The Journey: week 2 Bethlehem 12/15/19

The Journey: week 2 Bethlehem 12/15/19

 In most of our minds, Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, traveled to Bethlehem for the Census, and returned to Bethlehem when Jesus was born. That is because we take Luke’s story and Matthew’s story, and roll them up on a nice neat ball. This is handy, but it is not quite biblical.

Before we journey 80 miles to Bethlehem for this week’s message, Let's ask, “How did Mary and Joseph meet if they didn’t live in the same town?” Great question! It seems clear that Bethlehem was Joseph’s hometown. Nazareth was Mary’s hometown. Perhaps their marriage was arranged by their families. Perhaps Joseph met Mary when he worked in Sepphoris and stayed in Nazareth. When we have to admit that we really don’t know something as important as how Mary and Joseph met, we are reminded that although they are major actors, the story is really not about them.

Whatever the case may be, last week we became familiar with Nazareth, let’s get acquainted with Bethlehem.  I said Bethlehem is 80 miles south of Nazareth. It is nestled in the hills of the Judean countryside. In those days, Nazareth was a town of about 500 people. Today is a bustling city of 25,000.

 Unfortunately, this is what one sees as they approach Bethlehem today. It is a 21-foot tall concrete wall topped by electrified fencing, two-meter-deep trenches, roads for patrol vehicles, electronic ground/fence sensors, thermal imaging and video cameras, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), sniper towers, and razor wire. Bethlem lies just barely on the other side of that wall in Palestinian territory.

 The ugly reality is that the land of Mary and Joseph is a divided land in the midst of an age-old war. On this map, the white area is Israel. The Gold area is Palestinian and Jerusalem is divided East and West. There is a “wall of separation” built by Israel in an attempt to secure its border. Unless you are Palestinian, then they built it to make life hard for the many Palestinians who happen to work in Israel and sometimes have to drive man miles out of their way to reach a gate through the wall and go through tight security just to get to work. And then have to do it all over again to get home. There are two sides to every argument and this is no exception. Let me tell you no matter which side you are on, there is enough madness and blame to go around on both sides of this dispute. That is what one sees as they come to Bethlehem.

 But back to ancient Bethlehem

It was a busy town that may have had many grain mills and bakeries since Bethlehem means city of bread. We know from the book of Ruth, Bethlehem was Naomi’s home and Ruth gleaned in the fields outside town. Her great-grandson, David. was born there and the field where he fought Goliath was about 12 miles away. David was anointed king in Bethlehem and used Bethlehem as a capital city for a while. Historically Bethlehem is one of the most important cities in Judah. In addition, Bethlehem was Joseph’s home.

 The traditional site of Joseph’s home is marked in a cave in the Church of the Nativity Complex under the church of St. Catherine. It was here that he learned his trade, which we usually think of as a carpenter,  but, as I said last week, he could also have been a stonemason. The word means one who builds with their hands.

  In today’s story.

After the angel told Mary that she was to bear the Messiah, she went to a Cousin Elizabeth’s house on the south edge of Jerusalem where she received affirmation and support. While she was there, Joseph went to visit her and found out that she was pregnant. She told him the whole story about the angel and the Holy Spirit and everything, but who could believe such a wild story? He wanted to but it was so hard!

His life seemed to be crumbling around him. His beloved had apparently been unfaithful, and on top of that, listening to her story she may be hallucinating or even mentally ill. How was Joseph feeling that day as he left Elizabeth’s house? I suspect he was feeling just like we would feel: devastated, crushed, afraid, heartbroken and embarrassed. Maybe we should even add angry and disgusted. How could she do this? How could Mary do this to him? And who was the miserable animal who had done this to Mary?

 Joseph left that day with his life upside down, his guts turned inside out, and his heart in his throat. It was only a 6-mile walk back to Bethlehem, (about 90 minutes) but it must have seemed like 40 years in the wilderness.

Haven’t we all been there? Haven’t we all experienced that 6-mile walk?

Maybe your 6-mile walk was when you experienced the unfaithfulness of a spouse or total betrayal of someone you loved and trusted.

Did you walk the 6-mile road during a medical crisis when you thought you or someone you love might have a serious medical problem? You all know about one of my 6-mile roads with Amber’s heart surgery.

Is your 6-mile road a road of grief? Facing life without a spouse, parent, child, or other close relationship is a long hard journey.

How about that job you lost, or the job you really wanted. Was that a 6-mile road?

Have you walked the 6-mile road of bankruptcy or foreclosure?

Do you know all the twists and turns on the 6-mile road of bitter failure and lost dreams?

How about 6 miles of unforgiveness

I suspect we have all been there. Most of us have not been to the holy land but we know very well that 6-mile road that Joseph walked that day. But here’s what I want you to see today. While Joseph walked that long road back to Bethlehem… At Joseph’s deepest darkest moment… God was still at work in Joseph … and God was still working in Mary’s womb. And at our deepest darkest moments… God is still with us and God is still at work for us.

We are not the first, nor was Joseph the first to experience the jumble of emotions that we feel when we walk that 6-mile road.

735 years earlier, Israel and the nation of Aram were fighting in Jerusalem’s front yard. Everyone was in a panic. The prophet Isaiah gave a word of hope to King Ahaz.

Isaiah said God will give you a sign and before long the war will end. .. God gave the sign just as Isaiah said, and the war was soon over.

Do you want to know what the sign was?… the sign was that a woman would have a child and before that child was able to know right from wrong the two nations would both fall to Assyria.

Isaiah put it this way:

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[c] a sign: The virgin[d] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[e] will call him Immanuel. (which means God with us)[f] 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

Bottom line… Isaiah’s message was that God was still working even in the midst of this terrible situation.

Fast forward 735 years and the birth of another child would be a sign, another child who will be called Emmanuel, another child that will prove that even in the midst of our deepest darkest moments God is still with us and God is still working. Of course, the Child Matthew is writing about is Jesus. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

I said God is still working. We see God’s hand was working in Joseph even while he walked back to Bethlehem. It was a long enough walk that he began to think again. His head cleared and he began to think clearly again. He was no less devastated, no less crushed, no less afraid, no less heartbroken, and no less embarrassed. But God began to change his heart. He began to think, “I do not want to see Mary killed for this.” (That was the punishment for adultery, and this would be considered adultery.)

Maybe I will just end the engagement quietly. He would let people think whatever they are going to think about him. He would still have to pay the bride price that was due at the wedding. That was his legal obligation. But then it would be over.

Having that settled in his mind he arrives home and falls exhausted into a deep sleep.

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “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. 21 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.”

Matthew continues:

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” [g] (which means “God with us”).

Now you see why I was talking about Isaiah. Because Matthew quotes him right here the First chapter verse 23. By quoting this passage Matthew is remind all who would read this story that God is with us and God will save his people. Isn’t that what the incarnation is all about? God with us?

God was with Israel and it was saved.

God was with Joseph and he got up from that dream and took Mary as his wife, becoming the guardian of the Christ.

In this story, God speaks two words to us today. The first word is Immanuel, which means God is with us.

The second word is Jesus, which means God saves.

 No matter how bad things look, “Immanuel” God is with us and “Jesus” is our savior.

No matter how dark your 6-mile road gets. The God who is the creator of light is working in you - God is with you and Jesus saves.

No matter how impossible your situation may seem. The God for whom nothing is impossible is working in you - God is with you and Jesus saves.

No matter how much you have been hurt, or how much your heartaches. The God who healed bodies and cast demons out of the possessed is working in you- God is with you and Jesus saves.

No matter what kinds of obstacles are thrown up in front of you. The God who calmed the storm is working in you- God is with you and Jesus saves.

No matter how weak and weary you are. The God who gave Jesus the courage to pray “thy will be done” as he faced the cross is working in you- God is with you and Jesus saves.

No matter how hopeless your life might seem. The God who raised Jesus from the dead into glorious life is working in you - God is with you and Jesus saves.

My friends, never forget those two words. Immanuel and Jesus.

God is with you and he will save you.a

AMEN