LOVE: THE GREATEST OF THESE

Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent. 3 weeks ago our theme was Hope. 2 weeks ago we looked at Peace. Last week we looked at Joy. On this 4th and final Sunday of Advent we are presented with a story of Love. Actually it is 2 love stories intertwined into the fulfillment of a long awaited promise.

Our story begins with a young woman named Mary. Now I’m sure most of us are familiar with the story of how, as we read in the 1st chapter of Luke, God sent His angel Gabriel to Nazareth to a virgin and told her that because she found favor with God, she would conceive and give birth to a son. However this would not be a normal kind of birth, for while Mary was to be the mother, the father would be God Himself. At this news, Mary responds: < Luke 1:38>.

I’m pretty sure that that would not be my response if I were in Mary’s shoes. I would probably be wondering if I was on Candid Camera! But to God’s announcement, Mary responds simply with, “May it be so.”

But the other person in this divine drama had a different reaction to the news. Enter Joseph! We don’t know a lot about Joseph. He lived in Nazareth, he was a descendent of David, he was engaged to Mary, and as we heard in the reading of Matthew’s account, he was “faithful to the law.” But I believe there is more to Joseph than just what is written on the page.

In both Matthew and Luke, the 2 Gospels that provide us with the birth narrative, the NIV tells us that Mary was “pledged” to be married to Joseph. In those days, after an arraignment between the parents of Joseph and Mary, their engagement would be announced with a wedding 12 months in the future. But unlike engagements today, in the eyes of the community (and the law) they were considered to be married while still living in their parents homes. As such, there was to be no consummation until after the official wedding ceremony. To be found pregnant during that period of time would definitely bring that in to question.

We are told by Matthew that at some point Mary was found to be pregnant. The Greek word here is hurisko, which is the most common word translated in the NT as “found.” Nowhere do we hear how Joseph found out Mary was pregnant but from his reaction to the news it doesn’t seem like Mary told him, or if she did, he didn’t believe it, for we read that upon discovering the pregnancy he “had in mind to divorce her ——- quietly.” And it’s that last word that tells me this was way more than just a simple arrangement between families.

Matthew 1:19, tells us that Joseph was “faithful to the law,” and as such would have been familiar with the statutes set down in Deuteronomy 22 and 24.

In Deuteronomy 24, God instructs the people of Israel that should a woman be found not a virgin at the time of her marriage then she is to be stoned to death at the door of her father’s house, for, and I quote from Deuteronomy 22:21, “she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.”

The other option available to Joseph was to give Mary a Certificate of Divorce and send her away. In essence branding her a divorcee and severely limiting her chances of getting a future husband, and most likely condemning her to a life living in her parents house.

I believe that it was a love for God that led Joseph to make the painful decision to divorce Mary, but a love for Mary that drove him to do it quietly so as to not bring disgrace upon her and her family.

Yet, neither of these options were part of God’s plan for this couple. < Matthew 1:20 >. We can guess that the angel mentioned here is the same Gabriel who came to Mary for he affirms the news he gave to her. While this angel instructs each of these folks to give the child the name Jesus, Joseph receive the reason for the name: “He will save his people from their sins.” If he hadn’t realized it before, I’ll bet he did now! Not only was this a special conception, but the child was to do something that only God could do, save people from their sins. < vv.24-25 >.

Joseph was a man of conviction, of compassion, and of strength. He had conviction to stand firm on the Law of God. The love I believe he had for Mary could have very easily led him to ignore God’s statues, wed Mary and move forward with life.

He had the compassion to choose the least detrimental path for Mary and took it even further by not wanting to put a public stain on Mary or her family.

He also had the strength to stand by Mary’s side with love and support for what lay ahead....the whispers when Mary began to show so soon after the wedding; the comments that he did not follow the Law; the keeping Mary a virgin until after Jesus’ birth and the strength to be faithful to the command of God in the naming of the baby Jesus.

However , this is not the only story of love that the Gospel writers point out for us. The Gospel writer John paints for us the clearest picture of this second love story when he wrote what is probably the most quoted verse in the Bible, John 3:16. Say is with me < >.

Have we ever really stopped to think about what we just said?

“For God...:” God! Not some make-up mystical character but the Being Who created all that we see around us with just His words. Our God is so powerful that when He says, “Let there be...” there it is! Our God is so almighty that He can see from the beginning of time to the end of time in one glance. Our God is so compassionate that He watches over each of us every moment of every day as if we are the only one’s under His care.

“For God so loved the world...” God loves His creation! He loves the land, sea and air. He loves the birds and fish and all the other animals. But He loves human beings the most. John says that He loves the world...not a specific nation, a specific race, a specific population, but each and every person on earth!

How much does he love them? He loves them, He loves us, so much that God, as the Holy Spirit, came to Mary so that God the Son could come to earth in human form to do what only God can do: save people from their sins! In Luke, Mary is told that her son, Jesus will be called “Son of the Most High” and “Son of God.” She was told that Jesus would be given the throne of David and that His kingdom would never end. Not a bad resume, yet, in that little town of Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph only saw a new born baby asleep in the hay.

One of my favorite songs is the one by Mark Lowrie entitled, “Mary Did You Know?” In that song questions are asked such as, “Mary did you know that your Son would walk on water?” “Mary did you know that your Son would calm the storm with His hand.” The crescendo is the chorus:

Mary, did you know? The blind will see The deaf will hear And the dead will live again The lame will leap The dumb will speak The praises of the Lamb I don’t believe that either Joseph nor Mary knew all that lay ahead for Jesus. They knew He was special, that He would be a ruler, that He would save his people, but I doubt that either of them knew how all of that would be accomplished. But we do.

This little baby grew to be a Man. A Man who brought Hope to the hopeless. A Man who brought Peace to the troubled. A Man who brought Joy to the downtrodden. And He did all this, and more for one reason. Love!

Christmas is just around the corner. It is a time when we gather with loved ones and friends to celebrate, exchange gifts, reminisce and reflect. And we do so because of one reason. Love!

It is love that brought God, YAHWAH, Jehovah, down to earth, taking on the form of a man, being tempted, mocked, scorned, beaten and put to death for one reason, love. And it was love that, 3 days later resulted in an empty tomb so that, you and I, and all who proclaim Jesus as Lord can receive the greatest gift of all, eternal life!

Love. 4 letters that changed my life. 4 letters that have changed the world. 4 letters that are the reason for the season. Amen.