Advent - Do you hear what I hear?

Read - Matthew 1:18-25

The next part of the narrative in Matthew begins with these words:

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about ...”

Reflect - God hears and appears 

In the Old Testament we read of a God who hears his people’s cries, sees his people’s plight and comes down to be with them. In the New Testament we have the same thing – God comes as Emmanuel; he literally gives himself the name “I am with you!” What’s interesting, yet often quite hard, is that God’s way of working is not to pull us out of the difficult situations we find ourselves in but to enter our world and be with us in the middle of them. 

‘An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins” 

The angel’s appearance to Joseph we read about in Matthew’s gospel is reminiscent of Moses’ burning bush moment in Exodus. There, God says to Moses “I have seen the misery of my people… I have heard them crying out … and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them”. 

Here, in Matthew, God says something similar: It’s all about the Messiah, God’s promised rescuer who would alleviate people’s suffering - just like Moses. And God uses the term, Emmanuel - literally meaning “God with us” - here to deal not with the enemy of the Egyptians but with the enemy of sin. In both stories we have God “coming down” to be with his people. God hears and appears. This is who God is and this is what God does.  

As we read the nativity narrative and allow ourselves to think ‘I’ve come across this somewhere before’ we remember that God is showing us something about himself. God has certain ways of how he engages in the world, there are consistent patterns to his work. As we become familiar with his ways by reflecting on them throughout the bible, we can better look for and recognise when he is at work in our lives today as ‘Emmanuel, God with us’.   

Respond  

Maybe there have been times this year when you have felt unheard or ignored. If you feel like you’re unheard, crying out, longing to be rescued, know that the God who hears the cry of his people hears your cry. It might not mean there is an instant fix, it might not mean the pain or the struggle or the frustration goes away, but it does mean the Comforter and Compassionate Counsellor is right there with you. Matthew’s nativity reminds us of this. So may you know that you are seen, know that you are heard, know that you are known and know that God is Emmanuel, God with you. 

Take a few moments to consider - who are the people that need to be heard this Christmas? Who can you take time to listen to this week?