Delivered by Rev. Ellen Brantley

Sunday, December 23, 2007

SERMON: God’s Messengers

TEXT: Matthew 1:18-25

Each Sunday during this Advent season, we’ve been focused on GOD’S MESSENGERS: the prophets, the star over Bethlehem, the shepherds, the angels – those who proclaimed the good news of Christ’s birth. But another messenger who shares a place in the Christmas crèche with these characters is Joseph. We don’t think about Joseph very much at Christmastime, do we? We sing songs and tell stories about the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, Mary and the baby Jesus – even the star – but Joseph? He just stands quietly in the back of the nativity, not saying much, not doing much. Everybody knows who he is, but he doesn’t play much of a role. You might even be wondering why I would include him as one of God’s messengers.

In fact, one of the children in our Parents’ Day Out program was quick to point out, when I was sharing with them about all the characters in the nativity, that Joseph was NOT Jesus’ father. God was Jesus’ father. We’ve got some smart kids around here! When I told the children that Joseph was Mary’s husband, they got a look on their faces that said, “So what?” It certainly doesn’t seem like a very special part in the Christmas drama.

Yet, I admire Joseph, and I appreciate him. He had many qualities that a woman looks for in a man. He was sensitive, caring, gentle, quiet, and unassuming. Joseph was a family man who knew how to treat women. Even before he understood that she had NOT committed adultery, Matthew writes that Joseph was “unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, [and] planned to dismiss her quietly.” And he stood by, not doing nothing, but focusing all his attention on his wife and child, making sure they were protected and comfortable.

However, before you start thinking that Joseph was a man with no backbone, we need to look at the whole story and the whole man. Joseph didn’t just stand back and watch what was happening. Joseph was a man of action. Some versions of the Bible say that Joseph was a “just” man; in other translations the word used to describe him is “righteous.”

That’s not a word that we use much anymore, so, what does it mean to be “righteous”? Some definitions say that it is a state of “being in the right.” Psalm 72 sees righteousness as an orientation of the heart which yearns for honesty, gentleness, truth, and compassion. To the Jews of Matthew’s time, righteousness meant upright conduct, which was usually measured by observance of the law. Certainly Joseph had all these qualities. Not only was his heart in the right place, but he was well-respected as a devout Jew who did what the law required.

But Matthew’s description of righteousness focuses primarily on the action. It is not enough simply to know in your heart what is right and wrong, and to shake your head over situations of injustice. The feeling or the attitude alone does not make one righteous. What made Joseph righteous was that he acted on what he knew in his heart was right. Joseph was one who would go beyond what the law required. Sometimes he even had to follow his heart and do something other than what the law required.

You see, if Joseph had been righteous only to the point of following the letter of the law, then he would have done what everyone believed was the right thing, and he would have broken his engagement to Mary. In fact, he would have been well within his rights to make a public scene and to expose her as an adulterer. He could have even made sure that she was put to death for her offense. But he didn’t. When Joseph decided to “dismiss her quietly,” he was following the law in the most compassionate way he could.

But I imagine he still had trouble sleeping that night. But when he finally drifted off, he began to dream. And in his dream he met an angel who told him to stay with Mary because her pregnancy was by the Holy Spirit. In essence, the angel told Joseph to do something outside the law. Joseph, who wanted to save Mary from being disgraced, was now being asked to do something that would bring disgrace upon himself. People would call him foolish, and he would lose their respect because of his apparent disrespect for the law. The angel didn’t ask Joseph simply to go along with the plan. Joseph was going to have to take action in order to make things happen as the angel described. In doing so, Joseph would give new meaning to the word “righteous.”

Author and preacher Max Lucado describes Joseph as a branch-sitter turned limb-climber. “Joseph,” he writes, “was perched firmly on his branch in the tree. It was thick, reliable, and perfect for sitting. It was so strong that he didn’t tremble when the storms came, nor did he shake when the winds blew. No, this branch was predictable and solid and Joseph had no intention of leaving it. That is, until he was told to go out on a limb. As he sat securely on his branch, he looked up at the limb God wanted him to climb. He’d never seen one so thin! ‘That’s no place for a man to go!’ he said to himself. ‘There’s no place to sit. There’s no protection from the weather. And how could you sleep dangling from that quivering twig?’… Common sense, self-defense, convenience, and pride told him not to do it. But an angel of God said, “Do it.”

“Just do it.” We’ve heard that slogan enough for it to stick in our minds forever. And we certainly DO an awful lot – especially at Christmastime. We shop, we bake, we decorate, we write cards, we go to concerts and programs and parties – things to do, places to go, people to see. But do we go out on a limb like Joseph did? Do we step out of our comfort zones? Do we step out in faith to do the right thing?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and a strong resistor of the Nazi Party in Germany, and he was hung for his convictions. In one of his Advent sermons he talked of a familiar Christmas theme: Peace on Earth. But the image he gave was not the peace of a baby sleeping in a manger of hay. Instead, Bonhoeffer proclaimed, “Peace must be dared. It is the great venture.” The peace he talked of was simple obedience to the command of Jesus Christ that must be declared by the churches. Bonhoeffer urged churches of all denominations to “speak out so that the world, though it gnash its teeth, will have to hear, so that people will rejoice because the church of Christ in the name of Christ has taken the weapons from the hands of their songs, forbidden war, proclaimed the peace of Christ against the raging world.” For Bonhoeffer, peace was not something found by gazing at the beauty of a star in the sky, but peace on earth was something that we were responsible for accomplishing ourselves. Yes, Christ taught us about real peace, but it is up to us to make it happen. And it’s not just a message that we proclaim in words; it is a message that we share through our actions.

Amy Grant sings a Christmas song called “Grown-Up Christmas List.” The song is about an adult who remembers sending a list to Santa of the things she wanted for Christmas. Now that she’s grown up, she still has dreams to fill her Christmas list. She sings, “As children we believed that grandest sight to see was something lovely wrapped beneath our tree. Well heaven surely knows that packages and bows can never heal a hurting human soul.” The in the chorus she tells of the dream on her list: “No more lives torn apart; that wars would never start; and time would heal all hearts; everyone would have a friend; and right would always win; and love would never end. This is my grown-up Christmas list.”

These are some beautiful dreams for the people of the world, but they don’t come from Santa. They cannot come true unless we are willing to make them happen. Wars would never start if only we didn’t start them. Everyone would have a friend if only we were willing to approach the lonely, friendless people. Right would always win if only we would have the courage to stand up for what is right.

The first Christmas happened when Jesus was born. And just as it was Joseph’s job to care for him and protect him and help him to grow and thrive, it is now our job to keep him alive in our hearts by following his example. We can continue to make Christmas happen by living out the joy, the peace, the love, and the hope that he brought. Christmas is born anew every time we share his message in word AND action.

Certainly, Joseph was one of God’s important messengers – and so are we. May we go out on a limb for justice. May we dare for peace. May we step out in faith and compassion… to the GLORY of God! AMEN.