The password is trust

Matthew 1:18-24

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife.

In the name of our Savior King, the Child of Bethlehem, Dear Fellow-Redeemed,

During the Advent Season this year, we are considering a few "Advent Passwords" - words which will help us get into the true meaning of Christmas once again. Last week the password was "watch." Tonight we'll unlock a new dimension of Christmas with different key...

"THE PASSWORD IS: TRUST"

A man was walking through an apple orchard one day with his small son. The boy ran ahead and climbed up nearly to the top of one old tree. As the father approached, he saw that his son was in trouble. The limbs were rotten, and beginning to break under his weight. He stepped onto others, and they too gave way. The man yelled, "Jump, son, and I'll catch you!" The boy hesitated for a moment and cried, "Daddy, should I let go of everything, and trust you?" The next second he jumped, and found himself safe in the arms of his father.

The process of coming to trust in God is often called "the leap of faith." That's because there's a tremendous jump involved when a person disregards everything his mind and his senses tell him, and trusts in the promises of God. Tonight let's send ourselves back in history about 1,986 years. Put yourself in Joseph's shoes. Think of what he was called upon, by God, to believe... It must have been like jumping off the Empire State Building!

The events of our text probably occurred after Mary had returned from her visit to her cousin Elizabeth. She had stayed with Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, for three months. When she got back, her fiancee, Joseph, got quite a shock! For it was obvious that Mary, too, was pregnant. "Mary was found with child of the Holy Spirit." The angel of God had already appeared to Mary, and she knew the explanation of the miracle that was taking place in her body. But think of Joseph!

Poor Joseph! What a confusion of thoughts must have been running through his mind. How could this have happened? How could he have misjudged so badly this mild girl who had solemnly promised to become his wife? All the evidence screamed at him that he had been a fool to become engaged to Mary. All his plans for his marriage and starting a family were ruined. Everything was so clear before, and now it was all a mess! What a scandal!

It was a scandal. And in that day and age, a very serious one, too. Jewish law dictated that a betrothed virgin, if she was found pregnant by another man, could be stoned to death for her sin. Joseph didn't want that. But he had to do something. He certainly wasn't going to go ahead with the marriage! "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly." Just call it off! She'd go her way, and he'd go his. Very merciful of Joseph, really. It was about the kindest thing he could do in the face of such a scandal.

"But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.'" God was calling on Joseph to trust Him, in spite of everything. It would be lonely sort of trust, because he couldn't expect any of his neighbors to believe that Mary was the first virgin in the history of the world to conceive a child. How could he do it - trust God? The angel didn't give him any miraculous sign to prove what he said was true. No budding staff, no rock that gushed water. All Joseph had to trust in was the promise of God. The promise that this child would be the Son of God - the Savior of the world. And that gospel promise, itself, did the trick. "Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife." The gospel that the angel preached to Joseph - the good news of a Savior from sin - that gospel, itself, enabled Joseph to trust. It gave him the faith...to jump!

Tonight it's our turn to jump! To trust the incredible message that, 2000 years ago, a Baby was born to a virgin. And that that Baby is our Redeemer! Will you trust this incredible message?

You know, today the Gospel is just as much a scandal as it ever was. What Paul said to the Corinthians is still true today, "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness." -- I Cor 1:23. Do you want to learn some Greek? The word for "stumbling block" is skandalon, "scandal"! Almost everyone in this world of ours, Jews and gentiles alike, consider the Gospel of Jesus scandalous and foolish. Well, the very idea! --That the Son of God came to earth and was born of a virgin, lived a perfectly sinless life, died on a cross, and rose from the dead after three days? "What nonsense!" they say. Today even so-called "Christians" (including many liberal "Lutherans") are denying the fact of Jesus' virgin birth. They don't trust the Bible that far. It's a little too big a jump to make.

It is, indeed, a very big jump to make. But God asks us to jump, nevertheless. He asks us to trust His Word. To believe the Christmas message of a Savior born of a virgin. To let go of everything else, and trust only Him for our salvation! We couldn't make that leap on our own. This week some of our confirmation students are memorizing the explanation of the Third Article of the Apostle's Creed, which says, "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, nor come to Him..." Do you remember how it goes on? "...But that the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel!" That's the beautiful thing about this incredible Christmas message - it carries, within itself, the power to make us believe it. Paul said, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." -- Romans 10:17. When you read God's Word, or come here to listen to it preached, the Holy Ghost is working faith in your heart. The Gospel itself makes you believe the Gospel!

The password is "TRUST". During this Advent Season, God is calling upon you to trust, just like He asked Joseph to trust. No signs, no miracles, just...trust. But He also enables you to trust, through His Word, just like He enabled Joseph. You can trust God's Word. You can trust that every word of the Christmas story is true. Above all, you can trust in that Savior, who was born in a stable and died on a cross. Trust Him! He forgives every sin you commit. He will welcome you into heaven at the end of time. So settle back and enjoy the coming of your Savior. You are truly blessed, for Jesus said, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed!" In His name, AMEN.