{"id":3096,"date":"2019-12-23T15:55:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T04:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=3096"},"modified":"2019-12-23T15:55:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-23T04:55:00","slug":"freed-by-vulnerable-love-22-12-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=3096","title":{"rendered":"Freed by Vulnerable Love 22-12-2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Freed by Vulnerable Love<\/i>.<\/i> \u00a0 <\/span>Advent 4 \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah 7: 10 \u2013 16; Romans 1: 1 – 7; Matthew 1: 18 – 25<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

God rescues by making us stronger: that\u2019s love.<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Our readings are about a miraculous birth and a baby boy who is a sign of God\u2019s presence. The big problem here is not the miraculous birth; it is the notion that the sign of God\u2019s presence is a baby.\u00a0 <\/span>Yes, a baby!\u00a0 <\/span>A baby is dependent and vulnerable. Babies consume time and resources. Yes, a baby gives us joy.\u00a0 <\/span>Yes, a baby may speak to us of hope and promise, but it is a baby.\u00a0 <\/span>But do we get it that a baby is a sign of God\u2019s presence? I mean, couldn\u2019t God come into our midst and do something spectacular? When we\u2019re down, feeling helpless and hopeless don\u2019t we want God to do something amazing?\u00a0 <\/span>We would like to be rescued.\u00a0 <\/span>We want God to change things. But what the prophet says is that this child is a sign of God\u2019s presence. Don\u2019t be ensnared by the \u2018virgin birth\u2019 thing. It\u2019s not the problem.\u00a0 <\/span>The problem for us is recognising how God works in the world.\u00a0 <\/span>And in the first instance I am going to suggest to you that God doesn\u2019t come and snatch us out of trouble, but comes along side us in a way that we become strong.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at our texts. The Isaiah reading contains that well-known prophecy, the <\/i>young woman<\/i> is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel<\/i> [Is 7: 14].\u00a0 <\/span>The Hebrew word, almah<\/i>, does not mean a virgin, but a young woman who could be a virgin. The prophet Joel uses the term almah<\/i> to describe a young widow who is childless [Joel 1: 8]. Matthew misquotes Isaiah 7: 14 assuming Isaiah meant a virgin.\u00a0 <\/span>Isaiah\u2019s prophecy is saying to a besieged King Ahaz that the threat to the Judean kingdom will be over before the child is weaned. That is, the threat of the two kings hanging over Ahaz and the Judean kingdom will have dissipated within 4 years or so. A child in those days was usually weaned by the age of four.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The prophecy has these key components. Firstly, do not fear because these enemies of Judea will be defeated.\u00a0 <\/span>Secondly, God is with you.\u00a0 <\/span>Thirdly the sign of God\u2019s gracious presence is a baby.\u00a0 <\/span>Isaiah says; 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.<\/i>\u00a0 <\/span>The sign is a baby boy.\u00a0 <\/span>Here lies the puzzle.\u00a0 <\/span>Notice that God will not be present in some awesome overwhelming presence and action that will render us dependent upon God. Rather it suggests that things will work out and God will work with us in bringing about God\u2019s vision for us. The rider to this is that God works with us gently and through human action. \u00a0 <\/span>Because of God\u2019s approach there is vulnerability, and this vulnerability reveals God\u2019s love for us.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Christmas story is pregnant with this meaning. God\u2019s self-disclosure in our history is clothed in humility and vulnerability.\u00a0 <\/span>There is nothing more vulnerable than a human baby. Both Luke and Matthew in their presentation of Jesus\u2019 birth portray the vulnerability and humility of Jesus. The baby is vulnerable and needs the protection and nurture of father and mother. The baby\u2019s surroundings are humble rather than palatial. Therefore \u2018God-being-with-us,\u2019 means that God is with the people, not merely the powerful. The scenes of shepherds and wise men tell us that this baby Jesus attracts the full spectrum of society.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on this image of the Christ-child in a manger we are confronted with the question of what we do with God who comes not as the dominant ruler of the world, not as One whose very words leave us speechless, not as the mighty Creator who controls, but as the One who meets us with humility and vulnerability. The humility is self-evident as is the vulnerability. God allows God\u2019s self to be rejected.\u00a0 <\/span>The wonderful thing in God meeting us like this is that this is the best way to set us free.\u00a0 <\/span>This is the best way to make us strong.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is no surprise that we find in Scripture Jesus speaking of coming to give himself for our freedom [Mk 10:28]; taking up a towel and basin and washing his disciples feet [Jn 13: 1f]; showing compassion for the hungry crowds [Mt 14:13-21; Mk 6:31-44; Lk 9:12-17; Jn 6:1-14] and facing his betrayers and executioners with compassionate integrity [Mt 26:63f]. \u00a0 <\/span>It is no wonder then that the followers of Jesus could compose such beautiful word pictures of Jesus of Nazareth. John writes; And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father\u2019s only son, full of grace and truth<\/i>. [Jn 1: 14]<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Paul includes the following creedal hymn in his letter to the Philippian church [2:5-8].\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death\u2014even death on a cross<\/i>. \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I have witnessed many things God has done in my life both personally and in the lives I serve. Just two incidents help me see God working in those quiet ways with us making us stronger. May I share two personal experiences? I hope they may encourage you.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Last Sunday many things were running through my head when I entered our worship space. I stood at the lectern and welcomed you. I looked down at the Order of Service to see what was next. My mind was still settling down. So much had gone before. I saw it was time for the first prayer and my mind was blank. I occasionally write out my prayers but always come having prepared some thoughts. But last Sunday my mind was just blank. You know when one speaks to others it is usual to have some thoughts in your mind even if those thoughts come milli-seconds before speaking. I had nothing. I just opened my mouth and the words came out. The first half of that prayer was given to me. The words were not mine. In the second half God let me do some work and I worked together with God the Holy Spirit. By that I mean I was thinking and acting. Somewhere in that first half of the prayer I thought, \u2018this is a jolly good prayer\u2019. \u00a0 <\/span>I checked with Gillian and she thought so too. It was good, but it wasn\u2019t mine. I thank God for helping me and hopefully blessing you at the same time. God is with us.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Last Saturday my yacht club and the club next door at Albert Park Lake had a combined Christmassy<\/i> dinner.\u00a0 <\/span>Some of us are working hard at amalgamating the two clubs. During the evening we had a raffle. We had bought a few tickets. One of ours was pulled out to the delight of Gillian. Off she went to choose from the table of prizes. As she walked up one of my yachting mates who was organising the draw of the tickets commented something about \u2018here comes the minister\u2019s wife\u2019.\u00a0 <\/span>Now Gillian had spied someone in the crowd she said she had met. She had pointed out Steve, a sailor from the other club whom I knew well.\u00a0 <\/span>She kept saying to me, \u2018where have I met him?\u2019\u00a0 <\/span>She had added that he had a beautiful tenor voice. But I had no idea how she had met him.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, as she was moving back with our basket of goods Steve intercepted her.\u00a0 <\/span>It turned out that Steven came to the Parkinson\u2019s group Gillian served. I had forgotten that Steven has the early onset of Parkinson\u2019s. Later Steve came over to our table and sat down and chatted to Gillian. I happened to be in the middle. I sat in silence as the two of them remarked on the lovely coincidence of their meeting at Parkinson\u2019s where Gillian plays and leads a small group of musos, one of which is our Geoff.\u00a0 <\/span>I sensed the beauty of this meeting, the joy of singing and Steve\u2019s honesty and humility in acknowledging his condition and his thankfulness for the singing. I felt it was God\u2019s gift to me watching these two lovely people sharing in the gift of music and the joy it brings to us.\u00a0 <\/span>God is with us, even in surprising and unexpected places.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

God is with us.\u00a0 <\/span>God was with us in the miraculous birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah.\u00a0 <\/span>God was with us when baby Moses was placed in the shallows of the Nile River where a princess was bathing. God was with us in that miraculous birth of Samuel, the great prophet-leader, to the supposedly barren Hannah.\u00a0 <\/span>God was with us in the child in the manger in Bethlehem.\u00a0 <\/span>God was with us in the grown child at the first Easter. Let us not forget that God is with us and for us in surprising places. \u00a0 <\/span>I have shared with you before that a useful concept for God, is that God suffers with us and for us.\u00a0 <\/span>God is with us in ways that will surprise us. Those ways point to the powerful love of God that is vulnerable to our rejection. God\u2019s vulnerable love also empowers us. I hope that you will continue to capture glimpses of God-with-us in your daily life and over this Christmas time.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*******<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Peter C Whitaker, Leighmoor UC:\u00a0 <\/span>22\/12\/2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

pcwhitaker@icloud.com<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\/ www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Freed by Vulnerable Love. \u00a0 Advent 4 \u00a0 Isaiah 7: 10 \u2013 16; Romans 1: 1 – 7; Matthew 1: 18 – 25 God rescues by making us stronger: that\u2019s love. Our readings are about a miraculous birth and a baby boy who is a sign of God\u2019s presence. The big problem here is not the miraculous birth; it is the notion that the sign of God\u2019s presence is a baby.\u00a0 Yes, a baby!\u00a0 A baby is dependent and vulnerable. Babies consume time and resources. Yes, a baby gives us joy.\u00a0 Yes, a baby may speak to us of hope and promise, but it is a baby.\u00a0 But do we get it that a baby is a sign of God\u2019s presence? I mean, couldn\u2019t God come into our midst and do something spectacular? When we\u2019re down, feeling helpless and hopeless don\u2019t we want God to do something amazing?\u00a0 We would like to be rescued.\u00a0 We want God to change things. But what the prophet says is that this child is a sign of God\u2019s presence. Don\u2019t be ensnared by the \u2018virgin birth\u2019 thing. It\u2019s not the problem.\u00a0 The problem for us is recognising how God works in the world.\u00a0 And in the first instance I am going to suggest to you that God doesn\u2019t come and snatch us out of trouble, but comes along side us in a way that we become strong. Let\u2019s look at our texts. The Isaiah reading contains that well-known prophecy, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel [Is 7: 14].\u00a0 The Hebrew word, almah, does not mean a virgin, but a young woman who could be a virgin. The prophet Joel uses the term almah to describe a young widow who is childless [Joel 1: 8]. Matthew misquotes Isaiah 7: 14 assuming Isaiah meant a virgin.\u00a0 Isaiah\u2019s prophecy is saying to a besieged King Ahaz that the threat to the Judean kingdom will be over before the child is weaned. That is, the threat of the two kings hanging over Ahaz and the Judean kingdom will have dissipated within 4 years or so. A child in those days was usually weaned by the age of four.\u00a0 The prophecy has these key components. Firstly, do not fear because these enemies of Judea will be defeated.\u00a0 Secondly, God is with you.\u00a0 Thirdly the sign of God\u2019s gracious presence is a baby.\u00a0 Isaiah says; 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.\u00a0 The sign is a baby boy.\u00a0 Here lies the puzzle.\u00a0 Notice that God will not be present in some awesome overwhelming presence and action that will render us dependent upon God. Rather it suggests that things will work out and God will work with us in bringing about God\u2019s vision for us. The rider to this is that God works with us gently and through human action. \u00a0 Because of God\u2019s approach there is vulnerability, and this vulnerability reveals God\u2019s love for us.\u00a0 The Christmas story is pregnant with this meaning. God\u2019s self-disclosure in our history is clothed in humility and vulnerability.\u00a0 There is nothing more vulnerable than a human baby. Both Luke and Matthew in their presentation of Jesus\u2019 birth portray the vulnerability and humility of Jesus. The baby is vulnerable and needs the protection and nurture of father and mother. The baby\u2019s surroundings are humble rather than palatial. Therefore \u2018God-being-with-us,\u2019 means that God is with the people, not merely the powerful. The scenes of shepherds and wise men tell us that this baby Jesus attracts the full spectrum of society.\u00a0 Reflecting on this image of the Christ-child in a manger we are confronted with the question of what we do with God who comes not as the dominant ruler of the world, not as One whose very words leave us speechless, not as the mighty Creator who controls, but as the One who meets us with humility and vulnerability. The humility is self-evident as is the vulnerability. God allows God\u2019s self to be rejected.\u00a0 The wonderful thing in God meeting us like this is that this is the best way to set us free.\u00a0 This is the best way to make us strong.\u00a0 It is no surprise that we find in Scripture Jesus speaking of coming to give himself for our freedom [Mk 10:28]; taking up a towel and basin and washing his disciples feet [Jn 13: 1f]; showing compassion for the hungry crowds [Mt 14:13-21; Mk 6:31-44; Lk 9:12-17; Jn 6:1-14] and facing his betrayers and executioners with compassionate integrity [Mt 26:63f]. \u00a0 It is no wonder then that the followers of Jesus could compose such beautiful word pictures of Jesus of Nazareth. John writes; And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father\u2019s only son, full of grace and truth. [Jn 1: 14] Paul includes the following creedal hymn in his letter to the Philippian church [2:5-8].\u00a0 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death\u2014even death on a cross. \u00a0 I have witnessed many things God has done in my life both personally and in the lives I serve. Just two incidents help me see God working in those quiet ways with us making us stronger. May I share two personal experiences? I hope they may encourage you. Last Sunday many things were running through my head when I entered our worship space. I stood at the lectern and welcomed you. I looked down at the Order of Service to see what was next. My mind was still<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Leighmoor.Master","author_link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/author\/leighmoor-master"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Sermons<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Freed by Vulnerable Love. \u00a0 Advent 4 \u00a0 Isaiah 7: 10 \u2013 16; Romans 1: 1 – 7; Matthew 1: 18 – 25 God rescues by making us stronger: that\u2019s love. Our readings are about a miraculous birth and a baby boy who is a sign of God\u2019s presence. The big problem here is not…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3096"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3097,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3096\/revisions\/3097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}