Dear friends,
We’ve reached Gaudete Sunday, or the Third Sunday of Advent. This joyous occasion is an exception to the Advent rule. This is a (mostly) penitential season, like Lent. We prepare. We repent. We anticipate the return of Christ. And right at the pinnacle of our waiting we remember joy, and for this series, journeying, too. My eldest is eager to light the pink candle on our wreath. Imagine her delight when I tell her tonight is the night!
This is our third week in this Advent series reading selected passages in the story of Christ’s birth. I encourage you to read each passage slowly. (Or, if you’re a paid sub, listen to it above.) Whether silently or aloud, the practice of lectio divina invites us to open ourselves to the text. What will you notice a second or third time through? Where might the Spirit lead you?
If this is unfamiliar to you, lectio divina is a prayerful way of reading scripture or other beautiful texts by using four steps.
Lectio: Read or listen to the passage with care. Repeat 2-3 times.
Meditatio: Meditate on the text for a few minutes. Take note of any words or phrases that stick out.
Oratio: Respond to God with prayer.
Contemplatio: Contemplate God’s love for you.
Take as much time as you need with this practice. I’d suggest a ten minute minimum.
This week our text highlights Joseph, the man engaged to Mary. Matthew describes him as righteous, sensitive, and self-controlled. After hearing of her pregnancy, Joseph intends to protect Mary’s dignity by parting ways quietly. The child developing in Mary’s womb is not only a risk to her reputation, but also his. Infidelity was incredibly shameful for all parties involved. And yet, he accepts the risk. With some angelic persuasion he commits himself to Mary and the child. People will surely talk. Their union is costly in every way. And yet, Joseph’s unwavering, childlike trust in God leads him on a physical and spiritual journey towards the mystery of salvation.
Joseph’s Dream: Matthew 1:18-25 (NRSVA)
“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.”
(This version of this song is excellent, too.)
Journal Prompts:
Joseph’s choice to accept Mary and Jesus as his own family was costly in the eyes of their culture. What costs have you experienced as a result of obedience to God? What joys?
Both Joseph and Mary were likely wrestling with the confusion of those around them and with their own grief, while also carrying a joy deep in their bones. How have you experienced this tension in your own life?
How might Joseph’s example of discipline, obedience, and humility inform your own journey in parenting or leadership?
Related Resources:
Find last week’s reading here.
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