Well, here we are, the fourth Sunday of Advent already… and we’ve lit the candle for Mary, the mother of Jesus, the humble and obedient servant girl – or young woman as it says in our Old Testament reading – who, we heard in our prayer, responded to God’s call with joy. In fact, we hear much more about Jospeh and his thoughts in our gospel reading, rather than about Mary, however we know that both of them humbly accepted God’s amazing will for their lives and risked so much in an era where not only would there have been ridicule and shame, but it could have resulted in severe punishment. For Joseph, going against the law and instead being righteous, doing what he felt was of God, would have created a difficult tension. In his gospel, Matthew addresses this repeatedly as he aims to show us that the laws, or what was commonly known to be ‘of God’, was in contrast to what God was doing through Jesus – and don’t we have the same today, where some follow the Holy Spirit and others the ‘law’ as they see it? However, after the angel visited and encouraged him to follow the divine leading and not do what was expected of him by society, Joseph changed his plans. 

He had planned to dismiss Mary quietly, despite the right he would have held as her betrothed to publicly shame her – in this we see a man who is kind and compassionate, secure enough in his relationship with God to change his mind and go against societal expectations. We live in a questioning, troubled and unkind world where we often have to search for kindness and respect, maybe this is something we can take from Jospeh in these last few days of Advent as we look with hope toward Christmas – to show kindness and compassion to those we meet, sharing again the hope that we know Christmas brings – the hope wrapped up in a tiny baby – reminding people that Jesus is the reason for the season. 

We also know from our gospel that Joseph heard God speak in a dream, he was sleeping – despite the shocking situation he found himself in! I’m not sure I would sleep a wink, but he was sleeping, and yet he still heard God – have we found the time to slow down in Advent? Have we made space to hear from God? It’s a busy time, but we have a few precious days left to take full advantage of what Advent asks of us, and find some space – awake or asleep – to meet with God and know him in the depths of our hearts. Resting with God will refresh and strengthen us and allow God to accomplish so much through us as we grow ever closer in relationship – a relationship that surely Mary and Joseph must have had, to trust so completely?   

In just a few day’s time, we will be celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Emmanuel – God with us, an event that fulfils scripture. The name Emmanuel reminds us of God’s longing to save his chosen people, but also to be present to them in a new way – a closer and more intimate way. 

Our reading from Romans reminds us that he was born human, descended from David and yet declared to be the son of God. He came as a tiny baby, born not in a palace but in a stable, surrounded by smelly animals, born to live as one of us, to dwell directly among us, yet he brought the Kingdom of God to earth in his divinity and in this he demonstrated the nature and the love of God, as God set out to redeem and renew, and he did this for all of us, so that we can today know ‘God with us’. 

This is something we can share this Advent and Christmas season, we can join in this renewal, sharing the love that we know in our hearts through a relationship with Jesus, something to share with a world that is in disarray, to take part in bringing God’s world back to a place of wholeness. 

Are we secure enough in our own faith, in what we believe, to be able to share with others? I do hope so; however, I also know that we can be coy and sometimes embarrassed about our faith and often need to grow in confidence. The truths that we repeat together, week after week in our creed are simple yet profound, biblical and the basis of our faith that we can confidently share with others. 

God chose two insignificant people to birth and bring up his Son, therefore we know that he has all of humanity in his sights, he wants everyone, however exhausted, however sinful, however agitated they might feel, to welcome him into their lives – and we can help with that. 

Christmas is the time for us to celebrate that most incredible of events, God sending Jesus, his Son, into this world, to save us and give us the opportunity to have a trusting and loving relationship with him. The Christmas Story allows us to declare, or to discover for the first time, a renewed faith in the goodness of God as we continue to walk with Jesus, keeping him at the centre of our lives. Therefore, the Christmas story isn’t just for the children in nativity plays, it’s for everyone as it reminds us of the life God planned for every single one of us when he made the decision to send his Son to live amongst us. 

The Advent Antiphon for today, is O Oriens: 

‘O come, O come, thou Dayspring bright! Pour on our souls thy healing light; Dispel the long night’s lingering gloom, And pierce the shadows of the tomb.’ 

Jesus is the ‘Bright Morning Star’ and my prayer today is that, however we have walked through Advent, we take strength from Joseph’s restful confidence in God, and open our hearts ready to greet the ‘Bright Morning Star’ when it arrives on Christmas Morning, piercing any lingering darkness so that we might walk in the light, sharing it with all we meet, all the days of our lives. Amen. 

Service: Revd Rebecca Yates 21st December 2025. (St John the Baptist Church Peterborough UK)

Readings: Isaiah 7:10-16 / Romans 1:1-7 / Matthew 1:18-end