The Genesis of Jesus - Matthew 1:18-25
/Lectionary Readings for December 22, 2019
Isaiah 7:10-16
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-25
Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.
We hear today’s Scripture and, whether it’s because we’ve grown up in church or because we’ve seen the 1965 A Charlie Brown Christmas dozens of times, we’re conditioned to think: Oh, what a sweet story.
But no! It wasn’t!
If you put yourself in Mary or Joseph’s place, there was precious little about what was happening that was either sweet OR precious!
After thinking about how we might retell Mary and Joseph’s story in a modern form, I immediately thought about the Hallmark channel’s endless supply of holiday movies. How’s this sound as a Hallmark holiday movie teaser? (Read this using your dramatic movie trailer voice!)
Step into a world fraught with oppression, disease, and the chance of starvation around every corner! Join our young couple as the groom decides what to do with his bride who’s showing more than just her excitement about their upcoming wedding! Will they marry? Will they divorce? Will she get stoned? Find out in today’s holiday classic: Are You My Real Daddy?
That may be realistic to their situation many years ago, but I’m not sure I could get it produced today!
But the reality is, during the past 2,000 years, we’ve turned their reality, into our Disney fantasy that’s warm and comfortable. And there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. Lord knows, many of us could use an extra helping of warmth and comfort these days.
Remember the angel’s words to Joseph and Mary (Luke 1:29-33): Do not be afraid.
Imagine a time in your life when you had to completely trust God – or even another person – with something that was incredibly important and totally outside of your control.
I’ll give you a jump-start: If you are a parent, remember each time you discovered that you were pregnant. The moms try to eat all the right foods, take the vitamins, drink water, stretch, and whatever other advice your doctor gives you. Their partners do their best as support staff – it takes a team. And for all the hopes and dreams the parents might have for their child, one of their biggest prayers is: Lord, help us know what to do with this gift.
Mary and Joseph were normal parents – well, sort of. They also wondered, Lord, help us know what to do with this gift.
In an age that had a comparatively primitive understanding of the reproductive sciences, the most basic medical care, and ZERO health insurance, Mary and Joseph – individually and as a couple – chose to trust God based solely on angelic appearances which they could have easily dismissed as ridiculous hallucinations. But they didn’t. They chose trust.
Four weeks ago, we looked to the story of John the Baptizer’s birth to give us hope for the future and anticipation of new possibilities.
Two weeks ago, we heard the story of how John prepared the way for Jesus which encourages us to prepare the way for God to appear in new ways in our lives and in our community.
Last week, John taught us that it’s OK to ask questions when those new ways are not what we expected. God tells us that it’s ok to have doubts and ask questions. Indeed, uncertainty is part of faith and trust.
This week, Mary and Joseph help us see and feel what it’s like to really trust God. What it’s like to be willing and active participants as God does new things in ways that are unexpected and unconventional.
As we prepare for Christmas day, let’s all keep our hearts and minds open to God’s presence. And with God’s present of Jesus, God in the flesh, let us ask ourselves individually and as a community: Lord, help us know what to do with this gift. Amen? Amen!