yesterday, the sermon was focused on Joseph, the father of Jesus. i can't say that Joseph is given a lot of face time in scripture. i can't say that what we do know about him is anything worthy enough to even form an opinion. it's only seven verses in the whole of the christmas story.

The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term:

Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").

Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.

it was proposed yesterday that Joseph was a man of few words, that he gracefully gathered Mary up on a donkey to journey back to bethlehem, that he negotiated with the innkeeper only enough to gain a humble shelter. and maybe this is true. or maybe he talked so incessantly, that Matthew found it beneficial to include only what was necessary. either way, he kinda gets shafted. and it doesn't help much that he virtually disappears after Jesus turns 12. we hear nothing more of Joseph as Jesus becomes the man who is the Messiah. his purpose seems only to legitimize the birth of Christ.

but i think maybe there's more. Joseph had planned to marry, and after hearing the news of her pregnancy, he had planned to end things quietly. and then the dream. the Lord appeared to him, sought him out, and said, "Mary is pregnant to fulfill the prophecy, and you will call him Immanuel, which means 'God with us.' "

Joseph, you have a purpose, you are part of the plan. God is not abstractly coming for the sins of the world, he is coming for you, you and Mary. so after he is born, when you cradle him for the first time, and his eyes open and look up into the eyes of his mother and father, it is then that you will know:

He is here. God is with us.

posted by Kelly @ 2:29:00 PM