This past week, I watched little LuLu cautiously approach Santa Claus during the Fairview Christmas meal. Now, LuLu is past that age of squalling uncontrollably when seated on Santa’s lap. But as those of us at the Fellowship Meal observed this week, she is still a little bit uncertain, if not fearful of that big guy with the red suit and fluffy white beard. She refused to sit in his lap and when it was time for her to receive her gift from Santa, she slowly approached him, and with her back almost turned to him, she reached out her little arm as far as she good, grabbed the gift from Santa’s hands, and quickly walked back toward her Mom. She’s not alone, of course, there are countless numbers of kids who are afraid of Santa Claus. We laugh every year at the pictures of cute little children sitting in Santa’s lap, balling their eyes out. And, of course, if it’s not Santa a kid is afraid of, it’s something else. Mary Ellen doesn’t like to go down into our garage by herself. She tell you it’s because it’s too dark and she can’t see, or it’s too cold; she would never admit that she’s afraid, but that’s what it is. Some kids are afraid of the dark, some honestly believe that a monster lives in their closet, and then there are those who are afraid of creepy crawly things.
Of course, we all know that children aren’t the only ones who experience fear. We adults might not be afraid of Santa Claus or the dark, but we certainly have our own fair share of fears. Maybe we are afraid of creepy crawly things, too. Or perhaps it’s more complicated than that. We might be worried about how we will put the next meal on the table, or maybe we are afraid of what kind of world our kids will grow up in. We may fear the outbreak of another World War or the death of a loved one. We might be afraid of the onset of a debilitating disease, or we may just fear failure. Whatever the source of our fear, the truth of the matter is that if we are being honest with ourselves, we all fear something.
Well, it turns out the Israelites in Isaiah’s day had some pretty major fears, too. Assyria had become strong and was systematically over-taking the whole region. By that time, the Jewish nation had already divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, and the Northern Kingdom was the first to be conquered by Assyria. In response, the kings in the north joined together with Aram to fight Assyria. As a result, the people of the Southern Kingdom, and their king, Ahaz, were quite literally caught “between a rock and a hard place.” Because the coalition asked and then ultimately demanded that Ahaz and Judah join with them to fight Assyria. But Ahaz refused, and the result was that the northern coalition moved in to attack Jerusalem as well. So now, the Israelites in the Southern Kingdom were threatened not only by the Assyrians, but also by the tribes of the Northern Kingdom!
It is into this crisis that God sent Isaiah with a message to King Ahaz. This is recorded in chapter 7, where Isaiah tells the king to stand firm and not join either the coalition from the north, or the Assyrians. Then, through Isaiah, God tells the king to ask for a sign of assurance that God will keep them safe in the midst of these looming attacks. King Ahaz refused to make that request, but Isaiah went on to declare that God had sent a sign anyway! He pointed to a woman sitting in the room and said that before the baby she was carrying “knows good from evil,” the threat of the north would be no more. And just in case anyone missed that message, God sent the very same sign just a little later, as recorded in chapter eight!
I suppose that it would be safe to assume that if King Ahaz had asked for a sign of assurance from God, he would have been pretty disappointed. In the face of two warring threats, in the midst of nearly immobilizing fear, the birth of a baby seems like no sign at all. Great fear calls for a great and powerful sign. A sign of babies being born seems to fall far short of providing the much-needed reassurance in dark and fearful times. Just think about it within your own circumstances, within the context of your own fears; when you’re worried about how to put the next meal on the table, how can the birth of a baby just wipe away that fear? When you are worried about the onset of nuclear disaster, how can the birth of a baby just wipe that fear away? And sure enough, the people of Jerusalem were still unsure, still afraid. The sign of the baby wasn’t enough, and they began acting out of their fear, refusing to acknowledge God’s promises to them and turning to other gods instead. Isaiah knew that this would bring only more darkness, but it was the path they chose.
There is good news in all this, though, in that the threat of the northern coalition did eventually dissipate. However the bad news is that Assyria did not go away and they ultimately seized Jerusalem. It was into this context that God sent Isaiah to speak once again; the passage we heard this evening. The message Isaiah now brings essentially tells the people that this Assyrian rule will be dark, it will lead to death, but that God’s reign can be seen even still. And then Isaiah offers yet another sign. He foretells once again of new life and birth; he says that joy will return, the garments of war will be destroyed, and the yoke of oppression will be removed. And the sign God gives of light in the midst of darkness and new life even in the face of death? A baby. Yet again, the sign of assurance for God’s people is a newborn! “For a child has been born to us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” It was a sign that only God could give.
Scholars now believe that Isaiah’s prophecy made reference to the recent birth of Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah, who would eventually ascend to the throne of Judah, enact a series of reforms, and bring about a reign of relative peace in Jerusalem. But Isaiah’s words also looked forward to the birth of another baby, one who would establish a permanent and lasting reign of justice and peace for the whole world. It’s the birth of that baby, a child named Jesus, which we celebrate this evening; a sign that the God who loves us beyond measure also keeps his promises.
Of course, in the days following Hezekiah’s birth, there was still much unrest in and around Jerusalem. The Assyrians still ruled over Judah and oppressed the people. And we can be sure that the Israelites were still living in fear every day. But here’s why all that history I just shared with you matters. That time so long ago is not unlike this time we live in. “A child has been born to us, a son given.” Jesus has lived, taught, ministered, died, even been resurrected, and yet we continue to be afraid, oppressed by the many threats of this world. But the gift of the Savior we celebrate this Christmas is that this child appeared in the midst of an ugly, broken, scary world; and this baby is a sign from God for all of us who live in this world. We may not have asked for any sign, but God has given it anyway because God knows we need assurance! We may scoff at the idea of a baby accomplishing anything in the face of the many troubles of this world, but this is a sign we should take seriously! The Israelites had trouble receiving the birth of a baby as a sign of assurance from God, but we can learn a lesson from their mistakes.
The fear in the hearts of Judah during the time of Assyrian domination was not unlike the fear of the captives of Rome almost 1,000 years later, suffering under Herod’s oppression. And it is not unlike the fear we experience today as terror and corruption rule so much of our world. What we need, what we long for, just like the Israelites so long ago, is a BIG sign; a powerful sign that God will redeem us, that God will save us from oppression, that God will wipe away our tears, and take away our fears. The birth of a baby hardly seems like the sign we need. But look at it another way. If you do nothing else tonight, look at it another way, because this sign of new life is not ordinary at all. It is a gift that only the creator God can give! And what more fitting sign of God’s love than the creation of a new life, even in the midst of a broken world?
Christmas doesn’t mean that all our troubles will instantly vanish; that we can walk out of here tonight without a worry in the world. You know that, and I know that. But what Christmas does mean is that God is faithful to God’s promises. Christ has been born as a sign that there is yet something better to come. The baby whose birth we celebrate tonight is named Jesus, which means “YHWH saves.” In the midst of what can at times be a nearly crippling fear, we can know tonight that because Jesus was born, we can look for that day when God will make all things right once and for all. God’s sign of love for the world is now God’s very own Son, born so the world might be saved. This is the gift of our Savior.
“The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”
