Loading...Meditation December 12, 2015
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
Juniata County Men’s Prayer Breakfast
Matthew 1:18-30 and Matthew 2:13-21
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,…. Matthew 1:24
Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. Matthew 2:14-15
Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. Matthew 2:21
I love country music. I think it’s partly because I love words and how we use words. Country music has some of the best lyrics… some of the best use of words.
As I thought about speaking to you this morning, I thought about one of the figures we hear about this time of year – Joseph. I thought about men and fathers. I remembered this country song by Rodney Atkins:
"Watching You"
We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said, "Lord, please help me help my stupid self."
Then this side of bedtime later that night
Turning on my son's Scooby Doo nightlight
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
And spoke to God like he was talking to a friend
And I said, "Son, now where'd you learn to pray like that?"
[Chorus:]
He said, "I've been watching you, dad. Ain't that cool?
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We like fixing things and holding mama's hand.
Yeah we're just alike. Hey, ain't we, dad?
I wanna do everything you do.
So I've been watching you."
[Bridge:]
With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug
Said, "My little bear is growing up."
He said, "But when I'm big I'll still know what to do."
[Chorus:]
'Cause I've been watching you, dad. Ain't that cool?
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
By then I'll be strong as Superman.
We'll be just alike. Hey, won't we, dad?
When I can do everything you do,
'Cause I've been watching you."
Children do watch the adults in their lives. They do want to be just like us. It’s a big and often scary responsibility, isn’t it?
And this time of year, as we prepare for the coming of Jesus and tell again the story of his birth, we remember the father, Joseph… the step-father Joseph. Even though Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father, he was an earthly father to Jesus. He took on the responsibility of raising Jesus as his own son. And we know just a little that that must not have been easy all of the time.
I mean, look at the tween Jesus…the teen Jesus. Remember that story of when he was 12 years old and he and his parents traveled to the temple in Jerusalem for the Passover feast? They would have traveled in a large group. When they started back to Nazareth, Mary and Joseph thought Jesus was with the group, probably with his friends or relatives, but after a day, suddenly realized he wasn’t with them! They must have been in a panic as they returned to Jerusalem looking for him. It took them 2-3 days to find him. He was listening to the teachers and asking questions. Everyone, including his parents, was astonished and amazed at his questions and his understanding.
In typical fashion, Mary says, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’
And just like the teenager he was, he said, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ Luke 2:41-52.
During this time of year, we remember the step-father Joseph and his patience and love for this child, Jesus, who must have surely perplexed him at times. We give thanks for the model Joseph was to Jesus, a man who loved God and was faithful.
Imagine Joseph… being betrothed to Mary and then finding out she’s pregnant. Betrothal usually lasted one year and was understood to be nearly like marriage. To find Mary pregnant, Joseph probably believe she had committed adultery. The penalty was death.
While we don’t have lots of information about Joseph, from what we have, we know he was a pious and religious man. He followed the rules and laws of his religion and of his culture. However, he did not want Mary to be killed because of “her adultery.” He was going to quietly divorce her, rather than have her killed. So, he bent the understood religious and cultural rules of his time just in that thought.
But God sends an angel to Joseph in a dream, telling him not to divorce Mary. God tells Joseph what is happening. And get this…this is so important, Joseph listens and obeys. Over and over again, we hear how obedient to God’s Will Joseph was.
Joseph wanted to do God’s Will, even if that meant going against the religious and cultural understanding of his time. Joseph stays betrothed to Mary, even though most in the society must have scorned him or thought he was odd. The “right” thing to do at the time was to have her killed. To the outsider, Mary had violated the vows of betrothal and marriage. She had shamed and embarrassed Joseph and also given him a child that was not truly his. That’s what it looked like to others.
I wonder what he went through in going against the understanding of marriage and family at the time? Were there whispers and conversations behind his back? Was he shunned? Did some religious authority come to visit him trying to convince him to do the right thing according to their rules and culture?
And furthermore, why did God put Joseph through all of this? Couldn’t God have done this whole thing in a different way?
God chose pious, kind, religious Joseph to teach the people of the time that their rules and understanding about marriage and family needed to be changed. God’s actions made the people take another look at how they had structured marriage and family. In essence, God was telling them they’d gotten it all wrong.
Joseph’s willingness and insistence on listening to God’s messengers and to doing God’s Will is an example for all of us today. We must be careful in thinking our generation or our time has figured out God totally and gotten everything “right.”
After all, Jesus as written in John 16:12-13 says, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth….” When Jesus left this earthly plane, his work was not done; that’s why he send the Holy Spirit… to continue the work…to guide us into what we could not bear to hear and to learn when he was right here with us.
We have much to learn from Joseph. We see the model of a man of God, who took on and cared for the next generation. We see the model of a God-fearing person who wanted to follow God’s Will more than be accepted by the religious and cultural rules of his time.
May we be so brave, courageous and loving of God.
Amen
