ADVENT  4A

December 23, 2007                                                                           

SCRIPTURES  

• Isaiah 7:10-16 Prophecy in a time of crisis: "The young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."    "Emmanuel" is actually a phrase
•  in Hebrew (`immanu el). It doesn't contain a verb, and it is usually correct to provide a present tense form of "to be," e.g, NRSV's "God is with us." Thus this name doesn't imply that God was with us only during Jesus' lifetime, but that through Jesus, God continues to be with us.
• Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
• Romans 1:1-7 Paul, sets forth his great theme: "the gospel concerning [God's] Son ..."
• Matthew 1:18-25 Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus.

MATTHEW

-So the first thing to notice as we move in these last days to Christmas is that the expectation of Jesus, according to Matthew, is outside all of our normal categories. Our business is not to explain this text. Our business is to be dazzled at Christmastime that something is happening beyond all of our calculations. This is a baby and a wonder and a gift that is designed to move us beyond ourselves. Brueggemann
-Advent is being ready for the saving one who will come when we cannot save ourselves.      Brueggemann

-Jesus has two names:  Jesus which means "save" and Emmanuel which means "God with us". The Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggemann (all the above)

-Today's Gospel tells "the other annunciation story." Not the one about Gabriel appearing to Mary with a message, but the annunciation to Joseph.

-Jesus" (Greek) or "Joshua" (Hebrew) -- names that mean "savior". Note that with this name, the importance of Jesus is not "who he

    is" defined by the genealogy and the virgin conception as son of God; but what he will do -- save people from their sin!

-Calling Jesus, "the Messiah," simply indicates that God will use him for some special purpose Stoffregen

-Last week we celebrated hope in this season of advent waiting. Love is the subject of our hope

-sermon: God comes to us AT TIMES we least expect it.  God comes to us IN WAYS we least expect it. And God comes to us THROUGH PEOPLE that we least expect. Mickey Anders

-Emmanuel – means “God with us.” God is still with us, today,  God is still speaking!

-In a sermon in Harvard University’s Memorial Church, Peter Gomes talked about the particular role that Joseph had to play in the incarnation:
 “Fear not Joseph, thou son of David, You fear disgrace. You fear embarrassment and shame for yourself and for Mary. You fear public scandal. You fear that your reputation will suffer, but it will not happen. For out of this fear comes an opportunity that neither you nor your worthy ancestors could have imagined. And, what is this opportunity that comes out of real fear and alleged disgrace? It is this Joseph; you will become the guardian of God. You will be the protector of the Savior of the world. You, Joseph, will become the Stepfather to hope."  From sermon by,  Rev. Craig Shirley, 
-It is too easy at Advent to speak of the coming of one who will take upon himself the suffering of this world, because suffering, evil and tragedy all remain with us. It is too easy to boil Advent down to waiting and watching for Christmas to come. It is too easy to celebrate the four words —PROMISE, HOPE, LOVE, JOY— which hang majestically, yet impotently, from our ceiling.   The birth of love is often hard and difficult. Sometimes we must struggle for it, even as Mary did in the cold dark of a lonely night.   DeJong

- Betrothal was a commitment  so binding that had Joseph died before taking Mary under his roof, Mary would have become a widow.  biblehistory.com

- Betrothal is symbolic:   "already is"  with "not yet fully realized."  biblehistory.com

- "God hath long contended with a stubborn world, and thrown down many a blessing upon them; and when all his

ILLUSTRATIONS

1.Recently a man took his film to a one-hour development facility in downtown Chicago.  He left the film and returned in an hour to discover that the place had changed to a one-hour cleaners.  The confused man hesitantly entered the store, met the same clerk, and asked about his film.  The gentleman behind the counter said, "Was that a suit or just shirts?" The man replied, "It was 35 millimeter film." The clerk asked, "Was it to be pressed or just cleaned?" The man said, "It was film to be developed." The clerk said, "Do you want to look through these suits to see if one of them belongs to you." The man, getting a little agitated by now, said with a bit of tension in his voice, "I didn't HAVE a suit, I HAD film." The clerk asked the gentleman if he ever watched TV. He said, "Sometimes." Then the clerk announced, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera!"  "Remember, when you least expect it, someone, somewhere may walk up to you and say, 'Smile, You're on Candid Camera.'"   I think that must be how Mary and Joseph felt!.

2. Country song,  "The Dad That He Didn't Have To Be." The song is about a little boy whose mother kept dating guys who would disappear when they discovered she had a little boy. Then a man showed up in their lives who even let him go along on some of the dates, who became a father to him in every good sense of the word, and married his mother. Part of the chorus is, "I hope that I can be at least half the Dad that he didn't have to be." Joseph didn't have to be a part of this "mess." He could have saved himself a lot of trouble, but he didn't. He accepted the scandal, the gossip, etc

3 Poem .“When Jesus called that Christmas week I wasn’t at my best; 
And the house was much too cluttered to entertain a guest.
He seemed to notice everything, the card still unaddressed,
The gifts piled high awaiting wraps, the baking and the rest.
He eyes fell on the evergreen and the presents ‘neath the tree,
It’s my birthday that you celebrate--what are you giving me?
‘What am I giving him?’ I thought; ashamed no words I found.
So many costly things I’d bought, he looked at me and frowned.
I prayed he’d let the question pass, but when he did persist,
I blurted out the truth at last, you were not on my list.”  Louise Teisberg 

4,  IN December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful

in getting their "flying machine" off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed

this message to their sister Katherine: "We have actually flown 120 feet.

Will be home for Christmas." Katherine hurried to the editor of the local

newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, "How nice.

The boys will be home for Christmas." He totally missed the big news-man had

flown! Bass Mitchell

CHILDREN

-What's in a Name? (Sadlier Publishing)
Names in Scripture are usually meaningful. Knowing the meaning of someone's name can help us understand his or her role in God's plan. And even our own names have meanings that we can explore. Below is a list of names from Scripture. The meanings are given. Add to the list—your name, your parents' names, the names of your brothers and sisters, your teacher, your friends. Look up the meanings Sometimes "Names for Babies" books can help. Then write a sentence giving a spiritual or faith-interpretation of that name. Even names that seem "non-religious" can have a faith meaning. For example, "Tiffany" comes from the name of a famous jewelry store. So being called "Tiffany" can remind the bearer of that name that she is a precious jewel in God's eyes! Examples:

Emmanuel—God with us. (The name Emmanuel or Manuel is still used for boys today.)
Jesus—God saves. (The name Jesus is used today too, especially for boys in Spanish-speaking cultures.)
Joseph—"He shall add." (The "He" refers to God God will give more!)
Mary—related to mara, which means "bitter." Mary suffered because her Son suffered. We also relate Mary's name to the Latin for "sea," (mar) so we call her "Star of the Sea."
John—"gift of God." Juan is Spanish for John. Sean is Gaelic. The feminine is Joan, or Jean, or Joanne.

- Joy is your birthright   S.B. Breathnach

- The heart of Christmas is not about giving but about God giving and we receiving

-We took the celebration of the S U N  and turned it into a celebration of the S O N .  Barbara Brown Taylor  

-When I was a child, Christmas was a once upon a time...now as an adult Christmas happpens again and again and again. Marcus Borg

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