I am preaching this Sunday, and we are going through a series of sermons based on characters of the Christmas story. So, my assigned character for this Sunday was Joseph and my sermon title (also assigned to me) was “Joseph, Unwavering Faith.” However, I made a couple changes to the bulletin, and it will appear as “Joseph: Unwavering Faith?” The texts I am using are Matthew 1.18-25 and 2.13-15. I know there are some different ways of going about writing an “open-source” sermon, but this week I’m just going to be writing it online. I’ll be drafting, editing and revising the sermon within this blog post. So, if you want to follow along and leave comments, that would be great! You can Subscribe to the Comments of this post to keep up with the conversation. I have no idea if this will work – or if this is even a good idea – but I thought I’d try it out for this sermon. Join the conversation & sermon-writing below.
Matthew 1.18-25, 2.13-15
“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us.’
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus…
“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’”
Joseph: Unwavering Faith?
When I used to think of someone who truly exemplified the Christian life, a person who was 110% devoted to Christ, someone with “unwavering faith” – I thought of Mother Theresa. She’s one of those iconic people we think of as a pillar of the faith and a faithful servant. About a year and a half ago, you may remember a book that came out entitled Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light. It is a book filled with private correspondence between Mother Teresa and her confessors and superiors. It is a fascinating book – because through her writings, we see a Mother Teresa unlike the one we normally think of. We see a Mother Teresa who is tired, depressed, weary and fearful. She doubts God’s presence and has a hard time believing that Jesus is near her. In one of the letters, she writes to one of her confessors:
“Jesus has a very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear.”
Some were saddened to hear these types of sentiments coming from Mother Teresa; however I think becoming familiar with another side of Mother Teresa only helps to make her faith and work even more inspiring. This is a Mother Teresa we can relate to. This is a Mother Teresa who aches, who looks at the hurt and despair in the world around her, and doesn’t know what to do about it, doesn’t know where God is amid the suffering. As seen through these letters, Mother Teresa suddenly becomes more human.
Allowing Joseph to become more human allows us to feel more connected to the Christmas story, more connected to Joseph and to the many thoughts he must have been experiencing as he entered into this magical story himself.
The last time I preached, I talked about how important I believe stories are to our faith formation. In addition to the stories of scripture, I am also very intrigued by the stories between the stories. The spaces, or holes, that exist within scripture, where information is left out. For example, we don’t know much about Jesus’ thirty years on earth before he began his ministry. There are so many of these potential stories, stories we don’t get to hear in the Bible. In this morning’s Gospel Lesson, we have another example – a wonderful story rich with imagery – just picture an angel of the Lord coming to Joseph in a dream and delivering him the news…it’s pretty amazing. But what I want to hear more about is the time between when he had the dream and when “he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.”
What must have been going through Joseph’s mind? He had a plan all figured out. Yet here comes this angel of the Lord – in a dream – and completely turns everything upside-down. When Joseph wakes up, the first thing running through his mind might have been “I need to take Mary as my wife…wait, what? No…I need to divorce her – we can’t stand up to this scandal.” Yet there was something deep inside him, something that went against every other piece of common sense he had, that told him he needed to be with this young woman.
Unwavering faith? Maybe – or maybe it was just a single strand of faith. Faith that the prophecies and dreams would come true.
And what about Joseph’s second dream? Another encounter with an angel of the Lord telling him that his newborn son was in danger and that he must flee to Egypt. We are told Joseph got up, took the child and Mary and left for Egypt. Just like that. But again, I want to know about the story within the story. Here it is – the night after a joyous and miraculous birth of the baby that would change everything – they were exhausted – and Joseph wakes them up in the middle of the night and says, “We must go.” Can you imagine the conversations happening between Joseph and Mary? “Why me? Why us? What is it we’ve been chosen for?
Unwavering faith? I don’t know. Joseph’s faith was certainly greater now than during his first encounter with the angel of the Lord. And how here he is, schlepping through the Sinai desert, with Mary, and Jesus cradled in her arms. They appear to be the portrait of faith – two people following God’s commands and calls on their lives without even blinking. Almost like a game of Spiritual Simon Says. Simon says take Mary as wife. Simon says get up. Simon says go to Egypt. But to believe in the humanity of Joseph and Mary is to acknowledge that they must have had fears, doubts and even disbelief at times.
However, amid possible questions, and doubts, and frustrations…Joseph obeys the angel of the Lord and takes Mary as his wife. Amid all of the uncertainty and anxiety, they get up in the middle of the night and go to Egypt.
Unwavering faith? I don’t know – maybe. But it does seem that both Joseph and Mary were ultimately faithful. When decisions needed to be made, they followed God. When the time came to name the baby boy – he was named Jesus.
When I think about Joseph in this story, I think about someone who must have been confused and distressed about the whole situation. Someone who is looking at his life and I imagine him picturing a huge rushing river ahead of him that he has just been told he needs to cross. He doesn’t know how he’ll make it through the rushing waters, nor how he’ll be able to trust God enough to bring Mary and Jesus with him. But yet, there is something compelling him to keep moving forward – there is something bringing him to the river – something deep within him saying “Go. Trust.”
There is a speech that has received a lot of attention recently because of its last line: “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for” – a line that President-Elect Barack Obama used in his Super Tuesday Speech. The speech is credited to a Hopi Indian Elder from Arizona, speaking about times of transition and change. As I think about the emotions Joseph must have been feeling in this story – and as I think about the feelings I’ve had during times of uncertainty and change in my own life – these words seem to speak deeply to those situations. I would like to read the speech this morning:
“You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour. Now you must go back and tell the people this is the hour. And there are things to be considered:
“Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relationship?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.”He clasped his hands together and said: “This could be a good time!”
“There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel that they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.
“Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. And I say, see who is here with you and celebrate. At this time in history we are to take nothing personally – Least of all ourselves. For the moment we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
“The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
“We are the ones we have been waiting for.”
How many times have we been faced with a situation that feels and looks like a great river with swiftly moving waters? Times when we are afraid, and we just want to hold onto the shore? Joseph and Mary certainly may have wanted to do that…but faith calls for something more. We may still have those feelings, we may still doubt…but faith is about letting go of the shore. Faith is knowing and trusting that the river – that our situations – that our dark valleys and times of frustration – knowing that those times have a destination. And allowing ourselves to push off into the very deepest parts of those circumstances and trust.
God doesn’t demand unwavering faith from us. God doesn’t ask that we hide our questions, or our doubts, or our lack of faith. But we are called to let go of the shore – to trust in God’s presence – to have just enough faith. And as the Hopi Elder said, “see who is here with you and celebrate…the time of the lone wolf is over.” God doesn’t ask us to have faith alone. God certainly didn’t expect Joseph or Mary to make their journey alone – for they had each other and the incarnate God with them. We have faith in a community – with each other – with each person sitting in these pews this morning.
“There is a river flowing now very fast…Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. And I say, see who is here with you and celebrate…the time of the lone wolf is over.”
Related posts:
Share This Post:
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
If you want to go all pomo, faith/doubt is a great place to stand and talk. These things are not opposites, but somehow each contains the other. To be full of doubt but still live faithfully. The language is ripe for useful play.
Have fun, hope it goes well.
I like the start you have here. Fleshing out a Joseph that we see so little in the Gospels so that he is less of a static caricature can’t be a bad thing.
No constructive criticism yet…just some cheerleading. ; )
Just preached on Joseph this past Sunday. Here’s what I did:
http://fpcwahoo.blogspot.com/
Looks like we went in different directions, but who knows how the Spirit works…
I’m right with you on this. The story between the stories is a fascinating place to rest and consider. Here was my modern day version of it, it’s a six sentence story:
Inspiration from Matthew 1:18 1/2
She sat on the kitchen counter in faded jeans and a plain white undershirt, her hair pulled back in an unassuming ponytail, her knees pulled up to her chest, a few tears trickling down her cheek. He leaned back and took another swig of milk, straight from the carton, trying to let her words settle in. She’d fully expected him to hit her, not because he’d ever been physically aggressive before, but her story was so outlandish, she’d imagined only the worst. “Was it James…” He questioned out loud, partially to himself, but also giving her a chance to come clean, “Matt, maybe?” Her tears came down again, hard now, she hadn’t expected him to believe her impossible story, she almost wished the truth was as simple as he thought, but her heart still broke as his questioning gave indication that her hopes for the future were quickly slipping away. It was over, before it had even begun, and all that awaited her now was a life as an outcast, whispered about at the market, ostracized by her community, left alone to raise her child, that bastard child.
http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2008/04/23/six-sentences-the-triumphal-entry/
Don’t know if it helps inspire anything, but feel free to use it any way you’d like.
I don’t have time to play along, but whatever you do, don’t say, “Joseph, unwavering faith, question mark.” I HATE that. Pastors who say “question mark” should be banned from the pulpit. Inflection, people! Use the voice to say the question. AHHH.
We’ll be looking at Mary from Luke’s Gospel this week – so no direct link. But I do note that neither was asked if they would accept their roles in this. They were told how it would be. Mary said to let it be done as Gabriel said. Joseph did as he was told, and gave up his plans for divorce.
This reminds me of the part in “Fireproof” where the main character is being asked by his father about the impending divorce – Is there any part of you that wants to save this marriage. The response, “I just want peace.” He wants the easy way, even if it means ignoring his own feelings and desires.
As a result of the dream, perhaps Joseph sees the potential for a different future, and is willing to follow along.
There are many people who don’t get asked if they will accept their role – it is cast upon them. Life deals us many changes without our approval – a death in the family, a pregnancy, a reduction in the workforce by an employer, etc. Does a drug user initially have faith that a court-ordered 12-step program will save them?
Matthew points to all that is fulfilled in Scripture. Does Joseph have faith in all that is about to take place, or is he simply hopeful that it will work out?
We aren’t told if he keeps the info at arms length, or embraces it. But something tells me he embraced the change in direction much as a person might hold a smelly diaper at arm’s length. He did what he was told – but how many of us appreciate even a parent saying “because I told you to”?
Is there a place in sermon for a hypothetical, “What if Joseph had simply said, ‘No’?”? After all, God gives us free will. Joseph could have said ‘no’… and then what happens next? Does God have a Plan B? Who does Mary turn to now that she’s pregnant and unmarried? How is the Savior brought into the world now? Of course he didn’t say ‘no’. He had enough faith at that time, unwavering or not, to answer the call and be an inspiring part of the Christmas story.
You could also ask, “But how did God know that Joseph was the right man for the job?”. In the “story between the story” that you talk about, do you think that Joseph thought, “If not me, then who?” or was he just thinking, “Why me?”? These are the same questions that we often ask ourselves when called by God to do something uncomfortable, unpleasant, or unconventional in His name. How we respond to God’s call determines how our faith grows. “Unwavering faith” doesn’t just happen. It grows to that level by taking small steps of faith along the journey. I firmly believe that God rewards our small steps of faith in order to grow our faith to a point where He knows that He can depend on us. Perhaps Joseph was at that point when God sent the angel to him (in this case we don’t know the “story before the story begins”). Perhaps if we want to get our faith to that point, then we need to start taking more small steps toward that goal — and see how God rewards those steps.
@Tony – hey man – thanks for asking some great questions and giving me some more things to think about. Yah, I think in my recent comments, I did have something in there about the fact that Joseph’s faith does grow…but that’s a good comment. Thanks for participating!
Adam, I would augment your quotation of the Hopi elder with these sage words from Maria Kathrzna Frankuzka Petruha Czarnik Novak:
“Spirit manifests her essence to you but she is hidden in the divine feminine. Anyone can experience her mystery if they honor all things feminine which today is a global challenge. Only true mystics and shamans experience her mysteries, her divinity, her essence and these attributes are utterly reflected back to us, this is why honoring all things feminine is so hard to do. It is of your own essence and divine qualities which are reflected in what you ultimately honor. But the journey to her is dark, frightening and her monsters will test you through your darkest layers to stand in her divine grace. You then see your own essence or he sees her essence in you. This was the great dreaming and it will always be. Beyond this stage, there are no further states of unity. It is here the journey of loving the self unconditionally begins hidden within all of us. What is within becomes all around.”
Especially those last words speak to reality of Joseph the dreamer. What was within his dreams became all around.
I’d say take everything out before the line in the first paragraph “…I’d love it if you’d indulge me…”
I don’t know if the movie is opening in Cali or not, but Doubt is being released today (not in Boise!) and might be interesting in light of what you are saying.
Adam,
I tried writing this response but Safari keeps crashing on your website for some reason. I look forward to preaching on this some day. This will help explain my long post. Anyway…
Recently I sent you an email with the first chapter attached from Kenneth Bailey’s new book, “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes”. He has lived most his life in the Middle East and has some great insights and new ways to see the familiar stories.
You and I have been to Bethlehem. We know Arab culture better than most. You need to include this in your story!!!
I feel your sermon portrays the Holy Family and especially Joseph alone and isolated and rejected in Bethlehem. As Kenneth Bailey points out in his book this is culturally and textually in accurate. I encourage you to get his book and I can resend the first chapter if you like.
A few points to consider:
1.The “inn” that most Bibles have is mistranslated. The Greek word “katalyma” can mean many things. Its actually a “guest room” and the same word Luke uses for the upper room for the last supper. A more accurate translation would be, “there is no space in the guest room”. In the standard Christmas pageants Joseph seems inept and unable to care for Mary. This is textually and culturally inaccurate.
2.Thus the Holy Family was not rejected by Bethlehem and the Holy Family was not rejected by Joseph’s family.
3.Joseph was from “THE” family of Bethlehem and a “royal” from the family of David. He would have been welcome in any house by simply saying, “I am Joseph, Son of Heli, Son of Matthat, the sone of Levi”. If anyone in the town including his own family had refused him hospitality it would been unthinkable shame.
4.Joseph had time to make preparations in Bethlehem for his arrival. His family would have known he was coming.
5.Mary’s cousin Elizabeth also lived in a near by village. Worse case scenario Joseph could have gone to Elizabeth’s.
6.Jospeh’s unwavering faith is based in community and relationship as Arab culture is known for. I can picture Joseph talking his dreams over with his relatives. They would have most likely believed him. Especially given the star, unclean shepherds, and Gentile-Arab Astrologers (Magi) all showing up. It is impossible that news of this would not have spread like wildfire.
7.Assuming we believe the historicity of the slaughtering of the first born, the census, and the flight to Egypt. It could be the author was drawing parallels between Moses and Jesus. When Mary and Jospeh leave in the middle of the night the entire family and maybe the village would have known. They would have had assistance in their preparations and in the expectation that the Messiah had arrived. The community would certainly have known the Magi left by a different road and known something strange and dangerous was on the horizon. Why else would Jospeh’s relatives, a “royal” family have let unclean shepherds and Gentile Magi into their home? The text understood in its context indicates the people of Bethlehem believed the Messiah had arrived and it was their faith that assured and aided Joseph and Mary’s.
8.To fill in the gaps in the story takes on entirely new significance given the proper Middle Eastern context. Joseph and Mary certainly had God but they had their family and perhaps much of Bethlehem to support them in their “unwavering faith!” No person is an island. Jospeh was not alone! No Arab is alone in the town of his ancestors! Please don’t project our individualism into this story. I like the Hopi Indian speech. But even this speech emphasizes faith within a community. Who built the raft to float down the river? Who gave Mary and Joseph fresh supplies? Did they even travel alone? Did they warn Bethlehem and did the people take appropriate measures to defend themselves and hide their children? Why did Herod then build one of his fortress/palaces overlooking the “sleepy little town”?
9.It is entirely possible that the people of Bethlehem were warned directly or indirectly Herod was coming by Joseph or the Magi. Its entirely possible there was violent and nonviolent resistance to Herods plans assuming we believe he did have the innocents slaughtered. In this context Jesus is the future liberator and leader of the resistance that the Jews of Bethlehem had an interest in protecting, hiding, and aiding.
10.Joseph, Mary, and the people of Bethlehem lived under the thumb of a brutal empire. Herod is known for his atrocities. How do Iraqis and Palestinians keep faith today despite the atrocities? The same questions apply to Jewish-Palestinians of the first century. They clearly had hope and expected the Messiah. The key to unwavering faith is Hope!!
11.Matt. 1:18-19 gives Jospeh the label “Just”. We can thus call him “Joseph the Just”. But what does this mean? In Arab culture it implies that he went beyond ethical expectations of the law in his obedience to a higher definition of justice. We often think Jesus was born at age 30. Where do we think Jesus learned his faith, ethics, and ability to look beyond the penalties of the law. Had Joseph followed the law Jesus would never have been born. Joseph went against his community who would have wanted Mary stoned. Joseph did not leave Mary in Nazareth because he was afraid what would happen to her without his protection. He is the compassionate hero! Kenneth Bailey argues that Joseph was living out the teachings of Isaiah and this would help explain why Jesus loved Isaiah so much. Kenneth Bailey argues the servant songs of Isaiah are what caused Joseph to spare Mary’s life and Jesus’ as an unborn baby.
12.In response to Tony Gnecco’s comment. Mat. 1:20 is also mistranslated in English. Most English translations say “considered” when in reality “enthymeomai” is better translated here “angry or very upset”. My point is that Joseph was furious. He is human. The question is what enabled Joseph to overcome his rage to forgive Mary? How did Joseph’s grace impact Jesus? Where do the prophets like Isaiah fit into this? Jesus must have asked Joseph and Mary the “whys” when the law dictated and demanded contrary behavior.
13.The texts you have chosen reveal that God chose the perfect mother and father to instill in Jesus the true meaning of the law in the prophetic tradition. Kenneth Bailey argues Jesus grew up with two living role models for many of the characters in his parables. No man is an island including Jesus. Unwavering faith is modeled by those older than us and in community. We inherit the unwavering faith of our parents. Imagine Jesus growing up knowing his father could have had his mother killed. That when he was born his relatives welcomed filthy shepherds and strange star gazing Gentiles into their home because his father insisted. These things and so much more we are told and not told shaped Jesus. Jesus would not have been Jesus without Joseph the Just.
I know you’ve already preached the sermon but when you get a chance, check out the song “Joseph, Better You Than Me” by the Killers/Elton John/Neil Tassant of Pet Shop Boys, charity single for the Red Product campaign. Fantastic song that asks some really heartfelt and profound questions about how Joseph must’ve felt about being in the role that he was in.