Homily- Faith and Obedience: Caleb Adcox
The following homily was shared at our Sunday Evening Eucharist Service on December 18, 2022.
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:10-14)
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25)
I recently changed my major, with the intention of going to seminary and joining the ministry after college. As I read today's passages, I was reminded of the time leading up to that decision. In hindsight, I realize that God has been calling me to ministry for at least a year now. But, much like Ahaz, I refused to listen to God. And just as Ahaz gave the excuse of not wanting to test God, I also tried to talk my way out of my calling with pretend righteousness. I said I wanted to “honor my commitment” by finishing the major I initially signed up for, I didn’t want to risk having to stay in college more than four years as to not be a financial burden on my family, and I said that I would use my engineering degree in a service capacity, providing me with opportunities to minister to people. And none of those are bad things on their own; it is honorable to uphold a commitment, it is wise to be financially cautious, and any major can and should be used for ministry and service. But all of those things are only good if applied to the path God has laid out for you.
Joseph, on the other hand, though he had plenty of reason to doubt, and who could have used this same type of superficial righteousness to resist God’s plan for his life by insisting that Mary had been unfaithful and using that as grounds for divorce, instead chooses to simply listen and obey. This was not an easy choice; Joseph had to not only accept the less easily believable of two options, but also alter the entire course of his life, based on just one vision and faith that the prophecies are true. Joseph’s faith was rewarded with the arrival of Christ, confirming what we read in *Psalm 24:1-6 (today’s Psalm reading), that God provides blessings to those who seek Him. While our blessings might not be as conspicuous as the birth of Christ, we likewise will be given the opportunity to draw nearer to Him by obediently seeking Him.
Ultimately, it all comes down to faith. Immediately before this passage from Isaiah, at the end of verse 9, God says to Isaiah “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all”. The decision to listen to God’s instructions is a decision to maintain your faith in God, to trust His directions over your own desires, and to set aside your doubts and pride.
*The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it.
for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah (Psalm 24:1-6)
Caleb is a joy to be around. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he is always ready with a dad joke, a smile, or a word of consolation. He’s a sophomore this year at LA Tech, now studying Business. He also serves on this year’s Wesley Discipleship Team. We are so blessed to have him!