10:30 am, 4th Sun of Advent, Dec 18, 2022 - J G White / FBCA
(Is 7:10-16; Rom 1:1-6; Mtt 1:18-25)
I have a few
signs. Some of them I use. I have this sign that shows my mood. I have this
sign for my study door when it is time for weekly staff devotion and meeting.
One of the things Donnie Miller left with me when he moved out of here was this
sign: QUIET.
“The Lord himself
will give you a sign,” preached Isaiah to King Ahaz of Judah, in about the year
735 BCE. Ahaz had refused to ask for a sign that he need not fear the opposing
kings to the north; Ahaz had acted so pious about it. In fact, he was proud and self-sufficient. Then
the promise came anyway, through prophet Isaiah, that Yahweh would save
the nation.
Oh, for a sign
from God, when we need it, want it. How do we get divine signals about things? The
stories of the nativity of Jesus seem filled with ‘signs from above.’ Angels, a
star, prophecies, dreams. What special messages can we take seriously?
The seven
mentioned in our ‘carol of the month’ might be good candidates. Starting with
the Bible.
Matthew quotes
the Greek version of what we call Isaiah chapter 7. The Lord Himself will
give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and
shall name him Immanuel. Narrator Matthew puts a new twist on that sentence
as it gets applied to Mary, who births the Messiah.
It is no simple
matter to find scriptures to apply to our own lives today. Yet you may have
found times when a phrase, a chapter, a whole saga in the Bible pointed you to
a good path.
1. And this shall be a sign: A virgin
shall conceive
And bear the Son of God And He will bring you love. (Moira Crawford, 1993)
Matthew is the
Gospel writer who tells of a star that guides magi to the newborn King
in Israel. Many a time, things in the natural world seem to speak, and guide.
We humans are meaning makers, I’ll admit. We put purpose on all sorts of things
we see and little events that happen. Occasionally, there can be a real sign in
the world around us.
The scriptures
tell over and over of people who were inspired by something ordinary, or
slightly out of the ordinary. Moses had his burning bush out in the desert. Jeremiah
watched the local potter create from clay. Amos was inspired by the plumb line
a construction worker used.
Sharon and I were
spoken to by a pair of great horned owls.
Yes. Now, the
full story is for another day. But nine years ago, as we were interviewed by a
Church in Digby, had meetings, talked things over, and all: one night we awoke
to hear a great horned owl calling. It must have been right on the rooftop of
our home. And then there was a second one – they had a conversation.
Why did this
seem like a confirmation to us that we should say ‘yes’ to Digby? I don’t know.
It was one of many other signals we detected. One of many.
2 And this shall be a sign: A star shines
in the east
And guides you to the crib; His smile is
blessing you.
A third way we
could get a sign from God is thanks to some wise and faithful people we meet. The
Gospel of Luke tells us of Jesus’ traditional Jewish dedication in the
Jerusalem Temple, when He is eight days old. It is there an old man named
Simeon is prayerfully waiting for a promised Messiah. (So was a prophet woman
named Anna.) When Simeon met Joseph and Mary and their baby, he knew, he KNEW,
this was the One. Then Simeon we ready, ready to die and be at peace. He had
lived to see the Messiah.
We must remember
that ‘signs from God’ are needed by us as a group, in the actions we take
together. We wonder about a next Assistant Minister – there will be wisdom from
some people to help point the way. We consider if and how we could be a warming
centre regularly, in the winter, for homeless people in our town – there might
be an inspired word from someone in our midst about this. Should my overarching
theme for the year 2023 be ‘teach us to pray?’ Perhaps this will become clear when
we hear from some prayerful person.
3 And this shall be a sign: That Simeon lives to see,
And Lazarus will rise; He will bring life to all.
Another signpost
for us can simply be praying and receiving answers, of course. Not that prayer
is always simple – or hearing the answers. Somewhere along the way, I lost one
of my favourite books. So I have ordered a new copy: Dallas Willard’s Hearing
God. He describes so beautifully the ways we recognize the voice of our
Good Shepherd, even in our own tangle of thoughts. And sometimes, when we
become the answers to our own prayers, and good things happen, we get
confirmation of being on the right path.
Last Sunday here
we noticed how Jesus, at age thirty, let his cousin John the Baptizer know that
the Messiah had arrived. ‘Are you the One?’ John’s messengers asked. Jesus said
to tell John, the blind receive their sign, the lame walk, …the poor have
good news preached to them.
4. And this shall be a sign: the blind are blessed with sight
The lame will walk with joy; His power is healing you.
A fifth sign
from God can be those hard-to-pin-down experiences of the Holy Spirit, being
filled with the Spirit, simply knowing the Divine is within.
It was about
fifty days after Jesus arose from the dead, that the promised Spirit of God
infused a group of disciples gathered in Jerusalem. The Comforter had come. I
have not been a Christian who is strong in the ‘charismatic tradition,’ so
called. But I have had my moments. And I have heard many a personal story from
those who have had special experiences of God. God with us: Immanuel.
5. And this shall be a sign: the Spirit dwells on earth
With rushing wind and fire; His breath will comfort you.
Two weeks from
today will be January first, and we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper, with bits
of bread and ‘the fruit of the vine.’ We Baptists traditionally say this is 1
of 2 rituals which Jesus said, ‘do, do this.’ The other is the baptism of
believers, which we plan to celebrate in three weeks time here, on Jan. 8th.
To share
in some activities with God can be markers, signposts for us. Such as worship
together, with all its different parts. Or working in a group on knowing our
Bible, and our faith. Or sharing a feast together (such as turkey and the
trimmings); this can be a ‘love feast.’
6. And this shall be a sign: That in the breaking of bread,
And in the Holy Grail He will commune with you.
A seventh sign
from God comes to us in the longing and hunger of the human soul. A highly
esteemed Baptist Minister, back in Windsor, wrote a book in his retirement.
“What Means This Longing.” In it, Dr. John Bartol claims, the longing for a
personal relationship with the One in whose image we were created, is a fact
that cannot be denied.
It is that
longing for connection, for a Higher Power, for God, that can be the greatest
sign. The yearning leads us forward. Augustine was a Church leader in the fourth
and fifth centuries, who was very influential. He is oft quoted for writing
this prayer, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are
restless until they rest in You.”
7 And this shall be a sign: You’ll yearn to glorify Him
The Spirit, Father, Son, And He will dwell with you.
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