Matthew 1:18-25
Peace
Have you ever gone through an incredibly disturbing time in life?
Have you ever been hit so hard by some bump in life’s road that you felt knocked down, and perhaps nearly knocked out?
Ever hit rock bottom?
I would imagine most of us who have been alive for a certain amount of time have experienced seasons of extreme hurt, loss, sadness, pain, uncertainty, loneliness and darkness.
I remember such a time in my life.
I felt at the end of my rope.
Doom and gloom enveloped me.
I was sitting at rock bottom.
And it was at rock bottom that I had a life-changing realization—Jesus was right there with me.
I called a friend and said to him, “Rock bottom isn’t really all that bad after-all because Jesus is here with me.
And that is all that really matters.”
Jesus has many names and titles: “Son of David, Son of Man, Son of God, Savior, Redeemer, Christ, Messiah and many more.
But the one in our Gospel Lesson for this Second Sunday of Advent is one of my favorites: “Immanuel” which means “God with us.”
This goes to the heart of what Christmas is about—God is with us.
Is there any greater news than this?
In this wild and unpredictable ride that we call “life,” there is one thing we can always count on, one constant: Our Creator chooses to be with us through it all.
No matter what unpredictable events take place in our lives, Jesus is right there with us, guiding us, comforting us, challenging us, helping us to take the next step in God’s plan for us…
…And above all, He here with us offering us something that is, above all, priceless—and that is PEACE!
It’s the peace that we are not alone.
It’s the peace that God is ultimately in control and has our best interests in mind.
It’s the peace that God loves us beyond measure and has come into this world to be with us, teach us how to live and ultimately save us through Jesus’ death and Resurrection.
When Joseph heard the news that Mary was pregnant, he might well have been convinced that this was the worst day of his life.
I’d imagine most of us would feel the same way.
But you know what?
At the very moment when Joseph was feeling his lowest, God was at work in Mary’s womb, doing the greatest thing God had done since the creation of the world.
God was engineering the birth of the Savior of the world, and God was also inviting Joseph to play a critical role in God’s plan.
Something amazing was about to happen, but Joseph couldn’t see this yet.
And that is often the case, when we are going through rough times.
God has better plans and if we just hold on to God’s outstretched hand, things will get better, the light will dawn and we will come out on the other side of whatever it is better, stronger and involved in something magnificent for God.
If we can just remember this when the going gets rough and we are tempted to give up, to quit.
If we can just remember that God isn’t finished with us yet!
In my life, God has taken the pain, the disappointment and heartaches and used them in profound ways that I can only see and understand later as I look back.
This is what the Apostle Paul experienced in his life and it’s how he was able to say, “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose (Romans 8:28).”
If Joseph had simply walked away the day he learned that Mary was pregnant, leaving Mary as a single mom to raise Jesus, imagine what blessings Joseph would have missed out on and how different the Gospel story might have been.
Instead, that night Joseph went to sleep; and, as he slept, he had a dream that was almost like a vision.
He saw an angel of the Lord.
“Joseph son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Joseph made the decision to believe the angel’s message, and he took Mary home to be his wife and he raised Jesus as his own and he was “at peace” with his situation.
An angel may not speak to you or me through a dream or a vision, but the good news is that God has many ways to appear to us, and to guide us on life’s journey.
It might be through a Bible verse; it might be a well-timed phone call or visit from a friend.
It might be a verse from a hymn or a worship song we hadn’t noticed or thought about before.
It will most likely be in some completely unexpected and surprising way, and when we make the decision to trust in God we will find that God is always here for us, always ready to lead us on the way.
There have been a number of times in my life when I have lost my way.
And even though God has not let go of my hand, I have let go of God’s hand.
When I have done this, I have found myself veering off course, losing sight of what is important in life and who I truly created to be.
In other words, I find I am lost and in darkness.
In those times, by God’s amazing grace, I have been reminded, that God is with me, that I am not alone, and that this life is not devoid of meaning, love, light and hope.
God has gotten me back on track repeatedly.
But I cause myself a lot of pain and waste much time when I forget that God is with me and that it is God Who is supposed to lead the way.
At the very end of Matthew’s Gospel, after Jesus has grown and been baptized, called his disciples, proclaimed the Kingdom of God, and has been arrested, tortured, crucified and raised from the dead…
…after all this…
…Jesus gathered his disciples together one more time, to send them out to make other disciples.
But before he sent them out, he spoke words that would echo the words spoken by the angel to Joseph before Jesus was even born.
These words are at the heart of the good news.
“Remember,” Jesus says, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is God’s promise to us, but it is also God’s mission for us because one of the most profound ways that God chooses to be with us is through each other.
This community we call the Church…
…this group of people, gathered in worship here today and all around the world…
…we are a people who have been united with Christ by grace through faith…
…we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and are called the Body of Christ.
We are Christians because we are called to bring Christ to the world.
I am most often reminded that God is with me through one of God’s saints, God’s followers…
…people like you.
When I had hip surgery this summer, a number of you set up a meal train and brought our family dinner.
The same thing happened when Clair’s father passed away last month.
Since I was a young child, Christ’s Church has surrounded me with love and acceptance—even when the world was beating me down and telling me I was no good, I have been loved by Christ’s followers and through this love I have been reminded that God is with me and that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
A couple of years ago, a woman named Karla went to a nearby nursing home and went room to room, offering to read the Christmas story from the Bible.
After reading, she prayed with the residents and then moved on to the next room.
She came to a room that was dark; the lights were off, and the shades were drawn.
She hesitated to go in but then she noticed a woman sitting on the edge of the bed in the darkness, her hands folded on her lap, as if she was waiting for someone.
She asked the woman if she could come in and read the Christmas story, and the woman whispered, "Yes."
After reading about the birth of Jesus, Karla prayed with the woman and then invited her to join in praying the Lord's Prayer.
Karla then wished her a Merry Christmas and slipped out of the room.
As she left, Karla heard the woman weeping quietly.
She turned and stood in the door for a moment and heard the woman praying: "Lord, you didn't forget me.
I prayed that You wouldn't forget me, and You didn't."
Karla went back in the room, wrapped her arms around the woman, and held her as she wept.
Jesus is God's gift to us.
Jesus proves that God’s love and presence is with us always.
And God’s presence through Jesus Christ brings us peace…
…it’s a peace which transcends all understanding and prevails over trials, loneliness, sadness and even death.
And the gift of Jesus comes to us with a mission, a calling, and a responsibility.
Before Jesus left this earth, he told his disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, you must love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Jesus’ love serves the other in humility.
Jesus’ love goes the extra mile.
Jesus’ love brings peace, hope and joy to others.
Jesus’ love reminds us that God is with us always.
Jesus’ love goes all the way for the sake of the other.
Jesus’ love goes all the way to the Cross.
I don’t know if the world needs more Advent calendars.
But I believe with all my heart that the world needs more people who are joining Jesus in his mission to bring peace to the hearts of the people of our world.
We need more people who will make themselves available to be Christ’s presence so the world will know that God is here with us, all of us, always.
That is the point of Christmas, of Jesus coming into our world.
To bring God to us and for us to join Jesus in blessing the world.
