Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about… God called – and those who were called responded
Isa 7:10-16 Ps 80:1-7,17-19 Rom 1:1-7 Mt 1:18-25
Zane Butnāre, theologian
Through the misty days and the darkness of various shades, the Advent wreath now shines brightly in all its splendor and fullness. The four candles, lit one by one, are like illuminators of the heart’s path, quietly leading us toward the miracle – God’s coming into this world, the feast of Jesus’ birth. The Holy Scriptures reveal this event in two gospels – Luke and Matthew – each offering a different vantage point, yet bearing witness to one and the same mystery of God’s love and presence. This mystery also contains God’s call and the response of those who are called.
In the Gospel of Luke, the story of Jesus’ birth is revealed through Mary’s experience, first showing how the angel Gabriel comes to her to announce the wondrous news that Mary will conceive by the Holy Spirit and give birth to a Son, Jesus, who will be called the Son of the Most High, the Son of God (Lk 1:26-38). After a brief conversation with the angel, Mary, in humility and trust, says “yes” to this call of God. She does not resist, but accepts her life’s path, not understanding (for such a thing cannot be understood), but trusting God.
The Gospel of Matthew reveals Jesus’ birth through Joseph’s vantage point. Although little attention is paid in this story to Joseph’s emotions and feelings, his fear is nonetheless shown – having learned that his betrothed, with whom he does not yet live together, is pregnant, Joseph is frightened, and he can be well understood. In the society of that time this is a scandalous fact, and we can only imagine how Joseph is tormented by inner doubts and a dilemma – what to do in this situation? Because – what will others think, how will they react, what will the consequences be? Joseph chooses to part from Mary quietly. In the Gospel of Matthew he is characterized as a “righteous man,” which could point not only to obedience to the law, but to submission to God’s will. Joseph’s wish to part from Mary secretly, without exposing her to public shame, reveals that righteousness also includes God’s mercy.
Joseph wants to come out of the difficult situation in such a way as to hurt as few people as possible. His fears and doubts are interrupted by a dream, in which an angel of God comes to Joseph and says: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the one conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” (Mt 1:20). What the angel says to Joseph takes up the greater part of the story of Jesus’ birth in the Gospel of Matthew. Step by step he explains what has happened to Mary, that she will give birth to a Son, Jesus, who will save people from their sins, and that he will be called Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” Having awoken from the dream, Joseph, “the righteous man,” did as the angel of God had commanded. He took Mary to himself, and when the Son was born, he named him Jesus.
Joseph’s story does not testify only to something that happened long ago. Its message, especially in the Advent season, reminds us that God’s call tends to sound in moments when we are in difficulty, facing hard decisions, when we are wounded and vulnerable and feel insecure. God does not wait until everything is well (in our understanding), until the fears have passed, until we have attained harmony and balance, reached some self-set results and goals, until we have tried so hard to do everything right and in such a way as to hold ourselves together in the world we have constructed for ourselves. God is the God of reality, not a part of our fantasies or a means to improve our lives. He is Life itself, the Living One, and the Calling. Just as in Advent the candles illuminate the darkness, so God’s call, the path He marks out, tends to appear when we do not expect it and feel unready. Mary and Joseph responded and accepted it. Not because they understood and knew, and not because it was convenient. God’s call was, to put it in modern terms, a challenge to them both, yet Joseph and Mary trusted God.
What kind of life, I wonder, had they imagined before they met the angel of God? What were their dreams and thoughts about their future? We do not know, but perhaps we may suppose that, whatever they were, most likely God’s call shattered them to pieces. Yet the new reality that opens up beyond them is life in communion with God. And it is not only the giving, receiving, and fulfilling of an individual call. The story of Mary and Joseph also reminds us of the congregation – of a community of people, where each one, responding to God’s call, takes part in shaping the new reality. Most likely it will change or disrupt our individual plans and designs, will create some discomfort or confusion, but perhaps precisely in the Advent season we can quietly learn to be in this new space of trust? To respond to the call and not think that it is only some one very vivid event, but perhaps God calls us every day? Sometimes louder, sometimes more quietly, sometimes more insistently and directly, sometimes gently and barely perceptibly. The Advent season in particular calls and reminds us that we can give ourselves over and entrust ourselves to God’s guidance, trust in His presence even in the greatest darkness and every day, until the very end of time, as Jesus promised.
He stands at the door and knocks. Whoever hears His voice opens the door.
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Illustration: Arta Skuja