Homily for 4^th Sunday of Advent 2007

It is often said that many people are unable or unwilling to make lifelong commitments these days. Freedom, so highly sought after, it is believed, is to be found more in keeping one's options open rather than choosing one option for a lifetime. This has certainly coloured our world's attitude to marriage for one thing. This common belief is further supported by the movement towards part time work and contractual employment. Not many people stay in the same job for life as once was common. In my experience in parishes, however, there is abundant evidence of people making deep and lasting commitments: in marriage, to God, to the Church, to ministry, and to work for the community at large. Being Christian does make a difference.

For the last couple of hundred years the human rights movement has rightly gained immense advantages for people. Women, the disabled, indigenous people, have all benefited from the legislation guaranteeing certain rights. The down side is this focus on the individual and his or her freedom to do and be what they want without the need for any commitment to anyone or anything.

Many of us do make foolish or immature commitments. But the road to maturity inevitably means we make mistakes. For the great majority of us we only reach some measure of maturity when we can honestly say we have made a commitment to a person or a cause. Without it we can end up belonging nowhere and be without real roots in life. And we know that such commitments can cost an enormous personal sacrifice.

Paradoxically, that is what gives us true freedom. Closing off other options, e g, choosing to marry this person rather than the other, enables us to grow and become who we are. For the Christian that is an obvious Gospel principle. It is in dying to one self that one gains life. It is what discipleship is. Commitment to Jesus and his mission.

Behind the well constructed story of Jesus' birth that we read in Matthew's Gospel there is the person of Joseph. We hear so little about Joseph because what is being revealed in the Scripture is not about him. The passage we read today is about Joseph. It is the story of Jesus annunciation from his perspective. So behind the story there is Joseph who makes a commitment to Mary and her child. He is always remembered simply because of his honourable intentions towards Mary in her predicament.

Joseph's story is told, however, to show that Jesus is connected to the whole journey of God's people through out their history, from Abraham to David to Joseph. That history is not always edifying reading as you know. Joseph's ancestors are remembered not because they were all good people or because they were all true to their commitment to the covenant, indeed they were not. Their story is told rather because of God's commitment to them!

It is this then that we will celebrating throughout the Christmas season: God is committed irrevocably to us in becoming a man and dwelling amongst us. And it cost Jesus everything. "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call him Emmanuel, which means, 'God is with us'." (v23).

The Christian keeps options open too. But it is the option to love God and neighbour with our whole heart and soul and mind and strength as God has in Jesus. There is no greater freedom than this. There are times when we can feel trapped in our commitment to marriage or career or whatever. Even putting aside abusive and destructive situations, we can all experience that feeling. At such times we do need God. That is when we need each other. It is one of the reasons we are a Church.

God is with us. The challenge for us is, are we with God? That is our primary commitment that we seal each time we come to the Eucharist. May this Eucharist nourish us and strengthen us in our love for one another as God has loved us.

Fr Graham