Fourth Sunday of Advent- A 2010

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: Matthew 1:18-25
Theme: God and Man

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

God speaks and things happen. When appropriate He uses human agency to accomplish His work. At other times He completely circumvents the general laws by which He governs the universe. We call such things miracles. The coming of Jesus involves the vivid intersection of these truths. Divinity and humanity come together in the person of Jesus. That is what happened at Christmas. As God and Man He redeems humanity from sin, death, and Satan’s power. That is the final implication of Christmas.

Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Matthew states the divine miracle quite matter-of-factly. Of course we soon find out that the truth of that claim was not widely believed or accepted. It would be no different today. Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world comes to live among us born of a virgin? There’s little room for fence-sitting here. One can quietly overlook the difficulty; especially for the sake of not upsetting the apple cart during the time of Christmas celebrations. We might give a polite, self-assured wink at the sentiment; but the mind knows it’s up against something here. Faith receives what the intellect cannot fathom.

Our gospel says, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel’- which means ‘God with us.’”1 Some miracles happen so frequently they are not recognized as such. The conception and birth of a child-though explained by the natural processes of life- show the magnificence of God’s glory. What “natural process” could ever explain the unique personality and characteristics of every human being? What scientific biological theory could ever account for the reality of the human soul? What precise technological advance will ever delineate the intangible and unrestrained human spirit? Here we come up against the mystery of what it means that humans were created in the image of God. The essence of what this is, is beyond the ability of humans to duplicate or manipulate.

The Church Father Athanasius describes the incarnation of God’s Son with these words, “He took our body, and not only so, but He took it directly from a spotless, stainless virgin, without the agency of human father—a pure body, untainted by intercourse with man. He, the Mighty One, the Artificer of all, Himself prepared this body in the virgin as a temple for Himself, and took it for His very own, as the instrument through which He was known and in which He dwelt.”2 God makes Himself unmistakably known in the person of Jesus.



But now the questions arise, “Why? “And to what end?” Dear friends, it doesn’t matter if we were separated from the birth of Christ by 2 minutes, 2 days, or 2,000 years, the dilemma is the same: what relevance does it have for me? What relevance, of course, aside from the participation in a public holiday and traditional family and religious celebrations. The real consequence of Advent is not found in the innocent social impact or risk-free optional activities. God has broken into our world. He has made an assault on our long-established and deeply entrenched modes of operation and ways of thinking. He has come to destroy so that He can re-create. He comes not as a curious visitor, but as an unparalleled King. He comes to overturn the established order.

Athanasius continues in this manner, “Thus, taking a body like our own, because all our bodies were liable to the corruption of death, He surrendered His body to death instead of all, and offered it to the Father. This He did out of sheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished because, having fulfilled in His body that for which it was appointed, it was thereafter voided of its power for men.”3 In other words, only with a true human body could Christ break the power of sin for our benefit. Yes, He could have stayed at a distance and with a word destroyed the whole fallen creation- He is under no obligation to us- but we would all have been lost. Instead, His death and resurrection bring new life to those needing rescue from sin.

Here is where we are encompassed into the story. We are sinners. All are sinners. O yes, I know the thoughts you’ve had. I have them too. You think that you’re not like that other person; that real sinner. You believe the fallacy that accidents and tragedy only happen to someone else. Your erroneously think that only other people’s sins get them into trouble. You’re not like those people. You go to church. But you are! You are that person too! You are entangled in the web of fallen humanity and you cannot un-entangle yourself. You can remain neither intentionally nor fortuitously beyond the pale of this corrupted existence. Sin permeates everything to the core. Yes, you can and should strive under the power of the Holy Spirit to live according to God’s will. That is your promise of repentance each week. Sin no longer dominates the life of the believer. But wreak hardship and havoc, and accrue guilt it does, every hour of every day.

That means that as a baptized child of God you still stand ever in need of His forgiveness. As a saint living in a state of grace, you nevertheless constantly require Christ’s absolution. Depleted of your energy by the world you need the nourishment of His body and blood again and again. Again, it doesn’t matter if we are separated from the birth of Christ by 2 minutes, 2 years, or 2,000 years, the questions are essentially the same. But so are the consequences. Time is finally irrelevant to the work of Jesus Christ. It’s not so much that He suspends it; He continually violates its limitations. Christ is Immanuel- God with us! Not back then, over there, or sometime, perhaps? God with us here and now. He is not diminished by the passing years or made feeble by the expanse of space.

God is with us. He is among His people. The church holds forth with this message at Advent, Christmas, and always. It never changes. It never becomes irrelevant. It is never impotent. For it is the message about Immanuel described by the apostle today as, “the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son, who as to His human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”4 To Him be all glory in this blessed season! Amen.


+ in nomine Jesu +

Fourth Sunday of Advent
19 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Matthew 1:22-23
2 Athanasius, On the Incarnation
3 Same
4 Romans 1:2-4