Coming to Nurture Us

December 22, 2014  Matthew 1.18-24“Coming to Nurture Us” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

In this Advent season, we have looked for the last three Sundays at Jesus coming into our lives. We reflected the first week in Advent on his coming to prepare us for the unexpected, for Christmas is about expecting unexpected blessings. During the second week in Advent we looked at his coming to encourage us by lavishing his love upon us by baptizing us with the Holy Spirit. Last week we dealt with his coming to avenge us in ways that are more loving and holy than our ways. This morning we reflect on Jesus coming to nurture us.

Jesus was raised by his earthly father, Joseph. Of all the characters in the Christmas story, Joseph is the one to whom we may pay the least attention.  If we were to look into the crèche, [first slide of manger scene] we would look for the baby Jesus and Mary, and they are there, all aglow. We look for the wise men and the adoring animals. Finally, we would look for Joseph in the manger scene who is often found in the shadows and on the sidelines.  All good men do not get the notoriety they deserve. More attention is naturally paid to the mother. 

One reason we forget about Joseph, in particular, is that the scriptures say little or nothing about him when Jesus was young. By the time Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding of Cana, Joseph was no longer mentioned.  Most readers think very little of fathers who disappear off the grid for any reason, much less a mysterious reason. The scriptures give one detail that puts Joseph in a very positive light forever. Verse 19 says that Joseph was a righteous man. He did the right thing more often than not, he was a good man, and he stood up for what was right. He was a model for those following in his footsteps. He was even a model for Jesus.

This morning we will look at the father who nurtured Jesus. Joseph’s life nurture our lives as it did Jesus” life. We are nurtured from two perspectives, Joseph’s drama and Joseph’s dream.

Joseph was a righteous man, and a righteous man is a nurturing man. According to scripture, he was a carpenter, [slide of Joseph the carpenter] he had to take much care in measuring and building things to last. As a father, he also took care of his family.  Among our Catholic brothers and sisters, he has a reputation for being the Patron Saint of the home, homes that are blessed, homes that are built well, homes where God is at home.

Joseph’s home – besides being the home of the savior of the world - was in many ways a normal home. There was plenty of drama. The marriage had a rocky start with an unplanned pregnancy.  That’s drama. Joseph was within his rights, according to the law, to have her stoned to death. [slide of stone in hand]. As a teenager, Jesus was a missing for three days. That’s drama. His brothers were green with envy, not realizing that God had a wonderful plan for them, too.  That’s drama. The drama in Joseph’s home nurtures us by reminding us that we all have drama in our lives. It satisfies our souls to have someone who knows what we are going through, someone who feels our pain and understands our anguish. It is nice to know that we are not the only one that has had some drama in our lives.

To ease the drama, God sent a dream. Every child of God needs a dream. Having a dream is like hitching a wagon to a star. Dreams help us to soar to heights that lift us above the storms.  Dreams stir up our appetite for all that God has in store for us.  An angel in Joseph’s dream spoke to his deepest emotions, telling him not to be afraid. Feeling lost, Joseph received directions to go on and marry Mary because she would give birth to the savior of the world.

In spite of the incredible emotional turmoil in his life, Joseph was able to keep his covenant with Mary, with his baby Jesus, and most of all, Joseph was able to keep his covenant with God. Keeping our covenant with God makes all our other relationships stronger, purer, richer, and healthier.

Joseph, being a righteous man was able to be a good man in a very uncertain and confusing situation. By nurturing a spiritual home, he bore much fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control  are very sweet things to have in any home, and in any heart. [slide of nurturing Joseph with Mary].

A little girl was asked if she got everything she wanted for Christmas. “No” she said, “But it’s not my birthday, is it?  So, we can ask ourselves this morning, “What will I give to Jesus to celebrate his being savior of our lives? He has saved me from at least one sin, hasn’t he?

Surely, the best way to show our love to Jesus is to continue loving one another.  Just being in the house of God among the people of God is an act of love. We overflow with kind words and good deeds at every turn. We all do our share to provide spoons full of sugar that helps us tolerate the bitter medicine of life’s trials. We have learned that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit working in us and among us on a daily basis if we are going to be a church that can last through every changing wind and storm. The Spirit helps us feast on the Word of God and bear much fruit, even during times of famine.

Like Joseph, we can nurture Jesus in our hearts, in our homes, and in a hurry when needed. May we open our lives to receive all the nurture that comes our way; for we can only share it when we receive it.  Amen.

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