Homily: 4th Sunday in Advent YR A
“Could God Work The Impossible Through You?”
12-19-04
by Fr. William Holtzinger

Could God work the impossible through you? This question comes to mind when reading today’s Scriptures. Could God work what seems to be impossible through you? Think about it? Do you believe in your hearts that God would spend the time and energy to use you as his messenger and guardian? What we often see as impossible is not so for God. Let’s look at what the Scriptures tell us.

In Isaiah, we hear about King Ahaz who was challenged by the prophet to believe. This is pretty amazing considering the self worth Isaiah had before being a prophet and the kind of person the king was.

We hear in chapter 6 of Isaiah, “For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips” (v 5). Yet, he is given confidence by God and tells the Lord, “Here I am... Send me” (v. 8). On the part of the Ahaz, he was one of the worst kings Judah ever had. Not only did he practice pagan rituals which were forbidden by Jewish law, but he even permitted his own children to be sacrificed (2 Kings 16:3). This was a bad guy! So, you might imagine how intimidating it would have been to confront the king. Imagine a powerful political leader today with whom you seriously disagree. Now imagine that you are in a position to share your opinion with him knowing that by doing so your very life could be taken. That is the situation for Isaiah. It is a no win situation. It is impossible. Yet, he does it.


The context of the story before what we heard today describes how the king was being threatened by an invasion from the northern kingdom. In preparation for the worst, the king goes to inspect the water supply for the city to make sure it is safe against seizure. It is there that Isaiah confronts Ahaz. But Isaiah doesn’t immediately tell Ahaz how how God is going to prove himself to the king. Rather, in order to prove that God is Lord of all and that king Ahaz needs to listen to the Lord, the prophet tells the king that the Lord will do anything to prove his point. We hear the Lord say, “Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!” (v. 11) Such a request would make me sit up and listen. How about you? I wonder what each of us would do given such a question? We’ve all had moments of disbelief and doubts. We’ve all entertained or desired to have God make clear his existence or will in our lives or in the world. What would convince you? What proof would you need?

As we hear, Ahaz does not take the bait. And so the Lord, speaking through Isaiah, tells the king the sign which will demonstrate the Lord’s fidelity to his people: “The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel” (v. 14). This reference to the virgin conceiving was likely not understood by Isaiah in the same way we Christians do today. The ancient Hebrew expectation as well as modern Jew is that the Emmanuel would be an earthly ruler. For the Hebrews, every King, in a way, expressed the presence of God in the world. In fact, the mother who would eventually bear the new king to succeed Ahaz was still a virgin at the time of this prophesy. Within a year Hezekiah was born who would become one of the best kings, next to David himself, that Judah had ever had. This prophecy may not seem so fantastic looking back on it, yet imagine if someone told you that you would be a new parent a year from now. Imagine the things that would be changed by such a development. How would such a prediction affect you? Would it be a reaction of joy? Disbelief? Fear? Isaiah, as a prophet, knew he was prophesying the near future, but likely had no idea the full impact his words implied. Through the eyes of Matthew, this prophesy would spell out the coming of Jesus, the perfect Emmanuel, not just an earthly ruler with authority from God. In Jesus, God would become radically present with us as God and man. The Emmanuel for which we prepare during Advent literally is our salvation and the one who, according to Paul, is our all in all (1Cor. 15:28).

Today’s Gospel puts Joseph center stage. He is presented with a tragic situation which might seem impossible. “My new wife is already pregnant?” he ponders. This might seem impossible that God would work such a miracle. But, Joseph is a dreamer like his ancestor of old and name sake. Joseph, the son of Jacob, the man with a coat of many colors was a dreamer too. He followed his dreams, and was put “in charge of the whole land of Egypt” (Gen. 41:41). Joseph, the husband of Mary, allows the impossible to be done through him. Thus, Jesus is given a home in which to grow in wisdom. And it is from Him that our heavenly Father would reconcile the whole world to himself and save humanity.

So we can see that against all kinds of odds, God is not deterred. Because of our heavenly Father neither was Isaiah, nor Paul, nor Joseph, nor Jesus himself. God has a history of doing the impossible through all kinds of people. He will use all kinds of people in order to do miraculous things. So what about you? Could God work a miracle through you? Would you let the seemingly impossible be done through you?

What impossible things are happening to you at this time? What struggles seem so difficult that no solution seems possible? Have you spent yourself into oblivion while Christmas shopping? Has your credit card debt become such a millstone that you feel paralyzed by it’s oppression? Has a relationship gone bad? Is there someone in your life who has hurt you to the point that your heart has been broken? Has sin become so present that it’s darkness blinds your heart from the beauty around you? Do you see no joy in your life? Has it made you critical, sarcastic, bitter, vengeful, or hateful? Are you caught up in an addiction that has robbed you of your freedom and dignity? Are you too afraid to acknowledge it or too prideful to recognize it and get help? Does it seem impossible to break free?

Many people have been hurt by the Church. Some have left and have never been seen since. Others have stayed away but are planning to come home to St. Anthony’s this Christmas. Who knows what burdens they carry. The question we all need to answer is who will they encounter here when they come? Maybe it is too scary a thing to approach someone and invite them to come to Mass with you. Maybe it is scary making an effort to welcome new faces whom you do not know. But, again, let God work through you. By your reception of the Eucharist at this Mass you will be given divine assistance. You will become Emmanuel. Would you let that grace be seen to others around you in the coming days? And when you come to Mass on Christmas, would you make an effort to welcome whomever you are seated near? Maybe God will work a miracle through you?

God has worked miracles through the most unexpected people in the most unexpected ways. Let this Christmas be no different. Remember Isaiah, Paul, and Joseph, all who were motivated by the grace of God to believe in the unlikely or impossible. Let it happen here. Let it happen in you. Amen.