Advent 4 "Between Ordinary and Extraordinary"

Readings: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19, Romans 1:1-17, Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, December 18, 2022

The early Christian church were not slow in capitalizing on ancient festivals. In the light of already existing festivals that celebrated the end of winter and the coming of the light of a New Year, they saw an opportunity to mark the end of December as a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, who came to bring light for our darkness.  Today the Christmas experience remains a strange mix of pagan, religious and secular traditions that over the centuries have become intertwined and create an ever-evolving festival.

In this week’s passage Matthew gives us Joseph's side of the birth story, as well as Jesus being given the name “Emmanuel” which means “God is with us.” It's all rather condensed and if you sneezed, you might miss it.  You don't want to miss it.

It is a story about extraordinary things happening to ordinary people. And the vision behind the story is that it invites ordinary people, like you and me, to be open to the possibility of doing extraordinary, heavenly inspired, kingdom related things. We are called to be light in the darkness. How can we do that? Because God is with us.

The darkness is real. I don't just mean the nights coming in earlier, that's bad enough, I mean that other darkness that none of our lives are immune from. We have troubles and struggles and situations that we are working through. We have imperfect families and compromised lives and there is tragedy and death and illness and unwelcome surprises that throw us into a spin. Is God mad at us? No. It's just life.

Christmastime can be tough for many people. It can be dark for any of us, and it can be especially dark for the least and the last and the left out in our world. It is meant to be about peace and love and hope and joy, and if our lives are lacking in those things, the gap between where we would like to be and where we are seems like an insurmountable chasm. Some memories blight rather than bless. It is supposed to be this extraordinary time of the year. But we, like Mary and like Joseph, are ordinary people.

In our reading Joseph is going through a dark time. He has just found out that the woman of his dreams is pregnant, and he can't figure out how. In their culture engagement was a lot more than engagement is today. It was a done deal. A legal contract. Those who broke it faced a harsh penalty. Stoning. Game over. You broke the rules, now you will pay. With your life.

Joseph loved Mary way too much for that. He was an ordinary guy with an extraordinary crush on the object of his affections. The text tells it rather matter of fact. “Being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, Joseph planned to dismiss her quietly.”

Understatement! The guy’s world had just come crashing down around him. And, righteous or not, he was not going to do what the law required. For sure Mary had tried to explain that what was happening to her was tied up with God's plans. Really? God would plan to use ordinary people like them to fulfill some higher purpose? None of it made sense.

He decides to sleep on it. While he sleeps, he has this vivid dream. The kind of dream that seemed more real than his waking moments. The kind of dream he would have again... and in the future it would result in his family’s salvation from a murderous King, their relocation to Egypt and finally settling in Nazareth. An angel tells him “Take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

When the Holy Spirit moves upon or within a person’s life, you just don't know what the outcome is going to be. You just have to go with it. I've been a pastor long enough to observe things I honestly cannot explain, rationalize, or dismiss. Events that just all fell into place. Things not turning out as they should. Deliverance from natural events. Coincidences that can only be God-incidences. Healing that the doctors could not fathom. These things are way beyond me. I observe. The Holy Spirit works, and I've learned to let it be. Let it go. Because if I try and make sense of it, I have no words.

Mary came to be with child. Joseph couldn't make sense of it. Neither can I. The angel tells him, “The child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Joseph, gets out of bed, gives up trying to figure it out and just goes with it. He puts into practice the faith that the angel has asked of him. “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is practice.” When we practice the faith that God seeks to release within us, ordinary people start to experience extraordinary things.

The reason it is all happening, and the thing that can also turn our lives around, is that Jesus is now in the picture.  Isn't that what we celebrate at Christmas? Is not that what we sing in our carols? “Joy to the world! The Lord is come: Let earth receive her King.” “Silent night, Holy Night, Christ the Savior is born!” “Good Christian Friends rejoice, Christ is born today!”

The next significant thing that happens in this passage is that the angel tells us the name of this child being birthed by the Holy Spirit. “You are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:  ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’”

What's in a name? I've seen billboards and bumper stickers declaring the simple message, “Jesus saves.” I have also heard wonderful testimonies of people telling how Jesus saved them from their sins. But sometimes I walk away thinking, well that's great what Jesus did for them back then, but what is God up to in their lives now?

These are not the easiest days for many, many traditional churches. There is a tendency for congregations to keep looking back to their glorious past, and forget the Christmas message, that the God of the past is still with them in their present and quite capable of birthing new things for their future. 

In Hebrew, the name “Emmanuel” is a phrase, rather than a static word. Its meaning is not simply “God is with us,” but can also be rendered “God is in community with us” or  even “God is one of us.”  The Gospel of John captures it's meaning when in his prologue he writes “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” (John 1:14)

 “What if God was one of us?” asked a songwriter some years back. The startling revelation of “Emmanuel” that not only has God been with God's people throughout the ages but remains in the midst of the community of God's people, totally identifying with their struggles and with their darkness... as one of them.

This was Joseph's struggle. It wasn't just that Mary was to have a child, it was that he and Mary were just the same flesh and blood as all humanity and the very notion that God could birth something extraordinary into the heart of their incredibly ordinary lives was hard to accept.

Such remains our struggle, both as church communities and individuals. Can God's Kingdom work of salvation and healing and peace and justice and hope and love, really be actualized though ordinary people like you and me? The answer Christmas offers to us is a huge resounding, out loud and proud “Yes” because that is why Jesus came.

So much in this story would not have happened if ordinary people had not made a practice of putting their faith into action. I'm sure you know the musician’s joke. “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” “Practice, practice, practice.” The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is practice.

Be present for your families. Be present for those whose needs you can meet. Be present in worship and service. Be present in prayer. Be present in your stewardship. Be present in those tasks to which God is calling you, be present in the midst of the ordinary everyday life that we live, because it is when we practice our faith that extraordinary things can happen. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is practice, practice, practice.

At a moment of great personal darkness and confusion, in a dream an angel appeared to Joseph and said “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid.”  Our dreams remain flights of fancy until we act upon them. It is because Jesus is with us, as one of us, that we can find the strength to move forward. It is because God's Holy Spirit is still able to birth things in our ordinary lives beyond our comprehension, that we have hope and see possibilities where others see only problems.

The seasons shall follow seasons. There will be light. There will be darkness. The sun will set, and the sun will rise. And every new day is an opportunity to practice our faith. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is practice. 

To God's name be all the glory. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian. J. Pratt B.D.