Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 23 (24):1-6; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24
Picture: By Usman Malik on Unsplash
Do you like accidents? Sounds like a silly question, since the word brings to mind something unfortunate or tragic, such as a traffic accident. And nobody likes those, right? But accident also has a more neutral meaning. Such as when we say, they met by accident. Here, the word refers to something unforeseen, unplanned, unscripted. Yet whether an accident is truly tragic or simply unforeseen, it often requires us to respond in some way, even to make a difficult choice of some kind.
Earlier this month, a new permanent exhibition opened at the National Library. Some of us here have probably already seen or heard about it. Drawing from a trove of recently declassified documents, codenamed the Albatross File, the exhibition shines a light on the circumstances that led to Singapore’s departure from Malaysia. According to conventional wisdom, Separation was something that befell us like an accident. Something unforeseen, unplanned, unscripted. We were kicked out. But the documents add important nuance to this familiar story. They show that, as painful and risky as Separation may have been, it was also something that some of our leaders at the time actually wished for, and worked hard to bring about. Merger was the original plan. What was unplanned were the intractable problems that resulted, including two racial riots leading to bloodshed and tragic loss of life. Collectively, these problems were the accident that made Merger feel like a burdensome albatross around our neck. Requiring our leaders to respond, to make a difficult choice: Stick to the plan, cling to the script, or leave? Somehow, we found the courage to leave. And, as they say, the rest is history. Our history.
A challenging accident calling for a courageous response. This is also what we find in each of our readings today. In the first reading, the northern kingdoms of Syria and Israel have joined forces, and are preparing to invade Judah. Faced with this impending accident, Ahaz, the king of Judah, has to make a difficult choice. What to do? How to respond? Through the prophet Isaiah, God invites Ahaz to seek guidance from God. Ask the Lord your God for a sign… But Ahaz refuses. Not because he doesn’t want to test God, but because he has made his own plans, he has written his own script. He intends to enlist the help of the mighty Assyrian Empire. Choosing to rely on a proven military power, rather than to trust in an invisible God. Even so, despite Ahaz’s lack of trust in God, God still sends him a sign of God’s steadfast love. A young woman in the king’s court will soon bear a son, whose name will serve to remind everyone that, despite their lack of faith, God-is-(still)-with-us.
In the gospel, it is Joseph’s turn to meet with an accident. An unexpected apparently adulterous pregnancy. What to do? How to respond? Although it may look like a deviation from the plan, an informal divorce is really part of the existing script. It’s what the Law prescribes. But God has other plans. God is renewing the script. (D)o not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife…. She will give birth to a son…. the one who is to save his people from their sins… Somehow, unlike his ancestor Ahaz, Joseph finds the courage to obey all of God’s instructions, to the very last detail. As a result, the ancient prophecies are fulfilled. The steadfast love of God takes flesh in our world as a Son of David. Bringing grace and peace to us all.
And isn’t this what Paul is describing in the second reading? The grace and peace that flow from humbly obeying God’s call. And don’t we know how Paul himself came to receive this call? On the road to Damascus, while executing a misguided plan to persecute Christians, he meets with an accident. A blinding light and a piercing voice, which stop him in his tracks. Requiring him to make a choice: Stick to his own plan, cling to his own script, or follow the one God is offering him. And what Paul is reminding the Romans, is that God’s voice is addressed to them and to us too. Calling us to belong to Christ, to be saints, and to fulfil the apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all.
An invading army, an unplanned pregnancy, and a mysterious encounter on a dusty road. These are among the accidents we find in our readings today. And to them, we might add those that we ourselves may face in our own lives. Such as an unsettling medical report, undesirable exam or school-posting results, an unsustainable work-life routine, or the unwelcome signs of the natural diminishment that accompanies advancing age… Even if unforeseen, unplanned and unscripted, these experiences may well be doorways through which God wishes to enter. To free us from the burden of sin, and to bless us with God’s abundant love and grace, God’s overflowing mercy and peace. But first we need to receive the wisdom and courage to respond as Joseph and Paul did. To exercise the obedience of faith, and to heed that gentle yet insistent call so beautifully expressed in our psalm response: Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
Sisters and brothers, amid the accidents and albatrosses of our lives, how might we better respond to God’s call this Christmas?
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