One of the great joys and privileges I have as being the Priest at Redeemer who is set aside to shepherd our youth, is getting to be with our middle school youth every Wednesday. Several years ago, when I was the in the position of lay youth minister, I heard one of the most profound statements come from a young sixth-grade boy at Jr. EYC. The game that night was a Bible trivia game, the young people were separated into two teams, and each team received a question, whose answer required some biblical literacy. The question for one of the teams that night was: What makes Mary the mother of Jesus special? Now having a particular and special devotion to the Mother of Our Lord, I awaited their response, knowing that if they got it wrong, I would feel like a total failure as we said the Angelus every night before dinner back then. I listened in to their conversation. At first, it was whispers (“she was a virgin,”) then the whispers began to get louder “she was a virgin, right? That’s it, isn’t it?” Then as the group got ready to proclaim their answer they got louder, “yeah we got this one she was a virgin!” As I sat there awaiting their answer I was thinking; they kind of got it right. Then out of the corner of the room, a voice blasts through the growing clamor and confidence of the group, and the voice, the voice of a young 6th grade boy proclaimed, “that’s not it you dummies! I’m a virgin, and there’s nothing special about me!” As the room stopped and became silent, we all looked at him; he continued, “she is special because she is a virgin who is pregnant with Jesus!” I was so proud of him at that moment I can’t even describe it to you!
Mary is indeed incredibly special, however, in today’s Gospel reading we hear about another very special person in the life of Jesus. Joseph, the man who chose to be a father to our Lord, to protect him, to help raise him, and prepare him for life. Admittedly we do not know that much about Joseph. Matthew’s account of the life and good news of Jesus Christ offers us the most extensive information regarding Joseph. Today we hear about the internal struggle of Joseph as he discovers that his betrothed is with child. Joseph who is described as “a just man” decides he will quietly divorce Mary, and not publicly put her to shame. And it is at this point that God intervenes, God sends an angel to appear to Joesph in a dream, the angel explains to Joseph that Mary is indeed with child and that the child conceived in her is of The Holy Spirit. So as we just heard, when Joseph woke up he did as he was told, and he took Mary as his wife but knew her not until she gave birth to Jesus.
Often as I am writing sermons, there are circumstances, cultural background information, or interesting tidbits surrounding the scripture, that I feel is important to unpack to give you all a better understanding. Today is not one of those days. Gentleman, I want you to think about it: you are engaged to someone, and you find out they are pregnant, and you know, for sure, that it is impossible for that baby to be your child! What would be going through your head? You thought you knew this woman, you know you love her, how could this be? All these emotions, all the anger and disappointment you can imagine feeling, Joseph felt that, he felt it all.
Joseph, after feeling all of these emotions does something that we all too often fail to do in our lives. He trusts God. He doesn’t rush out to see a psychologist because he believes he is hallucinating. No Saint Joseph does what so many of the Saints have done over all these years; he gives us an example of humble obedience to God. And it doesn’t end here. Soon after this reading we hear of the angel returning to Joseph in a dream and telling him to take his family to Egypt to sojourn there for a time, to protect them from the mass infanticide Herod is about to commit. While in Egypt Herod died, and again the angel appears to Joseph, and informs him it is now safe to return home, and because of one more warning from an angel Joseph took his family to Galilee, and settled in Nazareth, a new home.
So here we have Joseph, marrying Mary who is pregnant with a child who is not his, moving from country to country to protect Jesus, and his mother. Matthew’s account doesn’t even tell us the whole story. Joseph also hands down to Jesus his trade, that of a carpenter, Jesus takes the honor of being the first-born son of Joseph and Mary, an honor I’m sure Joseph would like a biological son to have. Further, “by instead marrying her, Joseph assumes responsibility for the pregnancy, embracing her shame. Joseph valued God’s direct calling through a dream more than what others thought of him.” The fact is, for Jesus to prosper, and for the good news of the incarnation of God, the life of Jesus, his saving actions on the cross, and in his rising again to have happened, Saint Joseph had to trust in God and get to work.
We too hear from God, we too have a great responsibility to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and for the promulgation, and the growth of the Christian community. Maybe not as directly as Joseph did, but through our actions, through our prayers, and through our community, otherwise known as The Church, we too are enabled to spread the good news of salvation to anyone who seeks after the truth. We are the Church, and The Church is the bride of Christ, and the bride is made one body with Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, of which we are in the midst of celebrating right now. So, as you reflect on the upcoming celebration of the birth of Jesus, and as you approach this altar today to tabernacle with Our Lord, and be made one flesh with Him through the power of the Holy Spirit, consider your call. Consider how God is calling you to take your place. To take your place in making manifest the Kingdom of Heaven in the life of the church, in THIS Church, in the life of a friend, in the life of your children, or of your spouse. Take some time this season, take some time right now, be quiet, and listen for the voice of God. He is talking to us all, all the time. Can we be still long enough to hear him, and do we have the faith to trust him? Shhh, listen.
Sermon preached by the Rev. Christian M. Wood
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
4th Sunday of Advent
18 December 2016