God’s grace, peace
and mercy be with you. My sermon today is entitled Superman, Caesar and a
Savior, and my focus is our Gospel (Matthew 1:18-25). Let us pray. Heavenly
Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the
house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to
hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our
hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity.
Amen.
Faster than a speeding
bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a
single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman!
Superman, my
favorite superhero. I read Superman comic books, and watched the TV series and
the movies. Superman was born Kal-El on the planet Krypton to Jor-El and Lara.
Rocketed to earth, found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, they renamed
him Clark. He grew up in Smallville, where he and his adoptive parents
discovered his superhuman powers. Fortunately, for us, the Kents taught Clark
to use these powers responsibly to help others and fight crime.
Superman. Who is
he? Where does he come from? Questions we ask about people. Whether it’s the
new pastor, student, boss or neighbor, we want to know their origins. We
inquire where this person was born, where he went to school, who his parents
were, and if he can produce a birth certificate.
Aware that people
want to know, parents proudly announce to the world the entry of sons and
daughters. A few:
We joyfully
announce the birth of Lauren Anne June 21st at 5:15 p.m. 7 pounds, 4 ounces.
Our home has grown
by two feet! David Jonas Peterson born on November 22nd. Weight: 8 lb. 3 oz.
Length: 17 inches.
Look who dropped
in! Please share our joy at the arrival of our daughter Meredith Teresa, May
23rd. 6 lb. 11 oz.16 inches.
Who will ever
forget this one: The Duchess of Cambridge has been delivered of a son. 22nd
July 2013. Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of
a son at 4.24pm. The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present
for the birth.
The Queen, The
Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry
and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the
news. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in
hospital overnight. … The Royal Family even announced the medical staff, and
posted a formal notice of the birth in front of Buckingham Palace.
What does this
have to do with the angel’s message to Joseph? It’s a 1st century
birth announcement. Birth announcements, even during the day of Mary and
Joseph, were a big deal. In 1st century Rome there was no bigger
birth announcement than that of Caesar Augustus. Archeologists discovered a
proclamation in Turkey that dated back nine years before Jesus’ birth. The inscription says that it was good for the
city to celebrate the evangelium, the “good news,” of the birth of
Caesar Augustus, the savior of the world. Romans saw Augustus as the son of god,
since his father through adoption, Julius Caesar, had been deified. Moreover,
the author used the term “good news” in relationship to an individual,
Augustus, almost at the same time as the birth of Jesus.
Not to be outdone,
Matthew announces his own good news, the birth of humanity’s Savior, Jesus son
of Joseph, son of David, Son of Abraham, Son of God. The most obvious feature
of the birth announcement in Matthew is that Joseph, not Mary, is the primary
actor. Whereas Luke emphasizes the passivity of the human response to God’s
action – “Let it be done to me according to your word,” Matthew stresses the
active component in the human response.[1] Three times the angel
instructed him to do something, and Joseph responded to God’s command.
An upright man, Joseph
must divorce Mary, not out of anger but out of religious conviction. No matter
how much he loves Mary, it is his religious obligation to annul the marriage
contract.[2] It is not his choice to
forgive her and act out that forgiveness by marrying her. Justice demands that
Joseph follow the law.[3]
Follow the law.
Act justly. … I studied church law for two years, and worked with two canon
lawyers for 5 years after I was ordained. Preparing for my colloquy exam, I
read Walther’s and Pieper’s works, where I discovered that Law is as important
in the Lutheran Church as it is in the Catholic Church.
Sam Berry’s
Handbook of Science and Christianity[4] is a powerful reminder
that laws govern our universe. Talking heads, twitter feeds and political
pundits constantly remind us that constitutional law governs our nation. Follow
the law. Act justly.
We also know that
there are exceptions to laws; that not every person is subject to every law;
and that mercy tempers justice. Joseph must divorce Mary to demonstrate that
his love for God is stronger than his love for Mary; and, even though he
determines to divorce her quietly so as not to humiliate her, God’s angel
annuls Joseph’s plan.
Addressing him as
“son of David,” the angel reminds us that Joseph’s role is linked to his
Davidic descent. Joseph is not responsible for Mary’s pregnancy, but he has a
major role to play in the drama of salvation history. God would bring about
salvation for humanity through Joseph’s family. As a “Son of David,” Joseph’s
role was to simply acknowledge what God was doing and name the child. By doing
this, according to the law, the boy is authentically his.
I cannot help to
think that Joseph was a man of faith. True, he observed the law and acted
justly. Any good man would have done the right thing to prove his love for God.
But Joseph also realized that authentic obedience to God meant that he
possessed enough merciful courage to make things right all around.
Joseph’s lesson to
the Christian today cannot be lost in the sentimentality of the Christmas
story. Joseph demonstrates that the only way we become convinced of our own
power, dignity and the power of God is by actually participating in that power
– by crossing a line that has a certain degree of nonsensicalness and
unprovability to it – which is why we call it faith. In crossing the line and
obeying God’s command to take Mary as his wife and name the child, Joseph acts
in a new way. Acting in a new way, Joseph demonstrates to us that faith is only
demonstrated when we act on what we believe to be true, and not simply
acquiesce to man’s law and justice.[5]
Perhaps his
meditation on God’s mercy moved Joseph to do likewise. I cannot help but think
that God acted with mercy towards Mary and Joseph, just as He did towards us by
giving us His Son, Abraham’s son, David’s son, Joseph’s son – as our substitute
on the Cross. For that act of divine mercy, I am eternally grateful to God.
I am grateful that
Matthew and Luke pondered and answered the questions about Jesus’ identity and
origins. In their own ways, they answered the questions: Who is he? Where does
he come from?
These questions –
pondered by Christians every Advent – allow us to focus on God’s Law and Gospel
with a bit more joy as we muddle through dreary days and long nights. By
answering questions of Jesus’ identity and origin, the Holy Spirit guides us as
we, like Joseph, make daily choices about life and relationships, sometimes
based on justice and law, and other times based on faith and mercy.
Not all choices
are as clear cut and as easy as choosing a gift for under the tree. For
Christian of the 21st and the 1st centuries, choosing
Christ may result in the end of some relationship and possibly the end of life.
Look no further back in history than the 20th century when despots
and dictators martyred millions of Christians in Mexico and Latin America, in
China and across Asia, in Russia, Germany and throughout Africa – and in
“pregnancy centers” throughout America. I wonder the outcome if good and just
men and women would have acted according to God’s Law, Biblical Justice and
Divine Mercy – if people of faith would have been attuned to God’s Word as
Joseph was.
Advent is a
wonderful season to ponder Jesus’ identity and origins, to ponder our personal
relationship to Him. As we read Matthew’s infancy narrative, let us turn the
page to find the line where the Roman centurion, whose allegiance and life
rested in the hands of Caesar, courageously proclaimed, “Truly, this was the
Son of God.” Owning that statement in the age of the Caesars and in our age
makes all the difference in life and death. As we await the Day of the Lord,
may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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