Heaven s Curtain pulled back. A final sermon preached as part of a series on Jesus genealogyfrom Matthew. December 23, 2018, Prince George, BC by Rev. Herb Hilder. Lesson: MATTHEW 1:18-25 Christmas pageants frequently play down one character. Oh, sometimes he s given a walk on part walking beside a donkey Even the anonymous innkeeper may get more attention and a speaking part. And yet, It is hard to imagine the Christmas drama and mystery without him This is not to dismiss the significance of Mary or the shepherds or the later visit from the mysterious wise men from the east. And we ought never to sell short those angels from Gabriel to the heavenly host that explodes in song and light show on the hillside outside Bethlehem! This morning I want to lift one name from the verses Joan read and that is the name of Joseph husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus. Of all the principles in the drama that unfolds in the early chapters of Matthew and Luke, Joseph 1
is one of the characters about which we know very little. ---especially in the light of the role he plays! Yet, it must be said and emphasized that Mary simply would not have been able to carry on and raise Jesus alone! There are few pictures that that depict Jesus and Joseph together. What DO we know about Joseph husband of Mary, earthly father of Jesus? We know that he disappears from the drama after the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. There is no scriptural mention of him after that We know he was a carpenter. I like to think that though his work would never make him wealthy, it was an important job which he did well. In Palestine, The upper stories of most of the stone houses were made of wood. Real skill was needed to make homes secure and in good repair. Substantial doors and locks had to be fashioned out of wood this required ingenuity because iron and metal objects were not common. Workers in wood also made plows and yokes and all the equipment for threshing and winnowing grain. Every community of any size then had a resident carpenter there was just no time for DIY or 2
Biblical equivalents of Home Depot, Lowe s or Home Hardware for that matter. We know that Joseph was related to the illustrious King David. However his lineage did not carry with it much material benefit. Joseph was a survivor who came from a remnant of survivors. We know Joseph took his religious and faith seriously. He firmly believed that only through God s grace had his people returned to the Holy Land Joseph longed for the time that Israel might again have its own rulers. That Messiah would come some day as long promised. Joseph attended the synagogue school in Nazareth where he learned Hebrew, so he was able to read the sacred scriptures in the original language. The whole fabric of Joseph s life was then peppered with the thread of the presence of God. So already with Joseph you have a quite ordinary man, who was warm and caring, skilled in his vocation, Methodical in his religious practice Yet open to new revelation, courageous, practical and visionary. Yet with such warmth and caring, there also came with the learning of Mary s pregnancy and 3
the angelic visitation, a very human sense of disbelief, coupled with anger and deep pain. To Joseph, Mary had broken trust with him. Joseph could have publicly humiliated her he was well within his rights to do so. But Joseph opted for the less public action of going to the rabbi and writes a divorce decree. That is what he prepares to do until he has a strange dream that very night. Joseph s situation and life experience are unique to hum, Just as our situations and life experiences are unique to us Are there though some common threads between Joseph carpenter, faithful Jew, husband of Mary, and earthly father of Jesus AND each of us particularly, though not exclusively us guys In other words, what does Joseph s story say to us today? I think it speaks to the importance of tenderness, mercy and sensitivity in situations. Joseph was no door mat to the world s feet. He was courageous and he did not hesitate to act when it was demanded of him But he was not a boor, coarse or uncivil. 4
He treated others with respect no easy in the matter of Mary s story about her pregnancy. For a moment put yourself in Joseph s position. A person you have pledged your life to, tells you that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Even if you hear that with your ears does your mind absorb it? But I love her thinks Joseph I cannot publicly disgrace her. I will resolve to put her away quietly no public fuss. That is a sign of sensitivity and caring toward Mary But the anger, disappointment, shock, sense of betrayal would be all too real and present. Boors, coarseness in language and behavior, just plain rudeness are too much with us today aren t they? I find it tiring and demeaning of those who behave this way, as well as to whom this coarseness is directed Hear then from Joseph s behavior with Mary sensitivity are not character flaws. Big boys and girls don t behave this way you have to stand up to your rights! A little more compassion and sensitivity, a little more tenderness in this world would do a lot to scale back what seems a simmering, bubbling anger and discontent that is too common today. 5
It would sure lessen the incidents of domestic violence that some would say has reach epidemic proportions. Tenderness will in the end always trump toughness Mercy and sensitivity will in the end always trump trying to prove ourselves better than anyone else. I think Joseph s life also speaks about the importance of obedience particularly obedience to the Lord in all things. Like Joseph, I believe most of us have a working understanding of the promises of scripture, the responsibilities we carry as God s people and followers of Jesus. But when obeying God demands of us some hard choices, as it did here with Joseph, how do we respond? In the crunch times, how will we respond to what is clearly the will of God? Rationalize or get up and follow. Delay or proceed Wait or plunge ahead for often the Lord does call us to wait! Obedience is never easy Joseph knew all the teaching, but to obey the angel in the dream meant real hardship. 6
Joseph did not understand everything about Mary s pregnancy, but after the dream he accepted it and obeyed I wonder How different it might have been for Joseph and his family had Joseph delayed or foot dragged every time he was told by an angel DO THIS! Yes, we are made right by God through the grace and love of Jesus Christ but that does not negate or lessen the importance of obedience to God. IN FACT, God s grace ought to motivate us even more to obey! As well, I think Joseph s life speaks of a solid grounding in his own religious tradition and at the same time, sensitivity and openness to the movement of the Spirt in prayer, meditation. Intuition and yes even dreams. Now, be very clear the principal way God speaks to and guides us is by his Word the scriptures The key to Joseph s obedience, sensitivity and openness to God s action in the here and now is that phrased solid grounding. This is life time work Old adage comes into play in the matter of Christian faith 60 days to grow a squash, decades to grow a tree. Which sort of Christian do you want to be? 7
8 Which is a more accurate model of the Christian life? Solid grounding means practicing things like ongoing scripture study and reflection the Examen, lectio divina, service, submission, generosity, learning better to say thank you Being on the lookout for wonder everywhere you go, worship, humility, steadfastness, perseverance All balanced with an honest and very real perspective on the world as it is, As well as the world as God wants it to be. I think that a life lived with courage and integrity is a life well-lived. That is the life of Joseph. He knew what he had to do and he did it! Mary and soon to be Baby Jesus had to be protected. To go through with the marriage to Mary, It took courage to withstand what was at times the withering gossip and innuendos of Nazareth, It took courage to leave the familiar of Nazareth and embark on a journey to Bethlehem no BCAA, Star Online When they get to Bethlehem no room for them at the inn. It took courage and a sense of God s leading hand to get out of Bethlehem and flee to Egypt where they would be safe from Herod s murderous rage. But fleeing meant going into an unknown country
And any move, however far away from where one presently is I have discovered requires an element of courage For one is launching out from the known and familiar! It took courage as well to raise Baby Jesus all parents or caregivers of children realize that responsibility for another human being takes among other things courage! In Nativity paintings, it is Mary and Baby Jesus who are usually front and centre or highlighted by an artist s use of light, shading and colour. Oh Joseph is there, but he is often in the background wearing earth tone clothes. And yet, This very ordinary man was given by God an extraordinary role and responsibility In the end, Joseph was open to the touch of the Divine when it came before him. Anchored in the real world, but also in close touch and sensitive to the moving of God in our lives What a powerful combination you, me, each of us would do well to strive to follow as God s people. 9