Joseph: A Model for Advent
Joseph: A Model for Advent
The Christian tradition focuses a lot on Jesus’ mother Mary, but we hear and know far less about Jesus’ earthly “step-father,” Joseph. The first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel tells us virtually all we know about Joseph. Joseph is royalty. Well, that’s not exactly true. He is no more a king than today’s descendants of George Washington are founding fathers. But like those Americans who take great pride in their connection to Washington, Joseph knows that he is a direct descendant of King David. He thinks he is of good stock. This may give him some hope for what he can make of himself in life.
Sure, he earns his living as a common construction worker in a small, country village, but his lineage may lead him to dream of bigger things, things that he sees when he makes his annual trip to the Temple in the big city of Jerusalem. Who knows what grand vision he has for his life?
The first step in that vision is undoubtedly to marry, and Joseph finds a lovely young bride-to-be in Mary of Nazareth. You can imagine how his joy and expectation must turn to despair when Joseph discovers that Mary — with whom he’s had no intimate contact — is pregnant. Joseph’s dream for his life takes a hit that day, but he is a good man, and he determines to break off the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace Mary in the public eye.
Yet the very night he comes to this decision, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream. This is a dream so real that it pushes Joseph’s other dream, the one about what he will make of himself, out of his mind. This dream sets a new course for Joseph’s life. The angel says, “You will marry the girl. Her child is God’s. You will name him Jesus, which means ‘salvation of the Lord,’ and you will raise him with love.” In that instant, Joseph’s life takes on infinitely more importance than it previously had. He accepts the angel’s call, and he gives his life to God.
In the years that follow, Joseph directly touches the lives of Mary and Jesus. He gives them shelter and nurture and love. Indirectly, through the ministry he makes possible by raising Jesus, he touches us all. His life is not his own. On the night the angel visits him, he gives his life away and it becomes God’s life, and as a result, it is redeemed by grace.
This Advent, as we dwell upon the workings of God in our lives, I hope we can remember the model of Joseph. Joseph lived long ago, but there are modern-day Josephs all around us, who provide still today potent and moving examples to follow. These days, when we consider the decisions we make that affect our lives, I hope we can see that our lives are not our own. They are God’s, and when we give them to God, we are redeemed by grace.
Grace and Peace,
The Very Reverend Barkley Thompson, Dean
Thank you to everyone who has made an Every Member Canvass pledge for 2021. We have come a long way in our EMC campaign, but we still have some distance to go. In order to fund our mission and ministry fully in 2021, our goal is 615 pledges for a total of $3,400,000.
Your Cathedral vestry is in the process of preparing the budget for 2021 and hopes to finalize it at the vestry meeting in December. If you have not yet made a pledge for 2021, know that there is still time! We invite you to make a financial commitment to the work of the parish for the coming year.
The Every Member Canvass is our annual opportunity to pledge financial support to Christ Church Cathedral for the coming calendar year, a true investment in future mission and ministry. As we live in a time unlike any other, the need is great, and we hope that all will make their pledge through trust in God who casts out our fear, and out of the joy we know when we meet God in this place.
Ways to make your pledge:
- Pledging online is easy.
- Return the pledge card you received by mail to 1117 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77002.
- Make a pledge over the phone at 713-590-3338 or by email by contacting Karen Kraycirik, minister for stewardship.
Learn more about this year’s EMC at: christchurchcathedral.org/emc
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