Like Fathers, Like Son

12-22-19

Grace to you and peace from God our creator and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Finally! We are done with John the Baptist and finally here some of that happy Christmas stuff! Mary? Check. Baby? Check. Angel? Check. Adoring, peaceful Holy family? Well….. Not exactly. And there are a few OTHER things missing, anyway. If we only had the Gospel of Matthew to inform our Christmas plays, we would have no census or reason to travel, no manger, no assortment of various cattle, nor the haste of the shepherds. But we would still have an angel, a star, magi, and the perspective of Joseph.

"Let Mum Rest"

One of the most unusual nativities sets that I’ve ever seen still has all the usual core elements – Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and a manger with some hay. But this one I saw stuck out because they weren’t in the “poses” we’re used to - Mary kneeling and praying over Jesus, or with Jesus on her lap, and Joseph standing, leaning, and generally looking on -like “hey, I’m here if you need me.”  No, in THIS nativity, Mary was lying down, sound asleep, clearly passed out from exhaustion, and baby Jesus is cradled in Joseph’s arms as he stays awake and keeps watch.

It’s kind of jarring, because we don’t usually see Joseph get top billing… or any billing at all. Can any of you name a Christmas song about Joseph? Can any of you name a Christmas song that even has Joseph even mentioned IN it? (apparently there are some, but not many, and I couldn't think of any!)

Poor Joseph, the often-overlooked member of the nativity set, often indistinguishable from a shepherd figurine. Joseph, the supporting role to Mary and Jesus. Joseph, helpless as his fiancé’s belly grows, along with his fear of the future, and later standing helplessly by and holding Mary’s hand as she sweats and pushes Jesus into the world. Good old Joseph, changing the diapers, overcoming his fear of the future. Joseph, making a family long after the star and the angels have faded from the sky, long after the shepherds and magi have left. Joseph listens to his faith rather his fear, and follows the command of God, even when the path God has called him to is not quite as pristine as that perfect Christmas card.

But it took some doing to get there didn’t it? Because this scene – of Joseph holding Jesus while Mary sleeps - or one like it, almost never happened.

While Mary said “yes” to God’s whole extraordinary plan – “Here I am, the handmaid of the Lord,” in spite of how difficult it would make her life…Joseph at first wanted nothing to do with the whole situation. This was a hiccup in his plan, and while he was choosing the “nicest” way to go about it, this would have devastating consequences for Mary had it taken place as Joseph had so “kindly” planned.

Think about it –Mary was a teenage girl of a conquered people, living in poverty. In our own time, the statistics state that women in this situation are more likely to be the victims of sexual assault and violence. Martin Luther even postulated that Mary could have been without parents, leaving her without a support network and increasing her risk. If this truly was her situation, as uncomfortable we are with Joseph taking this teenaged bride in an arranged marriage, Joseph might have been her only chance at financial stability.

We laud Joseph for wanting to just “divorcing her quietly” rather than exposing her to possible public punishment – perhaps even death by stoning, which had fallen out of use, but was STILL LEGAL. Though her future as a single divorced mom in this culture is probably only one step up from her public disgrace. Though legally, Joseph was well within his rights to dismiss her… sometimes the legal or socially correct thing to do is not the RIGHT thing to do. As we see in this case, God has other plans, and some literal divine intervention happened.

Since Jo didn’t believe Mary at her word, God had to step in and clue him on his role in this divine plan. Joseph was guided by the rules he was taught, but in the end, was open and accepting to God’s plan, even if it meant his life was going to be very different than he imagined. Though it was a rough start, Joseph came around, did the right thing, and became the most famous step-dad of all time.

In a recently published book called, When Kids Ask Hard Questions: Faith-Filled Responses to tough questions, UCC Pastor Emily Brown writes about the holy family, and the important representation they have for members of blended or non-typical families. In her essay, Pastor Brown comments that, “Right at the heart of the Christian story is the story of a stepparent and stepchild, forming a loving family in extraordinary circumstances… “

Pastor Brown reminds us that there are many kinds of families in the Bible… rarely do we hear of example of a “nuclear” family, with a mom and a dad with “mutual biological progeny” aka children from the genetic material of both parents. Much more often we hear of the Patriarch Fathers with multiple wives and children with dozens of half- siblings – Like Abraham and Jacob - , families of a mother and a daughter-in-law – Like Naomi and Ruth - , families of a couple without children (Priscilla and Aquila), families headed by businesswomen matriarchs too (like Lydia in the book of Acts chapter 16). No families by the description of “mom, dad, 2 kids, a dog and a house with a picket fence.” Even the “holy family” doesn’t fit in the category.

But despite his unusual role, Joseph cared for and provided for his family, even though he and Jesus were not related by blood at all. Joseph “later, in the face of great danger he leaves everything he knows and flees with Mary and Jesus to Egypt…” (64) to seek asylum from the murderous rampage of King Herod. And we often forget that Mary and Joseph went on to have many children – Jesus hasbrothers and sisters, and at least one is named later.

God use all kinds of ways to make a family. Not just by birth, but by angel decrees, bonds of love, and the waters of baptism. This is visible in the family that Jesus was born into, as a baby with two daddies, who grew up influenced by both of his fathers. We don’t know for sure if Jesus was actually a carpenter, but we can assume that Jesus picked up a few things from his father Joseph – like building and construction – communities, building up the lowly and forgotten, and constructing a new kind of kin-dom, built on Kin (family) rather than Kings (rulers).

Like father(s), like son… at the very end of his life, as Jesus hung on the cross, Jesus remakes family yet again. In the gospel of John, Jesus sees his mother, utterly bereft that her son was dying in agony. He turns to his beloved disciple and says, “behold your mother,” and to his mother, “behold your son.” And from that day forward, that disciple took Mary into his household and took care of her. Like father(s), like son - he took care of Mary, his mom, and made sure she would be ok.

But this is not where Jesus’s care ends. Jesus loves, cares about, and provides for all the lost and the venerable, the tired, the grieving, the forgotten, the frustrated and the lonely… not just at this time of year, but ESPECIALLY at this time of year.

When most people are ask what the most important think about Christmas is, almost always someone will say. “Family.” But Jesus didn’t come only to the perfect “Christmas card” families your get in the mail from your relatives and friends. The gift of Christmas doesn’t just arrive to families who have “storybook” or “Hollywood and Hallmark” endings.

All families are holy. No matter how big or small, related by blood or by choosing. Where there is love, there is God, and where there is God, there is family.

Jesus makes ALL of us family. Not just here at our church, which just so happens to be called “Family of God.” We are all sibling in the body of Christ, members of the family of God across the world and across time, joined in the waters of baptism rather than the waters of the womb. And families love and care for each other, to the best of our abilities. We will probably and likely fail sometimes, but there is always a place for us in this family, around this table, sharing this meal. There is room for all kin in this Kin-dom. Thanks be to God. Amen.