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The Rev. Laura Matarazzo
December 23, 2007 --- The Fourth Sunday of Advent
I am pleased to present
to you this morning one of the undersung heroes of our common story; one
of a long line of noble persons who, if he were an actor today, would
easily win the Oscar for “Best Actor in a Supporting Role.”
I present to you
Joseph: son of Jacob, husband of Mary, father of Jesus. Ah!—here is one
of the sure signs of a supporting role, when one is named and known by
their connection to someone else! Only Matthew’s gospel gives us a
telling picture of the man himself, and it is worthy of our attention as
we wait, with Joseph, for the birth of Jesus. As short as it is, this
account of Joseph and his role in receiving Christ into the world,
reminds us of our role in the same.
First of all, Joseph
was a righteous man. That means he was a faithful Jew, a man who took to
heart the tenets and teachings of his faith. He believed in one God, the
creator who had promised an endless heritage of humanity and home to his
beloved people. He believed in a God who acted in his life and in whom
all power and goodness and love resided. Joseph’s response to his God
was his faithfulness…his adherence to the Law of Moses…and, beyond that,
his commitment to the spirit of the law that demanded justice and mercy
in all human relations. Look…
The woman to whom he
was betrothed was with child! We cannot know how he learned this—whether
from his embarrassed future father-in-law or from his young intended.
Either way, it isn’t hard to imagine that the story of the angel’s
visitation, the “overshadowing” of the Holy Spirit, and the prospect of
the Son of God were all largely unbelievable to him. The bottom line
was, his betrothed was pregnant and he was not the father! He must have
been hurt and angry and confused. He must have felt conflicted—caring
about young Mary, deeply hurt by her betrayal, and wanting to do the
right thing amidst the various demands of his religion, his community,
and his conscience. He could have exposed her to public ridicule and
shame and, worse, life without a husband, ever! No doubt, he spent time
in prayer and in agonizing inner turmoil over what to do. Finally,
Joseph was kind. He considered Mary and decided to “dismiss her
quietly:” a generous and loving act.
“But just when he had
resolved to do this,” just as he made up his mind to act, an angel
appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid and to go ahead
and take Mary as his wife.
Joseph was faithful. He
heard the angel’s directive and he followed it. That meant he had to let
go of his anger and pain. He had to let go of whatever justice there was
in putting Mary away from himself. He had to let go of any pride he took
in his own generosity and whatever satisfaction he might have derived
from his kindness. He forsook all his own prayerful consideration, let
go of his own well-thought-out decision, and took the way of his God.
We, too, are faced with
having to make decisions about which we have mixed feelings. We, too
have to sort through competing interests, and heartfelt commitments that
stand in opposition to one another. We have all stood in that hard place
beside a rock. I find that place to be a place of prayer, a time for
listening, and continuing to listen, and listening some more for God. It
is often a matter of waiting and of watching, the very occupations we
are called to in Advent. In all our human experience, we are to watch
and listen and wait for God…even up to that moment when we are sure we
know the way. Maybe, especially then.
And that’s not the end
of it. I was fascinated to learn this week that some iconography of
Joseph depicts him holding his head in his hand as he kneels beside the
manger. In these sacred images he bears a thoughtful, preoccupied look
in contrast to Mary whose face is open to the miracle of God’s presence
in her son. Joseph, in these images, seems still to be struggling with
the incomprehensible and his role in it. Furthermore, there is medieval
artwork in which the devil, in the form of a small, dark angel, is
whispering in Joseph’s ear, as though he would win Joseph over to
another way of thinking and being. And so it is with us at every hard
place…we walk with faith in the midst of our doubt; we trust in God
rather than trust our own perception, and we persevere prayerfully.
Think of what it meant
for Joseph to believe what the angel told him! God grant that we might
trust God, as Joseph did.
Because Joseph trusted
God, Mary was supported. She was protected—physically, socially,
religiously. She was enabled to stay in community throughout her
pregnancy, receiving all the help and encouragement she needed to carry
her baby to term in health and happiness. Joseph’s role in the birth of
the Savior may have been second to Mary’s, but would she have been able
to accomplish her role without him?
Madeleine L’Engle wrote
a poem about Joseph from Mary’s perspective. Here are a few verses that
express Mary’s experience of Joseph:
It was from Joseph
first I learned
to love. Like me
he was dismayed.
How easily he
could have turned
me from his house;
but, unafraid,
he put me not away
from him
(O God-sent angel,
pray for him).
Thus through his
love was Love obeyed…
With Joseph I was
always warmed
and cherished.
Even in the stable
I knew that I
would not be harmed.
And, though above
the angels swarmed,
man’s love it was
that made me able
to bear God’s
love, wild, formidable,
to bear God’s
will, through me performed.
Joseph was faithful
and one’s faithful response to God is never simply private. “What we do
in response to God’s voice has impact on other lives beyond our ability
to reckon” (Charles Hoffacker). Who knows what your love and
encouragement, your constant companionship means to another? Many of us,
like Joseph, stand in the shadows and work our way quietly without
attention or fanfare. But we must never make light of our part, however
small, however unsung; for those we love and encourage are likely to be
bearers of Christ in this world.
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