Sunday Before Christmas - of the Holy Fathers

St Boniface, Martyr (m. 290)

Title

Following the Faithful God

Outline

I like to know where I am going

I want the address, perhaps a view on Google Earth, a printed map and then will follow GPS

I like to know the path forward professionally as well

But that does not work with God

Hebrews 11 is a list of name of those who followed God trustingly

Living in tents although promised a city

Binding his son of promise on the altar, ready to sacrifice his future

Hiding a child they could be executed for hiding because the sensed God was with this child - they would not live to see how true it was

And there were so many others, some of which had good experiences when they trusted God and some of which had difficult, even painful ones, even to the point of martyrdom

Yet they all trusted the God who led them.

Then we come to Matthew

First we get a genealogy that is shaped to three times 14, 14 being the numerical value of David

This is the rise, the fall, and the rising again of David’s line, but if you had been in Joseph’s sandals you would have said that David’s line was fading, going nowhere - he was a peasant laborer, not a royal anything. The one thing he did have was trust in God - he was righteous and obedient.

Then we discover four women in the genealogy, three of the gentiles, one married to a gentile, all who bore a Davidic ancestor through strange circumstances. But all did the right thing. All were righteous in God’s eyes.

Finally we get the story of Joseph and Mary - told from Joseph’s perspective

Joseph is in his late teens or early twenties, legally married to Mary, working hard to get the mohar together so that he could take her into his dwelling, humble though it was

He somehow learns that she is pregnant (only the gospel author knows it is “through the Holy Spirit”) and, being righteous wants to show God’s mercy and yet also his justice. Public shaming would not be loving, would not be seeking her good, for she would likely be out on the street with only prostitution to support her. He must divorce her, but he can do it quietly with the minimal two witnesses. Perhaps those she was living with could then send her to another village for a fresh start.

Then, just as he decided on the just and merciful course, he has a dream, not an angelic visitation, but an angel in a dream: “Joseph, son of David” - the angel addresses him as in the royal line. “Do not fear to take Mary” i.e. it is just and right. “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” Now how much weirder can you get? Well, “You are to be his father, for “you shall call his name Jesus.” And then, to top it off, “he will save his people from their sins.” Joseph would not have remembered Isa 7, for it is only clear in Greek and he probably heard scripture in Aramaic. King Ahaz had not gotten its relevance to him 700+ years earlier.

But Joseph was a righteous man. He trusted God. The next morning, whether he understood what was said in the dream or not, he got up, went to Mary’s home, and took her to his home - we do not know whether there was the customary procession and party; perhaps because they were poor there would not have been much of a party anyway. The point is that, like those in Hebrews he trusted God and obeyed and did what he was told to do, whether he understood or not.

So that is where we come in, brothers and sisters.

We have the examples of all these fathers and mothers in the faith, including Joseph, and of course the Theotokos herself.

We have their teaching and what God speaks in our hearts

The question is whether we will trust and follow as they did, whether our lives will end up meaningless because we did not follow the one with meaning, or whether we will join the fathers as examples for others to follow to inherit the promises of God

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-19-2021: Sunday before Nativity or Sunday of the Fathers

EPISTLE

Hebrews 11:9–10, 17–23, 32–40

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

17  By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only-begotten son, 18  of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your descendants be named.” 19 He considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence he did receive him back and this was a symbol. 20  By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21  By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22  By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his burial.

23  By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

32  And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—33  who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34  quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35  Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, illtreated—38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-19-2021: Sunday before Nativity or Sunday of the Fathers

GOSPEL

Matthew 1:1–25

1  The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3  And Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, 8 and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11  and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of She-alti-el, and She-alti-el the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerub-babel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

18  Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; 19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. 20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; 21  she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and his name shall be called Emmanuel.”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-19-2021: Sunday before Nativity or Sunday of the Fathers

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2021 | NATIVITY OF OUR LORD

SUNDAY BEFORE NATIVITY OR SUNDAY OF THE FATHERS

Dark Vestments

Matins Gospel Luke 24:1–12 (26th Sunday)

Epistle Hebrews 11:9–10, 17–23, 32–40

Gospel Matthew 1:1–25

RED