How does God meet you in unexpected ways today? How does God meet you with unexpected grace?
It is hard to orient ourselves to our text today without its context. The context is found in 2 Kings 16. Political and military trouble surround Ahaz in the year 735 BC. The Northern Kingdom together with Syria have an alliance against Judah. So, with threats from this new coalition to capitulate to the demands, Isaiah comes to offer Ahaz a most gracious alternative from the Lord of hosts (angel armies). Isaiah tells the king of Judah not to fear because of the small threats against him (7:4-9). Ahaz must choose between trusting in the Lord or in the armies and nations surrounding him.
Ahaz is afraid and under significant pressure. If you look at the previous section before our reading, you can see that the allied forces are attempting to attack Jerusalem. In terms of law development in the sermon, you could ask a question to connect your hearers to Ahaz’ fear: What fears do we see around us that rob us of trust?
Using the Question Answered Structure[1] you can develop some answers to this question which enable you to begin to make the gospel turn from our text. To set up the turn, you need to unpack God’s gracious offer to Ahaz. God offers any sign Ahaz wants to convince him to trust in God and not be afraid. Ahaz, much like humanity always does with God, because of his sinful nature, refuses the sign, saying he will not test the Lord. Idiot! This was not a test; it was an offer! Then God graciously brushes aside Ahaz’s failed pious and false objection and gives him a sign anyway. Isaiah says to the king, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign” (7:13–14a). By giving the sign even with the king’s refusal, God shows His people steadfast love, faithfulness, and grace.
Going then to the Gospel Lesson from Matthew 1:18-25, you can make the Davidic connection between Joseph (a descendant of David) in the Messiah. Here we have two descendants of David who doubt the sign given by God on the grounds of piety, yet Joseph believes whereas Ahaz continues in doubt. Of course, our text immediately calls to mind our appointed gospel from Matthew, which quotes Isaiah: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name Him Emmanuel” (Matthew 1:23). This is what we are heading for in the sermon. However, spending time in the context will give us a richer sermon that is more than just a set up and knock down without any development of the textual understanding, theological confession, or practical application for our hearers.
Here we have two descendants of David who doubt the sign given by God on the grounds of piety, yet Joseph believes whereas Ahaz continues in doubt.
Basically, the first question deals with Ahaz and his incomplete understanding of the answer. Then you have Joseph who also does not completely understand the sign given to him (yet believes). Finally, we who wait for the sign of the Son of Man in the sky have the same question put before us, but with the benefit of the Son of David, the Messiah, the true King of God’s Kingdom, being revealed to us in His birth, life, ministry, teaching, death, and resurrection. This is the hope we wait for at His second coming.
God was gracious to Ahaz and Joseph, but Ahaz and Joseph’s refusal become an interesting point to develop homiletically. Ahaz’s refusal is remarkable because of the reason he gives. When God instructs Ahaz to ask for a sign, Ahaz responds: “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test” (7:12). At first blush, it seems like the right kind of answer, an answer full of piety and something akin to Solomon’s response to God in 1 Kings 3:1-15. Do we not all secretly wonder, though, if Solomon wanted to ask for more? Ahaz seems to be piously following God’s Law, but Isaiah makes it clear the king is thoroughly missing the point of God’s offer. Ahaz is not “testing” God if he accepts God’s gracious offer. Instead, it is God who is “testing” Ahaz. So, Ahaz’s refusal is a refusal to trust in the living God who is graciously giving him His word and is promising to be with Him in the midst of his trouble. Joseph’s refusal to believe Mary and to put her away quietly seems very pious as well, it is just the wrong move. Both heirs of David need to trust in the working of God past what their eyes have seen. They both are called to trust in the Word of God. It is the very same Word we are called to trust in hope for as we await Christ at the end of all things.
This reminds me of just about every person who refuses to go to worship on Christmas because they believe, “The roof will fall in on me once I arrive.” How many people use pious sounding language to refuse to go to church or to receive the Sacraments? How many people reject God’s gracious gifts because of sacred excuses? A better line of questioning perhaps could be: How does God meet you in unexpected ways today? How does God meet you with unexpected grace?
So, consider the offer God gives to Ahaz: How would you respond in trust to the God who is with us? Consider the precarious situation Joseph was called to trust in. This is a perfect line of thinking this Christmas Eve as we behold the coming of Christ the King as the babe of Bethlehem who is our Immanuel.
The Question Answered Structure is ideally suited to exploring those tough questions which result in clarity and focus. The certain promises of God amidst a world of ambiguity teaches us that in Christmas time, when everyone around us is brimming with confidence and commerce, there is still lingering in us all serious doubts and questions about life and faith in this uneasy world. Isaiah offers us a chance to name these doubts and acknowledge they are really there. The Gospel of Matthew shows us a way to trust the Lord in the midst of things we cannot comprehend or understand. So, God graciously comes to us by His Word and offers us this sign of Emmanuel, the birth of the Christ, the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and the future return of Christ. We are called to trust and have faith in God’s presence with us even when all the details are not clear. We live as a community of trust in a world where all the details do not seem so obvious but, graciously, the answer is still given in Christ.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Isaiah 7:10-17.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Isaiah 7:10-17.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
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[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/thematic/question-answered/
