It seems that people have been asking for signs from God ever since there was a relationship between God and human beings. In the creation story at the very beginning of Genesis, we read, “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the domes of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.’” In the wilderness, the people asked Moses for a sign. And they asked again, and again, never quite sure that God was still in their midst. During the time of the judges, before there were kings, Gilead looked for a sign to confirm that God was calling him into leadership. Kings dreamed important dreams and had people in the employ of the court to interpret those dreams. Each of the prophets indicated a sign; sometimes the signs were of God’s favor, some of warning, and some signs of God’s extreme displeasure. And Jesus was asked regularly to show a sign that he was from God.

Sometimes, I want a sign, too. I’d like some assurance, some surety. And I am jealous of my friends who seem to get signs. I have a friend who dreams important dreams whenever she is wrestling with an important decision. She wakes up in the morning not necessarily well-rested, but she is sure what her next step is, because her grandmother was in the dream and made it crystal clear. I have another friend who made a big cross-country move. It seemed to be made with all right reasons, made carefully, and after the move, things were certainly working out as anticipated. But she wanted a little more surety. In a conversation with another person one day, she said that she was still not sure this was the right thing. “What more do you want as a sign?” Asked her incredulous friend. “A lightning bolt,” she responded. “I want God to send me a lightning bolt.” The next day, she was driving down the highway when she was passed by a truck carrying the soda brand, Jolt. In case you don’t remember their company logo, it is a lightning bolt. Which was displayed prominently on the side of the truck. When she started a new job shortly after, as she walked through the door to work, she stopped short when she saw that there was a lightning bolt emblazoned on the door.

But I’m suspicious of this reliance on signs as well. After Hurricane Katrina, we heard a fair amount about people who thought that the hurricane was a sign from God of displeasure about not allowing Christian prayer in schools. The same thing happened after 9/11, as we all remember, and the husband of another friend of mine thinks that California’s earthquakes are signs from God of God’s displeasure for the sinful nature of the entire state. He thinks that God will finally cause the whole state to fall into the ocean as a sign to the rest of the country.

Our readings for today are full of signs. In Isaiah, we read of a point in Israel’s history. Two neighboring armies are proving to be a great threat, and Ahaz is nervous about their intentions, and the ability of the Israelites to win a confrontation. So the prophet Isaiah offers Ahaz a sign. Ahaz, however, turns down Isaiah’s offer of a sign. Maybe he didn’t want to know, maybe it was false modesty, maybe he was truly worried about offending God, we aren’t quite sure. But Isaiah gets miffed at Ahaz’s refusal, and he gives the sign anyway. Probably pointing in the direction of a pregnant woman near them, Isaiah announces that by the time that woman has given birth, named her child, he has been weaned, and is able to discern between good and evil (maybe the age of 7?), the threat of these two armies will have dissipated.

Joseph isn’t asking for a sign either. Matthew catches us up on what has happened to get us to this story. Jospeh is betrothed to Mary (which is a legal agreement, exited only by death or divorce). Joseph learns that Mary is pregnant, and he knows that he is not the father. He has many options open to him, but he chooses the kindest one he can – he will divorce her, quietly. But then an angel comes to him in a dream, and his plans are changed. Joseph awakes and obeys the instructions in the dream. He does not divorce Mary, and he names Jesus, claims him as his own, and Jesus is adopted into the Davidic lineage. With that all arranged, Matthew then gets on with the story of what this person Jesus does with the rest of his life.

Matthew has the advantage of writing this gospel with hindsight. The gospel is written about 80 years after these events in the beginning, so Matthew can give us some perspective. Even as he starts his story, he lets us know that Jesus’ birth is not the important part of the story. What’s important is that he will save the people. And with this different perspective, Matthew looks back at that passage in Isaiah with whole new eyes. He knows that Isaiah was speaking to Ahaz and predicting a certain thing in a certain time. But Matthew sees that God’s word can transcend that time-locked perspective. Another young woman is going to give birth. Her son will also be a sign. He will be named Jesus, but he will actually be Immanuel, God with us, and will do more than point to a time when the Israelites will be saved from their enemies, he will save everyone from their very sins.

Looking for signs is dicey. On one hand, I would like to have the reassurance of being sure that this is where God wants me to go, but I can see that many of God’s signs have not confirmed people’s directions, but instead sent them in new, uncomfortable ways. Not only that, but signs have this nasty habit of meaning different things to different people, or being interpreted in some way I never intended generations from now.

And relying on signs can also be dicey. I’m paraphrasing Bishop John Shelby Spong, but essentially he points out that the way of God should be inside of us. If we have to wake up each day and ask God what we are supposed to do next, we are still children. He uses the analogy of a parent and child. If my child wakes up each day and calls me, asking what he or she is supposed to do next, I have failed as a parent. And so I can’t look for a sign for every aspect of my life. I need to develop a faith that guides me, that informs me, and that can sustain my life.

I’m still jealous of my friends, though, with their dreams and their lightning bolts. And I’m a little jealous of Joseph and Isaiah and their ability to understand God’s signs. But I’ve realized that I don’t have to call on God for a sign every morning. We can see signs of God wherever we want. They can be in dreams of our grandmothers, on soda company trucks, in the words of ancient prophets, in the falling snow, or in the birth of a child who is named Jesus and who is God With Us. Amen.