‘big deal.’ We see here, though, that Joseph was
caught in a position where he was to realize the purposefulness of God in Christ
Jesus. He does not back away, even after pondering dismissing his wife. For me,
Joseph is a disciple of God’s Holy Spirit, in value of his own name and
appreciation of his lineage. For me, Joseph is a disciple of virtue, of moral
excellence in action and thinking; our scripture says, ‘a righteous man,’ in
that instead of leaving her in disgrace he was given grace of the Holy Spirit to
see his way through as this virgin, Mary, delivers a Son. For me, Joseph is a
disciple in victory, he stays for the ‘long haul’ as he took Mary to be his
wife, in her miraculous birth, and in him naming their Child Jesus, Emmanuel,
God with us!
This miracle birth of Jesus the
Messiah, Emmanuel, took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord
through the prophets. It is a sign of God’s work in the world that is alive and
well! Each year Christ’s birth is a gift from God for us to enjoy; Joseph the
disciple did as the angel commanded him. This is the good news for us; the birth
of God’s Son, Christ Jesus, God with us! Ann Weems, my favorite and Presbyterian
(pk) poet and spiritual author, wrote a powerful poem recently, of her Christmas
hopes for all persons,
‘What I want for Christmas ’
“A miracle! A miracle is what I want for
Christmas! A miracle!
In the early morning hours, people still in darkness, I want us all to be
awakened
by the pealing of church bells loud and wild, pealing over and over and over
again,
urgent, joyful, overwhelmingly loud and wild!
And when we rush out to see what’s going on, neighbors in front of us, neighbors
behind us,
all of us rushing to the church, the bells continue their pealing, loud, and
wild,
over and over again.
On the steps of the church stands a very tall Angel dressed in red, and he
speaks to us;
“Don’t be afraid; I have great news; for to you is born this day a Savior
who is Christ the Lord.”
With those words there is much fluttering of wings
and the sky is full of angels, all singing, bells still pealing,
but we hear their words clearly; “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace and goodwill.”
With that we are lifted into the still dark sky and then put down in front of a
dazzling light.
When our eyes adjust; we drop to our knees, for we are mangerside in front of
the Holy Child,
bells still pealing; angels still singing peace.
I look over my shoulder and it looks as if the whole world is on their knees,
heads bowed, and we too are singing peace,
and the dark sky is snowing stars as dawn breaks.
Suddenly the world is bright and the Holy Child is now a Man,
and he calls us to come and sit at His table.
With nail marks in his hands, he breaks bread and pours wine until the whole
world is fed.
We no longer are in darkness. Stars have fallen into our hearts and we sing like
angels;
The miracle is Life! Peace on earth has come!
Presbyterians Today, December 2007, p. 18
Who would you
like to be at mangerside? Quiet, silent Joseph, whose value, virtue, and victory
was his discipleship brought to us by God. Or pregnant Mary, who bore a child
from the Holy Spirit; the singing angels, the neighbors close together at
church, the scattered animals nearby, or the bells loud and wild? The power
that only God brings to us is in the Spirit of the miracle of the Christ Child,
born on Christmas day. Emanuel. God is with us. Peace on earth, good will to
all!
Thanks be to
God. AMEN.
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