2010 Advent-Christmas-Epiphany Devotions

FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT
Rob Hunter

Light four candles of the Advent Wreath.

Read Matthew 1:18-25

“I see you shiver with antici…………..pation”, as the Rocky Horror Picture Show song says. We all know that feeling of restless waiting for something great, something longed-for, and something awesome—whether it’s a new movie, a visit to a famous place, or…Immanuel? But how often, when the big day arrives, does it turn out to be a disappointment? Not so great after all, or at least not what we expected. Isaiah wrote in Chapter 7, verse 14: “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.” The Jewish people waited, prayed for, anticipated Immanuel. As Christians, we see this verse as a prophecy of the birth of Jesus, but Jews--then and now--would not. Many Jews were looking for a king to come in glory and smite their enemies. But there’s another way Jewish tradition has looked at this passage: the birth of any child is a miracle, and should be to us a sign that God is with us, even in times of trouble such as faced Israel when that prophecy was uttered. To people looking for a divine hero like David, the prophet talks about women and children. Listen to this version of the familiar “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPHh3nMMu-I&feature=related, which strikingly captures that feeling of anticipation.

Hundreds of years later, a simple working man was, we can assume, looking forward to marriage to a respectable Jewish girl, and raising sons to follow in his business. Instead, he gets a pregnant bride, a son not his, and he doesn’t even get to choose the name. This flies in the face of more Jewish law and tradition than we can easily imagine today. For example, strict Jewish law forbade illegitimate sons to marry or learn Torah. As Matthew tells us, Joseph could have denounced Mary, but decided just to send her away quietly, an act of mercy. But God said no—take her as your wife, and raise the boy. Oh, and here is his name—Jesus. And Joseph does it. Joseph never speaks in this passage; he is silent, and he obeys. In all the Christmas focus on the birth of the boy Jesus, let alone the cultural excitement and anticipation of the big day, it’s too easy to miss what has happened here. Matthew gives us the core of his gospel in these few verses: God acts as He will, Immanuel is here, it’s not what you expected—when God acts, it’s almost never what we expect—obey the heart of the Law, not its letter.

Prayer
O God,
may we, like Joseph,
hear when you speak to us,
listen when you surprise us,
and obey your will when you call us, not our own.
Through Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Updated March 13, 2011