Word to the Wise
Monday, December 18, 2006 - Third Monday in Advent
[Jeremiah 23:5-8 and Matthew 1:18-25]Joseph, son of DAvid, do not be afraid to take Mary, your wife, into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
There are two "annunciation" stories. The paintings and poetry generally go with the one from Luke in which the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary. In Matthew, an unnamed angel appears to Joseph in a dream. It's not as dramatic. Joseph is not a dramatic person. He's a "good and just man." But he's also of Davidic descent and that is what is important in the Gospel of Matthew. This story follows on the genealogy! Not only that, Jesus is seen as the fulfillment of the promise to David and the promise to Ahaz in the Old Testament. The two names are important too: Jesus means salvation. Emmanuel means "God is with us." Oh it is a rich, rich passage from Matthew! The less dramatic Joseph appeals to me. He becomes a model for his foster son. But, those names are the clincher for me. God's saving presence is the meaning of Christmas! Maybe we can be the "dream angels" for one another and proclaim the message of God's saving presence in this season. AMEN