By Bishop Ann Svennungsen
How did Joseph do it? Where did he find the courage?
We focus a lot on the courage of Mary, but what about Joseph? Engaged, but not living with Mary, he discovers that she’s pregnant. And the child isn’t his.
Whoa, … Joseph was an upright Jew. And so was Mary. As an upright Jew, he had some options: a public divorce, even a public stoning. But Joseph chose a more compassionate way, deciding to divorce Mary in private.
“Joseph trusted the angel from God.”
But, even that choice wasn’t enough. An angel intervened. “The child Mary carries is the work of the Holy Spirit. No man had anything to do with it. Make a home with Mary, and adopt this child as your own by giving him a name – Jesus.”
Joseph trusted the angel from God. In his shoes, I would’ve hoped for some reassuring sign from God for my choice. But, no, the circumstances just seem to worsen. He must travel to Bethlehem, watch his wife give birth in a stable, flee to Egypt to avoid Herod’s killing, and live there as a refugee. I imagine there were moments when he wondered if that angel’s voice was even real.
IN OUR CULTURE WED to the values of progress and growth, it’s hard not to think that faithful choices will lead to a better life. But not for Joseph.
He reminds me of a dear friend. Forty years ago he began his training as a doctor. He wanted to make a difference, to serve the common good. His specialty was infectious disease. Actually, he admits choosing the specialty, in part, because most diseases could be cured – as opposed to oncology at that time.
Well, he became a doctor just as AIDS was discovered. And, you guessed it, infectious disease is the specialty that treats patients with AIDS. Many of his patients died. My friend became one of the most respected and beloved physicians among people with AIDS.
“Discipleship is not a spectator sport.”
Following God’s leading will not mean standing on the sidelines. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We’re not asked to tip-toe around the edge of the pool, afraid of the water. We jump in – following Christ, serving our neighbor – not sure how the waters will feel, not sure how we’ll navigate them. Discipleship means jumping in – for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of love and justice.
For God didn’t stay on the sidelines. God entered into our world, even into bleakness of sin and evil. In the middle of the night, God became vulnerable, a tiny baby. And, in the Word made flesh, we recognize the very presence of God – in our midst, at our sides. It’s no coincidence that Matthew begins and ends with this promise: “Emmanuel, God with us” and “lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
Like Joseph, we rest our lives on that promise. As we enter 2020, filled with uncertainty about the journeys before us – personally, nationally, globally – we walk like Joseph trusting that God is with us. And we leave the sidelines to enter deeply into God’s beloved world, for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of love and justice.