We don’t normally get to hear much about Joseph in the Christmas narrative. But in today’s gospel, we get a little window of what was going on in Joseph’s mind and heart, even if it’s just a little bit. Unfortunately, we don’t have Joseph’s own words. He doesn’t really share with thoughts with anyone. Seems like Joseph was one of those strong silent types, so we mostly have to look and wonder about Joseph from the outside to discern his heart.

 

One thing we know is that Joseph knew this child wasn’t his. Within the law of his time, he didn’t have to treat her with kindness or care. Adultery was serious business. But apparently, he didn’t want to take a vengeful path or pursue the full extent of the law against her. He was a righteous man, a good man.

 

We also hear that he resolved to take the course of action he decided upon. Resolved is an interesting word here. I wonder if he didn’t want to take the paths that were open to him. He had to resolve himself to release her from the engagement, even though, given society and the Law, I read this week he would have compelled to do so. Nowadays, we could see people making the choice to accept a child that wasn’t yours for the sake of a marriage, but not so much in these ancient days. This was against the commandment of God. And this was a world that considered a child’s lineage to be vitally important. There’s no way folks wouldn’t have known or figured it out. This was serious business that went beyond any potential bruising of the ego Joseph may have had.

 

So, it is surprising to me that Joseph had to resolve himself to send Mary away. And it is even more surprising to hear the angel say to him, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” Do not be afraid. Wouldn’t this suggest that Joseph didn’t want to send Mary away? Doesn’t this suggest that he still wanted to marry her and maybe he truly loved her despite this unthinkable thing happening?

 

The angel of the Lord encouraged Joseph to commit to this path of love; love for Mary, love for the unborn child perhaps, and love for God. But this wasn’t the easy path. In fact, it was the impossible path that went against the Law, against cultural norms, and eventually put his new family in danger of King Herod. The easy path, the sensible path was the path to send Mary away. Everyone would have understood. Maybe even Mary would have understood. Perhaps folks would have been disappointed, but they would have blamed Mary. Joseph would have found another bride and life would have gone on. No problem.

 

The path defined by God, the path of love was illogical, foolish, and potentially felt impossible. And yet he did it. He obeyed God and followed the path of his heart.

 

Today is the last Sunday in Advent which is the Sunday focused on love. In our culture, we have a tendency of talking about love as something soft and squishy, but there was really nothing soft and squishy about disobeying every societal rule to marry a now disreputable woman and adopt her fatherless child as your own because you trusted God’s message and call on your life.

 

That’s pretty hard core and frankly, I don’t think Joseph gets enough credit for this one, because it would have been so easy to just follow the rules. Joseph’s courage and obedience to God in adopting Jesus into his lineage of David matters in this story. It’s not all about Mary. It’s not all about God. It’s also about Joseph and his participation in God’s love, as well.

 

Over and over again in the Bible, there are stories of God’s action through impossibilities and wild impracticalities. Over and over again in the Bible, we see God’s action happens through the least likely people in the least likely of ways. Over and over again in the Bible, God breaks down societal rules and petty human ideas for the sake of love. Here Jesus isn’t even born yet and his presence is causing a breakdown of societal rules for the sake of love.

 

These unlikely stories are actually the most common types of stories in the Bible. So, I wonder, why do we expect our lives and our world to fit nicely within rules and to meet our expectations? Our holy book is a very long book full of paradox, surprise, and power inversions all for the sake of love; God’s love for his people and God encouraging us to do the same. Again and again, we are encouraged to take the path less traveled for the sake of love with God as the great instigator of holy trouble.

 

We are all asked, in one way or another, to choose a path that is potentially fraught with danger or difficulty for the sake of love of other people or creation. We will all feel that urge, that call in one way or another to take a risk for the sake of love. It might seem foolish or impossible, but that may not be a good reason to not follow that call. Both Joseph and Mary made outrageously foolish decisions when they both said yes to God and the path of love.

 

So, where or what is the call towards love for you? Where are hope, peace, and joy leading you? What is it for us as a church? As families? As a country?

 

Perhaps it is a decision to make an extra big gift for the food bank this year or for Celebration’s outreach team that will be dispersed to community programs on your behalf. In the fundraising world (of which I used to be a part), folks talk about making a meaningful gift. That’s a nice way of asking people to make a gift that hurts a bit. It’s a gift that’s big enough that you have to think about it, get a bit uncomfortable, and still make the donation. That number is of course different for all of us, ranging from $5 to billions, depending on your circumstances. Without that pause and discomfort, a gift is still wonderful and worthy, but it may not actually be meaningful to you.

 

Or the call of love in your life may be taking the time to call your representatives and senators every day about an issue you’re passionate about. It’s not fun to do this, but it’s a step on that impractical path of love. Or It may be giving money to someone on the side of the road or giving your time working with folks on the street. For those of us who find it relatively easy to dig deep for others, following God’s foolish path of love for you might actually mean taking good and sufficient care of yourself. That might actually be your challenge, but certainly not everyone’s challenge. It may be any number of things that you feel called to do that nudge you out of your comfort zone for the sake of love and obedience to God.

 

If you talk with folks who followed the call to walk an impossible path with God, whatever that path may be, they will likely tell you that their impossible path of love was a path that broadened their hearts and capacities in God-given, God-powered ways.

 

I wonder if this was part of what Robert Frost was experiencing and thinking when he wrote his famous poem, The Road Not Taken.

 

The Road Not Take by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

 

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

 

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

 

 

AMEN