I had the opportunity this past weekend to preach at Aloma UMC in Winter Park. I was following a Christmas/Advent theme, and my topic was the “Gift of Love.” I worked from Matthew 1:18-25.  Below is a blog form of the message.

Background

This passage fits nicely with Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus from Mary’s point of view. There is no contradiction in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth, instead, we are looking at the same event through a different window. In Luke 1:56 we find that Mary spent the first 3 months of her pregnancy with Elizabeth. In the 4th month she returned to Bethlehem, and Joseph. According to Google, women will begin to show the “baby bump” somewhere between month 3 and 5. Whether Joseph noticed Mary or if she told him of the baby, we do not know. We are told that somehow, Joseph found out.

Matthew tells us that Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but they had not yet come together in a physical way (v.18). Then, in v.19 we find out Joseph is called Mary’s husband. Our modern understanding of marriage does not do justice to the story. In Jewish culture a woman and man would be married but still live separate for the first year. At the end of the year, the groom and his entourage would walk to the bride’s house, where the whole wedding party would travel back to the groom’s house, or his parent’s house, for the wedding feast. After the meal, the marriage would be consummated. Therefore, it is safe to say they were married, but had not yet consummated. The response of Joseph even confirms he is not the father.

The fact that Mary was found to be pregnant before coming together with her husband would have cast serious social and religious stigma on her. Joseph understood the predicament, but wanted to be faithful to the law of God. His decision to divorce her quietly is a last ditch attempt to give Mary some shred of dignity and hope of a decent life. Mary was facing a life of begging and prostitution had Joseph revealed her pregnancy.

BUT, after making his decision, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel tells him not to be afraid, the child is from the Holy Spirit, and he should take Mary as his wife. Joseph would have a lot to fear in staying with Mary. Fear of social outcast, remarks and glares at the market, loss of business, and religious separation from the community. But the name to be given to the baby would have given him great hope, “give him the name Jesus, God with us.” The angel was assuring Joseph they had the blessing of God with them.

This baby would in fact save the people of Israel, and the world. Not from Roman rulership, high taxes or injustices. The primary mission of Jesus would be to save us from our sin, that ultimate issue at core of every person. God with thinking big picture.

This story is about the Gift of Love, Jesus Christ, who brakes into everyday and ordinary lives in miraculous ways.

A Look at the Newspaper.

Last week, Pastor Andy talked about Joy, and wrapped a present with the top headlines of the day; financial disaster, health care reform, celebrity scandal, job loss, etc. These things rob our joy. But these headlines are everywhere and become everyday and ordinary parts of our lives. So I conducted an experiment. I bought a copy of the Orlando Sentinel because I believe that God actually does break into ordinary life in miraculous ways, so I wanted to see how God was at work. Out of about 100-150 articles, I found 4 stories of God at work, here are 3:

1. A church in Clermont, FL hosts an annual Christmas dinner each year for family’s in their neighborhood. At the dinner, they provide toys to underprivileged children. Last week, vandals broke in and stole many of the gifts, as well as $2000 in audio equipment from the church. After seeing the story on the news, a mom in the area gathered her three kids and asked if they would want to donate some of their toys. They were excited to share and gave 10 gifts to the church. God’s love is working through this family to break into ordinary life (poverty, theft) in a miraculous way that blesses others.
2. A woman shares her story of how the Harbor House, a place of healing and support for abused women, changed her life. She details the horrors of living with a man who abused, and would have probably eventually killed her. Instead, the Harbor House enabled her to get a scholarship to any Florida college. She now has plans to become a physical therapist. God’s love broke into this woman’s everyday life (abuse) in a miraculous way to give here a fresh start, and a new outlook!
3. Finally, a husband serving in Iraq was set to come home in December for the birth of his second baby. However, the baby was excited to come into the world, and would arrive in November. This left the wife alone, and the father unable to make it. The mom-to-be asked if the hospital could set up a Skype video call to her husband. This had not been done before, and the hospital was not sure if they could pull it off. Put they tried, and did. The wife found comfort through the labor in seeing the face of her husband (in Iraq still) on the computer screen. As a result, the hospital is working to offer this service to families in the future. God’s love worked through the hospital staff and administrators to break into this ordinary family’s life in an amazing way.

Headlines

These stories were not on the front page. They were small stories, stuck in the back of the newspaper. None of these will make a list of “top stories of 2009.” However, I guarantee these are leading headlines in the lives of the people involved! The birth event of Jesus was not a big story to most of Israel, the city of Bethlehem was not a leading place. But, the ordinary event of Jesus’ birth was the gift of love breaking into a world which needed it. Jesus came to share the love of God to everyday people living in ordinary lives. Newspapers will not catch many of these stories, but a careful eye can see how God is working in the lives of individuals and communities to transform them. First, to deal with our sin, and then to bring abundant life.

Question: How has the love of God broken into your ordinary life this Advent/Christmas season?

Be on the lookout, and Merry Christmas!