WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
December 23rd 2007
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Who Are We?”
Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25
It must be rather shocking to find out that your fiancé is pregnant. And, on top of this the baby is not yours. The circumstances around Joseph receiving this news are the sort of thing which is common fare on Jerry Springer and other shows of this sort. However, what we know is that Joseph, after a good night’s rest, does not intend to publically embarrass her. Instead he will do the righteous thing and walk away. But his plans were interrupted. In a dream, everything changes.
In our bible study we have been talking a great deal about angels. On thing we all seem to agree upon is that if we ever encounter an angel, we would be afraid. That places us in good company since angels, at least in the Gospel of Luke, always open with the words: “Do not fear.” However, unlike most people in Luke’s gospel, the angel does not tell Joseph not to fear. It looks as if Joseph is either not afraid, or that the message is so abrupt that he does not have time to fear. But either way, this dream encounter changes his course of action.
Joseph, the righteous man, goes from being willing to walk away from his fiancé to deciding to raise the child as his own simply because an angel quotes some scripture. So, what happened? While it is not spelled out I believe there is a rather simple answer. When Joseph encounters this angel and hears the scriptures, he knows that what has happened is a part of God’s long history with his family. In other words, this new miracle is part of a larger story, his story. Joseph knows who he is and where he has come from and as a result he is able to respond positively to this shocking news. Joseph knows that God works in the most unexpected places and people bringing abut new life and liberation.
While this might seem like a rather bold or overstated claim it is not if we consider the first seventeen verses in this chapter of Matthew’s gospel. Those seventeen verses contain a genealogy that most of us simply skip over to get to the good part. However, this genealogy is the good part. It is a story which begins with Abraham, ends with Joseph. Along the way it tells us the story of how God has worked through some pretty unlikely characters. After all, this is a genealogy which includes thieves, liars, murderers, and adulterers. And, by the way, that was only King David. But this genealogy also includes four women who survived in the most difficult circumstances and end up being celebrated for their faithfulness.
So, when Joseph encounters the angels in his dreams he knows who he is and where he has come from. He has come from people like: Tamar, who has to survive as a prostitute because her father-in-law will not give her what, is legally hers. And, Rahab who is also prostitute becomes the savior of the people of God at Jericho. Or, Ruth, the immigrant woman who does what she has to do to save her mother-in-law and herself. In the process she becomes the epitome of faith and the great-grandmother of King David. And finally there is Bathsheba who is only identified as the wife of Uriah. It is a reminder that even though King David takes advantage of his neighbor and kills her husband, God can still bring good out of such a mess. Each one of these are stories shows that God is at work, defying our expectations making a way where there is no way. Joseph is able to follow the call of the angel because he knows these stories. He knows who is and where he has come from.
But that is not the end of the story. This passage is also an invitation to each person who hears the story. The question we must ask is: Who are we? None of us can claim to be part of Joseph’s family tree, at least in the traditional sense. However, the good news is that in Jesus Christ, we are adopted into this family tree, this story. We are part of the family of God. When we know this truth, this story, we know who we are and we know that God can work even in the most difficult of circumstances of our lives.
When Joseph awakes from his dream he has a choice to make. His choice is whether or not he will put down his preconceived notions about the world and be prepared to receive Jesus into his home. While the proper thing to do might have been to walk away, the angel reminds him of what he already knows. In order to receive Jesus into his life and household he had to make a choice to put down anything which would stand in his way. As we stand on the threshold of Christmas, there are things, ideas, beliefs, that each one of us are carrying around that we too need to discard or put down. I do not know what they are for each one of us but I know that we all carry them. So, this morning immediately following the end of the sermon we are going to do that, symbolically. You are invited, as you are moved, to take one of the colored cloths that are around the sanctuary. Then come forward and place the cloth in the basket, or make-shift cradle. In doing so we are joining with Joseph in preparing our hearts to receive Jesus this Christmas. May this simple action help prepare each one of us to welcome Jesus this Christmas. Because, we know who we are. Amen.
December 23rd 2007
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Who Are We?”
Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25
It must be rather shocking to find out that your fiancé is pregnant. And, on top of this the baby is not yours. The circumstances around Joseph receiving this news are the sort of thing which is common fare on Jerry Springer and other shows of this sort. However, what we know is that Joseph, after a good night’s rest, does not intend to publically embarrass her. Instead he will do the righteous thing and walk away. But his plans were interrupted. In a dream, everything changes.
In our bible study we have been talking a great deal about angels. On thing we all seem to agree upon is that if we ever encounter an angel, we would be afraid. That places us in good company since angels, at least in the Gospel of Luke, always open with the words: “Do not fear.” However, unlike most people in Luke’s gospel, the angel does not tell Joseph not to fear. It looks as if Joseph is either not afraid, or that the message is so abrupt that he does not have time to fear. But either way, this dream encounter changes his course of action.
Joseph, the righteous man, goes from being willing to walk away from his fiancé to deciding to raise the child as his own simply because an angel quotes some scripture. So, what happened? While it is not spelled out I believe there is a rather simple answer. When Joseph encounters this angel and hears the scriptures, he knows that what has happened is a part of God’s long history with his family. In other words, this new miracle is part of a larger story, his story. Joseph knows who he is and where he has come from and as a result he is able to respond positively to this shocking news. Joseph knows that God works in the most unexpected places and people bringing abut new life and liberation.
While this might seem like a rather bold or overstated claim it is not if we consider the first seventeen verses in this chapter of Matthew’s gospel. Those seventeen verses contain a genealogy that most of us simply skip over to get to the good part. However, this genealogy is the good part. It is a story which begins with Abraham, ends with Joseph. Along the way it tells us the story of how God has worked through some pretty unlikely characters. After all, this is a genealogy which includes thieves, liars, murderers, and adulterers. And, by the way, that was only King David. But this genealogy also includes four women who survived in the most difficult circumstances and end up being celebrated for their faithfulness.
So, when Joseph encounters the angels in his dreams he knows who he is and where he has come from. He has come from people like: Tamar, who has to survive as a prostitute because her father-in-law will not give her what, is legally hers. And, Rahab who is also prostitute becomes the savior of the people of God at Jericho. Or, Ruth, the immigrant woman who does what she has to do to save her mother-in-law and herself. In the process she becomes the epitome of faith and the great-grandmother of King David. And finally there is Bathsheba who is only identified as the wife of Uriah. It is a reminder that even though King David takes advantage of his neighbor and kills her husband, God can still bring good out of such a mess. Each one of these are stories shows that God is at work, defying our expectations making a way where there is no way. Joseph is able to follow the call of the angel because he knows these stories. He knows who is and where he has come from.
But that is not the end of the story. This passage is also an invitation to each person who hears the story. The question we must ask is: Who are we? None of us can claim to be part of Joseph’s family tree, at least in the traditional sense. However, the good news is that in Jesus Christ, we are adopted into this family tree, this story. We are part of the family of God. When we know this truth, this story, we know who we are and we know that God can work even in the most difficult of circumstances of our lives.
When Joseph awakes from his dream he has a choice to make. His choice is whether or not he will put down his preconceived notions about the world and be prepared to receive Jesus into his home. While the proper thing to do might have been to walk away, the angel reminds him of what he already knows. In order to receive Jesus into his life and household he had to make a choice to put down anything which would stand in his way. As we stand on the threshold of Christmas, there are things, ideas, beliefs, that each one of us are carrying around that we too need to discard or put down. I do not know what they are for each one of us but I know that we all carry them. So, this morning immediately following the end of the sermon we are going to do that, symbolically. You are invited, as you are moved, to take one of the colored cloths that are around the sanctuary. Then come forward and place the cloth in the basket, or make-shift cradle. In doing so we are joining with Joseph in preparing our hearts to receive Jesus this Christmas. May this simple action help prepare each one of us to welcome Jesus this Christmas. Because, we know who we are. Amen.
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