Word to the Wise
Friday, December 18, 2009 - Friday in the Third Week of Advent
[Jeremiah 23:5-8 and Matthew 1:18-25]Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David.... [Jeremiah] "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.".......When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of
After reading the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew yesterday and discovering that there is a certain amount of "messiness" in it (e.g. David/Bathsheba, etc.) we learn that Jesus' conception involves some "messiness" as well. Joseph is ready to divorce Mary because it has been discovered she is pregnant before she has moved into his home! We are not told how that news was communicated or to whom, other than Joseph. We learn that he was a righteous man and that he obeyed the command he received in a dream. We can also see that there is more than one "annunciation" story. Mary is featured in Luke, Joseph in Matthew. The words, "Joseph, son of DAVID..." are very important if you take a quick look at the first scripture for today from the prophet, Jeremiah (quoted above). When the time came to tell the story of Jesus' birth (some years after his death!), the author of the Gospel of Matthew wanted to emphasize that Jesus was indeed the fulfillment of all that the prophets had foretold. Scripture scholars remind us that the "infancy narratives" are actually "mini-gospels" and sum up much of what will follow. Furthermore, they are "preachings" and not newspaper accounts or official biographies. It is the story, as represented and consolidated in the crib scene in our homes, that we live year after year. We read the story in the scripture and we pass it on to others. The ACLU and similar opponents of public religious expression are no different from those who have tried to stop the spread of Christianity throughout the centuries. The story, with all its divine/human messiness, continues to be told and God's promise continues to be kept. AMEN
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