4th Sunday Advent 2007
Trust in the Lord
My Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Christmas is just days away! Do we want to celebrate a truly grace-filled Christmas? Do we? Then, let us look at Mary and Joseph do what they did.
Our text tells us that Joseph was "a righteous man." This means he was God-fearing and law-abiding. He was a simple and honest man. In the Greek language the exact same word is applied to Zechariah and Elizabeth, whom Scripture describes as being "upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly" (Lk 1:6).To fully appreciate Joseph's righteousness, we need to understand Jewish marriage procedures. It consisted of two steps. First, a formal exchange of vows before witnesses. Second, the taking of the bride to the groom's family home.A marriage was considered legal after the first step already; the woman was the man's wife even though she continued to live at her own family home, usually for about a year. That is why a formal certificate of divorce was required to break the vows. That is also why a woman was considered a widow if the man died before she was taken into his home. Furthermore, this is also why any sexual behavior by the woman after the exchange of vows was considered adultery. The Law required that when a woman was taken to her husband's home, she was to be taken as a virgin.We are told that "Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph." This means Joseph and Mary had already gone through the first step of marriage and were considered husband and wife; that is why Joseph is identified as "her husband" (vs 19). We are also told that the events in front of us happened "before they came together." This means Joseph had yet to take Mary into his home.Joseph was also a merciful, caring, and compassionate man. He did not want to humiliate Mary. He did not want to shame her in front of all the world. He did not want to publicly accuse her of a serious sin. He did not want to subject her to a community trial. He did not want her to be stoned for her sin. So he decided to divorce Mary quietly.
In more than one place the Bible joins righteousness to graciousness and compassion (Ps 112:4; 37:21). The Book of Wisdom declares that "Those who are upright must be kind" (Wisdom 12:19). So, we see that Joseph's kindness or mercy was actually part of his righteousness. As a righteous man, Joseph showed love. As a righteous man, Joseph showed love not only for God but also for man.If there is one thing Mary and Joseph needed in connection with the birth of Jesus, it was trust.
First, Mary had to trust that even though she was a virgin, she would bear a child by the Holy Spirit. Mary trusted, and it was done to her as the angel said.
Second, Joseph had to trust that Mary’s pregnancy was indeed by the Holy Spirit and not by someone else. Joseph trusted, and received Mary into his Home as his wife.
One of the most difficult things we are asked to do in life is to trust. And our trust must go in three directions.
First, we must trust God, just as Mary and Joseph did. Happy are those” says the book of Psalms, “who trust in God.” (Psalms 84:12)
Second, we must trust each other, just as Mary and Joseph did.
In her article, Ardis Whitman recalls an event that happened when she was a child of eight.
One day her mother took her to the circus. She was absolutely thrilled by the trapeze performers as they swung back and forth high in the air, catching each other at the last minute.
As she was watching, she turned to her mother and said excitedly,” Aren’t they scared, Momma? Aren’t they scared?”
Before her mother could answer, a man in the row in front of them turned and said to the little girl, “Honey, they aren’t scared. They trust each other.”
There was a brief silence and then someone else was heard to say, “that man should know. He used to perform on the high wire himself’.
And so the second trust we must have is trust in each other.
Finally, there is the most difficult trust of all. It is far more difficult than trusting in God or trusting in each other. It is trusting in ourselves. It is trusting in our own goodness as persons. It’s trusting in our own value.
It’s trusting that God made us for some special purpose.
In his book Through Seasons of the Heart, author John Powell writes:
“God sends person into this world with a special message to deliver, with a special song to sing… With a special act of love to bestow.”
Yes dear brothers and sisters, No one else can speak our special message. No one else can sing our special song. No one else can bestow our special act of Love. We must do this ourselves.
None of us in this church today is too young to speak our message, too old to sing our song, too weak to perform our act of love.
Let me close today with the prayer by Cardinal Newman the great British intellectual and writer of the last century. It is a prayer both Mary and Joseph could have prayed with special devotion in their situation in today’s gospel. It speaks of the trust we must have in God , in one another , and in ourselves.
“God has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission- I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I shall do good…” Therefore, I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him… God does nothing in vain. He may prolong my life, he may shorten it; he knows what he is about…O my God, I will put myself without reserve into your hands.’
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
My Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Christmas is just days away! Do we want to celebrate a truly grace-filled Christmas? Do we? Then, let us look at Mary and Joseph do what they did.
Our text tells us that Joseph was "a righteous man." This means he was God-fearing and law-abiding. He was a simple and honest man. In the Greek language the exact same word is applied to Zechariah and Elizabeth, whom Scripture describes as being "upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly" (Lk 1:6).To fully appreciate Joseph's righteousness, we need to understand Jewish marriage procedures. It consisted of two steps. First, a formal exchange of vows before witnesses. Second, the taking of the bride to the groom's family home.A marriage was considered legal after the first step already; the woman was the man's wife even though she continued to live at her own family home, usually for about a year. That is why a formal certificate of divorce was required to break the vows. That is also why a woman was considered a widow if the man died before she was taken into his home. Furthermore, this is also why any sexual behavior by the woman after the exchange of vows was considered adultery. The Law required that when a woman was taken to her husband's home, she was to be taken as a virgin.We are told that "Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph." This means Joseph and Mary had already gone through the first step of marriage and were considered husband and wife; that is why Joseph is identified as "her husband" (vs 19). We are also told that the events in front of us happened "before they came together." This means Joseph had yet to take Mary into his home.Joseph was also a merciful, caring, and compassionate man. He did not want to humiliate Mary. He did not want to shame her in front of all the world. He did not want to publicly accuse her of a serious sin. He did not want to subject her to a community trial. He did not want her to be stoned for her sin. So he decided to divorce Mary quietly.
In more than one place the Bible joins righteousness to graciousness and compassion (Ps 112:4; 37:21). The Book of Wisdom declares that "Those who are upright must be kind" (Wisdom 12:19). So, we see that Joseph's kindness or mercy was actually part of his righteousness. As a righteous man, Joseph showed love. As a righteous man, Joseph showed love not only for God but also for man.If there is one thing Mary and Joseph needed in connection with the birth of Jesus, it was trust.
First, Mary had to trust that even though she was a virgin, she would bear a child by the Holy Spirit. Mary trusted, and it was done to her as the angel said.
Second, Joseph had to trust that Mary’s pregnancy was indeed by the Holy Spirit and not by someone else. Joseph trusted, and received Mary into his Home as his wife.
One of the most difficult things we are asked to do in life is to trust. And our trust must go in three directions.
First, we must trust God, just as Mary and Joseph did. Happy are those” says the book of Psalms, “who trust in God.” (Psalms 84:12)
Second, we must trust each other, just as Mary and Joseph did.
In her article, Ardis Whitman recalls an event that happened when she was a child of eight.
One day her mother took her to the circus. She was absolutely thrilled by the trapeze performers as they swung back and forth high in the air, catching each other at the last minute.
As she was watching, she turned to her mother and said excitedly,” Aren’t they scared, Momma? Aren’t they scared?”
Before her mother could answer, a man in the row in front of them turned and said to the little girl, “Honey, they aren’t scared. They trust each other.”
There was a brief silence and then someone else was heard to say, “that man should know. He used to perform on the high wire himself’.
And so the second trust we must have is trust in each other.
Finally, there is the most difficult trust of all. It is far more difficult than trusting in God or trusting in each other. It is trusting in ourselves. It is trusting in our own goodness as persons. It’s trusting in our own value.
It’s trusting that God made us for some special purpose.
In his book Through Seasons of the Heart, author John Powell writes:
“God sends person into this world with a special message to deliver, with a special song to sing… With a special act of love to bestow.”
Yes dear brothers and sisters, No one else can speak our special message. No one else can sing our special song. No one else can bestow our special act of Love. We must do this ourselves.
None of us in this church today is too young to speak our message, too old to sing our song, too weak to perform our act of love.
Let me close today with the prayer by Cardinal Newman the great British intellectual and writer of the last century. It is a prayer both Mary and Joseph could have prayed with special devotion in their situation in today’s gospel. It speaks of the trust we must have in God , in one another , and in ourselves.
“God has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission- I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I shall do good…” Therefore, I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him… God does nothing in vain. He may prolong my life, he may shorten it; he knows what he is about…O my God, I will put myself without reserve into your hands.’
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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