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| "St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus" Reni. (It. 17th Cent.) |
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid 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.” (Matthew 1:20b-21)
God
is being good to Faith Lutheran of Northeast Philadelphia this Advent season. I
got a text last night from Sue, one of the moms who were formerly in charge of
our Sunday school in the days before COVID. She sent me a picture of Joseph,
her newborn fourth grandchild. Just two weeks ago Jen, another former Sunday
school mom, announced the birth of her fourth grandchild. These births
strike me as being a very special blessing, coming as they do in a season when
we prepare to celebrate the birth of that special little baby who came to save
us all. They’re also a cause of joy because, sadly, our Sunday school kids
vanished during the COVID pandemic and never came back. If you’re a Lutheran in
the United States, you know the average age of our congregants is somewhere
between sixty and deceased. When young mommies with little babies and toddlers
start showing up, we Lutherans light up like an inflatable Santa on the lawn of
a Philly rowhome.
There
are two things which are true when every baby is born—great joy and great (if
unspoken) terror. Babies are cute, right? They’re the continuation of the
family line and one more chance to believe in the possibilities of the future.
They also require a whole LOT of responsibility, they’re totally vulnerable,
and they’re one more chance to really screw up another life if you don’t parent
lovingly, conscientiously, selflessly, and with wisdom. Bringing another person
into this world should scare the living crap out of anyone who even contemplates
providing the genetic material which will form a human life.
The
gospel lesson for Advent 4, Year C (Matthew 1:18-25) also combines the elements
of joy and fear. The birth of Jesus as the one who will save us from our sin is
certainly a cause for rejoicing, but, in the world of this text, it’s also an
occasion for awe and fear. Mary isn’t married, and Joseph makes the not
illogical assumption that she’s been less than faithful to their
engagement. If a young girl was caught fooling around before or outside of
marriage she could be stoned to death. You have to give Joseph credit for not
wanting to see his girlfriend get punished, even if he thinks she’s cheated on
him. I’ll bet Mary was pretty shaken by all this too.
Martin
Luther really loved Mary, and he liked to quote St. Bernard of Clairvaux who
said there were three miracles present in the Nativity story: God condescended
to become human, a virgin gave birth[i], and Mary actually agreed
to be that virgin. That was a pretty gutsy step for a thirteen or
fourteen-year-old girl to take, don’t you think? I’ll bet Joseph, once he was
convinced this baby would be the Son of God and the Savior of the World, was
even more frightened than he was when he thought he had to secretly break his
engagement. If he marries this chick, he’s now responsible for the fate of the
whole world. I’d be scared. Wouldn’t you?
But
Joseph has one advantage the rest of us don’t usually get. He is told
unambiguously what God wants him to do. So, being a righteous man, he does a
noble and loving thing which his society doesn’t require him to do and even
encourages him not to do. He marries this pregnant girl. What’s more, he
respects her comfort and doesn’t insist on getting it on with her while she’s
expecting (I suspect Matthew may have included this detail as evidence the baby
was not Joseph’s but the child of the Holy Spirit. I read it as evidence Joseph
was a pretty cool guy who really cared about his lady’s comfort and the health
of her pregnancy). The most significant thing, however, is that Joseph names
the baby. When he calls the little boy Jesus[ii] he has officially adopted
him. According to Matthew 1:1-16, this is what fulfills prophecy and makes
Jesus a Son of David.
I
never mind when people address me as “Father.” A parish pastor and a parent have
one thing in common: we each have complete responsibility for something over
which we’ll ultimately have no control. I’m looking forward to baptizing these
two new little ones God has sent to us, and I feel hope and joy as I see our
Sunday school slowly start to revive again. But I acknowledge our whole
congregation has responsibility for these children. In our baptismal liturgy we
are all called to support and pray for these little ones in their new life in
Christ. But, beyond that, we are charged to represent Christ in honesty and
integrity. We are called to be living manifestations of the Gospel who through
our words and deeds and love will create a safe, welcoming, and meaningful
place for these children within the family of God and in God’s Church. And we
are charged with protecting the world in which these children will grow and
live. Like Joseph, we have a terrifying responsibility. Like Joseph, we will have
to rely on the guidance of the Lord. Like Joseph, we are urged not to be
afraid.
Don’t be afraid, my friend. With God’s help you’ve got this. Enjoy the season and come see me soon.
[i] If
you want to get wonky and into the linguistic weeds here, Matthew is quoting in
verse 21 from a Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures which reads
literally, “the virgin shall conceive.” The Greek translator uses the word
parthemus which is, literally “virgin.” The word found in Hebrew Bibles is almuh,
which means a young woman. One could assume she is a virgin, but not
necessarily. In fact, the context in Isaiah 7:14 implies that this young woman
is a young bride pregnant with her first child. Both Isaiah and Matthew are
trying to tell us through these birth announcements that God is active in
saving God’s people.
[ii]
Jesus was a common name back in the day. It’s from the Hebrew Yashua,
which is a contraction for “Yahweh Saves,” or “Yahweh Rescues.”
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