The Rev. Carol S. Wedell
December 16, 2007

John Buchanan, pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago shares a story told to him by a former colleague, Linda Loving: It was a few days before Christmas, and Linda's niece, Megan, age four, was drawing a picture of the nativity. It's important to keep four-year-olds busy before Christmas and what better project than drawing a picture of the Bethlehem stable. So little Megan was working intently. She stayed with it for a long time, and when she completed the project, proudly showed it to her mother, Laura, Linda's sister, also a minister. Megan carefully explained each figure and character: the shepherds and sheep, the three wise men and their loaded camels, the stable with cows and even a cat and a dog and, of course, in the center of it, Mary and the baby. Her mother noticed that something was missing. "Where's Joseph?" she asked, assuming Megan would remember and sketch him in. Instead, according to Laura, Megan gave her a look of exasperation and defiantly asked, "Who needs Joseph, anyway?" (in a sermon by Buchanan, December 2004).

The perception of this young child seems to be consistent with the church's view of Joseph.  Poems, paintings and sculpture almost always show Mary and the infant Jesus.  Rarely, if ever is Joseph rendered in art.  Indeed, if you check through our hymnal (as I did prior to this Sunday), you'll be hard-pressed to find any hymn reference to Joseph.  The one I did find we sang last week, "To a Maid engaged to Joseph" - which is really a song about Mary.  Joseph is only mentioned because of who his wife is!

The gospel of Luke mentions Joseph only in passing.  Our reading this morning from Matthew gives a bit more press to Joseph, but he still doesn't have any lines.  Did you notice that?  Nowhere in the Bible does Joseph say anything!  Once Jesus is grown and out of the house, we never hear about Joseph again.

To say that Joseph stands in the shadows is an understatement.  While parts of the church have lifted up Mary as a model, Joseph is nearly always overlooked.  It's easy to overlook him.  Joseph was just the town carpenter, going about his business, engaged to a nice young girl, and undoubtedly looking forward to a simple, quiet life. 

Following their engagement, Mary and Joseph, would have still continued to live with their parents - but they also could be seen together now in public. And then the news comes.  News that disrupts Joseph's world to the core.  The nice young girl to whom he is engaged is pregnant.  He is not the father.  This is not good news.  Not at all.  Joseph's simple, well-ordered plans for his life begin to fall apart before his very eyes. 

You know those commercials that ran during much of the baseball play-offs - "life comes at you fast?"  Well life came at Joseph with lightening speed, totally rearranging everything he thought his life would be.  The story of Jesus begins with an untimely pregnancy that nearly breaks his family apart.

Mary must have been the one to break the news to him.  Don't you wonder how that conversation went?  William Willimon says if Mary is "blessed among women," Joseph is "embarrassed among men." We can only imagine the feelings he must have experienced:  anger, hurt, betrayal.  How many of us in a similar situation would lash out in revenge - letting our bruised pride lead the way?

Matthew tells us that Joseph was a righteous man. Given the realities of Jewish law, Joseph had two choices.  He could bring charges against Mary in public, accusing her of adultery.  This might well result in her death by stoning.   His second option was to divorce her privately.  (Remember that engagement in this time was legally binding - it was the first part of the marriage agreement).

Joseph decides on the second option, because he did not wish to subject Mary to public disgrace. Joseph decides to divorce her quietly, go back to the rabbi and undo the betrothal contract.  He is willing to assume the public disgrace of everyone assuming that he is the father.  It was a most generous and compassionate decision.

Then, as he is tossing and turning in bed, having finally reached his decision, an angel comes to him in a dream.  He's given other instructions, other news.  Joseph is instructed to take Mary as his wife.  He's told that this baby is God's child.  Joseph is to name him Jesus.

Notice that Joseph doesn't say a word.  He doesn't burst into song like Mary.  He doesn't say, "Sure, no problem" or even "Are you nuts?"  But when he awakes he did as the angel told him.  Simply because of this unlikely dream, Joseph steps outside the conventions and expectations of his day, he puts aside his wounded pride and takes Mary as his wife.  Did he ever doubt?  We don't know.  I would guess that he did.

Matthew tells us that Joseph was righteous - which meant that he would have sought to do what God's law required.  In taking Mary as his wife, Joseph demonstrated that doing the right thing is about much more than following a set of rules.  His "righteousness" grew out of God's presence in his life, so he was able to hear the voice of the angel when it came.  Joseph was well aware of the reality that confronted him.  He knew what it all meant.  And he chose to follow God's lead without regard for his own reputation.

You know, I think we really do need Joseph.  He needs to be a part of the picture.  For he models for us a kind of presence that is critically needed.

If we were to stage a play, and I asked for lead players, there are many here this morning who would love to have those roles - myself included.  We enjoy the spotlight, the attention.  We don't get nervous when the microphone is aimed our way or there are lines to learn.  But as anyone who has ever been a part of any stage production knows, the supporting cast and crew make or break the show.

Like many of you here this morning, Joseph was a backstage kind of guy.  We would find him building the sets, turning the spotlight on other folks, making sure the curtain rises at the right time, handing out programs, fixing the costumes, moving the props.

At most, Joseph was a bit player.  He never had any lines. Apparently he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.  But he showed up and did what was needed - like many of you here today.  Do you see why we really do need Joseph?  We need the folks who light the candles, and count the money, who take down the tables, who send cards to people in the hospital, who make the coffee and turn off the lights.  We need people whose pride doesn't stop them from doing what needs to be done, who don't need to stand in the spotlight, but are content to do their part - whatever that may be. 

Like many of you, Joseph would never have been comfortable standing in front of this microphone.  But I bet he would have had his hammer out ready to fix a gutter that was hanging!  Yes - we need Joseph.  For he lived his faith.  When words failed him, his actions spoke volumes. He simply did what needed to be done when it needed to be done. We need people who will volunteer at North Church or in the nursery, who will go on mission trips or help with fellowship events.  The church needs Joseph - and so does the world.

For Joseph not only lived his faith, he was willing to grow in his understanding of what "the right thing" was.  When confronted with a life-altering situation, Joseph was willing to reevaluate his concept of what it meant to be a righteous person.  He moved beyond the limits of legalism.  Seeing what is right in God's eyes may look quite different than what we've been taught. 

Joseph was willing to look at his situation with a new perspective. The law stated his options clearly - and both options included judgment and punishment.  Joseph was willing to learn of a greater law - the law of love. In so doing, he pushes us out of our comfort zones and asks us to rethink what it means to be a moral and responsible person..  When the rules didn't work, Joseph modeled what Jesus would later teach - a law of compassion and kindness and forgiveness that stands above the legalism of any religious law. 

Once it was clear to him what needed to be done, Joseph acted.  He took on the responsibility that had been given him.  So he takes Mary as his wife.  He guides her to Bethlehem.  He protects both her and the baby Jesus as they move quickly and quietly to Egypt.   With no fanfare, he made a home for his family in Egypt, until it was safe to return home.  Joseph raises Jesus as his own son, thereby making Jesus a "son of David," in fulfillment of prophecy.

Yes, we need Joseph - for he has much to teach us about playing the part we've been given, about responsibility, about expanding our understanding of what is good and right, about living our faith through our actions every single day.  But that's not all.

We need Joseph because this ordinary, practical carpenter reminds us that sometimes what we need to know can't be learned through our intellect.  In his unassuming, quiet manner, Joseph's faith in God allowed him to be attentive to the wisdom of his heart, as well as the knowledge of his mind.  When an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, he was able to hear and understand.

Morton Kelsey wrote about Joseph-and us: "Sometimes our religious experience needs to displace our conventional human wisdom. Saints are those who follow their deepest inner promptings, even when they make no worldly sense."

Friends, I think that's why you're here this morning, on this cold, snowy day.  We prepare for Christmas because it is an invitation to do what Joseph did - to let go, for a moment, at least of our need for reasonableness and everything making sense - and be caught in the wonder of a God who comes to us in such an unlikely manner.  It's a time to open our hearts to the love of God that interrupts our comfortable lives and brings us so much more than we could ever imagine.  In the middle of the harshest of life's realities, Joseph invites us to see God's love breaking in -even as we stand outside the spotlight.

Who needs Joseph?  We do.  And so does the world.