Second Presbyterian Church

"God's Gift of Love For You!"
December 19, 2004

Upcoming Events

Worship Schedule

Sermons

About the Church

• Accessibility to the Church

• Directions to the Church

• History of the Church

Church Staff

Groups & Organizations

• Boy Scouts of America - Troop 175

• Choirs

• Presbyterian Women

• SPY (Second Presbyterian Youth)

Committees

• Building & Grounds

• Church Growth

• Congregational Care & Fellowship

• Education & Nurture

• Finance

• Office & Personnel

• Stewardship

• Witness & Service

• Worship & Celebration

Ad Hoc Committees

• Architectural - Engineering

• Building Fund

Presbyterian Internet Sites of Interest

Virginia Links

• Virginia Cities

Web Site Statistics

Site Map

Second Presbyterian Church Homepage

Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2004 » Sermons for December 2004

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• Isaiah 7: 10-17
• Romans 1: 1-7
• Matthew 1: 18-25

Have you ever been asked to believe something absurd? Have you ever run across something so absurd that you had a hard time believing that it is true? One of the most absurd events that I ever heard about was an incident involving an Israeli fighter jet, an F15. It was on maneuvers when it collided with another Israeli fighter, a mid-air collision. The jet went into a spin, but the pilot was able to pull it out of the spin and with difficulty he regained control. The pilot looked at his right wing and saw nothing but escaping fuel. He was barely able to safely land the F15. He could only maintain control of the craft at 250 miles and hour. At that speed he nearly overshot the runway. When he finally was able to stop the plane, he looked and saw that he had lost his right wing. No plane has ever landed safely with one wing missing. But this pilot did. When representatives from the manufacturer came to inspect the plane they refused to believe it at first and declared it a taxi accident.

Now that is absurd! I imagine that each one of you can come up with an incident in which the truth seems more bizarre than the imagination. And sometimes our faith commands us to accept a truth that seems absurd.

In our readings today we met two men who were faced with absurd truths: Ahaz and Joseph. Let's look first at Ahaz's situation. Ahaz was the king of Judah. Israel and Syria were mad at Ahaz for not joining their alliance against Babylon. In their anger they attacked King Ahaz of Judah and things looked grim. In earlier verses it reads that Ahaz's and Judah's hearts shook like the trees of the forest before the wind. Translation: they were scared to death. Ahaz and Judah did not believe that they could withstand an attack from Israel and Syria.

The prophet Isaiah enters the picture and attempts to reassure Ahaz. "The Lord asks that you demand a sign, no matter how unusual." Ahaz could make a demand from the LORD and He would do it in order to show that Ahaz and Judah had nothing to fear from those two "smoldering stumps of firebrands."

In an act of pseudo-piety Ahaz answered Isaiah and said that he would never put the LORD to a test! He would not ask the LORD of a special sign to reassure him that the LORD was in charge and there was nothing to fear.

In exasperation and frustration Isaiah gave Ahaz a sign anyway. Behold, a young woman shall give birth to a son, and his name shall be called Immanuel, and before the child is old enough to know right from wrong, Israel and Syria shall no longer exist.

Ahaz could not believe the absurd truth that the LORD could handle a couple little nations such as Israel and Syria.

Now, let's listen in on another situation that happened over 700 years later. The following conversation is purely fictional, but the circumstances behind the made-up conversation are in our Bible lesson.

Mary and Joseph are betrothed. This is hard for us to understand. It is not quite married, but it is much more formal than what we know as an engagement. To break off from a betrothal, the couple would have to divorce.

I would imagine the conversation to have gone something like this.

Mary: Joseph, I have something absolutely incredible to tell you; you won't believe it!

Joseph: What is it, Mary?

Mary: First, you must promise me that you will hear me out to the very end.

Joseph: Okay, I promise. What is it you have to tell me?

Mary: Joseph, I am going to have a baby, a very special baby.

Joseph: Uh, what? Did I hear you correctly? Did you say that you were pregnant?

Mary: Yes, Joseph, I am pregnant, with a …

Joseph: Mary, how could you do this to me? How could you do this to us? How could you go out and, you know, fool around? This is unbelievable! Tell me you are kidding! This is not funny, you know!

Mary: Wait, Joseph! Don't jump to conclusions so hastily! Please hear me out, like you promised! I have not been fooling around! I have been faithful to our betrothal.

Joseph: How can you say that, Mary? That just plain doesn't make sense! First you tell me you are pregnant, then you tell me you haven't been with another man! This is getting really crazy!

Mary: Be quiet, Joseph! Hear me out, like you promised! (pause) An angel visited me and told me that the Spirit of the LORD was to visit me and that I was to conceive and bear a son and that his name is to be Jesus. He is going to be the Messiah! He will be the Savior of our people!

Joseph: Mary, I really do love you. I really do. But this is too much. First you tell me you are pregnant. Then you tell me you haven't been with another man. Then you tell me God visited you and that you are going to give birth to the Messiah! Come on, Mary, what kind of a fool do you think I am! This is outrageous; totally bonkers! I am sorry, Mary, but I must go and write you a certificate of divorce. I would never be able to live in a family knowing that my wife had slept with another man and denies it. I don't see how I could go through the village without holding my head in shame, for us.

Mary: Joseph, I know this sounds very absurd, but it is true. I beg you to believe me.

Joseph: I'm sorry, Mary, I cannot believe all this. I'm sorry.

I think we could all identify with Joseph's dilemma. Two thousand years later it is so easy for us to read these verses as a matter of fact, how Mary became pregnant and had no marital relations with Joseph until after Jesus was born.

But the amazing thing about this story, in contrast to Ahaz, was Joseph's willingness to come around and believe once he had received word from an angel. Ahaz had one of the really major prophets ever to exist, Isaiah, try to reassure him but he would not believe. Joseph had a dream; he dreamt that an angel spoke to him and told him that what Mary had said was true. So he woke up from the dream and reconciled with Mary and did not abandon her. This was an absolutely incredible act of faith on the part of Joseph.

In our time of trouble and turmoil, we also hold on to these absurd truths. That God exists. He came to earth as a man and redeemed us. He rose from death and promises to return for all his people. Pretty absurd stuff. Do we dare to believe this truth?

Christmas is the time we acknowledge the miracle of God emptying himself of the glories of the Divine and becomes human flesh and blood in order to remove us from our self-centered traps. What a wonderful gift of love!

And it is for ALL of us, not just for those who enjoy the Christmas season. It is the joyful gift of God's love for those of us who suffer through and endure this time of year, who find it hard to be jolly and to deck the halls with boughs of holly. The joyful gift of God's love is for you who are lonely - God is there for you. The joyful gift of God's love is for you who are sad and who are grieving the loss of loved ones - God is there for you, too. Jesus is the joyful gift of God's love for each and every one of you, no matter who you are and how you feel. God's love is for you. Merry Christmas!

Amen.

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.