Matthew 1:18-25
Power to Save!
Have you ever struggled with finding words to say to someone in a tough situation? It’s those moments when you feel like you need to say something, but everything that goes through your head just seems like an empty phrase. For instance, this is often the case at funerals. When you have to bury a family member, everyone wants to say something helpful… but no one knows what actually is. This is why so many people will utter useless platitudes because they don’t know anything better. But it’s not just dealing with death. It could be family drama. It could be trouble in the workplace. It could be any number of situations that feel like someone stacked a mountain on their back and told them to run. You’ve probably heard the saying, “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.” Now, I know this isn’t the original intent of the phrase, but it still fits. What most people don’t realize is that sometimes the best thing you can say is nothing. Sometimes the best thing to do is just to sit with them quietly, give them a hug, a handshake, a pat on the back, anything to let them know that they’re not alone in their situation. For this is what we call the ministry of presence. What is helpful to many people isn’t always a word of comfort, but the physical presence of those they know and love. Sometimes, there’s nothing more comforting than sitting beside someone you know has your back and will be with you no matter what. For we can use technology all we want to connect with people, talk with them, even see them on a screen from a distance. But no technology has ever come close to replicating the benefits of having someone physically present with us.
On this last Sunday before Christmas, we’re reminded that the most important thing God ever did for us… was to come to us and stand by our side. It’s his presence among us that changed everything. For as we dive into our Gospel lesson, let us learn and pray:
STIR UP YOUR POWER, O LORD, AND COME!
I.
Out of all the Gospels, Matthew is the only one to give us any insight into the thoughts and response which Joseph had to Mary’s surprise pregnancy. We’ve heard a million times the story from the angels and how Mary answers in faith. But by herself, she really stood no chance at raising Jesus. Hence, we find out the internal struggle which Joseph faced when presented with such news. As we read, “When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly,” Matthew 1:18-19. In Jewish culture, marriage began with a period of betrothal. It was the span of a year where the husband and wife waited to consummate the marriage to ensure that the woman wasn’t already pregnant. Since genealogy was essential to the handling of land, inheritance, and so on, it was top priority for men to know who their children were.
Consider this pregnancy then from Joseph’s view. We might assume that Mary told him to try to explain the situation, which is why Joseph, being the man he was, refused to have Mary face the harsher penalty prescribed by the Law of Moses. Or did Mary wait until it was all too obvious that she was having a baby? No matter how Joseph found out, Joseph isn’t oblivious to what it takes to have a baby. He also knows very well people’s capacity to lie and deceive. It didn’t matter what Mary said to him, it all seemed far-fetched with present evidence to the contrary. Even as someone who sought to live an upright and God-fearing life, Joseph knew quite well the capacity of man to sin. He knew how deeply sin lived in each and every one of us. Indeed, the power of man is wholly sinful. And any and every sin is no different to marital unfaithfulness for by sinning we prove ourselves unfaithful towards God. And what can we say that will make the situation any better? What could God say that would give us any comfort? Hence, the prayer of God’s people through the ages has always been, “Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come!”
II.
This is why Christmas is so much more special than any present under the tree, or any family tradition, or societal influence. For it’s not just a birth we’re celebrating. We celebrating the fact that God HAS come! God looked into our mess, saw our despair and anguish… and he said, “I’m coming. I will be there with you to stand beside you, to guide you, to face the challenges of life with you!” This is what changed Joseph’s entire outlook on the pregnancy. As he is told by the angel, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins,” Matthew 1:20-21. Joseph is told in no uncertain terms that this baby is unlike all others. Mary’s explanation is corroborated by God himself. And now, he has no more fear of the child being anyone else’s, but his. For Joseph will raise Jesus as his own. As the angel said, you will call his name Jesus. You, Joseph, will be his father, the one who will care for him and ensure he becomes everything he’s meant to be.
God didn’t need to say anything more to us at this point. He didn’t need to come up with the right words… though every word that comes from his mouth is perfect. Rather, God ministers to us by literally coming among us, being present with us in the midst of even the worst of situations. Jesus came down from heaven to become incarnate in the womb of Mary so that he may save us from our sins. Just as Isaiah prophesied ages ago, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” Isaiah 7:14. And as Matthew informs us, Immanuel means “God with us”. God has come in Jesus to bear our sins, to carry our sorrows, to walk with us on this path. For he walks the path with us all the way to the cross where he shows us that he has been and always will be there for us to handle every trouble and care in life. By his death upon the cross, Jesus has removed the barrier of sin between us and God so that now, God comes to us through Word and Sacrament and in the end, may come to dwell among us for all eternity!
Yet, we still pray, “Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come!” We need your presence every waking hour lest we fall again into sin and temptation. Thus, Jesus points us back to his manger where he comes among us, then to his cross where he carries every problem… and at last he says, “I’m coming!” In Jesus’ name! Amen!