December 8, 2019 -Pastor Message
04/19/2024THE YEAR OF DISCIPLESHIP - PART 2: THE CALL TO WELCOME
“When Jesus’ mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’...When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home” (Matthew 1:18-21, 24).
The call to discipleship is always a call to welcome. That word, “welcome” literally means “pleasure come” and originally referred to the pleasure or joy that greeting a visitor brought to a host. If someone was welcome, that meant that his or her visit brought the host joy.
In the Christmas story, both Mary and Joseph were called to welcome Jesus, not only into their home, but into the world. While it is certainly true that his coming brought great joy, it also brought great turmoil into their lives. When they received the message of the angel announcing Christ’s coming, the young couple was only betrothed, similar to today’s concept of being engaged. They were not yet married and living together, and so the announcement of a pregnancy would have been a cause for suspicion and shame. While Mary was pregnant, the Roman census forced them to make a long and dangerous journey that resulted in Jesus’ being born in the poor and unsanitary conditions of a stable because there was no room for them in the inn. Shortly after Jesus was born, they were warned in a dream of King Herod’s plot to kill the child and were forced to make another difficult journey as refugees to Egypt.
Despite all of these struggles, Joseph and Mary never veered from the path God laid out for them. The joy of Christ’s coming, and the joy of the salvation that he came to bring, kept their hearts from wavering and kept them faithful to God’s plan. This same joy forms the heart of the Advent and Christmas season. Whatever struggles we face, whatever difficulties we encounter as we follow the path God lays out for us, the Advent and Christmas season reminds us of the joy that Christ brings and calls us to welcome him anew into our lives and, through our lives, into the world. Let us be joyful, therefore, this blessed season, and may our joy lead others to welcome Christ into their lives, whatever struggles they face.
Fr. Marc Stokcton
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