2 Christmas, Year A

Jeremiah 31: 7 – 14; Psalm 84: 1 – 8; Ephesians 1: 3 – 6, 15 – 19a; Matthew 2: 13 – 15, 19 – 23

A homily by: Fr. Gene Tucker
Given at: St. John’s Church, Centralia, Illinois; Sunday, January 2, 2011
(by Mr. Tom Walsh, Licensed Lay Worship Leader)

“WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER”
(Homily text: Matthew 2: 13 – 15, 19 – 23)

Writer, director, producer…..

That’s the image that comes to my mind as I think about our gospel text for today. In it, the Lord directs Joseph to flee the wrath of King Herod the Great, thereby sparing the young Jesus’ life.

For, you see, the Lord God is the one who has written the script for this divine drama, and He is the one who is directing it. God is writer, director and producer of this drama.

The drama opened with the Lord’s announcement to Joseph that he was to take Mary as his wife. At that time, God told Joseph through an angel who had appeared to him in a dream that the child that she was carrying had been conceived by the Holy Spirit. This is the text we heard on Sunday, December 19th, the fourth Sunday of Advent. (Notice how important this series of dreams is, as God directs Joseph again and again.)

So Act I of this divine drama closes with the birth of Jesus.

Now, Act II begins as God again directs Joseph to take the young child and flee into Egypt.

And, as before, God’s direction comes through the agency of an angel, who speaks to Joseph in a dream.

Joseph’s response seems to be quick and decisive, for Matthew tells us that he, Mary and the young Jesus leave for Egypt during the night.

Act III begins as God comes again, directing Joseph to return from Egypt, once King Herod the Great had died. This would have been in the year 4 BC, for we know that Herod died in March or April of that year.

And so, in response, the Holy Family returns from exile in Egypt, but resettles in Nazareth, due to the ruthless nature of King Herod the Great’s son, Archelaus, who ruled the southern area of the Holy Land from 4 BC until 6 AD, when the Romans removed him from office.

Now as we reflect on the sequence of events, we can see a pattern emerging:

• God directs Joseph to do something, working through an angel, who appears in a dream.
• Joseph obeys God’s commands, seemingly without hesitation or questioning.

Along the way, Joseph’s ability to follow God’s direction grows, as God’s direction is confirmed by the events which follow it. For example, as Joseph led Mary and Jesus out of Bethlehem, undoubtedly reports of the massacre of the innocent children that took place after their departure helped to confirm the truth of what God had said. The truth that God’s direction contains bolsters our confidence in Him as director and producer of the divine drama.

God works through human beings, for the benefit of human beings, as they relate to God.

God’s main interest is our welfare. We are the audience for whom this divine drama was written. But we human beings also serve as the actors on the stage of life, following the Lord’s direction.

If it is true in the world of theatre that a director and producer collaborate with actors to bring a play before an audience, then it is also true of God’s direction of us, as actors in His divine drama. We collaborate with God to bring to life the great story of God’s love for us, seen most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

If it is true in the world of theatre that, at times, a director will spell out how a scene is to be played without input from the actors, then it is also true of the divine drama in which we find ourselves as players on God’s stage. Sometimes, God simply shows us how things are to be.

Certainly, that is true of Joseph. God simply tells Joseph what is to be done. There is no discussion, no working out the plan for how to play the scene between them. God presents the direction for the scene as a “done deal”. Joseph simply follows God’s direction, to the letter.

If God simply told Joseph how things were to be, and what he was to do, then the same is true of us as well. There are times when God’s direction is clear, simple and straightforward. God is in charge, and His will is to be followed.

In some things, God’s will can be easily seen. We can discern His will if it falls into line with what God has said before in the lives of the saints who have walked with him in ages past.

Some things will be quite clear, if precedent for them can be found in the pages of Holy Scripture.

At other times, however, we will need to work with God to bring the divine drama to life. As we hear God’s plans for the scene, we can add our own input, working under His direction to put our own best efforts and talents to use for the benefit of the Kingdom of God.

When we work together with God to determine what is the best way to do His will, we come together to put our own talents and abilities to the task of determining what is the best way to proceed.

Is there precedent in Holy Scripture for such a collaborative arrangement with God? Yes, there is.

In the Book of Acts, chapter 15, we read about the Council of Jerusalem, which took place in the year 49 AD. The issue before God’s people was how to include the Gentiles in the Church, and just how much of Jewish law and custom was to be observed by these Gentile converts to the faith. The Council met, and came to a decision about this matter, which threatened to tear the Church apart. In the end, their announcement was framed this way: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us….” (Acts 15: 28) Notice that those who had gathered together to make a decision worked together with God to bring about a desirable end.

We face a New Year together here at St. John’s. Welcome to the year 2011.

As we move forward into this new year, there will be occasions when what God would have us do will be very clear to us. Good examples of God’s very clear-cut direction can be found on the Baptismal Covenant. For example, there will be no question that we are to “continue in the Apostle’s teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.” By this, we mean that we will be faithful in attending worship, and in maintaining the teachings of our Lord, as we have received them from the Apostles.

Furthermore, our Baptismal Covenant requires that we “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ,” and to “seek and serve Christ in all persons,” as we “love our neighbor as ourselves.”

As part of our Baptismal Covenant, we are also called to “strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.”

In all these things, there can be no question about our need to faithfully fulfill our roles as players in God’s divine drama.

Yet, there will also be times when we will need to come together to work out, together with God, just how we are going to make His love and His care for all persons known. We will do some of that in our Annual Meeting, which is scheduled for Saturday, January 22nd.

May God’s Holy Spirit enlighten us, as we seek to faithfully follow His direction for our lives, relying on His wisdom and guidance to direct us as He sees fit.

AMEN.