Isaiah 7: 10–16; Psalm
80: 1–7, 16–18; Romans 1: 1–7; Matthew 1: 18–25
This is homily by Fr.
Gene Tucker, given at St. John’s in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday,
December 18, 2016.
“DOING
GREAT AND BIG THINGS IN A SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT WAY”
(Homily text: Matthew 1: 18–25)
“How
silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!
So
God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.
No
ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek hearts
will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.”
Though
the Christmas season isn’t quite upon us yet (it’s still Advent until the Eve
of the Nativity – Christmas Eve), those very familiar words, verse three from
the carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem”,[1] form a
wonderful entry into our gospel text this morning.
Perhaps
nearly every one of us could recite the passage we hear from Matthew 1: 18–25
this morning. Some of us could recite the words verbatim (some even in the
traditional language of the Authorized - King James - Version!), while many of
us could get the basic facts and the flow of the story right.
Despite
the reality that Matthew’s text is so familiar, nonetheless, it’s possible that
the human drama - and God’s place in that drama - might get lost….I tend to
believe that, oftentimes, passages from the Bible tend to “flatten out”. That
is to say, the fact that the people who are named in various biblical passages
were very real, very human persons, persons who share - with us - the same
concerns, passions, challenges and decisions we are faced with in our life’s
journey might escape our notice.
So,
if we can adopt a fresh perspective concerning the events surrounding Jesus’
coming, let’s approach the circumstances that Joseph and Mary were faced with
as Jesus’ arrival drew near, always keeping in mind God’s great plan and
purpose, and Mary and Joseph’s role in that purpose and plan. Matthew’s intent
is to relate to us the ways in which God broke into human history. In so doing,
He was doing great, big things, but, in some respects, in a small and
insignificant way.
We
should begin with the small, the insignificant, and the commonplace of the
people and the places of God’s choosing as He sent His Son to be “Emmanuel”,
that is, “God with us”.
Let’s
begin by noticing the things that we know about Joseph, Mary, the place of
their residence, and the place of Jesus’ birth. (In so doing, we’ll rely on the
things we know about Joseph as they are recorded in various places in the
gospel accounts.)
Joseph
was what we might call today a “blue collar” laborer, either a stone mason or a
carpenter. (The Greek word used to describe his profession can be translated
either way.)
Though
we don’t know for certain, it’s possible that Mary was from the lower economic
and social class, and was – quite likely – very young, as well (some think she
was in her early teen years at the time of the Angel Gabriel’s visitation).
That Joseph
(and Mary) were not persons of extraordinary means can be seen from the
offering that was made in the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus was presented
there….they made an offering of two turtle doves or two pigeons, which the Law
of Moses prescribed as an acceptable offering for those who could not afford an
offering of a larger animal. (See Luke 2: 22–24.)
Nazareth
was the place from which Joseph and Mary made their way to Bethlehem, where
Jesus was born. But, apparently, neither Nazareth nor Bethlehem amounted to
much in the estimation of many of God’s people in that day and time. In John 1:
46, the question is asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” It’s
possible that Bethlehem didn’t rank much higher in the list of towns in Judah,
either.
And
yet, God chose these two persons to be the avenue by which He entered the human
drama, ordinary people living in ordinary places.
Notice
what Matthew tells us: Joseph is told in
a dream that the child who shall be born is to “save his people from their
sins”, prefacing this statement by telling Joseph that the child is no ordinary
child, for the child has been conceived by the agency of the Holy Spirit. As
part of God’s great plan, the child will be called “Emmanuel” (meaning “God
with us”), which is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7: 14.
As a
result of God’s intervention, human history is forever changed, and we – along
with all believers down through time – benefit from God’s grace and goodness.
The
pattern we see in God’s activity with Joseph and Mary provides us with a clue
about the ways in which God often works to bring about great, big and eternal
results in the lives of human beings….many times, God works quietly, slowly and
imperceptibly to bring good to those who love Him.
As we
look at our own expectations about God’s ways, how often do we expect or ask
God to do something “really big”? Do we expect God to wave His hand to bring
about the things we want or need? Perhaps that is – in truth – our expectation.
But
quite often, God doesn’t work that way. God often works with common, ordinary
human beings, human beings who are willing to be faithful to God’s leading. As
much as we might want God to do something big, wonderful and dramatic, in
truth, much of the time, God chooses to do dramatic things in very quiet, often
unnoticed, ways. And God makes us part
of the plan He has to do His will in the world.
AMEN.
[1] The author of the words to “O Little Town of
Bethlehem” was Phillips Brooks, (1835 – 1893), who was the Episcopal Bishop of
Massachusetts.
