December 18, 2016
The virginal conception story of Mary was confusing for me as a Protestant along side my childhood best friend, a Catholic. Together with her family, we attended The Immaculate Conception, a large cathedral on the hill. Methodists did not typically use the term “Immaculate Conception,” much less discuss what it meant.
For too long, I have wondered…
Was Joseph Jesus’ biological father? If not, who was?
The annunciation stories in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke recount that Jesus was conceived without the participation of a human male. Those who heard the nativity stories would have considered Jesus to be fully human since his mother supplied all of his bodily substance. In terms of ancient biology, even without a human father, Jesus would have been seen as fully human. Jesus is given two conception stories…one natural and the other supernatural. For Jesus to have been considered fully human by our modern standards--and not a semi-divine--he would have needed complete human DNA. While Mary would have supplied the X chromosome, who supplied the essential Y chromosome? ( the nurse in me asks) God? Joseph?
Dual conception stories for the same figure were not uncommon in Greek and Roman biographies as it suggests that this was a way of assigning significance and worth to those who were perceived to have achieved greatness in their later lives. If we did this today, consider some amazing folks…Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, MLK, Gandhi, Dorothy Day -- maybe Orlando, who lived supernatural lives--they would possibly be assigned a supernatural conception story.
We all know the well-told story….
Even the unchurched folks from all walks of life -- those with and those without faith traditions, those folks sitting at the Potter's House behind their computers sipping lattes on Sunday morning, or practicing yoga right now -- if asked would be able to retell this familiar Christmas story of … Jesus born to a virgin named Mary, angels, wise men, shepherds in a manger.
And this very simple love story both unites and divides us. It can be safer to argue about what might have happened at Jesus’ birth way back when than to live our lives in a way that truly honors the living Christ.
We will not ponder those myths and truths of the infancy narratives. Instead lets ponder the very human and biological partner of Mary... Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus.
On this final week of Advent of focusing on LOVE, Joseph is my lead in the Bethlehem Love Story narrative with Mary as a supporting role.
Collecting creches from around the world is special for me. While waiting for Colby to assemble them this year, I pulled out several “Joseph” figurines from my attic bin. I noticed his wooden-like nature, a passive bystander, showing no emotion. Typically, Joseph is a non-speaking role in the annual Christmas pageant. Inactive, it appears…nothing in his arms like the shepherds or kings. He is just standing there. Joseph just is. A be-er. An ordinary fellow.
"Ordinary" is very attractive to God.
In his teachings, Jesus was forever calling our attention to the seemingly trivial, the small, mundane and the insignificant--like lost children, lost coins, lost sheep, a mustard seed, bread. Many of you in this room know on a deep level that the Realm of God involves the ability to see God within those people and experiences the world regards as little and of no account, the marginal, the ordinary.
Scriptures tell us Joseph was a carpenter and a good and devout man chosen by God about to participate in a TERRIFYING event. God was about to be incarnated into human form in the shape of a helpless infant and he was the step dad.
Imagine … Your fiancé is pregnant and not by you. Her baby is adored by many, who flock for just a glimpse of the newborn son. You are tasked with protecting them both. It is your job to teach a child -- viewed as the son of the Almighty -- how to work, how to pray, how to be obedient to God.
Joseph is the only imperfect member of the Holy Family. It is hard to be imperfect in any family ( Amen to that). One of the fascinating things about my work is how death brings out the beauty and the horrors of family life. I witness imperfection everyday. But it is especially hard to be imperfect in the Holy family. Mary was full of grace, Jesus was sinless and Joseph…well, he was a humble, gentle soul. His quiet heroism goes overlooked.
Last year, I attended an art exhibit "The Wonders of Mary." It was incredibly powerful. Come to think of it… Joseph does not even make it into most of masterpiece Mother and Child paintings.
As an illustration of such adoration, I had a 94-year-old Greek Orthodox patient this week. Phyllis, her daughter, told me how her parents came to America as newly weds but dad died when the kids were small. She described in detail her mother’s hard life and how faithful she was…taking regular pilgrimages to an island in Greece called Tinos to draw closer to the Virgin Mary. After disembarking from a small vessel, they would literally crawl with humility on the graveled cobblestone road up the hill to the shrine of Holy Church (Our Lady of Tinos) the most important orthodox shrine in Greece and one of the most famous throughout the world. The site is where the Icon of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary was miraculously discovered, The faithful believe that the Icon performs miracles based on inspiring stories of the redeeming intervention of the Virgin Mary.
Many faith traditions are absolutely devoted to Mary, but what about the other partner in the Holy Family.???
Let’s talk about the redeeming intervention of JOSEPH…. and the miracles of his life.
I am looking at it.
Our very community is a contemporary expression connected to Joseph, son of Jacob, of the lineage of King David.
Who is this earthly man Joseph? Who are we?
To know Joseph informs us of our own identity as people of faith.
From the time of the early radical church
to the Roman emperor Constantine (when Christianity became an official religion of the state)
to Benedictines,
Franciscans,
Anabaptists,
Wesleyans,
Quakers,
Mennonites,
Evangelical revivalists,
Historic black churches,
the Confessing Church in Nazi Germany,
base communities in Latin America,
resisting churches in South Africa,
Catholic Worker houses,
rural white evangelicals religious right,
Filipino priests resisting dictatorships
and progressive inner city faith communities…
The Biblical narrative we know so well is that he was faithful to a message from an angel telling him of Mary’s conception.
But there could have been another very different narrative had he not, received, listened and acted on the dream.
One we know and one we could have known.
A story of radical mercy OR a story of resentment
A story of authentic love OR a story of human fear
A story of active forgiveness OR a story of shame and disgrace
A story of deliberate powerlessness OR a story of law and retribution.
As a historical character, Joseph will always remain somewhat of a mystery. The Gospels--not really biographies --have relatively little to say concerning Jesus’ family life. References to Joseph are limited primarily to three chapters found within just two gospels: Matthew 1-2 and Luke 2.
Joseph apparently died before the Lord’s death, as attested by the fact that, while he was on the cross, Jesus entrusted his mother’s care to John, his beloved disciple. Though Joseph possibly survived long enough to see the early part of Jesus’ ministry, the gospel writers say nothing substantial about him after Jesus reached the age of twelve.
No words spoken by Joseph are recorded in Scripture. All of this might suggest that Joseph was not very significant in the scheme of New Testament history, but nothing could be further from the truth. Though he was presumably a quiet man, his actions spoke volumes about his character. He was a leader whose example is worthy of imitation.
What sort of man was Joseph? How can we characterize the man whom God chose to parent His own Son?
With each of SIX unique crèche characters, we will consider SIX unique characteristics of our human Joseph, the father of Christ.
As a community, the Jesus we come to know born again and again is often right in front of us.
While I describe the remarkable, holy attributes of Joseph, listen for threads that speak to you of our dear friend and brother Orlando.
COMPASSIONATE
Passive and kind are what comes to mind. Joseph was spiritually sensitive. His response to Mary’s pregnancy--rejection of apparent sin combined with compassion for his betrothed--illustrates his godly character.
Because he was a righteous man, Joseph therefore could not in conscience be wed to Mary who was now thought to be unfaithful. And because such a marriage would have been a admission of his own guilt, and because he was unwilling to expose her to the disgrace of public divorce, Joseph therefore chose a quieter way, permitted by the law itself to null and void the marriage contract…as was his right and divorce her. It would leave both his righteousness (his conformity to the law) and his compassion intact. Legally, Joseph could have rejected his pregnant fiancee. He could have held her up to scorn and ridicule. It is written in the Bible. Joseph was in his right to have Mary stoned to death as wrathful punishment for her out-of-wedlock pregnancy. He chose mercy.
Mercy is defined as “clemency….refraining from infliction of suffering by one who has a right to inflict it.”
And when we pray for mercy we are asking folks to do what they truly think is right, like torturing someone who broke the law, to respond instead with compassion.
Joseph showed us the way.
SELFLESS
Assuming fully the role of a father toward a child that wasn’t his own, Joseph offered Jesus physical protection during his infancy and childhood He trained Jesus in the carpenter’s trade. And he imparted spiritual direction to Jesus both by example and instruction. I read that Mary remained a virgin through out life…(or maybe that is what the Catholic church would want us to believe)….if so, that took some sacrifice on the part of her devoted husband..
OBEDIENT
Joseph’s spiritual sensitivity include the fact that he heard and obeyed angelic revelation and direction. He observed rituals prescribed by the law following the birth of a male child, civil decrees and made annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem in celebration of the Passover. Obedience is the basis for leadership. Because he was willing to submit to every legitimate authority, God entrusted him with a significant leadership role. Joseph was disciplined. An essential quality in a leader. Let us all pray for the disciplined leadership of the next administration. Our nation and the world depend of the art of obedience to a power greater than yourself.
RISK-TAKER
Obedience to God involves risk-taking. The angel’s directive to Joseph, to proceed with his marriage plans, contradicted common sense and thus required deep trust in God. The path Joseph was called to follow was not safe, but it fulfilled God’s design.
Example: The water protectors of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota are the most perfect expression of obedience to a higher power. It means sacrifice for the sake of common good . I have been moved by following the live feed #NODAPL website ( Dakota Access Pipeline) The polar vortex this past week offers us a glimpse of the physical sacrifice made by hundreds/ thousands who must be completely miserable. Yet at the Potter’s House last week, the passionate stories of four native people from across the country who participated in the witness said that the community built by over 120 native tribes, the largest gathering of Native Peoples ever. They are standing together not so much to resist and say NO to pipelines as much standing FOR clean water, safe community and respect for the sacred planet our God has made. As the drums played on, the warmth and the gratitude in the room was palpable.
Orlando was a risk-taker. He stood up; he sacrificed; he did not take the easy path. I heard stories from his sister about how his mother would deliver food to the nuns to take to the jail. He almost starved by choice as he believed regime-change in the Philippines had to happen for all of God’s people to share in the abundance of God’s love ….not just the wealthy few in power. His deep conviction in the redistribution of God’s blessings was worthy of what ever it cost him. Orlando teaches us a bit about who Joseph was as a risk taker.
VALUED PARENTING
Thought to be teen parents, Joseph still seemed to know parenting was a critically important activity, one who would lead his family in a spirit of humility and submission.
A man and father like President Barack Obama.
I love when I heard Obama once say that of all his political positions in life, fatherhood was the most important role he served. And not only does he show up for his girls, but he also extends gratitude for his parents and grandparents. Michelle’s mother living in White House is simply a beautiful intergenerational example for our nation to bear witness. And Ms Robinson’s presence has been an enormous support to the First Family in ways that serves us all. President Obama has been a powerful leader free of personal scandal and public disgrace. A man like Joseph, who was chosen by God to lead and who understands the value of sacred parenting.
DECISION-MAKER
When faced with the fact of Mary’s unexpected pregnancy, he did not react in bitter emotion and disgrace her publicly. He was objective, reflective, and ultimately, resolute in his decision-making. Joseph decided that he would participate in God’s plan for what later became a costly religion… His son, the Christ child, the founder a new world order, while not yet even born….was the subject of a state execution.
Joseph’s decision to accept adversity to wed in the face of Mary’s apparent infidelity surely would have had the church ladies of today talking. The angel warns, “ Herod will seek the child and destroy him.” If you have had the blessing of loving a child, you know that theirs is nothing more visceral than the protection of an innocent child. Joseph than took wife and child and fled to Egypt by night. Joseph was up against a Christian death squad. His love was decisive and radical.
As we move into the final week of Advent and celebrate the qualities and experiences of LOVE, we need to re-examine the mystery of its origins. Matthew’s narrative is not so much about ideology as it is compassion, obedience, selflessness ... risk taking, sacred parenting, decision making as revealed in the character of Joseph.
Maybe this gentle soul, this often ignored servant, who found room in a stable for his laboring young wife to give birth, this ordinary Joseph can teach us how to ENTER INTO BETHLEHEM.
More importantly, Joseph allows us a way to LET BETHLEHEM ENTER US.