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Gospel: Matthew 1: 18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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We’ve all heard the Christmas story before. Many of us can also remember participating in a Christmas pageant as children.
Maybe you were Mary, rocking the child Jesus in your arms. Maybe you were an angel rejoicing in heaven. Or maybe you were Joseph, the character sometimes forgotten in the Christmas story.
While the stage light is often shining upon the archangel Gabriel, Mary, and Christ conceived in her womb, the story could not have moved forward without Joseph – and it’s his experience that most of us can relate to today.
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Joseph’s role in the Christmas story has deep historical roots. More than 700 years before, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed that a king would arise in Israel’s midst, that all nations would come to worship him, and that this king would usher in a reign of peace.
It seemed impossible at the time.
Israel had been divided; their nation was beginning to crumble. Life looked terribly bleak. Still, Isaiah foresaw a period of renewal and the coming of a king, who would descend from the line of David.
Fast forward 700 years. In today’s Gospel, we find Saint Joseph – heartbroken and asleep. Somehow, Mary, his bride-to-be, has conceived a child and Joseph knows it is not his. His dreams are shattered; every very fiber of his being is rattled.
Although he could have Mary stoned to death according to the Law, Joseph decides to divorce her quietly, because he’s a kind and gentle man. Suddenly, an angel appears to him in a dream, convincing him that Mary has done nothing wrong; quite the opposite.
God has acted in her life. And now God intends on acting in Joseph’s. But if God is to do anything good for him, then Joseph must accept this divine mess and claim it as his own. He must take Mary and this child that isn’t his into his home.
Mary needs Joseph’s lineage to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy that this king would descend from the line of David. So, when he awakens, Joseph does as he is told. And he never says a word.
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What might his story say to us today?
First, God is present in messy situations.
Second, his plans are often not our own.
And third, saying “yes” to God leads to new possibilities, which we never could’ve imagined for ourselves.
This Christmas, may we open our hearts to God’s grace, which comes into our often messy lives, for he comes to bring us peace and new possibilities.
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Image credits: (1) Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus, Guido Reni (2) The Dream of Saint Joseph, Philippe de Champaigne (3) Milena Ciciotti, YouTube