3rd Sunday of Advent, Dec 2012
We were never meant to walk this path alone.
Are you a believer in Christ? Is
your spouse?
If you are blessed with someone who
shares the same faith as you, awesome.
If you are not, you know the
feelings of that gulf.
I can't help but wonder if there was
that feeling between the persons of Mary and Joseph.
With what we have read and
understand, Mary seems to be completely on board with the idea that a Messiah
is coming into the world.
What's more, she is fine with the
idea that she is going to be the vessel that will help bring Him
into this world.
But, what about Joseph?
Did he share the same elation at the
notion?
Or, did he feel indifferent to the
message?
Lets read and find out.
Matthew
1:18-25
New International Version (NIV)
Joseph
Accepts Jesus as His Son
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother
Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she
was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because
Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not
want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 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. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
After reading this passage of scripture I have no problem with saying that Joseph loved Mary.
As we noted in the last message, much of this information would have been shared second hand.
I can picture Matthew sharing this story with his disciples as they recorded these stories.
These stories had been shared with Matthew and the early community of believers.
Doesn't it sound like second hand information?
"This is what I remember about Joseph..."
20 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. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
After reading this passage of scripture I have no problem with saying that Joseph loved Mary.
As we noted in the last message, much of this information would have been shared second hand.
I can picture Matthew sharing this story with his disciples as they recorded these stories.
These stories had been shared with Matthew and the early community of believers.
Doesn't it sound like second hand information?
"This is what I remember about Joseph..."
19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not
want to expose her to public disgrace
Why are there couples in the church
who do not share the same views or enthusiasm about the Christian faith?
Melissa and I came to the realization a long time back that opposites attract.
When she and I got together, we knew we had country music in common.
I don't think that will ever change.
But, when we met, I was not a dedicated Ohio State Buckeye fan.
I used to be. I was just a kid on the tail end of the Woody Hayes years and I was in school during all of Earle Bruce as the head coach. During the John Cooper era I checked out for several years.
After we got married and Jim Tressel came into the fray, I was back in.
Since 2001 I have been all "scarlet and grey all day".
Melissa and I came to the realization a long time back that opposites attract.
When she and I got together, we knew we had country music in common.
I don't think that will ever change.
But, when we met, I was not a dedicated Ohio State Buckeye fan.
I used to be. I was just a kid on the tail end of the Woody Hayes years and I was in school during all of Earle Bruce as the head coach. During the John Cooper era I checked out for several years.
After we got married and Jim Tressel came into the fray, I was back in.
Since 2001 I have been all "scarlet and grey all day".
She couldn't care less.
Sports are not her thing. Never gonna be.
There was a tine when she wouldn't even let me watch Sportscenter in bed while she was falling asleep.
I'm like, "You're going to sleep. What do you care what's on the TV?"
She's like, "I don't want to fall asleep to sports."
Several years ago Army Wives was her favorite TV show.
And, I could have cared less about that.
It can be no different in religion.
If you have a spouse who has a desire for Christ that can match your own, great.
Not everyone is in the same boat.
An angel appears to Mary and gives this revelation. "You're going to give birth to the Messiah."
Did she share it with Joseph? "Um, how did you get pregnant?"
"Well, you see, this angel showed up and told me this was how it was going to be..."
My mother-in-law would call it a God Moment. (I'm sure she read it in a book somewhere.)
She and my father-in-law were not always on the same page. (They aren't now either.)
But, they seem to be in a much closer place than even when I met them 20 years ago.
She was on fire, I'd say. She went on mission trips.
Always active in groups and bible studies.
He seemed to hang back. Mission trips were the farthest thing from his mind.
He had served as trustee. Been on some committees.
But, there wasn't this driving thing behind all he did.
I'm not sure what changed, but something did.
I don't remember what year but it was early in our marriage. She got him to go on a trip to Mexico with her. Melissa had been there twice for mission trips. Her mom went with her the 2nd time. Then her mom and dad both went on their own for a trip. And, she got him to go a 2nd time too.
They've been to Alaska, twice, more mission trips.
They seem to go somewhere every year, once a year, to serve in some mission trip or group.
Joseph had a God Moment.
"...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream..."
Leading up to that moment, I wonder what he went through.
Did Mary hound him? "If you would just believe this would all be easier..."
I bring that up because, isn't that what many of us tend to do?
We want our special someone to have the same experience we do or did.
We want them to have that same passion we have to serve and share.
But, many times, we are not on the same page.
We have different ideas and different drives.
We have differing views on scripture or the person of God.
We have different personalities and ways of relating to people.
All the while, what both parties want is to be on the same page.
"Man, if she could just chill out and not be so pushy, I might go to church with her once in a while."
"If he would step up and be a man around this house, maybe I wouldn't feel like it was all on me."
As I write this, I am in the middle of a class on missions at MTSO. Our instructor just shared a little diagram about coming closer to each other as we get closer to God.
The big question, the elephant in the room that needs to be addressed is,
"How do I get my spouse on he same page with me?" The point I would make is this, "Maybe, you don't have to be."
Even if they do have a "God Moment", there is no guarantee they will end up having the same experience you had.
Even if they do have a "God Moment", there is no guarantee they will end up having the same experience you had.
After Joseph gets his vision of the angel in his dream there is no record here
that says he really thought it was OK and picked up his stuff, with Mary on his
arm, and they happily walk off together to have a bouncing baby boy that hereditarily is not his.
This wouldn't be the only
"moment" he has either.
Matthew 2 says he has another vision and takes the family to Egypt.
As a man, and much a Hebrew man, he "was faithful to the law".
He knew what he needed to do and he did it.
Maybe Mary's take on this whole experience was different.
Maybe she wasn't comfortable with how this whole thing would go down, but she says, "May your word to me be fulfilled."
We get no word about any kind of response from Joseph at all.
Now, the question will come forth, "How can we both have a relationship with God if we don't have the same view on everything?"
I would reference some really good folks I know, Glade & Janice Calland. They have a nice place right on the water at Buckeye Lake. If you get a chance to sit down with them sometime you'll find that they don't see eye to eye on everything. They don't explain everything exactly the same way. But, they both have a desire to serve the Lord. And, they both want to do his will. The important part is, they are two separate people with two separate personalities. And, God brought them together as one flesh.
For His purposes.
And, that might be the missing part here.
Its not about what we want for that other person.
It's not about trying to get them to see everything our way, putting the weight of the whole church on their shoulders, putting the slice of our Christianity upon them and expecting that person to carry all of that for both of us.
We allow them to be themselves.
Just as we expect everybody around us to let us be ourselves.
Matthew 2 says he has another vision and takes the family to Egypt.
As a man, and much a Hebrew man, he "was faithful to the law".
He knew what he needed to do and he did it.
Maybe Mary's take on this whole experience was different.
Maybe she wasn't comfortable with how this whole thing would go down, but she says, "May your word to me be fulfilled."
We get no word about any kind of response from Joseph at all.
Now, the question will come forth, "How can we both have a relationship with God if we don't have the same view on everything?"
I would reference some really good folks I know, Glade & Janice Calland. They have a nice place right on the water at Buckeye Lake. If you get a chance to sit down with them sometime you'll find that they don't see eye to eye on everything. They don't explain everything exactly the same way. But, they both have a desire to serve the Lord. And, they both want to do his will. The important part is, they are two separate people with two separate personalities. And, God brought them together as one flesh.
For His purposes.
And, that might be the missing part here.
Its not about what we want for that other person.
It's not about trying to get them to see everything our way, putting the weight of the whole church on their shoulders, putting the slice of our Christianity upon them and expecting that person to carry all of that for both of us.
We allow them to be themselves.
Just as we expect everybody around us to let us be ourselves.
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord
had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he
did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave
him the name Jesus.
He loved her. I have to believe that.He did what he felt was right. He "was faithful to the law".
He did what he felt was right according to what he believed about God.
And, at the end of the day, that's all you can expect of him. To do his best.
That's all I can put of my wife.
And, that's all she can put on me.
That's all the church can expect of its pastor.
And, that's all I can expect of you.
I might not agree with everything you believe and you might not agree with me.
But, this one thing I know. You don't have to walk alone.
