Taking time to reflect on God with us

You can listen to this sermon here

 Gate Pa –  4^th Sunday in Advent - Year A - 2022

Readings:
Psalm -                        Psalm: 80:1-7,17-19
First Reading -             Isaiah 7:10-16
Second Reading -       Romans 1:1-7
Gospel:                        Matthew 1: 18-25

    What I want to happen:
Let’s read Matthew on its own terms and not in Luke’s shadow
Today we read the stories of two men, one faithless and untrusting (Ahaz in Isaiah) and one faithful and trusting (Joseph in Matthew).
When I read this, I am reminded of John Dun Scotus – Francisan theologian of high middle ages - "The Incarnation is caused simply by God's generous and free love, and is not provoked by anything a mere human creature has done [i.e., because of the Fall].”
Finish with quick overview of Advent
-         Peace – shalom (שׁלום) is derived from a root denoting wholeness or completeness. Shalom more than absence of war, but the overcoming of strife, quarrel, and social tension, the prevention of enmity and war between people, groups of people and nations.
-         Hope – Jim Wallis
-         Gift of Joy which we nurture
-         Love – John Duns Scotus

What I want to happen:
During this week I invite you to take time at the end of each day to give thanks for ways God with us has both brought love into your day; and through you brought love into the lives of others. I also invite you to reflect on what has led you away from love.

The Sermon

      1.     Introduction:

This week we hear Matthew’s version of the Christmas story
Take a minute or two think about what the Christmas story would be like if all we had was Matthew
If Luke did not write his gospel, what would the Christmas story be?
Discuss
 
Some things we might notice
-         This is Joseph’s story – Luke is Mary’s story
o   No Mary’s Song
-         Joseph and Mary are from Bethlehem not Nazareth
o   No census
o   No journey
o   Not staying in stable but in Joseph’s parents’ house
-         No shepherds, but are Persian Magi
-         Is star
-         Flee to Egypt to avoid Herod’s pogrom
-         Don’t go to temple
o   Jesus not presented
o   No song of Simeon or Anna
-         Nothing about Elizabeth and John
o   No song Zechariah
 

      2.     Matthew

Basic question of all gospels is
“who is Jesus and so what”
Each answer it differently
Mathew is seeking to set out Jesus’ credentials for being the Christ, or Messiah, and outlining what kind of messiah he might be
-         Through whakapapa/ genealogy
-         Through the birth story
-         Through John the Baptist’s announcement
-         Through Jesus’ actions and teaching
-         Through constant linking story Jesus with story people Israel
So today we have Matthew’s birth story
Important that we read it on it’s own terms. 

      3.     Joseph

In Matthew’s story Joseph assumes more pivotal role than in Luke
-         Faith filled man
-         Who is willing to trust God
Constant theme in Matthew is the Spirit at work = taking the initiative
-         Animating those in story
Joseph is one of those who is open to the presence of the Spirit
-         And he is willing to listen
-         And is animated by the Spirit
He discovers Mary is pregnant, and he is not the father.
So, to preserve his honour, and maybe to allow the real father to take responsibility for his actions and take Mary as his wife and acknowledge his child
-         Seeks to quietly end his engagement with Mary
In dream the Divine Spirit speaks, and he is willing to allow this Divine Spirit to work through him
-         so he steps outside of what might have been expected of him.
Takes Mary as his wife and publicly declares the child as his
Spirits work in Joseph is not done
Spirit continues to work through him
-          in a dream he is warned to become a refugee and to leave for Egypt.
-         And again he is told when he returns not to go home to Bethlehem, but to go to Nazareth – a really out of the way place, instead.

      4.     Ahaz the untrusting

In contrast Matthew quotes from Isaiah
I think it is important that we remember that this prophecy originally was not about the Messiah
-         Not about Jesus
Prophecy for Ahaz in his situation, to encourage him to be a man of faith and to trust God.
Ahaz is not very faith filled
And we will find that he is also not willing to trust God
He is in a very hard place
Northern neighbours want his help with Assyria
-         He is not interested
So they try depose him
-         Which he is not happy about
So he plots what to do next
Meanwhile Isaiah prophet turns up saying
-         Do not fear Ahaz
-         God is with us
-         Trust God
-         Ask for any sign and God will give it
Ahaz doesn’t want sign
He has already made pact with Assyria to help him out
-         Which in hindsight is not that good a deal
So he hides behind a pious position
But Isaiah sees through
God sees through it
And the sign is given anyway ###
-         Young women
o   (Hebrew not about virgin – although if not married then all likelihood virgin)
-         Will give birth to a son
-         She will name him Emmanuel – God with us
-         And before he is 2
-         The northern neighbours of Samaria and Syria who are trying to depose him will be gone
-         Southern kingdom and Jerusalem will be safe
-         So it comes to pass
Does he see sign?
The sign is remembered and reinterpreted
-         Seen as a sign for one of the versions of the coming of the messiah
-         And eventually Matthew remembers and applies this sign to new baby
o   Jesus - God saves
More than a sign
God with us in a new way
I wonder how all that helps us celebrate Christmas
-         Joseph who was faithful and trusting
-         Ahaz who was not
-         God found in Jesus who is faithful and desires to be with us

      5.     Advent

    Over the last 4 weeks we have lit 4 candles and spend some time looking at the 4 themes of Advent
Peace, from the Hebrew Shalom ###
o   shalom (שׁלום) is derived from a root denoting wholeness or completeness
o   What we long for when pray Lord’s prayer
o   Is final part of the advent hope of Christ in Majesty
But we are not there yet
-         So we live in hope###
-         “Hope is believing in spite of the evidence, and then watching the evidence change.”  Jim Wallis
Last week we spent time thinking about Joy ###
-         Gift from God
-         Thought of ways we can nurture joy.###
Today we think about love ###
-         reminds of the work of a great Franciscan theologian
-        

John Duns Scotus – late 1200’s early 1300
-         Like many great Franciscan thinkers was centred on God’s love
-         For him Christmas, the Incarnation,  is caused simply by God's generous and free love,
o   it is not provoked by anything a mere human creature has done [i.e., because of the Fall].”
-         One questions of the time was if there was no fall with Adam and Eve, would Christmas and the incarnation still have happened
o   Some like Aquinas said no

o   Duns Scotus said yes
§  It was always God’s intention and desire to be with us in this new way
o   He  says that Christ is the first thought of God –
§  or as Richard Rohr says - God's pre-emptive strike of love. ###
-         Finish with quote If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when? Rabbi Hillel

      6.     Conclusion

This week our theme is love. During this week I invite you to take time at the end of each day to give thanks for ways God with us has both brought love into your day; and through you brought love into the lives of others. I also invite you to reflect on what has led you away from love.