Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Isaiah 7:10-14
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  December 22, 2019

Christmas is a time of giving and receiving. For our society, Christmas and presents are almost inseparable, and with it, the Christmas tree and the presents are almost inseparable. But do you know how the Christmas tree actually came about?

In the 700’s an English missionary named Boniface wanted to spread the news about to people in Germany. However when he reached one of their villages, he found them all worshiping a sacred oak tree. His solution was simple: he grabbed an axe, cut down the tree in front of all of them and then planted an evergreen tree–a Christian symbol–in its place. When these Germans saw that Boniface had stood up to their gods and won, they took it as a clear sign: We’re on the wrong side here. For them, the Christmas tree wasn’t about family and presents, it was a warning to follow and worship the true God.

Fourteen hundred years before Boniface swung his axe, God said through Isaiah: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel.” It’s one of the most precious promises for Christians. Our faith hinges on this promise. Larry King, the famous interviewer was once asked: “If you could choose any one person in history to interview, who would it be?” He replied, “It would be Jesus Christ. I would like to ask him if he were really virgin born, because the answer to that question would explain history for me.” The virgin birth is paramount for our faith. God says this special birth would be a sign. What do you see when you look at it? A nice part of the Christmas “story” to tell our children when they are young? Is it a myth, a bit more hocus pocus that’s been passed down through the years by people who didn’t know better? God wants us to see more than that. On this fourth Sunday of Advent, as we make our final preparations for Christmas, May God, through his Word, give us the ability to say: The Lord Himself Has Given Me A Sign! For it’s in Christ’s birth that we have a sign of judgment against faithlessness and a sign of God’s love for those who stand on his promises.

If anyone could have used a sign, it was Ahaz. Ahaz was the king of Judah. He liked the thought of God being close to him and he had good reason to. At this time, two nations to the north had teamed up against him and the first time they fought, Ahaz watched as 120,000 were killed in battle. The hearts of Ahaz and his people “trembled as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.” So Ahaz went around setting up altars to different gods wherever he could fit them–he wanted to keep “god” (whoever he was! Whoever could help!) closed to him. And perhaps, that makes his response to Isaiah all the more surprising. God sends Isaiah with a simple message. This plan that these nations had to overthrow Judah, God says: “Their plan shall not succeed. It shall not take place.” Ahaz, the true God is going to keep you from trouble. He promises. And just so you can be sure, Ask for a sign from the LORD your God. Ask for it either in the depths below or the heights above.” 

Wouldn’t you like that offer? We trust that God will work things out, but I don’t think any of us would turn down a special sign just for us. But Ahaz? He gives God the cold shoulder. “I will not ask. I will not test the LORD.” It almost sounds pious doesn’t it? I won’t trouble God by asking for a sign, I won’t burden him. But God knew that while Ahaz’s words sounded faith-filled, they were actually faithless. It wasn’t that Ahaz didn’t want help. He’d already sent messengers and gold off to the King of Assyria to rescue him. It’s not that the didn’t want help, he just didn’t think God was the one to trust. He wanted God close, but not too close. Not so close that everything would depend on him. Not so close that the real power was out of Ahaz’s hands. It sounds almost pious, but look at God’s response: “Will you test the patience of God…Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign for all of you. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel.”

Ahaz wasn’t the last person who wanted God close, but not too close. This year, countless millions will gather in Christmas services, sing carols, or unwrap presents placed under a tree with an angel on top. But sadly, in how many of those churches can you hear that the message of Christmas is just loving each other, and not seeing God’s love in sending us a real Savior from our real sin? Or hearing that there are many paths to heaven or that it doesn’t matter whether you choose to believe in such simple stories of a virgin having a baby. We love the trappings, but miss the treasure. Do you ever want a God who’s close, but not too close? When money’s tight, is it natural to spend more of your time wringing your hands in worry than folding them in prayer? As much as we love gathering around Christ’s birth, do you ever comfort yourself with the thought that even though your friends don’t know Jesus, well, that’s ok because they’re good people? And it almost sounds pious, doesn’t it? It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe. It almost sounds pious, but in how many of those homes will you find families who decide that the best way to keep the peace is to not talk about their Savior? In how many homes will the gifts under the tree sadly be the only things of value. And God’s Word still echoes: “Will you test the patience of my God?” 

It’s not too often that we think of the promise of Jesus as a warning. But when God told Ahaz that the virgin would give birth to a Son, it wasn’t a comfort for him. Immanuel was coming to show Ahas and the world that whether he trusted him or not, God was the truth, and when you don’t stand with him, you don’t stand at all. 

This doesn’t seem to fit with the Christmas message, does it? It doesn’t sound like there’s much good news to see in this sign. But there it was in God’s offer. “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God.” Isn’t that amazing? Wicked King Ahaz, idolatrous King Ahaz, faithless King Ahaz–God looked at him and said, “It’s you I want. I want to come to you. I want to win your trust. I am your God. I want to save you.

And that’s what God wants us to see in the coming of Immanuel. His birth of the virgin Mary is a sign that says two things: For those who doubt God’s Word, he’s a warning. But for those who trust in him…“Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel.” God with us! That describes who he. The angel told Joseph to give him the name that describes what he does: “you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” God didn’t just give a sign, he gave his Son, the Savior. 

God wasn’t just content to be close. When God draws close in his love, he comes all the way. Because you stand on God’s promises, you hear him telling you in his Word that your sins are forgiven and you can say, “God is with me.” You remember your baptism when God Son said, “My Father is now your Father.” “God is with me.” You come to the Lord’s table and trust in God’s promises that Jesus’ body and blood are present with the bread and wine. God is with me. King Ahaz pretended it was testing God to hold him to his promises. Never think that! It’s trusting him. It’s believing that Jesus is exactly what God promised he would be: your Savior. It’s knowing that when you stand on God’s Word and promises, you will not fall. 

I pray that this Christmas will give you an opportunity to ponder this sing and wonder that God has given you. As you do, remember the two things this sign brings: warning for those who try to keep God close, but not too close, but more importantly, a Savior has been born for you. Immanuel. God with us. Amen