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Advent Devotional 2022
for the week of December 18
This is the fourth devotional in our Advent series featuring poetry from Ann Weems’ Kneeling in Bethlehem, with commentary by Terry Ley and our pastoral staff.
Preparing to Kneel in Bethlehem
This Christmas, let us give thanks to God
for this man of incredible faith
into whose care God placed the Christ Child.
If my memory serves me well, I always placed Mary and the babe in the manger at the front of our creche when I was a child. The donkey, the cow, and the sheep stood nearby. Three Wise Men, a shepherd, and an angel stood outside, looking in.
Joseph stood back of the main players, well inside the shelter, in the shadows.
In today’s poem from Kneeling in Bethlehem, Ann Weems urges us to bring Joseph forward, where he belongs.
She is right, for Joseph is a low-profile hero of Advent. Weems imagines fatherly behaviors that are not a part of the Bible’s nativity narrative. However, biblical accounts do portray Joseph as a faithful, kind, and self-sacrificing father. Fearing Herod’s threat, Joseph escaped with Mary and Jesus to Egypt and then returned to Galilee. He and Mary sought Jesus for three days before finding him sitting among teachers of the law. Sustained by Joseph’s work, “the carpenter’s son” grew in “wisdom and stature.”
Joseph is never mentioned in stories of Jesus’ adult ministry, leading some to believe that he died before Jesus reached adulthood.
No biblical account records any words that Joseph spoke.
What we do learn about Joseph, according to one account, is that he was “a humble man who faithfully obeyed God, honored others, took responsibility, and worked hard to provide for his family…godly characteristics that we should seek to replicate.”
As a gesture of gratitude,
let’s put Joseph in the front of the stable
where he can guard and greet
and cast an occasional glance
at this Child
who brought us life.
Terry Ley
Getting to the Front of the Stable
Ann Weems
Who put Joseph in the back of the stable?
Who dressed him in brown, put a staff in his hand,
and told him to stand in the back of the crèche,
background for the magnificent light of the Madonna?
God-chosen, this man Joseph was faithful
in spite of the gossip in Nazareth,
in spite of the danger from Herod.
This man, Joseph, listened to angels
and it was he who named the Child
Emmanuel.
Is this a man to be stuck for centuries
in the back of the stable?
Actually, Joseph probably stood in the doorway
guarding the mother and child
or greeting shepherds and kings.
When he wasn’t in the doorway,
he was probably urging Mary to get some rest,
gently covering her with his cloak,
assuring her that he would watch the Child.
Actually, he probably picked the Child up in his arms
and walked him in the night,
patting him lovingly
until he closed his eyes.
This Christmas, let us give thanks to God
for this man of incredible faith
into whose care God placed the Christ Child.
As a gesture of gratitude,
let’s put Joseph in the front of the stable
where he can guard and greet
and cast an occasional glance
at this Child
who brought us life.
For Reflection:
Scripture
Matthew 1:18-25
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
Questions
- Who are some of the "low-profile heroes" of your own Advent story?
- How might we honor these individuals and the gifts they offer that too often go unnoticed?
Prayer
Lord thank you for your servant Joseph, who reminds us that faithfulness often requires humility, courage, and a willingness to follow your call even when we do not understand. Amen.
A downloadable copy of this devotional can be found here.
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