By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector"Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid..."
The Advent stories largely deal with the characters of John the Baptist and Mary. John, because he heralds the coming of the Christ as an adult and Mary because she said "Yes" when the angel came to announce that she would bear the child of God. In different times and different ways, these two characters fit so closely in theme to the coming of the Christ and the fulfillment of God's promise to the world.
This week in Advent another character takes the foreground. Joseph. Joseph is usually a shadow figure in the Gospels. He is referred to in only a few places, notably in the birth narratives escorting Mary to Bethlehem and being part of the caravan when Jesus was twelve and left behind by mistake in Jerusalem. He's never even given any lines. The most attention he is ever given is in this small story. And yet it is a rich story and tells us a lot about the man God entrusted to take care of Mary and Jesus.
Consider Joseph for a while. Traditions say that Joseph was probably older than Mary at the time of their engagement. As such he would have had more say in their wedding than Mary did in those days of arranged marriages. It's reasonable to assume that he wanted the marriage and was looking forward to it. It's also reasonable to imagine his shock, disappointment, and perhaps shame at the news of her pregnancy.
He could have reacted in different ways. He could have been enraged and had her stoned to death as an adulteress. It was within his rights and might have assuaged some sense of public humiliation. Just as she had a reputation, so did he. Her reputation was ruined by being pregnant before her marriage, but his could have been salvaged by some public and righteous outrage. Placing all the blame for this situation on her could have made him into the victim and allowed him to maintain some respect in the eyes of his neighbors.
It could have gone that way, but Matthew describes him as "righteous man." Being righteous he came to the merciful and loving decision to divorce her quietly. Others would no doubt find out about her pregnancy, but by then he would have been out of the picture, and safe from ridicule. It's clear from the decision he made that he truly loved her and wanted to see no harm come to her, not even at the expense of a contained scandal. For someone who cared that much, the decision had to be agonizing. Still, he made it in as merciful a way as he could and finally went to sleep.
The Bible has a long list of people who went to sleep and encountered God in their dreams. It's not hard to imagine. Sometimes our heads are so full of noise we wouldn't be able to hear God if we tried. Meditation practices even today are so hard because we have the voices and noise in our heads competing for attention. Thoughts like monkeys in the trees, as it's been said. We quiet down at night and when we're asleep the conscious thoughts take a break and the unconscious thoughts finally have a chance.
So, it seems, does God. There was another Joseph in the Bible for whom dreams were important. This Joseph, known to us as the one who was given a coat of many colors, also dreamed and interpreted dreams. I suspect the writer of Matthew thought of him as he wrote.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
And Joseph did as the angel said.
Consider Joseph. He came to a crossroads and made a choice out of love for Mary and in faith that the angel who came to him in a dream was real and not some imaginary being or dream allegory. Just as Mary had come to a place of believing something utterly fantastic -- so did Joseph. Mary was called to bear the child. Joseph was called to protect and raise the child with her. He was called to adopt the child.
Some of you will remember that two of the Gospels include genealogies demonstrating Jesus' lineage since he was supposed to be a descendant of the great King David. The problem is that in both cases the genealogy leads to Joseph, not Mary, and we see the problem there. However in the law of the Israelites, even more so than our own culture, adoption was as good as blood relations. If a man claimed a child as his own, that sealed it. Joseph claimed Jesus as his son, and that made it so. It took courage for Joseph to do that and he did it.
The issue of adoption is one many of us can relate to. In this parish, indeed in all of Maplewood, there is a high proportion of adopted children. It is a wonderful and exciting characteristic of both parish and neighborhood. And the bonds of adoption are tight. When an adoptive parent says, "This is my daughter" or "This is my son," it is so. Adoptions come after much soul searching, discernment and total commitment to a radical lifestyle in every way that couples who choose to have children biologically make. It takes hard work to accomplish it and a commitment of time. When I was growing up, as I imagine many of you will remember, discovery that a child was adopted had a level of stigma attached. It was a secret shame in some respects or simply one of those things that wasn't talked about. The pride and love so evident and celebrated is a mark of how far we have come in valuing God's children from all over the world. So, three cheers for adoptive parents and adoptive communities that embrace them.
In this spirit, we see Joseph adopting Jesus and fully embracing him without fear or shame. And his life became determined by that decision.
Advent and Christmas are a time to consider this particular adoption, and perhaps like Joseph to wrestle with what it means to adopt Jesus into our family -- into ourselves- and change our lives. Having a child is not a part time job, neither is claiming one. The power of God's love is totally transforming and even when the full meaning of that reality is sometimes obscure, the life we live is a way of bringing clarity to that realization. The angel told Joseph not to be afraid and that same message is to us also. Do not be afraid to adopt this child, because it was conceived by the Holy Spirit and God is with you.
The methods of adopting in today's society are clear, even though lengthy and difficult. It's not always as clear about how to adopt Jesus. It comes first with a decision that it's time to embrace Him in what he taught us about God's love, acceptance and following a way of life that leads us to do what we believe to be just, merciful and humble. In our dealings with others and how we treat ourselves as brothers and sisters also loved and adopted by God. It's simple, but not always easy.
In one of his Epistles, Paul wrote that we are children of God's by adoption and grace. This theme clearly plays from time to time in scriptures and speaks to the closeness of the relationship between God and all God's children. We are truly and deeply loved by God. We are God's children though adoption called to enter a world of fantastic belief in the power of God's love and the leaving behind of the fear and shame that might prevent us from embracing it. Joseph does not need to be a figure who remains in the shadows, but one who is an important witness to the courage to adopt Jesus. Sometimes it is clear, sometimes there is a night of wrestling. Sometimes we fall and need to be reminded to try again and again if necessary, but not to give up. Angels are persistent, and they deliver the messages of a persistent God. Consider Joseph and adopt the baby. Do not be afraid. Amen.
© 2007 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
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