Fourth Sunday in Advent - Video and Sermon text

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer

Fourth Sunday in Advent         

Isaiah 7:10-17           
Romans 1:1-7            
Matthew 1:18-25

O Lord, your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light unto my path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.

It is not unusual this time of year for there to be a focus on Mary, the mother of Jesus. Regardless of one’s theological tradition, we see from the biblical witness that Mary is an exemplar of faith. God, through his messenger Gabriel, asks Mary to do something that has never been asked before.  In full trust of God for her future, she says “yes” to bearing the Son of God. 

While we appreciate Mary’s faith and her role in bringing Christ to us, I contend that what we learn of Joseph is equally important. I am grateful for this opportunity to reflect on how Joseph demonstrates his character as the righteous, compassionate, and faith-filled man that he is. 

Years ago, I heard a Bible scholar say that the Bible does not tell us everything, but the Bible does tell us all that we need to know for our salvation. That saying is certainly true for today’s gospel reading. There are some things many of us would like to know. For example, how well did Joseph and Mary know each other at the time of their engagement? Was this an arranged marriage between their respective families? Courtship and romance may have been part of the decision for them to be married. But marriage then is very different than our context. How did Joseph find out that Mary was pregnant? What was the content of their conversation regarding her pregnancy? 

I am certain that you bring your own questions to the text. Regardless, God decided that we do not need to know this. What we do need to know is that when Mary’s pregnancy was discerned, Joseph knew that he was not the father, and that Joseph had choices in what was to happen next. 

In Deuteronomy 22, we find instructions on how a marriage may be dissolved once infidelity is discovered. Marriage is not a purely private engagement in the Biblical world. Marriage and the children and inheritances that come forth are in the public interest. The community is invested in the marriage and its success. If there is infidelity or the whole truth is not known, then the public has a role to play in whatever decisions are made. Public shaming of the couple and their families may be involved. Deuteronomy 22 even provides death through stoning as a possible outcome. 

Joseph knows all of this. He is a compassionate man. Regardless of whatever sense of betrayal he may be going through at the moment, Joseph chose to not make the situation any worse for Mary and her family. He will dissolve the marriage as quietly as possible. 

Joseph is not only compassionate, but he is righteous as well. He is righteous in the best sense of the word. This situation is not just about him. It is about a lot of other people including Mary. He is thinking of them as well as himself. 

Joseph is also not reactionary. He is a thoughtful, prayerful man. Matthew lets us know that Joseph is circumspect. He does not react to the situation. He responds. In the course of his considerations, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream. Here he demonstrates that he is a man of faith. He listens to and obeys the Word of the Lord that the angel shares with him. He trusts that the pregnancy is not from infidelity but an unheard-of kind of miracle. The Holy Spirit is responsible for this child. He receives the Word that this child that he will guard and nurture for the rest of his life will save us in a way that no human has been able to do up to this point. 

In times past, prophets addressed a wide range of problems among God’s people. They address the lack of trust and obedience that people have in God. As a consequence, God’s chosen enter into all manner of dreadful situations. Politics becomes not about governing, but about power and enrichment. Alliances are made that invite idolatry and corruption. God’s vision of a society that is governed by God’s law and instruction is regularly abandoned. Social and economic oppression betray their moral decay. As soon as God’s people choose to abandon God and follow their own instincts, the Bible records that idolatry soon follows along with immorality and spiritual confusion. 

The angel assures Joseph that Mary’s son, Jesus, is given to the world to address the root problem that lies beneath all that is evil, wrong, and out of place in God’s creation. Jesus is coming to save all of humanity from the power of sin. Jesus is the one that Isaiah prophesied about in Isaiah 7:14. Mary’s son is Immanuel – God with us. 

In due time, we learn how Jesus will address the malignancy of sin. He will take up the cross. The righteous one who has no sin, the one who is conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Holy Spirit, dies in our behalf. Jesus bears our sins so that we may receive the grace of His forgiveness through faith. 

Joseph woke from his dream and he obeyed the Lord. Joseph’s obedience is a witness to us. Joseph is a righteous, compassionate faith-filled and faithful man. He is the ideal husband to Mary as they raise a truly unique son together. He is the ideal father figure for the young Jesus as he grows into maturity. Through his faith and obedience, Joseph points us to his son and the grace of his presence among us. For Jesus is our Immanuel. He is God with us. 

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.