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I'd share some more Advent reflections
looking at the prophet Isaiah but also
at the Gospel of Matthew we find
something extraordinary in the seventh
chapter of Isaiah it's the story of this
young king ahaz who finds himself in a
politically very difficult situation and
I won't go into all the details of the
politics of the time but he's under
threat and doesn't quite know what to do
and he's he's at a loss and the prophet
Isaiah is encouraging him to to trust in
the Lord and and he says look ask ask
for a sign ask for a sign from the Lord
and let it be be great and a has oh no
no I'm not gonna tempt the Lord I'm not
gonna ask for a sign and Isaiah has just
no time for that then he said listen o
house of David is it not enough for you
to weary men must you also weary my god
what's worrying to God the fact that a
hands won't ask for a generous sign and
then we hear the Lord Himself will give
you a sign now you say well what is that
sort of funny ancient story have to do
with us in a word everything now here's
why the Bible and I think especially the
Advent season emphasizes this the Bible
is such a subversive story in almost
every other religion what you've got is
some version of God at a distance and
kind of reluctant and a little bit
difficult and has to be sufficiently
impressed by our supplications by our
moral excellence by our sacrifice and
our achievement if he might give us what
we're asking for that he's kind of
difficult and distant and and reluctant
right the Bible tells an entirely
different story seems to me first of all
it's not the story of our search for God
and that's on display and all sorts of
philosophies and religions you know our
quest for the distant God the Bible is
not that the Bible is a story of God's
relentless quest
us it's not the story of a reluctant
pasha that has to be sufficiently
impressed before he gives what we want
it's God as it were supplicating us
supplicating us to ask more that he he
wants to give us all these gifts and the
problem is were reluctant even to ask so
that's why a has this young king who's
in a in a pickle he's in a bind Isaiah
st. basically to dream big think big ask
God for something extraordinary oh no no
I'm not gonna do that I'm not gonna
tempt the Lord the Lord has no patience
for that and he says in fact even though
you're not gonna ask for it I'm gonna
give you this extraordinary sign any
speaks of of the Virgin who will give
birth and so on and this child will be
called Emmanuel God God with us now see
look at look at what he's promising to a
has not just you know some military
victory he's promising that he himself
will come in person to be with him and
his people there's typical of the Bible
our asking doesn't meet the generosity
of God we're asking so much less than
what God wants to give us Thomas Merton
spoke of the Promethean problem and
religion and it's right on this point
remember that in the myth of Prometheus
that Prometheus rises up you know to the
level of the gods and he steals fire
which is their prerogative and the gods
are so angry that they punish him in
this bin this ruthless way right well
that's the attitude I was describing
earlier is is the gods are kind of
distant and powerful and they don't want
us to you know overstep our limits but
that's not the God of the Bible the God
of the Bible is non competitive with us
God wants to give us his life okay
now with that story in mind from Isaiah
let's fast forward about seven centuries
to the story of the birth of Jesus I'm
reading here from the Gospel of Matthew
he says here's how the birth of Jesus
Christ came about when his mother Mary
was betrothed
Joseph but before they live together she
was found with child through the Holy
Spirit Joseph her husband since he was a
righteous man yet unwilling to expose
her to shame decided to divorce her
quietly now it's it's said in that
typically laconic biblical manner where
there's just in a very few words a lot
being conveyed here's this young
Israelite Joseph this pious man whose
betrothed to this young girl Mary and he
discovers that before they live together
she's pregnant well I mean what's what's
gonna come to his mind of course is that
she's violated the law that there's been
this terrible betrayal his whole life is
falling apart his anticipated marriage
this woman he loved
it's as though the whole thing had
collapsed and more to it if they're
following strict Mosaic law Mary would
be stoned to death for this offense and
so here's this young man and try to put
yourself in that position because it
again we're not the Bible doesn't layout
people's emotions the way like a
novelist would but you can only guess
what a horrific state he was in now
compared to young a has who was also in
this terrible you know state Isaiah said
today has asked God for extraordinary
sign oh I'm reluctant now listen what
happens with Joseph as he's in this
position
such was his intention when behold an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said Joseph son of David do
not be afraid to take Mary your wife
into your home for it is through the
Holy Spirit that this child has been
conceived in her she will bear a son and
you are to name him Jesus because he
will save his people from their sins and
then that lovely connection this is what
was foretold through the Prophet and
then he refers to Isaiah chapter 7 that
we just read behold the Virgin shall be
with child and they will name him
Emmanuel now here's the point Joseph in
this terrible situation opens himself
this extraordinary revelation that God
gave that came to him in a dream now
talk about dreaming big talking about
breaking out of your little narrow
perspective and being open to the gift
that God wants to give there's Joseph in
his saintliness was precisely his
willingness to open his heart to what
God the extraordinary gift that God
wanted to give and how beautiful that it
dovetails with the Ahaz story you know I
know it has you're reluctant to ask me
for this great thing I want to give you
but I'm gonna give it to you anyway
Joseph now is open to what God wants to
give see so there is this story of
Christianity seems to me it's not the
story of our desperate attempt to climb
the holy mountain through our hole
through our efforts so as to impress a
reluctant God and I know a lot of
religious people Christian people
biblical people feel that way but that's
not the Bible if anything it's the
reverse if any it's the reverse it's God
who is fighting against our reluctance
God who wants to give us life and life
and life and he wants our dreaming and
desiring to match his own generosity I
think that's a great Advent lesson and a
great Advent encouragement dream big let
your desire meet the extraordinary
generosity of God
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