The roots of Immanuel
Sermon for Advent IV, 2025, delivered at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY Text: Isaiah 7:10-16 , Matthew 1:18-25 The Old Testament and gospel readings this morning touch on a chapter of the book we’ve been discussing in the Sunday morning study group, that is, “The Bible Says So” by Dan McClellan. There’s a connection between the passages in Isaiah and Matthew that involves Mary and can dramatically change how we perceive her, but that’s not the focus this morning. Mary figures in another way in both passages. Matthew’s Gospel was written by a Jewish author for other Jews to show them that Jesus was the Messiah that they had been waiting for, and the gospel reading is among the first of many examples we come across. This may seem like an academic exercise, but it is important to understand the foundation that our faith, our beliefs, and the words that we pray every Sunday are built on. We start with the story of Ahaz, the king of Judah, and a historical event mentioned i...