Matthew 1.18-25, Advent 4A
Theme: Love
Young Love is a beautiful experience. It is full of all kinds of excitement and anticipation. Yet there are so many things which can go wrong. Lack of experience coupled with a literal bath of hormones can easily cloud judgement. The older one becomes, the more cautious the individual. The decrease of hormones in the blood stream helps. These factors can lead to a reduction in very painful mistakes. That said, there is a large possibility humanity would not have survived its first hundred years if young people possessed the wisdom of older people.
Ah, the memories of young love. The memories of our courtship my wife and I had are some of the most precious I hold. Yes, we did some very stupid things, but we were fortunate to have survived them – and so did our relationship. As a result, the two us have experienced almost 54 years together. I can’t speak for Paulette (that’s something I learned early on never to do) but I would never trade those years for anything.
The scripture text for this Sunday is an interesting story of youth, love and adventure. In the account we find similarities and differences between a fairly normal example of young love. First the similarities – these may surprise you.
1. They were in love with each other. Joseph could have had Mary executed for becoming pregnant outside their relationship.
2. Joseph was willing to continue their relationship and plans for marriage.
3. They both accepted the responsibility of raising a child even under very difficult circumstances.
4. They accepted God into their married life. Even without the miracle of Mary’s conception, all love relationships are a triangle with God at the center. This is true whether the couple are aware of it or not.
The major differences are surprisingly few.
1. They accepted a very exceptional intrusion – that of God’s impregnation of Mary. I would like to point out an often-missed fact is every conception of new life includes a miracle. The followers of YAHWEH (God) have always believed life is a gift from God. The way Mary and Joseph experienced it was quite different, but the gift is the same.
2. They were entrusted with raising within their household the Christ child.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.” This love of the world entered the life of two very special people. God chose to bless young love with the miracle of new life. For some, it is the birth of a baby – or perhaps babies. Each is a child of God -- A new set of possibilities for all of humankind.
This is the result of young love.
Worship with us in person at 10:30 AM as we will be giving thanks for the coming of the Messiah. The service will also be streamed live on the internet -- (https://fccmaryvillemo.com) or on the church’s home Facebook page. If you missed the live stream, a recorded session is also available to view at your convenience. Want to make a comment on my blog? Click on https://fccmaryvillemosanc.wixsite.com/ftdo.