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Isaiah has been our constant companion this Advent. He has lifted up a vision of a peaceful world where people will learn war no more. He has dreamed of the time when all creation will live together, and a little child shall lead them. He is part of the inspiration for Mary as she prophesied upheavals in the status quo when God comes to reign. And today, we hear that famous verse from Isaiah 7 “Therefore the Lord, God’s Self, will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”
A young woman with child. Not quite the rainbow in the heavens or the burning bush, not parting seas, or Leviathan. No angel of death passing over us in order to get to them. This sign of God is different. It is something much more ordinary …and much more fragile.
Just a pregnant woman, who has a one in three chance of even making it alive through the birth with her infant (those were the statistics until fairly recently, when modern medicine intervened). Not great odds for a sign of God, especially since the specific girl we are talking about in Matthew has a fiancée who is about to “put her aside, quietly.”
And yet, despite the odds, this sign makes us look twice, and keep looking. Leviathan you don’t see every day. Burning bushes, parting seas: ditto. But pregnant women? Children? Those, you tend to run into. You might even live in the same house as one or two.
In fact, God’s best signs are ordinary enough to have on hand every day so that they can keep reminding us of what they stand for. See a rainbow and remember: “Never again will God destroy the earth.” See the stars and remember: “I, God, know all the stars by name.” Break bread or Drink of the vine and remember: “This is my body. This is the cup of the new covenant.” And now we have another one. See a pregnant women, See a child, and remember: “His name shall be called, Emmanuel, God with us.”
But our Gospel Lesson for today tells us it goes one step further than just seeing and remembering. This Emmanuel, God with us, is not just a God thing. It needs an assist from us. You see, there would have been no story the way we know it if Joseph had done the “normal” thing after finding out that his fiancée was pregnant (and not by him the story goes). By the Deuteronomic code, Mary should be stoned to death.
But Joseph decides he will be merciful and “put her aside” quietly. And then God steps in. An angel appears to Joseph, in a dream. And Joseph listens to his dream. How many of us even remember our dreams, and if we do, do we pay them any mind?
Just as we see Mary (in Luke) saying “yes” when asked to carry this son of God, Joseph is also asked to take an important role and says “yes.” Joseph becomes protector of mother and child. Joseph (in Matthew) becomes the one to name the baby. Joseph listens to his dreams and takes Mary as his wife, and later on, flees to Egypt, when warned in a dream that Herod is about to kill the child.
At the start of Matthew’s gospel, the genealogy of Joseph is recited down to “Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.” Joseph’s “yes” to God’s sign gives Jesus a family name, and a family.
In Advent, we often use words like wait, watch, prepare. If we take our gospel lesson for today seriously, it seems Advent might require more from us. In fact, what we have talked about this whole Advent season asks something more of us. It asks us to do more than just wait for peace, more than just prepare for Emmanuel to come, more than just talk about God’s justice and joy, more than just listening to messages in dreams. Advent asks us to say “yes.” “Yes” to making peace a part of our lives. “Yes” to cultivating a world where the cat Della can adopt a duckling. “Yes” to being a revolutionary like Mary. “Yes” to nurturing God’s signs in our world.
Advent is a dangerous season. Advent invites us to step out of our norms if that is what it takes to be faithful to God. Advent invites us to look, to listen, to believe, to welcome God into our lives and our hearts.
For we don’t want to miss the miracle.
Jesus is coming.
We will celebrate “God with us” once again.
We will see the Light that shines despite the darkness.
We will have new opportunities to say “Yes” to God—and to be a part of God’s movement in our world.
May that be our gift for Christmas this year.
Alleluia, Amen.
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