Jesus and Divorce- Why so harsh???

Genesis 2:24-25

Deuteronomy 24:1-4

Matthew 5:27-37

Sermon

In 1999, the Barna research group released a comprehensive report that studied the relationship between religious beliefs and divorce rates. The report found that "We rarely find substantial differences" between the moral behavior of Christians and non-Christians. Barna Project Director Meg Flammang said: "We would love to be able to report that Christians are living very distinct lives and impacting the community, but ... in the area of divorce rates they continue to be the same."

Given the high divorce rate, both among Christians and society as a whole, Jesus’ teachings on marriage and divorce may be among the most difficult and emotional to discuss. The process of ending a marriage can result in festering wounds for the couple who legitimately believed their marriage would last till death, for the children who see their family torn apart, and for the friends and family whose loyalty is now called into question as they are forced to pick sides.

And thus, when reading the sermon on the mount, I was particularly struck by the 32nd verse of chapter 5- “But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” What a seemingly harsh and condemning statement by Jesus. What makes it worse is that many experts consider that Matthew has actually liberalizedJesus’ original message. You see, Matthew reports that Jesus says that divorce can be justified in cases of adultery. Luke and Mark, however, remember it differently- Luke 16:18 and Mark 10:11“‘Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. Between the three, experts believe it is most likely that Matthew softened the original saying of Jesus so that it would be more understandable and acceptable to the community for whom he was writing. So, how are we to understand this seemingly impossible demand by Jesus?

First, we have got to understand a little bit better the context of marriage in Jesus and the ancient Israelites’ time. Though many will claim that marriage is an eternal, unchanging institution, the reality is that our understanding of marriage is significantly different than that at the time of the Bible. Rather than a relationship primarily based on mutual love, marriage was in many senses an economic transaction in which the security of woman would be bought by becoming faithful to one man. Marriage contracts were typically decided between men- either the fathers of the two to be married, or by the groom with the father of the bride. Woman had little if any right to pick their partners, and they almost always were forbidden to hold title to land or a business. This is why scripture is particularly concerned about the widow- without her husband, she must rely on the generosity of others to survive.

So, if and when a marriage ended, the woman involved lost all economic security. Furthermore, sense she was no longer a virgin, the prospects of her finding a new mate to take care of her with extremely slim. If she was lucky, she could return to her father’s house and hope to be taken care of. If she was unlucky, she was confined to an existence of extreme poverty likely resulting in an early death.

Unfortunately for the woman, she had virtually no say in either starting or ending a marriage. The man, not the woman, had the right to give a bill of divorce. The passage from Deuteronomy that Kay read today, probably sounds harsh to our ears- “Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house;” but believe it or not, this is actually a feminist manifesto for its time. Instead of men having the unlimited right to divorce, the book of Deuteronomy legislates that there must be grounds for divorce that will stand up in court; that proper procedures must be followed throughout all proceedings; and that divorce and remarriage are subject to restrictions regarding another marriage partner.

Though love could of course be part of these marriages, the law and custom essentially treated women as a commodity. Divorce essentially was a part of buying and selling that commodity.

It is in this scenario that Jesus’ statement must be heard. Rather than endorsing this worldview, he instead objects to what amounts to the abandonment of woman. Furthermore, the restrictions on remarriage help to break down that commodity process- if a man cannot trade in his wife for a new one, he are less likely to abandon their first wife.

However, even if we understand that Jesus is speaking in a historical context about a historical institution, what does that mean for us today? Does Jesus’ statement simply not apply? This is where it gets tricky- you see, Jesus grounds his understanding of marriage in the creation story of Genesis- “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Furthermore, if we examine marriage from the perspective of the bible as a whole, I think it is fair to say that the bulk of the tradition is that marriage is “relationship in which companionship and a variety of physical and spiritual needs are met and in which personal identity is formed and personal growth takes place and that this relationship should continue until it is broken only by death.” (Pastoral Care Emergencies)

Throughout the sermon the mount, we have tried to read between the lines. We have claimed that in examining the law, Jesus is always pointing towards God wider purpose in creation- the law was to help to foster relationships between God and our neighbor. Here, there can be no doubt that Jesus is affirming the view that it is God’s plan that when we enter into marriage, God desires for those marriages to stand the test of time and to continue until death.

But, what then are to believe about God’s will for our lives if and when we are faced with the prospect of divorce, or of remarriage. Are we really to believe that it is God’s will that every marriage should never end and that every divorced person should never remarry?

One pastor who I know and respect says that he feels like it is always his role to counsel toward preserving a marriage. He has said while he would welcome and love all people who chose otherwise, he didn’t feel like scripture ever permitted him to counsel people to get a divorce. I understand and respect his position. It is certainly one valid interpretation of the scriptures and God’s call for our role as pastors.

I must say, though, I disagree. My role as a pastor is to help those in front of me discern what God may be calling them to do in their lives given the complexities involved and the competing value systems. In a vacuum, I can say that God desires our marriages to last. But Jesus also proclaimed he had come so that we could have life, and life abundant. What happens if having a divorce and living into “the abundant life” come into conflict? What if staying in the marriage maintains a serious risk of harm to our bodies or to our souls?

We are called elsewhere to care for our children and to bring them up in the best environment possible- but what if that conflicts with maintaining a marriage? And what about the ministry God calls us into? Are we to assume we cannot serve God, either as laity or clergy, if we have been divorced or have remarried?

Living into the kingdom of God is not a simple thing, nor is obeying God simplistic. Competing values will mean that Christians have to make difficult choices in morally gray areas. We will have to listen and pray hard to understand God’s will for our lives in these times. And, I do believe, that given the range of circumstances we face in life, God’s will at times will be to end a hopelessly flawed and destructive marriage. That is one reason I agree with our Social Principals when they state- “God’s plan is for lifelong, faithful marriage. The church must be on the forefront of premarital, marital, and postmarital counseling in order to create and preserve strong marriages. However, when a married couple is estranged beyond reconciliation, even after thoughtful consideration and counsel, divorce is a regrettable alternative in the midst of brokenness.”

The good news is that, while Jesus’ statement seems harsh, it was spoken by the Son of God who exudes mercy and grace in all that he did and does. In the forth chapter of John, Jesus meets a woman at the well who has had five husbands and is currently living with a man out of wedlock. This certainly violates every single thing Jesus has proclaimed about marriage. While Jesus notes this fact, he doesn’t say a word of condemnation to her. Instead he asks her to believe in him, and in fact, sends her out to evangelize. Is Jesus being hypocritical here- no. His desire was never to crush people‘s spirits, but nurture them into living a more abundant life. We as Christians need to learn from this- all too often those who have been faced with divorce have found the church to be a place of judgment rather than grace. Whether you conclude it is ethical or not to have a divorce, that judgment must not be forced upon someone else. Jesus lived out the example- so that when someone faces a difficult decision like whether to end a marriage, a relationship, or a friendship, they can trust that God’s love and presence will be there through it all.

Seeing beyond the Anger

In this last Sunday's sermon, I referred to a great video that demonstrated how if we only respond to surface level insults, we miss the great needs of our individual brothers and sisters.  If we could really see what is going on in people's lives, perhaps we'd have more compassion.

Delight in the law?

Psalm 112

Matthew 5:13-20

"Praise the Lord!
   Happy are those who fear the Lord,
   who greatly delight in his commandments."

Sometimes we Americans are perceived to be rebellious, but truth is we do kinda like the law.   While we may push the speed limit a bit, I would bet that most everyone hear has gone out of the way to try and obey the law this week.

We are a society that highly values law and order.  When is the last time you heard a politician say-  “Vote for me- I’m weak on crime!”

Thus, the scripture passage we read today from the sermon on the mount should make us especially happy.

¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 

So, whereas last week, in the beatitudes, we experienced a very difficult message, one that always makes us strive to embrace such features as humility, peacemaking and a thirst for righteousness, we get an easy message today.  Just follow the law, right?

Let’s see-  “Thou shalt not kill.” .............Uh yea, I think I was ok with that today.

“Thou shall not bear false witness- ..........  There were a couple white lies in the last week, but all and all, I think I’m good here.

But, I guess these are the biggies here.  We know that the law, the Torah, contains far more than just the ten commandments.  Jesus does add in verse 19-

¹⁹Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Thus, maybe we ought to take a look at some of these other ones:

Leviticus 11:7-  The pig has a split hoof, divided in two, but doesn't chew the cud and so is unclean. You may not eat their meat nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

Leviticus 25:44-46: "The male and female slaves which you have are to come from the surrounding nations; you are permitted to buy slaves from them.

For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

Exodus 22:20- Anyone who sacrifices to a god other than God alone must be put to death. 

For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

Deuteronomy 22:13-21 (excerpt)  If a man marries a woman, consumates the marriage and than turns on her saying that she was not a virgin, she is to be taken to the gate to be examined by the village elders.   if it turns out that the accusation is true, the men of the town are to take her to the door of her father's house and stone her to death.

  

For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

Alright, now I’m lost here.  Could Jesus possibly be saying that we have to fulfill the law here?  I mean, these are some strange laws, even terrible laws here.  I mean, yes, I’d hate to give up pork.

But I’m supposed to be ok with buying slaves?

with killing those who worship another God?

with allowing a woman who was not a virgin to be killed?

What is going on here?  This doesn’t seem to be the Jesus I know.

In the last 150 years or so, I thought we had made tremendous progress as Christians.  We had thrown off the part of our faith the permitted, or even at times demanded, the ability to own slaves.  We’ve learned to get along with our brothers and sisters in other faith traditions-  we may not agree, but we certainly would scream out against situations like the Holocaust.  And, while we may argue that people should wait to engage in sex until they are married, I don’t think anyone wants to make this a capital offense.

So, what on earth, is Jesus getting at here?  Why all of this talk of fulfilling the law?  Are our moves toward greater equality really going to keep us away from the kingdom of heaven?

Now, wait a minute here Jesus-  I seem to recall some other story.  

Matthew 12:9-14

"He left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?’ so that they might accuse him. He said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.’ Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him."

You did it-  you broke one of the laws.  And its not even one of the least of these-  you broke sabbath.  That’s one of the ten!  So what, is Jesus excluded now to?

Well, it seems pretty unlikely that Jesus is going to exclude himself from the kingdom of heaven.  So, one more time I ask, what is going on here?

As usual, context would appear to be everything here.

I actually think its the first part of the passage that can provide the key to interpreting this.

So, lets work backwards.  What is so special about salt?

Is salt valuable in it of itself?  Can we survive just eating salt?  What does it do?

It enhances flavor! It rounds out flavor, and it makes everything seem to come together.   It is like this miracle substance that makes meat, vegetables, bakery, everything taste better.  And it does it, not so much by adding something new, but by calling attention to the best aspects of what it already there.

So, the point isn’t the salt, its in bringing out the flavors of what it is added to.

Let’s take the light.  Does light have value in it of itself, aside from solar power that is?

The value of light is in showing us something.  When it is dark, and we use a flashlight, we appreciate it because it helps to show us what is in front of us and what we are looking for.  The value is not in the light- it is in what it illumines for us.

So, salt and light.  Both are valuable, not for their intrinsic qualities- but for what it can bring out, what it can illumine, about that to which they are applied.  The salt and light are not the point.

And thus, we return to the law.  When Jesus talks about fulfilling the law, his point is not to say that the law itself is what is of value.  Even his rhetorical flourish about not one jot or tittle falling from the law, is to emphasize the importance of what that law is pointing to-  We know why salt and light exist, what they help.  What about the law, why was that brought about?

Remember, the law is part of the covenant that the Hebrew people entered into with God.  The point wasn’t to establish some arbitrary sets of laws, it wasn’t God’s way of making everyone live in fear.  The point of the law, the point of the covenant, was to bring the people into relationship with God.

So, when Jesus comes to say, I have come to fulfill the law, he is saying that he has come to bring us into a fuller and richer relationship with our God.  Jesus is trying to help to form us into that person that God had intended each one of us to be.  That is truly a precious, and not onerous, gift.

But, but, you say, what about all those laws that seemed unjust for us.  Are we to say they are valuable to?

Let’s remember, the point isn’t the law itself, its the relationship its supposed to bring about.  It isn’t about enacting some code, its about seeing justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever living stream.  When Jesus was confronted with the man who needed healing, he did not bow to the individual law- he lived into the spirit of God’s healing relationship and cared for the man in front of him.

Here’s the problem-  that’s messy.  I can understand why the Pharisees decided to try and be strict about the law instead-  it seems easier on the surface than trying to always figure out what is the bigger picture.  In this month in which the nation pays special attention to the history of our African American brothers and sisters- I think there is no more obvious example of this messy righteousness than that which was called forth by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his letter from the Birmingham jail.  He especially castigates those Christians who say that Martin should stop causing trouble.

To that- he responds- “We who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive...I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for the law.”

So this is how Jesus shows respect for the law- by pointing to its higher purpose-  by pointing to God and calling us to live into God’s kingdom.  It is in Jesus, and not the law, that we find our salvation.  This does not mean we dismiss the law- but that we ask ourselves the question- what is it that will truly bring me closer to God?  What does God's desire for justice call for on this issue?  It is only then, when we wrestle with these difficult question, that we can truly find the path into God’s kingdom.  Amen.

Remembering MLK

This past Sunday, we remembered Martin Luther King Jr. by focusing on his role as a prophet.  Perhaps his most provocative speech, one you likely didn't hear yesterday, was his 1968 speech coming out against the war in Vietnam.  Though we listened to excerpts of the speech, I encourage you to follow this link to the full text.  Whether you agree with his stance or not, we can learn from his example of acting upon our God given consciouses even when it might not be to our benefit.

Hearing God's Voice amidst the shooting in Tucson

Psalm 29

Matthew 3:13-17


Sermon (delivered at Seven Hills UMC)


Ever have any difficulty hearing the voice of God?

In the wake of Saturday’s violence, I think this is a particularly poignant question.  If you were not aware, on January 8th Representative Gabrielle Giffords and a number of other individuals were shot, and many killed, at a “meet your congresswoman” event in Arizona.  Though there is still much that we do not know, the shooter’s paranoid anti-government rants can be found on the internet.  To me, there is little doubt that this is the work of a mentally ill man, and we pray for the victims, for those still struggling to survive, and even for this man and his family, that God’s peace and healing will settle over all.  However, I also think it would be a mistake to simply write-off this senseless shooting as just the work of a mentally ill man and assume it couldn’t happen anywhere.  

We live in a day and age where our political rhetoric is filled with hate.   When we talk about taking out our opponents, when politicians say we should use “second amendment remedies" to political problems, when our political ads seek to demonize and destroy rather than uplift and inform; these should be signs to us of a wider problem.

In reacting to the events, the local county sheriff, Clarence Dupnik, stated- “It’s time as a country that we need to do a bit of soul-searching, because its the vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out that we hear from people in the radio business and some people in the tv business and what we see on tv and how our youngsters are being raised.  That this has not become the nice United States of America that we grew up in and I think its time that we do the soul searching.”  (See below for a fuller portion of his remarks)

Indeed, it is time to search our souls.  To think about the voices we listen to and the rhetoric we tacitly support or maybe even use.  Because when we fill our airwaves, when we fill our minds, when we fill our mouths with these voices of hatred, we begin to drown something out.  We shut out the voice of God who is calling us forth in our baptism to “renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of our sins...to accept the freedom and power to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves, and to put our whole trust in God’s grace.”

But this sets up a dilemma.  It seems easy to me to find and listen to these voices of hatred.  Its much more difficult at times for us to tune into the voice of God.  I can confess that despite being a pastor, I too can feel lost and adrift in my search for God’s voice.  I have no doubt that some in this congregation can recognize God’s leading perhaps a little easier than myself.  But I bet we all experience those moments of struggle, and that is why we need to work on preparing ourselves to recognize God’s voice.  

The voice of God plays a prominent role in both scripture texts this morning.  In Psalm 29, the poet declares:

³The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.

⁵The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

⁸The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

I’ve got to tell you, this description has me a bit perplexed.  I mean, if the voice of the Lord has this much power, how is it I keep missing it?  One commentator reinforces just how mighty a voice this is by describing that
“The voice does not break just any little, scrubby tree but rather the cedars of Lebanon – the largest, strongest, and most famous trees in Israel's experience.  [Furthermore] The voice does not cause just any old piece of land to shudder and shake but rather Sirion, also known as Mt. Hermon, the largest, tallest mountain in all the Levant, and the wilderness of Kadesh, the anvil on which Israel was forged.”

It is particularly important that God is said to be “over the waters.”  Water plays a particular role in ancient Israelite and Canaanite societies-  water is seen as chaos, as unordered creation.  Think back to the first creation story at the beginning of Genesis-  “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.”

In this creation account, before there was anything else, there was this formless void that was made up of waters.  It is to this that God brings God’s creative powers-  God separates the waters into sky and sea.  The Creator parts the waters to form ocean and land.  It is out of the waters from which God calls forth life.

So, according to the Psalmist, according to our creation story, God’s voice is one that is over all of creation.  It is one that brings order out of chaos.  I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit sheepish at this point.  I must really be hard of hearing to shut this all out.

  In fact, while God’s voice, God’s power may be expressed in creation, how is it that we as Christians declare that God’s voice is definitively revealed?

In the humble visage of Jesus Christ our Lord.  

The very Jesus Christ who comes to John and asks him if he might baptize him.  John, of course, has just described himself as unworthy to carry the Messiah’s sandals.  So John rightfully asks, why he should baptize God.  So we have an unworthy John and a great and mighty God.  How dare John presume to baptize God, or if you’d prefer, the son of God?

And yet, Jesus responds that this is God’s will, that Jesus submit himself to a man to be baptized.  And it is in that submission, after he has allow John to baptize him, that God’s voice once again appears, this time as a light little dove, and says “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

So which is it God?  If we are listening for your voice, are we supposed to listen for the loud and powerful one that our psalmist describes, or the gentle and submissive one that Jesus displays?

Yes and yes.  

While God’s voice is indeed powerful, Jesus’ actions reveal that God will not force his voice upon us.  Rather than imposing power, God submits at a certain level to humanity.  That doesn’t mean that humanity rules over God, but it does mean that God has given us the power to shut out the divine voice.  To ignore it and go about our own way.  To serve and promote the cause of chaos and destruction, instead of listening to the God who seeks to build up this world through grace and love.

So, it is indeed time for a little soul-searching.  On this Sunday in which we remember the baptism of our Lord, we have the opportunity to reaffirm our baptism.  This means we’ll have a choice once again to decide to whose voice are we willing to listen.  

Will we listen to the voices in the world who promote death and destruction, or the True Voice that seeks to bring us life abundant?  

Will we follow and promote the powers of divisiveness and violence, or will we reaffirm our desire to follow God in bringing love and healing to all those in need?  

Will we stand up to those who use hate and tear down the weak, or will we close our eyes and ears to the pain in our midst?

It is to the baptismal font that we are called.  

It is at this font that we are called to decide.  

It is at this font where we will chose to whom we will listen.

Transforming Together

Acts 2:42  They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples were faced with the prospect of continuing on without him.  So long as Jesus had been physically present, he had been at the center of all activity.  Now that he was gone, what were they to do?  Would they go their own ways and return to their former lives? Would they launch a violent revolution?  Would factions emerge?  All of these were very real options and each would have been an understandable, if misguided response to Jesus’ ascension.  Fortunately, the disciples settled on  a different course of action.  Rather then drift apart, they banded together and grew into the people Christ intended them to be.

Similarly, when John Wesley became a pastor, he found a church that had lost touch with its people.  Few attended and those that did were rarely transformed by God’s grace.  Thus, he launched an effort to revive Christianity in England- not by building more and bigger churches, but by gathering small groups together so that they could contemplate God and hold one another accountable.

The early disciples and the early Methodists hit upon one important truism-  its very difficult to embark on the Christian journey alone.  Its too tempting to allow other influences to distract you from the path when you are all alone.  This is one of the reasons we come together in worship each Sunday morning.  However, as John Wesley discovered, Sunday worship is generally not enough to foster real growth. It doesn’t allow for extensive sharing of the struggles and joys of your life.  It generally doesn’t allow for conversation that can help one to perceive God a little clearer.

In a small group, friendships can grow.  In a small group, we can hold one another accountable.  In a small group, we can give space for a person to work through their grief.  After all, isn’t this the model Jesus taught us?  You gather together a group, maybe of 12 or so, do God’s work, and transform the world.

Christmas Eve Message

The Christmas season can at times be marked by various quests for perfection

The perfect Christmas present

The perfect Christmas decorations

The perfect Christmas feast

The perfect Christmas eve service

When these quests are marked by a sincere desire to bring joy and love to all around us, we can affirm and celebrate this.  Indeed, I think most of us try to go out of our way to be a little nicer, a little more loving, during this Christmas season.

But there can be a dark side to this quest to get everything and everybody just so...

We can begin to feel inadequate.  

Begin to become obsessed with perfection, become harried, run all over town

We beat ourselves up

Begin to feel inadequate.

So, when we begin to think about the Christmas story, the idea that God came to earth to be with us, it can seem a little overwhelming, unbelievable even.

With all that is going on in the world, with all of my faults, could God really have sent his son into this world for me?  Surely, there are people far more important, far more influential, far more Christlike, whom God is coming to on this day.  

I think there is no one who would have protested more, no one who might have felt more inadequate, than the cast of characters we see in Luke’s nativity story.

Let’s take them one by one:

Mary

-  She was likely 13 or 14 years old.

-  She was engaged to a man she likely barely knows

-  All of a sudden, she finds herself pregnant.

-  Now, she is an unwed mother

“She must have been scared.  She was very humble, a poor little girl.”

Yes, she did have an angel come and explain it to her, but can you imagine what her life must have been like during those nine months?

Can you imagine the looks she might have received from the people in the community.  People doing math, trying to add up the months, seeing if whatever story Mary told really fit the situation.  I mean, how is she supposed to explain this.  

“Oh, no, I didn’t cheat on Joseph.  An angel came to me, made me pregnant even though I am a virgin, and said my son is the Messiah.....Wait, where are you going?  Why are you laughing”

So who knows how she explained herself.  Did she hide?  Did she have anyone who believed her?  Imagine the shame she must have felt in these months.  I doubt she would have felt like she was worth of God coming to her.

Joseph

Here he is, engaged to be married, only to find his fiance is pregnant.  Now Joseph certainly knows that the child isn’t his.  Here is how the scripture tells it:

“When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.”

So, notice, Joseph finds out long before any angel comes to explain it.  Can you imagine the emotions he must have felt?  Rage.  Betrayal.  Humiliation.

When he discovered this, he could have had Mary stoned to death. It would have been perfectly legal, and within his rights.  In fact, that would have been considered to be the righteous thing to do.  But, Joseph is apparently a generous man, and so he just decides to divorce her instead.  However, before he can act, Joseph too receives a visit from an angel.  He is convinced he should stay with Mary, but again, can you imagine his life in the months to come?

Before the angel had a chance to visit, did Joseph tell anyone about his disgrace?  If people were doing the math about Mary, certainly they were doing the same with Joseph.  Do you think he might have been teased, his manhood questioned, by those who suspected he wasn’t the father?  How emasculating of an experience.  What shame he must have felt.  I doubt he would have felt like he was worthy of God coming to him.

Shepherds

At the bottom of the socio-economic world of first-century Palestine, the shepherds have no right, no expectation, no hope in the world of being touched by the divine.

“Shepherds were often despised as thieves unfit for more respectable occupations.  Their testimony was not allowed in court nor their presence in polite society, so shepherds found their place on the outskirts of towns.  They were largely shunned by the mainstream population.”

“They were alone, abandoned by everybody.”

As people who work with animals and outside of villages, you can imagine that they likely smelled quite ripe.  Even the peasants in the towns would have looked down upon them.  When they did have to go into the cities, can you imagine how they must have felt?  The people sneered at these country rubes.  People would cross the street to avoid interacting with, and especially smelling, these roughnecks who were the lowest of the low.  What shame they must have felt as they went about their lives.  I doubt they would have felt like they were worthy of God coming to them.

And yet, wonder upon wonders, it is to the unwed mother that Jesus is born.  It is to the humiliated fiance that God will entrust his son.  It is to those who are considered so unreliable that they can’t testify that God entrusts with his message to proclaim.

God coming to perfect people?  Heavens no.  I imagine that those who do think they are perfect, might be too caught up in themselves to even notice when God breaks into the world.  No, God breaks through into this world to bring light and life to all people.  And thus, we declare that “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Right now, here and today, God is breaking into this world.  Christ is coming to bring light to whatever dark places there are in your life.  Jesus is here to be with you, exactly how you are.  If you feel like God is distant, if you feel like it is hard to sense the divine, if you feel like you are lost or are ashamed to be found, know that God is seeking you out, waiting to break forth into your life.  Like Mary, and Joseph, and the shepherds before you, God is seeking to bring you in to his divine work.  Through you, on this day, and in the weeks and months to come, Jesus is seeking to become flesh and to live amongst us.  If we allow ourselves to go through the pangs of birthing new life, we will see his glory, the glory of a father’s only son.  And our lives, and our world, will be filled with grace and truth.