Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Matthew 1:18-25
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  December 18, 2022

It started with the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt. It continued with the emperors of Japan and China. It was prevalent at the time of Rome when Julius Caesar became, “The Divine Julius,” and therefore his successor, Caesar Augustus became, “Divi filius,” son of the Divine One.  Even before that, Antiochus Epiphanes, the Seleucid king, claimed divine honors calling himself, “God manifest.” Over the course of history, there have been many men who have desired to be gods, but only one God who ever desired to be man. 

But the real question is why? Why would God ever want to be with us? You wonder if Joseph was asking himself that question as he lay down to sleep this night. He was embroiled in a brewing scandal. Life had been looking up. He’d found a bride, a young virgin from the same family line, named Mary. They had committed themselves to one another, pledged in marriage, betrothed if you were. But then Mary shows up pregnant. And she has this crazy story about how this pregnancy is from God. How she’s still a virgin. How what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. How the baby that she will bear will be God. 

At this point, this is too big of a thing for Josep h.I mean what would you think? How do you think that conversation went? I mean these were two real people!  A virgin birth? Why would God ever want to be with us in the first place? No one is going to believe this. This whole thing is scandalous! Joseph knew the law. He knew that he had the right to divorce Mary for this. He knew the disgrace that this would bring, not only to her, but to him. He wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to keep it quiet, to limit the embarrassment. That’s what he was going to do. He had made up his mind as he lay down to sleep this night.

Who could blame him? Who among us would have thought any different? Don’t we do the same? Don’t we sometimes see our God-given roles as embarrassing? Don’t we want to do the right thing, but we try to keep it under wraps? Do you ever find yourself doubting his promises, because they seem too good? Because they run against your reason? Because it goes against your experience? Don’t we sometimes think that this is too big of a thing for God. Don’t we wonder, as we look at the scandals in our own lives, as we recognize how we’ve failed to live up to the standards God has given, why would God ever want to be with us in the first place? 

“But as he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son. And they will name him Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.””

But then God showed up. God sends his messenger with a message that answers the question, that tells Joseph why. Notice how the angel addresses him. “Joseph, son of David.” Joseph, son of Israel’s greatest earthly king. Joseph, son of one whom God promised that his throne would live forever. Joseph, son of David in the line of the Savior. This is not too big of a thing for God, Joseph. And then we hear those famous words that nearly always precede a great announcement of good news, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Mary is not to be disgraced, but blessed. And you too, Joseph, you have a role to play too. “She will give birth to a son, and you [Joseph] are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Over the course of history, there have been many men who have desired to be god. I said earlier it started with the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt. It actually started much earlier than that, all the way back at the beginning. It wasn’t the fruit that was so irresistible to Adam and Eve. It was the lie that came with it, “You will be like God…”  Even though they already were like God, they had his image, they threw it away and along with it, they threw away the right to be with God. 

But God has always wanted to be with us. So, God Showed Up in the Garden of Eden with a promise. A promise to send the seed of the woman to crush the serpent’s head. A promise to be with us again. And then we flash forward to our first reading for today. And God Showed Up as king Ahaz is trembling in fear as Aram and the northern tribes of Israel have teamed up to attack Jerusalem. Through Isaiah, the Lord tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, a sign that will show that Aram and Israel will not succeed. But Ahaz, who has long abandoned his relationship with God, refuses with false piety. So God gives him a sign anyway. “Listen now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to test the patience of men? Will you test the patience of my God as well? 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.” 

And we hear those same words repeated to Joseph. “Look the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son. And they will name him Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.”  God Showed Up. God with us changes things! It’s fascinating: the Gospel of Matthew is known for its quotations from the Old Testament. There are more than 100 references to the Old Testament in Matthew, whether direct quotations or subtle allusions. Here in verse 23 is the first quotation emphasizing how God Showed Up: God with us. And then we think about how Matthew ends his Gospel. Matthew ends his Gospel by quoting Jesus whose final words are,”And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.”  This is what God wanted. God wanted to be with us. And even though it seems impossible, God can do this! The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will name him Immanuel, which means, “God with us.” 

God is the one doing this! God is the one accomplishing this. God is the one who planned this from the beginning, the one who sent Isaiah to Ahaz, the one who sent the angel to Joseph. And it changes everything! When God Showed Up, scandal changed to blessing. “When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife, but he was not intimate with her until she gave birth to her firstborn son. And he named him Jesus.”  Joseph, who was on the cusp of divorcing Mary, now lives up to his righteous reputation and takes Mary home. He owns the role of Jesus’ earthly father. He cares for Mary and when Jesus is born, he names him just as the angel instructed. 

When God Shows Up everything changes! And this is true for us as well! Like Joseph, we might wonder, we might ask why God would ever want to be with us. This is the why! God wanted to save us. This is why Jesus came! This is why we will celebrate his birth next week! God is choosing to be with us! God is choosing to stand in our place, to understand every challenge and difficulty we face. God is with us no matter what we are going through. God is with us as he lives in our hearts through faith. God is with us as we hear his Word. God is with us again in his body and blood with the bread and wine. God is with us always to the very end of the age!

What comfort this truth brings as we’ve dealt with years of separation, years of loneliness. What a comfort this truth brings as our world seemingly spirals out of control. What comfort this truth brings as we miss loved ones, especially at this time of year. 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. 

And he’s not just with me. He’s with us. Did you know that Immanuel is the fifth most common church name in the WELS. Is it any wonder? What joy we find in gathering together around the means of grace, Word and Sacrament,  knowing that when we do. God is with us. I know that Christmas isn’t until next weekend, but we couldn’t help but end our worship today with a Christmas hymn.  I pray this hymn will give you an opportunity to ponder and sing and marvel at what happens when God Shows Up.  God is with us! Immanuel! Amen