God with Joseph, the Dutiful

Focus Statement

The Christmas story, the birth of the Messiah begins with a dilemma.

Mary’s pregnancy while she is engaged to Joseph creates a real issue for Joseph,

including a potential public scandal.

Joseph makes a respectable, dutiful plan

but the Spirit of God moves Joseph from dutifulness to participation in God’s extraordinary plan.

Point of Relation

When Bernadette and I were first married...

Things were certainly rough.

We had planned to have Katie, but as with most young parents...

We did not foresee what the future held for us financially.

As you know, at the time, I was going to college to become a Computer Programmer...

but at the time Sussex County Community College…

didn’t have a degree or certificate program in Web Development,

let alone business programming.

So, I was actually majoring in journalism...

And, my advisor let me run The College Hill Online, which was the Online version of the print School Newspaper.

That experience was absolutely instrumental in helping me build my skills...

But I still wouldn’t have a degree to show for it.

On top of that, we could not afford to put both of us through School…

and Bernadette was closer to finishing Nursing School than I was finishing up anything at SCCC.

At some point, the moment came...

My father-in-law offered me to work with him as a Union Ironworker.

Now, I am not a manual labor kind of guy.

I like to work with my head, not my hands…and that is where my gifts like...

Just because I am a man, does not mean I NEED to be handy.

And just because someone is a woman…does not mean they CANNOT be handy.

Gotta break those stereotypes! Amen?

Again, I am not much of a manual labor guy...

Nor am I too handy...

So the idea of me working as a union ironworker...

IT WAS THE LAST THING I wanted to do.

Yet, I knew I had to.

It was my obligation and duty as a husband and as a father.

And, so, I accepted the offer and worked as an Iron Worker for a year and a half...

and I even got to be a foreman on a couple of jobs in that time.

If anyone needs a reinforced patio, I know what I am doing! Or at least I did know what I was doing! LOL!

Over time, with the pay and benefits being so good…

I even considered staying in that industry so that I could continue to provide a stable household for my family...

But, in the end, I had to follow my own path…my own way...

Which led to failure…but, it also led to GOD...

And to me answering the call God put on my heart!

Things to Consider

We all do certain things out of a sense of duty and obligation,

but sometimes it can leave us feeling unfulfilled, bored, or like we are a side character in the drama of life and not center stage.

The story of Joseph shows us that we all matter in God’s story,

and it also shows us how to move from living out of obligation to truly listening to God’s will for us.

What Scripture Says

Joseph is not the main character of the Christmas story;

nevertheless, his decisions and actions have a significant impact on the way it unfolds,

on bringing Jesus into the world.

Consider how Mary’s pregnancy would have impacted both Joseph and Mary.

Joseph knew he was not the father of Mary’s baby. T

his is more than a matter of divorce, the law demands she be stoned for adultery,

because engagement carried the weight of marriage in those days.

When we are under pressure, who we really are comes out, and this was true for Joseph.

Joseph was a righteous man; in fact, that is why God chose him to raise Jesus along with Mary...

his choices were driven by his great love and commitment to Mary’s well-being,

and also by his own inner conviction about how he wanted to behave in the situation.

Joseph had planned to dismiss her quietly to avoid public disgrace,

rather than claiming his right as an injured husband.

Joseph had a decent plan, almost a godly one,

but it only dealt with the obvious problem.

It didn’t deal with the deeper concern

Mary’s claim that she was pregnant by the Spirit of God.

In the midst of this difficult and painful situation,

God is with Joseph in an incredible way;

God sends an angel to tell Joseph the truth about his situation,

to calm his inner turmoil and give him the wisdom to know what to do.

When Joseph awoke, he had a clear choice

stick to his own good, but very human plan OR

trust God and follow the bold and, in a real sense, risky plan that God had shown him.

Joseph says ‘yes’ to playing his part in God’s story

regardless of the personal consequences.

And we should not underestimate those consequences

whether people thought that Joseph had broken the vow of celibacy

or that Mary had been unfaithful to him, the potential shame on him was substantial.

The Christmas story is filled with hard choices and sacrifices.

Knowing the will of God is not enough; doing GOD’S WILL is what matters.

What This Means for You

Joseph moved from a place of compassion and duty to actually listening to God.

What does it look like for Christians to be dreamers,

to go beyond what the world expects of them and step into God’s bold future?

Has God already placed a dream in your heart?

What will be your next faithful step?

Perhaps, like Joseph, it includes letting go of our desires

to explain ourselves,

to be understood and validated according to the world’s standards,

to be seen in the proper light,

and to maintain personal comfort and security.

What This Means for Us

I am sure there have times when we, as a congregation, and certainly the church more broadly,

did what was expected or considered the “right” thing, maybe even more than was required,

yet missed the opportunity to take a brave step to do a God-inspired thing.

For instance, we have put together some really awesome programs that are intended to bring people to the church...

But what if we brought programs to the people out in the community.

What if we brought ourselves out in the community…and participated in hands-on-mission where people KNOW why we’re there!

There are going to be an increasing amount of such opportunities in the near future.

In what ways will our church need to be obedient,

even if it is uncomfortable?

What kind of sacrifices will we each have to make so that God can work through us in Newton and beyond?

Let us surrender all to God, and to his Son Jesus Christ, through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!