Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Matthew 1:18-25, and 1 Corinthians 15:42-44
It’s the Fourth Sunday in Advent. It’s time to think more about love. We also plan to celebrate today’s service with a Blue Christmas service. When I think of those who have gone to heaven before me, I am filled with longing. Sadness and sometimes loneliness come to me. Some people say that through these separations, they are burying the departed in their hearts. Now, the next few days are a time when even non-believers will be excitedly celebrating the holidays. The world will spend this period with as much excitement as when Jesus entered Jerusalem two thousand years ago. At times like these, some people may feel even more profound sadness. I pray that God’s comfort be with you, and that His grace, which restores us, may fill our lives.
Matthew tells Joseph about Jesus’ birth, that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was to be named Immanuel. When Joseph was unaware of this, he felt deeply wronged and upset. Joseph thought to himself. “The woman I love is pregnant with another man’s child.” But he did not want to expose her to public disgrace. He attempted to divorce her quietly. These decisions are tough. A bride who brought another man’s child to her groom, who was waiting for her to get married! Sometimes, after waiting like this, we face disaster. But to persevere in these circumstances requires great ability and tolerance. In today’s Scripture, Joseph showed us that. In fact, recently, while I was going to a member’s room with my wife, a car driven by a student from the countryside hit my bumper. But thankfully, there were no scratches at all. Of course, I didn’t tell my wife, but something similar happened to me four years ago shortly after I bought the car. At that time, the driver behind me was a newcomer who was driving while drowsy. However, I did not make a claim then or this time. It wasn’t because I was generous, and there weren’t any particular problems. All I did was tell all those drivers to drive safely. But even in these moments of choice, I struggle. Should I report it? A friend told me to report the student because he might cause other problems. Actually, I don’t know which one is correct. But the important thing is that we are constantly faced with moments of conflict and having to make choices. Joseph would have done the same. So, we must ask God what is wise in that situation. Just as Joseph maintained his emotions and mind even in situations of great injustice and hurt, we too need to control our minds when faced with great sorrow and emotional difficulties.
This year, we have gone through many moments of choice. And at the end of the year, we await the birth of baby Jesus. He comes to us as the Prince of Hope, the Prince of Peace, and brings us joy. Finally, we will meet the Lord, who is love itself.
Dear friends, this is the season when we think of our precious families. We each carry longing in our hearts. We may think of our parents who have gone to heaven first. Sometimes you may think of your children and friends. But the place left by that deep sadness is difficult to comfort with any words. And no matter how much time passes, it is not easy to manage that pain. But the gospel says: “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. it is raised imperishable. it is raised in glory. it is raised in power.”
These words from 1 Corinthians are the contents of a letter sent by the Apostle Paul to the church in the Greek port city of Corinth. At that time, the Corinth region was a logistics and industrial center, much like an international airport or highway passing through it today. Socially, the Romans immigrated in large numbers and settled there, to such an extent that there was an outdoor stadium that could accommodate 20,000 people. There were also over a dozen Greek temples, a place where Greek culture and philosophy combined. So, we need to understand the concepts of death and the body from the perspective of Greek philosophy. At that time, some Corinthians and Greeks rejected resurrection and the afterlife. They witnessed the death and perishing of the body. Observing this, they concluded that the body was mortal and that only the soul was noble. They believed that death was the escape of the soul from the prison of the body. So they couldn’t figure out how to raise it back to the spiritual body.
The Apostle Paul testifies that even though the decay of the body in the tomb clearly shows the destruction of the body, human destiny does not end here. “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable.” This means that this body, which is destined to die and decay, will be transformed into a new and glorious body on the day of Christ’s second coming. Because the Greeks devalued the body, they condoned various sexual depravities and crimes. In the center of the city was the Temple of Aphrodite. The big problem was that there were over a thousand priests who were engaging in religious prostitution inside the temple. And these actions were not problematic in the philosophy and values of the time.
But we know that, beyond all these values, ideologies, and philosophies, God is alive and with us. The Creator loved us so much that he sent his son, Jesus, to this earth in his place. He sent his Son, whom he loves more than himself. And through him God testifies that he is Immanuel. Beloved, as we wait together for the birth of baby Jesus, let us manage all our longing, pain, and sorrow. The God of life will bring us all together in God’s time. Amen.