Flora First Christian Church - Flora, IN

December 9, 2007

Matthew 1:18-25 (An angel appears to Joseph with instruction)
Theme: The deep loneliness that many of us experience can turn to faith as we allow God’s purpose in our life to be revealed.

Home Alone

It’s been 17 years since the movie “Home Alone” premiered in theaters. It was released in November 1990 for the Christmas season. I know very few persons who haven’t seen the movie. It’s no wonder that the movie without any mega “stars” was a hit. The story of Kevin McCallister is the dream Christmas vacation for most 8 year old boys. Kevin was sick and tired of being bossed around by his sisters and cousins, picked on by his older brother, made fun of by his uncle, and yelled at by his parents for things he didn’t do. When the family accidentally leaves him at home for an extended family trip to Paris, Kevin believes that he is in heaven. Finally . . . he’s able to have ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner, eat popcorn in his parents’ bed, watch gangster movies that he’s been told he’s too young to watch, and he can even sled down the inside steps of the house. After a few days of being fearful of a neighbor, stalked by robbers, and watching other families gather for Christmas Eve, Kevin discovered that being home alone at Christmas is about as lonely as it gets.

Loneliness is Common

Loneliness is a common, everyday experience for a lot of people. A major study on loneliness by psychologists, Rubenstein and Shaver, reported that 15% of those surveyed felt lonely most or all of the time, 78% felt lonely at least some of the time and only 6% said they never felt lonely. The last U.S. census stated that 20% of all Americans live alone. Most of us know what it means to be lonely at some time or another, even in a crowded shopping mall.

Loneliness Compounded This Time of the Year

Loneliness is often compounded at Christmas. This is a time of year when lonely persons see others getting together expressing love and appreciation. Today, we explore Christmas through the eyes of one who was present when Christ was born, and one who had the external signs of loneliness: Joseph, the stepfather, or the earthly dad of Jesus.

Joseph Experienced Loneliness

Joseph must have felt loneliness and betrayal in his hometown of Nazareth. The first chapter of Matthew tells of Joseph being engaged to Mary. Then she discovered she was going to have a baby…by the Holy Spirit. Like most of us, Joseph did not accept that news at face value.

Marriage in Jewish Culture

In First Century Jewish culture, marriages were arranged by parents, often years before the wedding took place. Selecting your own spouse is a fairly new idea - it goes back just a few centuries.

The Old Testament Laws

By Old Testament laws Joseph had the right to press the issue of her pregnancy. He could have had Mary stoned for her unfaithfulness, or he could have publicly announced he was annulling their engagement since he was not the father of her unborn child. The Bible doesn’t say that Mary ever got to explain the appearance of the angel to Joseph. The Bible tells us that Joseph was a man right with God, and he did not want to publicly disgrace her, so he planned to carry out the last option, divorce her quietly.

Joseph Felt Abandoned

Joseph may have felt abandoned in Nazareth while Mary left to stay with Elizabeth in Enin Karin, but he soon discovered he wasn’t alone. Yep, that’s when an angel appeared to him with special instruction. He’s told to take Mary as his wife, because the child that Mary is carrying has indeed been conceived by the Holy Spirit. It’s no lie and it’s not a cruel joke. The child will definitely be a son, and he is to be given the name Jesus, because he will indeed save his people from their sins.’” (Matthew 1: 20-21) Joseph woke up and did as the angel instructed him. He took Mary home as his wife, and he didn’t consummate the marriage until Mary gave birth to Jesus. (Matthew 1: 24-25)

First Sign of Obedience

Here we see the beginning of where Joseph’s loneliness starts showing signs of or transformation into obedience. And obedience is a sign of . . . faith. This surely wasn’t the only time Joseph felt alone. He must have experienced intense loneliness that Christmas night in Bethlehem and overwhelmed by his personal responsibilities.

Why Joseph Went to Bethlehem? The Census

Remember why Joseph went to Bethlehem in the first place? Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census take place and everyone was to register in person in their town of origin. Not unlike the one the U.S. has every ten years—thank goodness for mail, and now the Internet. Joseph had to go to Bethlehem because he from a descendant of king David, whose hometown was . . . Bethlehem. Yes, Mary now his wife, went with him. .“ (Luke 1: 4-6) At this time Joseph and Mary were married.

The Pressures Joseph Faced

With Mary as his wife, Joseph traveled toward Bethlehem with all types of pressures starring him in the face. Joseph faced financial pressures. He was a self employed carpenter who had to take at least two weeks off to make this trip to Bethlehem. The Bible makes it clear Joseph was quite poor, and was out of work for a prolonged period when he went to Bethlehem. Joseph had travel pressures. From Nazareth to Bethlehem was approximately eighty-five miles over rugged terrain. And moreover the journey wouldn’t be easy for an expectant mother, at the end of her third trimester, on this five or six day journey. Once they arrived in Bethlehem, there was the pressure of having a new born child. Luke reminds us (2:6-7) that it was while they were there that the baby was born, he was wrapped in strands of cloth—that’s what swaddling clothes were, he was placed in a manger, a fed box, for a crib because the tax season brought a no vacancy sign to the local inn. Joseph had to feel responsible…and alone. Then there was the pressure and responsibility raising the Son of God. I remember well the morning Stephanie and Michelle were born and discovering in the labor room that Bev and I would be the parents to not just one baby but two babies. Bev’s mother said all along that she was having twins. At that time our physicians didn’t do ultra sounds unless they thought there was a reason. Our two doctors told Bev on four different occasions during check-ups, “Nah, just one baby.” Yes, sometimes mother-in-laws really do know what they’re talking about. Later that morning the reality and responsibility of parenthood suddenly hit. My hunch is that many of you guys and gals had a similar experience in the labor room or soon after the birth of your children. It’s like: “Wow, I’m responsible for raising this human life.” That experience is overwhelming! Can you imagine the heavy load of being told that you would be raising the Savior of the World? The responsibility all parents have is laid out to us in Proverbs 22: 6, “Raise a child in the right way he should go, when he is old he will not depart from it.” When we have a purpose and we’re focused on it, we’re generally not so lonely. The same is true in our faith. In our loneliness, we must tend to our work for Christ.

The Snap Shot of Egypt

The Bible gives another snapshot of Joseph in the Christmas story. This snapshot is when Joseph is told by an angel in his dream sometime after Jesus’ birth to take then child and his mother and flee to Egypt, because King Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. So what did Joseph do? Of course, he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. There is another pressure Joseph experienced, the pressure of a personal attack. Imagine what a terrifying, lonely experience that had to be! It had to be stressful scurrying to pack and race out of town under the cover of darkness, looking over his shoulders to see if any soldiers were chasing him in an unfamiliar country with a newborn.

Maybe you’ve experienced some minor attacks at Christmas. You innocently say, “Merry Christmas” to someone and they’re offended. You put up a nativity scene or play sacred Christmas music at work, and are told that you can’t do anything religious. You invite a relative to the Christmas Eve service and they go off about how you’re trying to impose your values on everyone. We live in a world that is trying to de-religionize Christmas. Two years ago it was stated in the media, that most of the top twenty retailers were intentionally not using the word “Christmas” in their sale circulars, and many stopped using sacred images. They went with to the words “Holiday Sales.” At that time the “Today Show” did a segment on the Christmas Tree Wars as many retailers started calling their trees holiday trees not Christmas trees. As people of faith we live in a world that wants very much to put Christians under attack. Living in Christmas is part of being transformed as a follower of Jesus Christ, wearing His image, and living with courage.

Joseph discovered God was with him even when he was under a vicious attack. God provided resources for the escape to Egypt. The wise men brought valuable gifts. History tells us that there were distinct Hebrew communities throughout northern Egypt where Joseph and Mary could have instant fellowship, worship in a common language, and be reinforced in their faith. When you feel alone do you remember that God has promised: “I will never leave you nor forsake you”? (Hebrews 15:3) When you think that you are alone, it just may be that’s when the Lord is closest to your side, unseen but there nevertheless.

What do you need to do this Advent and Christmas to allow God to displace the loneliness with obedience to God? Allow me to give you some direction.
Keep your focus on the true meaning of Christmas. Attend special worship services, read your daily devotional, spend time with our Lord.

Reach out to someone who has displeased you. Offer forgiveness. In other words experience reconciliation, the same reconciliation Christ came to give between God and people, and between one another.

Be with people. Ask someone over for supper. Don’t sit and sulk, saying to yourself, “Why doesn’t anyone ever invite me to do anything.” Take the lead.

Share in an outreach ministry. I am proud of our congregation’s involvement with the Community Christmas family project and our involvement in the food panty and clothing center. Hats off to our youth and their leaders for giving up last Sunday and shopping for some families. Their involvement said “the youth program just isn’t about me.” When is our next time? Can you find the time to help? Stand convicted that God is with you . . . always.

Christmas Message

Matthew frames his whole gospel with the truth that God is always with us. In the first chapter he quotes Isaiah’s prophecy, “He will be called Immanuel—God with us.” (Matthew 1: 23) The last verse in the last chapter quotes Jesus saying as He is commissioning his disciples, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 20) Christmas is about believing in God’s promises, especially in the midst of loneliness. Amen!