4^th Sunday in Advent at Epiphany on December 19, 2004

Grace and peace to you in the name of Immanuel, whose very name means "God with us." Amen.

Dear Lord Jesus, left to ourselves, we would never find you. We thank you that you have found us and came into our world as a little baby boy. We rejoice that you became one of us to understand our troubles and temptations, yet we also rejoice that you are not like us in that you overcame these troubles and temptations. You are our Immanuel, you are always with us. Continue to be with us and hold us fast until we are with you forever. Amen.

Those of you who are parents understand that having a baby changes everything. When you are single or newly married, you have no idea what is in store for you once there is a baby living in your house. Dad trying to keep a diaper shut with duct tape; Mom fantasizing about six hours of uninterrupted sleep; Dad secretly happy to escape his colicky baby by going to work; the baby-sitter running from their house screaming that she’s going to have her tubes tied.

Before a baby you didn’t start partying until 10 o’clock. After the baby you are in bed by 10 o’clock. Before the baby you talked to your friends about social events, politics, and religion. After the baby you talked to other parents about removing stains from clothing, which is better "Barney" or "Blues’ Clues". Before you had a baby you used to look at other people’s babies and say, "How cute!" "She’s going to break a lot of hearts!" After you had your own baby, you think, "No competition." "I’m glad my child doesn’t look like that."

Having a baby changes everything in your life. There is a particular baby who has changed the world itself. Isaiah prophesied that this baby would change everything. First, he prophesied that this would be no ordinary baby. Then he prophesied that this baby would always be with us. Isaiah prophesied, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

The time was about 700 BC. Ahaz was the king of Judah. Ahaz was a political and spiritual disaster. Spineless and heathen, he had led the Israelites into false worship, set up an altar to a false god in God’s temple, and even sacrificed his own children to false gods. At the time of our text, Ahaz had a big problem – the kingdoms of Israel and Aram were getting ready to attack his nation of Judah.

Isaiah told Ahaz that God would give him victory over his enemies. God would even allow Ahaz to choose a sign that would prove that God would keep his promise.

But Ahaz insulted God by refusing a sign and saying, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." Pious sounding words, that really say, "No, I won’t believe God. I want to go about it my own way. I’ll scheme to make a back room alliance with the nation of Assyria whether God likes it or not. I’m going to keep worshiping idols. I am going to make myself into a powerful king without God’s help. So, no, I won’t ask God for a sign."

Isaiah replied, "Whether you want a sign or not, the Lord will you give you a sign." But the sign God gave Ahaz was not a promise of help from the threat of the two kings. Instead, it was a sign that would be for all people – the birth of a child.

By God’s power, Isaiah saw a future pregnancy and the birth of a son. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son…"

How many times aren’t we like wicked King Ahaz? We try to hide behind our nice clothes, our pleasant houses, and our new cars. We’re very modern, with our cell phones and computers. On the outside, we act like we don’t really need God or a Savior or anything like that. We act like we have everything figured out.

A little girl once asked, "Mommy, why do I pray, ‘Forgive us our trespasses’ when I haven’t done anything wrong?" Some Christians think the same way. We see ourselves as decent and kind people. We haven’t murdered, stolen, or viciously gossiped, so what’s to forgive? I’ve had to confront scores of people about their sins, and inevitably they reply, "I know I’m not perfect, but I’m still a good person." They don’t see their failings as sin, their shortcomings as offensive to God. Do we consider our misbehavior as blatant disobedience against God? Do we consider our lapses in judgment as crimes committed against a holy God? If we think of ourselves as less sinful than others, then we imply that we need a Savior less than them.

Deep down, though, we are not "pretty good people." We are worthless sinners. We are idolaters and adulterers. We are thieves and murderers. Maybe not in actions, but certainly in our thoughts and in our words and in our hearts. Because we are no better than average sinners, we needed a Savior who would be better than average. We need a Savior who was better than ordinary.

God promised just that Savior! This would be no ordinary baby. He would be born of a virgin! There’s something you don’t see every day – a virgin giving birth! God would give a sign and this sign would be unmistakable – a virgin would conceive a special child. It wouldn’t have been much of a sign if any young woman in Judah would give birth to a baby boy. No, Isaiah’s sign was special and out of the ordinary. This child would be the result of an unexpected and unnatural conception.

There is an old saying that goes "If you want to capture someone’s attention, just whisper." God’s sign would be miraculous. A young lady who had never been intimate with a man would become pregnant. A truly miraculous sign! You would think that would capture people’s attention. But did it? Was it a shout or a whisper? King Ahaz ignored Isaiah. The sign didn’t get his attention.

Did the sign get the world’s attention at Jesus’ birth? Did the world sit up and take notice that the virgin was with child? Was all focus on Joseph and Mary the night Jesus was born, or was everyone going about their business? God’s long awaited sign was largely overlooked by the crowds of the city. It was miraculous – a virgin conception – a virgin birth. Overlooked. Dismissed as any other conception or any other birth.

You and I believe that this was no ordinary sign. This was no ordinary birth. This was no ordinary child. That child who was born of Mary, was also the very Son of God! God took on human flesh. He is God in disguise. This baby is the Christ, the Lord, the Savior of all people.

This baby would change everything. He would change the world with his teachings – turning the other cheek, being a Good Samaritan, loving others as yourself. He would change the world with his miracles – healing the sick, driving out demons, raising the dead to life. He would split the world into two distinct groups – those who believed in him and those who didn’t. He would change the world by offering forgiveness, salvation, unlimited love. He would change the world because this was no ordinary child. This child was born to die, he was born to become our Savior.

This baby is the reason why we will come here Christmas Eve to worship. This baby is the reason we will come together to worship on Christmas Day, even though we want to sleep late, family is coming over, and presents have to be opened. This baby is the reason we will fight the urge to stay home next Sunday, traditionally one of the lowest attended Sundays of the year. Our minds will be saying, "Why do we need to be in church three times in three days?" But hopefully our hearts will be saying, "Jesus left his home in heaven to come to earth for me. Surely I can leave my home to come for him."

This baby would be no ordinary child. This baby will always be with us. Isaiah calls the child "Immanuel," which means "God with us." This was not just a name, but a promise. This child would restore a broken relationship. The curse of the Garden of Eden would be broken, because God would be with us again.

A mother came to me recently to tell me how much it hurt her when her little daughter said, "Mommy, you never spend any time with me anymore. You’re too busy for me." That hurts.

I can also imagine God saying to me, "You never spend any time with me anymore. You’re too busy for me." Can you imagine God saying that to you?

We aren’t as close to God as we should be. It isn’t just work or busy schedules or extra Christmas parties that keep us away from God. It is sin. It is sin that separates us from our God. It is sin that keeps us from getting closer to God. You feel it in your heart – you aren’t close to God. And, on your own, you can’t come to God.

That is why God came to us! God became man. He came into this world of sin to save us from sin – in order to bring us back to God. And when God came to us, he promised that he would never leave us.

When you have a baby you love that child, you pamper and spoil that child, you want to spend time with that child. But, eventually, you want that child to grow up and move out. You want to be able to take a trip without someone from the back seat constantly asking, "Are we there yet?" You want to be able to go to a restaurant that doesn’t have a play place or give away toys with their meals. You want your refrigerator, your phone, your car to be yours again. That’s not saying that you don’t love your children anymore. You are just saying that you want to love them from a distance.

The beauty of this baby, though, is that when he grew up, we never want to be apart from him. God promised that his child would always be with us.

John 1:14 says: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." New York Yankees’ announcer Phil Rizzuto once suggested to manager Joe Torre that managing could be done better from high above the baseball field – from the level of the broadcasting booth. Thoughtfully, Torre replied, "Upstairs, you can’t look in their eyes." In Jesus Christ, God chose to come down on the field and look into our eyes. He became one of us, so that he might save us.

Why would the almighty God do this? The ruler of the universe, squeezing himself into a 7 pound, 6 ounce baby - why? As you ponder this child, you understand that God sank himself into human flesh. But someday, God would sink even lower, suffering and dying on a cross. Bethlehem’s cradle can never be separated from Calvary’s cross. This baby would someday set the world free from sin. You cannot help but smile, because you know that it’s because of this baby that all your mistakes in life have been taken away. It’s because of this baby that God loves you, and offers to you eternal life.

We need this baby who grew up to become our Savior. I need him. You need him. We need him to give us forgiveness and love and comfort and salvation. We need him to walk with us in the crowded malls to help us remember what this season is all about. We need him to sit with us in times of quiet and talk to us. We need him to be with us in times of anxiety to calm our fears. We need him to share his wisdom with us. We need him to hold our hands and take us with him to heaven.

Nothing changes life like a baby. When a new baby is born, the family’s whole schedule changes. What was routine is now a distant memory. Parenting books are read. Going out on a date seems like a thing of the past. The doctor’s office is on the speed dial. And a smile from your new baby chases all your stress away. Life is unalterably different. Nothing changes life like a baby.

God has sent his son Jesus Christ to you. He’s given you a baby boy. Is your life noticeably different because of this baby? Has this baby affected your work, your schedule, your home, your life? Has this baby influenced your attitude, your love, your giving, your service? I know it has.

You and I know well that a baby changes everything. One baby in particular changed the world. This was no ordinary baby. He is God with us. This baby is exactly what we need. Amen.

And now may the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.