A Journey Through the Manger Scene
in Sermon and Song
(#2 - Joseph)
Maybe it is because I'm a man, or maybe it's because I'm usually drawn to the fringe characters of any Biblical story, but I have often pondered Joseph at Christmas time. Quite often he gets brushed to the side in our telling of the Christmas story becoming nothing more than Mary's husband and the guy leading the donkey. However, Joseph has got some real depth and gives us a lot to think about.
First off Joseph has some decisions to make. He must to decide whether or not to follow through on his engagement to Mary. In order to do that Joseph has to choose to believe that Mary has not been unfaithful to him and is carrying God's baby which was created in her womb, somehow, but the Holy Spirit. This decision - to remain on course with marrying Mary - also comes with a choice to be an outcast. Joseph will be looked down upon by everyone for his union with the unclean, and seemingly untruthful, Mary. It's no wonder the Bible tells us that he thought about dismissing her quietly. It's my guess is the mention of this consideration - "he had in mind to divorce her quietly" (Matt. 1:19b) - is a bit of an understatement.
The second decision Joseph needs to make is to leave what little support he may have had left and travel to safety. Following the visit of the Magi and just moments before Herod's murderous rampage against Bethlehem area toddlers Joseph scurries away with Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Joseph's story seems ripped right from the headlines. A man fleeing a tyrant to another country as a refugee seeking asylum is the experience of many in our world today.
Both of those decisions needed a visit in a from the Angel of the Lord in a dream to take root in Joseph.
I've always wondered what it was like to be Joseph. Did he ever doubt the story he was told about how Mary got pregnant after he had the dream? How did he feel having to leave home, and everything he knew, to protect his family? What was it like knowing you were the stepfather of the Messiah? I once preached a sermon titled, "Out on a Limb with Joseph." That sermon is long gone from my notes, papers and memory, but the feeling of Joseph being out on a limb as we read Matthew 2 persists. While there are plenty of risks being taken in the Christmas story...Joseph is certainly a man who is going out on a limb - risking it all multiple times.
For the past decade the rock band The Killers has released a Christmas tune each holiday season. The third year of the run, 2008, they released with the help of Elton John and Neil Tennant, "Joseph, Better You Than Me." This excellent, and non-traditional, Christmas tune serves as a wonderful prompt for reflecting on Joseph as we place him in the Manger Scene.
Better you than me indeed.
Joel K
You can read the lyrics while you listen here.
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