Signs help to point us in the right direction. They help us recognise and find people and places. Our readings today are about a sign. This sign points to a very important person (VIP), a baby boy: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel’ (Isaiah 7:14).
Let us pray. Almighty Father, send us your Spirit to open our ears to hear your preached word. Reveal your sign, which points to Jesus your Son. He is Immanuel, the “with-us God.” Be with us now as we hear your word. Comfort us by your word to life eternal. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
One could argue the most important person in Australia is the Prime Minister. What signs would you give if a visitor to Australia wanted to see the Prime Minister? This visitor has just landed in Australia. They don’t know who the Prime Minister is or where to find him, so they ask you for help. You might reply as follows: “Get on the Hume Highway, then follow the signs to Canberra. Look for the large central building with a flag flying above it. If you see someone in a suit welcoming dignitaries from other countries with a lot of pomp and ceremony and speech-making, flanked by security personnel, journalists, TV cameramen, and newspaper reporters — that’s the Prime Minister.”
In our Old Testament reading, king Ahaz is looking for a VIP. Ahaz needs a saviour. He needs help. The armies against him are on the move. So the LORD tells Ahaz to look for a sign. Graciously, there is no limit to the sign God will give. The sign could be in the highest heights or in the deepest depths.
One thing this exchange reveals to us is that God does give signs. There are signs pointing to God. I believe God has given us evidence of his existence, if we are willing to look. We are not asked to believe without rational foundation. Compared to other religions, the hallmark of the Christian God is that he has acted in space and time — his fingerprints are all over creation and history. However, belief must come first. Signs do not create faith. Rather, signs confirm or strengthen faith already there.
And this was the problem for Ahaz. His mind is already made up that his help will not come from God, but through an alliance with Syria. So he won’t ask for a sign. He says, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.” (Isaiah 7:12). He even sounds quite pious and religious. The problem is that he’s misunderstood how signs work. Signs don’t create faith, but confirm faith. Ahaz doesn’t believe God can help, so he refuses to ask for a sign.
But God in his generosity gives the sign anyway. This shows how generous our God is — we refuse, yet God gives help anyway! ‘Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.’ (Isaiah 7:14). The sign points to a VIP — a baby boy. The sign highlights two things: (1) how the VIP will come, and (2) who the VIP is (i.e. the name of the VIP).
(1) How will the VIP come? The sign says a virgin (or young woman) will give birth. This is in contrast to what we would expect for a sign for an important person. If the Prime Minister was coming to Walla/Alma Park you would expect a much different sign. The visit would be on the TV and newspapers. The streets would be tidied. The location of the reception would be spruced up and prepared. There would be lessons on proper protocol for addressing the dignitaries. The mayor and other politicians would polish their shoes and stand in a line. Crowds, wanting to catch a glimpse of the VIP, would line the streets. There would be many signs that an important person is arriving.
But Jesus, the VIP to which this sign points, doesn’t come to us in the way we expect. How this VIP comes is very different. In our gospel reading we heard Mary is found to be pregnant before her and Joseph came together. Oh dear! This pregnancy is going to bring shame on everyone: Joseph, Mary, and both their families. You can imagine the talk at the town meeting place. “Have you heard about Mary and Joseph? What a scandal!” We’re told that Joseph is a righteous man, so he plans to release Mary quietly. This is the “right” thing to do, the thing that God would want done, to avoid this shame. “Righteous” just means “being or doing right.”
Except, as is the case in many Biblical stories, God intervenes. We make a plan to avoid a crisis, but God steps in with a mind-blowing, shocking, alternative. It’s not an option that any human would consider. God shamelessly breaks the rules. The angel convinces and commands Joseph to take Mary home as his wife. “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20). There is no shame, because God takes the shame. So this sign — a virgin giving birth outside of marriage — points to how the VIP will come. Jesus comes to take our shame.
Shame is concerned with thoughts about oneself. Shame is how we think others feel about us. When we’re ashamed we want to withdraw from others, we blush and avert our eyes. We have a negative view on ourselves saying, “I’m a failure. Other people look down on me. I broke the rules. I wish I could disappear.” Joseph is ashamed, “What will the town think if I take a pregnant Mary home?” i.e. what will others think. But Jesus comes to take the shame. God says to Joseph, “Don’t be afraid. You are a son of David. You are a son of the promise. Hope will come through you and your family. Give your son the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sin.”
God says this to you too. “Do not be afraid, for I have taken away your shame.” Jesus has come to take your sin and shame. You need not worry about what others think of you. You only need to know what God thinks of you. And when God thinks of you, he sees the sign pointing to Jesus — he sees your sin and shame nailed to the cross.
(2) Who is the VIP? The VIP will be named “Immanuel.” The name “Prime Minister” means that s/he is the first (prime) among the ministers (servants). The name tells us something about who the important person is (or at least should be). Em-manu-El literally means “with us El(ohim),” “(the) with us God.” He is God. And he is with us.
The Greek and Roman gods of the time in the New Testament were aloof — they didn’t care about what was happening on earth, they only cared about themselves. In contrast, the God of the Old and New Testament is very concerned with the material creation. God didn’t create a clock, wind it up, and let it go. He didn’t line up the dominos then push the first one, and sit back and watch the results. The “with-us-God” is everywhere. He is all around us. Even now, in this very room. There is nothing God doesn’t know or care about.
Let me use a short story to illustrate what it means to have a “with-us-God.” A young refugee girl, separated from her family, wrote to her mother: “I am learning lots in my new country. The people here are kind. But I miss my old home. It is good you wrote and sent me a picture of our old house. But, oh Mummy, if only you could come yourself! I would count that as my birthday present for all my coming birthdays. I want you, yourself, to come. If you can’t come for a day, just come for an hour.” That mother had written many words, but, above all, her child longed and prayed for the word to become flesh. The girl was desperate for her mother to be with her. And the mother no doubt felt the same.[1]
This is what God has done for you. In Jesus, God has come to you in person. The Word became flesh, God is with us. The sign pointing to Jesus — Immanuel, the “with-us-God” — tells you that God longs to be with you. So he has come. He comes as a baby boy, born of a young woman some 2,000 years ago. Like a mother hugging tight her daughter after being reunited, the coming of Jesus demonstrates God’s self-giving love for his creation, God’s love for you.
This Christmas, may you know and experience the love God has for you. May you believe and see the sign — a baby boy is born to a virgin. How this baby comes is shocking. The coming of Jesus takes your shame. Who this baby is brings good news. Jesus is Immanuel, “the with-us-God.” May this sign strengthen your faith in the God who loves you so much that He would be born, suffer, die, and be raised for you. Amen.
[1] Based on a sermon illustration I once read.
