Matthew 1:18-25 * December 23, 2007 * Advent 4 * Pastor Leyrer

Dear Friends in Christ,

I can recall my mother telling me that in the rural Lutheran congregation of her youth (where her father served as pastor) it was the custom to not only celebrate Christmas Day with a worship service, but to also gather for an entirely different worship service the next day (which was called “Second Christmas Day”) and sometimes the next day as well (“Third Christmas Day”). Three Christmas services in three days.

In the spirit of full disclosure I should tell you she also mentioned a couple of other things about this arrangement. First, she indicated that by that third Christmas Day the preacher sometimes was hard pressed for something new to say. Secondly, there was usually a pretty slim crowd to hear it anyway. So it was one of those practices that gave way to the law of diminishing returns and eventually disappeared.

My reason for mentioning this is because, in a sense, this year’s calendar returns us to this custom – but in reverse. We also have the opportunity to consider the Christmas message three days in a row. Though technically the fourth Sunday of Advent, today we are presented with the Christmas message on the basis of our Gospel reading. Tomorrow we will gather for Christmas Eve and hear it once again. And on Tuesday we will celebrate the traditional birthday of Jesus on Christmas Day and hear it yet again.

Rather than being an exercise in redundancy, this sequence actually allows us to focus in on some Christmas angles and issues that we might not normally get around to. That’s the approach we’d like to take today as we consider our Gospel lesson from the inspired pen of St. Matthew.

Certainly the facts are well known, and Matthew lays them out in a concise and straightforward manner. But what makes Matthew’s account somewhat different from the more familiar account in Luke is that Matthew describes the Christmas story from Joseph’s perspective. Today, then, we’d like to consider

THE CHRISTMAS STORY THROUGH THE EYES OF A FOSTER FATHER

And as we work our way through this text we have the chance to get better acquainted with a Christmas figure we all know, but may not know very well.

Let’s begin with a thumbnail sketch of Joseph. Hard facts are at a premium, but this much we know for sure: He was the son of a man name Jacob and the grandson of a man named Matthan. He could trace his ancestry back to the line of great King David.

The picture we traditionally have of Joseph is that of a wise, mature, protective man who was not at all resentful of the attention given to his foster son by adoring shepherds and gift-bearing wise men. Generally we think of him as being somewhat older – maybe even significantly older – than Mary, who probably would have been a young woman of approximately 14 to 16 years at the time of these events.

To this end, there is a legend about Joseph dating from the 4^th century that claims he was a widower with six children who married Mary very late in his life, and that he eventually died at the ripe age of 111. This, of course, is only a legend and not derived from Scripture, but does add to the idea that Mary and Joseph were not evenly matched in age.

By trade we know he was a carpenter, a skill in which he would eventually train his son Jesus. It would also appear that although Joseph lived in Nazareth, he may have originally been from Bethlehem (for certain his ancestors were), because that is where he had to return when the Roman census was taken. Perhaps he went up north to Nazareth to find work. It would also appear that Bethlehem was always near to his heart.

You may recall that when the wise men came, Joseph was directed by God to take his family and flee to Egypt to avoid the murderous jealousy of King Herod. After Herod died and the coast was clear to come back, Joseph’s initial intention was to return to Bethlehem, but because of the new ruler there he instead went back to Nazareth.

The next we hear about Joseph is as the puzzled parent of the 12 year old Jesus in the temple. After that, the Bible is silent about this man. He is noticeably absent at the crucifixion of Christ. Mary was there, and Jesus made provisions for her to be taken care of by His beloved disciple, John – something that would not be necessary if Joseph was present. The common assumption is that Joseph had died by this time.

That’s about it for hard facts. But in addition to walking us through the Christmas story, our text provides us with some additional personal insights on Joseph. We find him to be an excellent example of Christian virtue and a man after whom we would do well to model ourselves. Let’s turn to it now and work our way through it.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. When it says that Mary and Joseph were “pledged to be married,” we need to understand that an Old Testament Jewish “betrothal” was far more extensive than our modern day “engagement.”

To be “betrothed” or “pledged” meant that all the responsibilities of marriage fell upon the couple without some of the accompanying privileges (like living together or physical intimacy), which would come after the official wedding day. The closeness between betrothal and marriage can be seen from the fact that the two terms are used interchangeably. For instance, in the next verse Joseph is referred to as Mary’s husband. This also explains why breaking a betrothal called for the official action of a divorce.

We are told that before the betrothal period was over and they officially came together as husband and wife, in that event we refer to as the “Annunciation,” the angel Gabriel informed Mary that she would miraculously conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and bear the very Son of God. After that Mary went to visit her relative Elizabeth, who at the time was pregnant (another miracle!) with John the Baptist. Mary stayed three months.

It was probably upon her return to Nazareth after this visit that Joseph made the discovery that his betrothed was going to have a baby. Joseph no doubt had lots of questions. But of one thing he was certain: he was not the father. It would appear that perhaps because of the miracle going on inside of her Mary was not talking; she simply trusted that God would also explain all things to Joseph. Which He did. But for now, the only conclusion that Joseph could draw is that Mary had been unfaithful to him. This led him to take the next step…

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. How do you think Joseph felt upon learning all of this? What emotions do you think he experienced? It appears to be a mixture of sadness, disappointment and heartbreak – and yet compassion for a young woman he obviously cared for. He wanted to do the right thing according to the laws and customs of the day, but he also wanted to deal with Mary in a compassionate way.

Breaking off the relationship seemed to be the only right thing to do. In doing this, he had two options open to him. One was to make this a matter for the courts, which would expose Mary to public disgrace as an apparent adulteress. The other was to quietly issue her a certificate of divorce – still a legal move, but without a lot of publicity. This is what he had in mind to do… until his mind was changed.

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. She will give birth to a son, and you will give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Joseph is now brought into the loop. What Mary withheld from him for fear it would have sounded too incredible, an angel explains. Consequently, Joseph should not be afraid to take Mary home as his wife.

At this point, Joseph’s head had to be spinning – or as much as it could be considering he was in a dream. He learns that his beloved had not been unfaithful to him, but in God’s grace had been chosen to be the instrument through which God would bless the entire human race. All those Old Testament prophecies Joseph had grown up with were now coming to fruition, and he was involved! His part in all this was to be the husband to the mother of the Lord and to be foster father to none other than the almighty Son of God. Furthermore, his immediate paternal role was to see that this child be given the descriptive name “Jesus,” which means: Savior.

That this was no ordinary child is made clear as our text continues. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, “God with us.” This child will be true man – born of a woman, and yet true God. This child will be the God-man, all part of the Heavenly Father’s plan to save us from the damning consequences of our sin.

As true man, Jesus obeyed all the commands of God’s law in our place. As true God, He did it perfectly. As true man, Jesus suffered the pain and death that we should suffer as sinners. As true God, His perfect life and sacrifice forgave the sins of the world. Jesus Christ was then and continues to be our Immanuel. He is always with us. And, thanks to His life and work, we will always be with Him; now on earth and eternally in heaven.

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Joseph’s mind was now at rest. He had been given direction. He did exactly what the angel told him to do. No doubt, he was filled with joy and awe and humility – and perhaps even a little bit scared. Because he was going to have a hand in raising God’s very own Son. His role was to be the protector and provider for Mary and Jesus…

And as a stipulation that Joseph himself may have set because of what was about to take place, he had no sexual intimacy with Mary until after the birth of this miracle child; a child he named “Jesus.”

What qualities do we see in Joseph that we, with God’s help, would do well to cultivate in ourselves? We see a man with a gentle, unassuming spirit, yet a man who is characterized as righteous and just and God-fearing.

We see a man who probably thought he would quietly pass through life, yet was open to the Lord’s leading and humbly and willingly accepted the responsibility to be used as God’s instrument.

We see a man of principle as well as a man of compassion.

We see a man of faith and conviction, as well as a man who translated that faith and those convictions into action.

And finally, we see a man who knew he was a sinner in need of Jesus, the Savior, and a man who rejoiced at the coming of Immanuel.

Joseph’s perspective on the Christmas story is one of admiration, awe and wonderment at the grace and goodness of God. That is also our perspective.

The next time we gather together in church it will be to celebrate the birth of Christ. As we rightfully focus our attention on the Christ-child, perhaps somewhere in our contemplation we might also allow our thoughts to drift toward Joseph, the nearly forgotten figure of Christmas who provides us with a Godly example that, let us pray, we may imitate – and never forget. Amen.