CORINTH

Sermon Notes

“What Color Should We Use?”

 

December 21, 2025 (Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25)

     Ever heard of a “gender reveal?”  This is a creative way to reveal the gender of a baby on the way, sometimes using the launch of balloons (blue or pink) exploding paint canisters, etc.  In today’s scripture we’re reminded of the coming birth of Jesus.  We understand Jesus to be fully divine, and fully human.  Is there an appropriate color for this?  What color should we use to ID Jesus?  There are hints in today’s scripture readings.

     The Isaiah passage highlights a prophecy offered to an evil King, Ahaz.  He is the king of Judah, who is fearing an invasion from Israel and Syria.  The prophet Isaiah offers a sign to Ahaz to assure him of God’s faithfulness. The sign speaks of a child born during Isaiah’s time, serving as a living symbol that God was with Judah and that the immediate threat would pass (note V15 which speaks of “curds and honey,” signifying a time of peace.)  But Ahaz, instead of looking to God for a sign, looks to earthly allegiances, eventually leading to destruction.

    This prophecy from Isaiah also points to the future, centuries down the line when a child, born of a virgin, to be called Jesus “God with us,” will serve as a sign of God’s redemptive purposes for the world.  Unlike Ahaz, Joseph, Jesus’ father, accepts this sign and complies with God’s call on his role in our Christmas story.

     So, Jesus is coming.  What color should we use?  We find the answer in the paraments we use in church (the pulpit scarves, the colors of cloths that cover our table in front of the sanctuary.)  White is an appropriate color, since white signifies divinity, which points to the nature of God becoming known to us in Jesus.  Purple works as well, since purple is a color of royalty, signifying that Jesus has come as king.  Red indicates the presence of the Holy Spirit, which is a gift given to us by Jesus as Pentecost.  And green speak of “ordinary” time during the church season, speaking to our humanity as we endeavor to transform our human nature to ones that are more Christlike.  Green reminds us of Jesus’ human nature.

     What about your ID?  What is appropriate?  In Matthew 7, Jesus explains we are identified by our fruit, which the Apostle Paul names (in Galatians 5) as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  May these fruits “color us,” defining who we are, and to whom we belong.