Advent 2010 - Missing Joseph?

When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him
Matthew 1:24a (New Revised Standard Version)

During Advent and Christmas, we often get fixated on Mary’s role and the birth of Jesus. Which is understandable – and appropriate. But often, someone who is almost as important becomes just another figure in the Nativity Scene when we set it up. Know who I’m talking about?

Joseph, of course! We often get so excited about Mary and Jesus that we “miss” Joseph. Poor guy. Really, he’s just a hair less important to the story than Mary – who of course is only marginally (at this point in the story) less important than Jesus.

I personally think Joseph deserves a lot of credit. Here he is, engaged to a young woman, and she tells him (I assume – Matthew is a little unclear on that point), “I’m having a baby, and it’s God’s child – no really, it is.” I’m guessing Joseph’s first reaction was to think she was nuts, then to think she had cheated on him. Fair enough – it’s a lot to take in, and he *was* human, after all!

The thing is, engagement at that time was practically marriage, legally, from what I understand, and if Joseph and Mary had “jumped the gun” and she had ended up pregnant by Joseph, well, people would have snickered, and gossiped, but it would have been more or less OK. But since the baby wasn’t Joseph’s, he had every right to “dismiss” (read “divorce) her – which would have made her an outcast.

He decided to do this, but being a kind man, he was going to do it quietly so she wouldn’t suffer any more shame than she had to. I imagine he struggled with this – but I guess he was just a man who couldn’t accept that his fiancée cheated and got pregnant by another man. (remember, he didn’t believe the Holy Spirit thing at this point.)

Enter the angel – who was awfully busy in Nazareth those days! “Nope,” he told Joseph, “the baby really *is* God’s child. She didn’t cheat on you. Don’t be afraid to marry her.” The angel said more, but you’ll have to read Matthew 1 (or listen to the reading this Sunday at worship) to hear the rest.

SO – Joseph wakes up, believes the angel and Mary, and marries her. And then – he loves her, and he stands beside her during the inevitable gossip about the haste of the wedding, supports her and comforts her when she tries to tell people what’s happening but they don’t believe her, holds her when she’s scared, and probably has a hand in delivering the baby (I mean, who was gonna help – the sheep in the stable?) And THEN, he takes the role of being “father” to the Son of God. He and Mary are Jesus’ earthly parents, so who does Jesus have as a male role model? Joseph Quite a tall order, but I think he did a fantastic job.

So this Advent, remember Joseph. Remember that sometimes we, too, may be called to love and support someone who is taking a stand, following God’s will, even when it’s hard or we don’t really get it. Support systems are important. Very important.

Have a blessed week, my friends!

PS – there’s a fabulous little novel called Two from Galilee that tells this story. It’s out of print, but you might be able to find it in a library or get a copy off Amazon.com. It’s so good – and brings Mary and Joseph to life in a way that I think all of you would enjoy.