Read: Matthew 1:18-25
Reflect: No matter how much time we spend stretching, showering, dressing and preparing – there comes a time every morning we have to grab our keys and go. That’s what the love of Christmas is about – the “love” that is an action verb. God who goes to earth, wrapped in vulnerable flesh, and we who are to go into the world wrapped in the abundant love of God.
It’s easy to get confused about love in its action form. Theologians and seminarians talk about the 4 Greek words for love and what scriptures each one is used in, while people die from hunger every day around the world. Pastors and teachers compel love from their pulpits, while our prison population triples as people are punished, but not healed. Christians sing about love every Sunday while unseen lonely people believe the church has no place for them. Love in its action form is hard for us to understand sometimes.
And yet at Christmas we celebrate Love on the Go – Immanuel – God (Love) With Us. Today’s lectionary passage helps us see what a moving love looks like.
Poet Ann Weems points out frequently how many mistakes we make with our nativity scenes:
* Mary looks fresh as a daisy, after just giving birth,
* Shepherds and 1 or two sheep are present (now, if a shepherd was going to bring his flock, would he only bring one or two of them?),
* The Magi (wise men, kings, etc) are there – even though most biblical scholars remind us every year THAT story is from Epiphany (liturgically) and happened as far as 2 years after the birth historically.
But the biggest mistake she points out is our tendency to put Joseph in the back of the stable. We don’t hear much about Joseph really. He’s always somewhere in the back of the room, looking at Jesus from afar. Poor Joseph, the silent stepfather to the infant king. But the Bible shows through this humble man what love truly looks like.
Love respects
Joseph and Mary are betrothed. In Hebrew tradition, once a girl has passed through temple rites, met the criteria and is certified by a Levite priest to be able to be married her family may sign a wedding contract in her name. The contracted couple enters a period of “Betrothal” during which time preparations are made for the couple to be married. If the groom is not a first born son (living and inheriting the father’s house) he will have to build a house (usually on family property). The bride must work to gather what things she may need – cooking pots, pans, and candlesticks for ritual. Again, if she’s not the oldest daughter, she has to earn these things through working for her family somehow. There is even a “betrothal ceremony” called the “Kiddushin” in which the bride and groom drink wine and exchange rings. In the eyes of Jewish law, the bride is already the property of the groom. When they are ready, the marriage ceremony is performed (“Nissuin”), the glass is broken and the marriage is consummated.
Joseph and Mary have had their Kiddushin. He owns her. And she’s pregnant. We always carry on about what that must of done to poor Mary’s reputation – but we rarely think about Joseph. If you knew an engaged couple building a house together and she ended up pregnant – who would be your first choice as the paternal candidate? Joseph knows it wasn’t him, and in an act of great compassion, decides to wait before breaking the marriage contract and taking his ring back. He wants to do it quietly and save her from disgrace (even if he thinks she deserves it). Why? Because he loves her, and in his love – treats her with respect. Love doesn’t say, “well she got what was coming to her!”
Respect is a measurable quantity of love. The more you love God, the more you treat God’s creation (including animals, earth and other people) with respect. Love in the active form never humiliates, seeks revenge, or belittles. Love takes the other person into consideration and acts with grace. Notice the scripture doesn’t say he plans to stay with her, or he forgives her – but he does respect her. Sometimes we, in our humanness, decide to wait until we forgive someone before we can respect them – but love respects first and always.
Love believes
So while he is trying to be more than fair with her, an angel appears in a dream and gives him the most implausible explanation on the planet. She’s having a baby, but she’s still a virgin (and she needs to stay that way) and the baby is the child of prophecy who can save people from sin. Its not written in stone, its not done before the 2 male witnesses required by Jewish law, and there aren’t even Angel footprints in the dust on his floor – because it was all a dream. And yet, he believes. Love believes.
Love in its active form believes that God is still God, that the impossible is probable and that mystery has a place in the world of our faith. Rev. Donna Schaper describes a holy person in this way:
“A godly person is someone who faces despair with hope, and meets challenges with love.”
At the moment Joseph feels the despair of a broken relationship, betrayal from his betrothed, and public scrutiny, he faces those ideas by believing in a dream, and having the hope that it’s true. He takes her as his wife, completing the Nissuin but not consummating the marriage (which breaks Jewish law), because he believes in more than religious law. He believes in God and God’s mysterious righteous will.
We need to believe. We need to believe that peace can come to this world, because it is God’s dream. We need to believe God’s love includes and heals and exists for everyone, because our brother/sisterhood is God’s idea. We need to believe that the hungry should be fed, the prisoner should be healed and the widow should be provided for because it is God’s vision. If we as Christians are to walk in the world with love, we need to believe.
Love Stays
The name the angel tells Joseph is Immanuel – God With Us. Notice the parallel –Joseph is going to stay with Mary; God is going to stay with us. In a rational world, Mary doesn’t deserve Joseph but in a faithful world, Joseph stays with her anyway. In our rational world we don’t deserve God, but in God’s faithfulness, God is going to stay anyway.
Love in an active form is staying. It’s the act of being with one another and not abandoning the promises we make. Love means doing what it takes: believing the impossible, forgiving the painful, reaching for the unthinkable, and following the undesirable. If we are going to love the poor, we must “stay with them” (in prayer, in hope, in building projects, in giving, in creating justice and in memory). If we are going to love the prisoners we must stay with them (in writing, in praying, in healing). If we are going to love God’s children we must stay with them (in peace, in hope, in tolerance, in prayer, in action).
That is what this day of Advent is all about. Love – in “go” mode – active and unfettered. I read a note this past week talking about favorite Christmas songs. I didn’t answer it because I have so many – but in preparing this writing I began to ponder what the best song for this day of love is, and I have come up with a favorite. It’s traditionally an Easter hymn, not a Christmas song. But I can’t escape it when I see the baby in the manger and realize all that he set aside to be with me and save me. I hum it when I think of brave, loving Joseph. I hear it in my heart when I think of my beloved Jesus. I sing it when I want to honor God. It is my response and my reflection this day.
Respond:
What Wondrous Love Is This?
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!
When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down I did not in silence drown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free I’ll sing His love for me,
And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
And through eternity I’ll sing on.
Amen.
Advent is nearly over. The Christ child stands at the threshold waiting to be born. Are you awake? Are you ready? Are you willing? Then….
Go
Reflect: No matter how much time we spend stretching, showering, dressing and preparing – there comes a time every morning we have to grab our keys and go. That’s what the love of Christmas is about – the “love” that is an action verb. God who goes to earth, wrapped in vulnerable flesh, and we who are to go into the world wrapped in the abundant love of God.
It’s easy to get confused about love in its action form. Theologians and seminarians talk about the 4 Greek words for love and what scriptures each one is used in, while people die from hunger every day around the world. Pastors and teachers compel love from their pulpits, while our prison population triples as people are punished, but not healed. Christians sing about love every Sunday while unseen lonely people believe the church has no place for them. Love in its action form is hard for us to understand sometimes.
And yet at Christmas we celebrate Love on the Go – Immanuel – God (Love) With Us. Today’s lectionary passage helps us see what a moving love looks like.
Poet Ann Weems points out frequently how many mistakes we make with our nativity scenes:
* Mary looks fresh as a daisy, after just giving birth,
* Shepherds and 1 or two sheep are present (now, if a shepherd was going to bring his flock, would he only bring one or two of them?),
* The Magi (wise men, kings, etc) are there – even though most biblical scholars remind us every year THAT story is from Epiphany (liturgically) and happened as far as 2 years after the birth historically.
But the biggest mistake she points out is our tendency to put Joseph in the back of the stable. We don’t hear much about Joseph really. He’s always somewhere in the back of the room, looking at Jesus from afar. Poor Joseph, the silent stepfather to the infant king. But the Bible shows through this humble man what love truly looks like.
Love respects
Joseph and Mary are betrothed. In Hebrew tradition, once a girl has passed through temple rites, met the criteria and is certified by a Levite priest to be able to be married her family may sign a wedding contract in her name. The contracted couple enters a period of “Betrothal” during which time preparations are made for the couple to be married. If the groom is not a first born son (living and inheriting the father’s house) he will have to build a house (usually on family property). The bride must work to gather what things she may need – cooking pots, pans, and candlesticks for ritual. Again, if she’s not the oldest daughter, she has to earn these things through working for her family somehow. There is even a “betrothal ceremony” called the “Kiddushin” in which the bride and groom drink wine and exchange rings. In the eyes of Jewish law, the bride is already the property of the groom. When they are ready, the marriage ceremony is performed (“Nissuin”), the glass is broken and the marriage is consummated.
Joseph and Mary have had their Kiddushin. He owns her. And she’s pregnant. We always carry on about what that must of done to poor Mary’s reputation – but we rarely think about Joseph. If you knew an engaged couple building a house together and she ended up pregnant – who would be your first choice as the paternal candidate? Joseph knows it wasn’t him, and in an act of great compassion, decides to wait before breaking the marriage contract and taking his ring back. He wants to do it quietly and save her from disgrace (even if he thinks she deserves it). Why? Because he loves her, and in his love – treats her with respect. Love doesn’t say, “well she got what was coming to her!”
Respect is a measurable quantity of love. The more you love God, the more you treat God’s creation (including animals, earth and other people) with respect. Love in the active form never humiliates, seeks revenge, or belittles. Love takes the other person into consideration and acts with grace. Notice the scripture doesn’t say he plans to stay with her, or he forgives her – but he does respect her. Sometimes we, in our humanness, decide to wait until we forgive someone before we can respect them – but love respects first and always.
Love believes
So while he is trying to be more than fair with her, an angel appears in a dream and gives him the most implausible explanation on the planet. She’s having a baby, but she’s still a virgin (and she needs to stay that way) and the baby is the child of prophecy who can save people from sin. Its not written in stone, its not done before the 2 male witnesses required by Jewish law, and there aren’t even Angel footprints in the dust on his floor – because it was all a dream. And yet, he believes. Love believes.
Love in its active form believes that God is still God, that the impossible is probable and that mystery has a place in the world of our faith. Rev. Donna Schaper describes a holy person in this way:
“A godly person is someone who faces despair with hope, and meets challenges with love.”
At the moment Joseph feels the despair of a broken relationship, betrayal from his betrothed, and public scrutiny, he faces those ideas by believing in a dream, and having the hope that it’s true. He takes her as his wife, completing the Nissuin but not consummating the marriage (which breaks Jewish law), because he believes in more than religious law. He believes in God and God’s mysterious righteous will.
We need to believe. We need to believe that peace can come to this world, because it is God’s dream. We need to believe God’s love includes and heals and exists for everyone, because our brother/sisterhood is God’s idea. We need to believe that the hungry should be fed, the prisoner should be healed and the widow should be provided for because it is God’s vision. If we as Christians are to walk in the world with love, we need to believe.
Love Stays
The name the angel tells Joseph is Immanuel – God With Us. Notice the parallel –Joseph is going to stay with Mary; God is going to stay with us. In a rational world, Mary doesn’t deserve Joseph but in a faithful world, Joseph stays with her anyway. In our rational world we don’t deserve God, but in God’s faithfulness, God is going to stay anyway.
Love in an active form is staying. It’s the act of being with one another and not abandoning the promises we make. Love means doing what it takes: believing the impossible, forgiving the painful, reaching for the unthinkable, and following the undesirable. If we are going to love the poor, we must “stay with them” (in prayer, in hope, in building projects, in giving, in creating justice and in memory). If we are going to love the prisoners we must stay with them (in writing, in praying, in healing). If we are going to love God’s children we must stay with them (in peace, in hope, in tolerance, in prayer, in action).
That is what this day of Advent is all about. Love – in “go” mode – active and unfettered. I read a note this past week talking about favorite Christmas songs. I didn’t answer it because I have so many – but in preparing this writing I began to ponder what the best song for this day of love is, and I have come up with a favorite. It’s traditionally an Easter hymn, not a Christmas song. But I can’t escape it when I see the baby in the manger and realize all that he set aside to be with me and save me. I hum it when I think of brave, loving Joseph. I hear it in my heart when I think of my beloved Jesus. I sing it when I want to honor God. It is my response and my reflection this day.
Respond:
What Wondrous Love Is This?
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!
When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down I did not in silence drown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free I’ll sing His love for me,
And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
And through eternity I’ll sing on.
Amen.
Advent is nearly over. The Christ child stands at the threshold waiting to be born. Are you awake? Are you ready? Are you willing? Then….
Go
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