Faith—Answering The Call

Texts: Isaiah 7:10-16 , Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-25

It was probably another ordinary day for Joseph. This pious Jew, whose work was carpentry in Nazareth, looked at his life and was well pleased. After all, he was from good stock, a member of the house of David, a respected family line. He was linked, we do not know for sure how, to a young woman named Mary and was going to marry her.

Joseph was happily minding his own business, when he got some disturbing news. Mary, his betrothed, was with child. Understandably, Joseph’s ordinary day changed. Since then, nothing has been the same.

I am not a carpenter, but I have done some building of things out of wood. It is ordinary work. By that I mean there are steps. The wood must be cut, then stripped of bark, sawed, dried, planed, measured for fit. If a person is alone in his wood shop, he has lots of time to think, to ponder, to dwell on what has gone right or wrong that day. So it was with Joseph on the day he learned that his betrothed was going to have a baby—not his baby. We imagine his confusion, his utter frustration. He feels ill equipped to move forward with his life.

So, he planes the boards. Long after they were level enough, he planes—stroking out his frustration, as needless layers of healthy shavings fall to the ground. This ordinary carpenter, someone whose life is upright and admirable, finds himself at a loss. His orderly plans have been disturbed. What should he do?

Matthew tells us that he “planned to dismiss [Mary] quietly.” It was the lawful thing.

But Matthew also tells us that Joseph had a dream, a dream that changed his mind. The theologian Paul Tillich would say that Joseph was grasped by something, or someone, beyond himself. What he prayed for, and the one to whom he prayed, became one, and he awoke full of courage to follow where his faith would lead.

Sometimes we all need a sign. A sense that we would rest more comfortably if our decision was somehow revealed to be consistent with God’s will.

I have an older brother. He loved giving me wise advice when I was little. He told me never to question whether God existed because one day when he was taking a bath, he said, “God, if you are really up there, make a drop of water fall from the shower head.” And at that very moment, a drop fell.

Wishful thinking? A trivial coincidence? Perhaps, but to him it was a sign. Besides, who am I to contradict my big brother? Let us not forget that Jesus criticized his disciples for their lack of faith saying, "truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17: 20, NRSV)

Remember how the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test. Then Isaiah said: "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”

Joseph’s dream comes to us through Matthew’s gospel as a manifestation of God’s active participation in Joseph’s life, and an example of faith. To have faith, one must participate in the action. To reach out and to fully expect that there is a power beyond that reaches back.

Likewise, in Psalm 80, the psalmist reaches out, fully expecting God to save and restore the people of Israel. That restoration would be a sign that God loves God’s people, and calls them to follow.

Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, preached that through faith, we are born to a new life, a life of Spirit and truth. He says that he was “called” and that we are called. The word “call” is used multiple times in his letter to the Romans, and we cannot ignore it: called to be apostles, called to belong to Jesus, called to be saints, called to bring others into a life of faith.

The question we ask ourselves is this: What are we called to do? I believe that God is calling us this very minute to be someone new, to live up to our true potential, to shed a skin (as Joseph did), and become the person God intended us to be.

Remember that Joseph was of the lineage of David. He was a proud and faithful man. He had a good life. He didn’t need to be shaken. I can hear him saying, as he sanded and polished, “Why me, God? This is too hard. I am just a regular guy, content to avoid all the social, intellectual, legal, and religious 'stuff.' I'm just a simple carpenter who wants to be left alone.”

And God answers, “That is precisely the reason why I am choosing you: Your background, your wealth, your advantages, what will they get you in the long run? I am a God that chooses the meek and lowly, the poor and the oppressed, the widow and the orphan. Listen. Put your ordinary agenda aside and really listen. If you want to claim me as your lord, then you have to trust me, and follow me. There is no other way. Do not make excuses for why you can’t. Trust. Have faith. Follow.”

Why are we so afraid to follow God? Because we fear we might be wrong. And by being wrong, we might miss out on something. We fear the unknown. We fear being ridiculed. We fear being labeled theologically light-weight. We fear being unpopular, or on the "out" side of the intellectual “in”. Fear leads to disconnection from our faith in Jesus—and our call to teach and to lead others to him. When we back down or run away from this call, we are saying to others that this is a satisfactory choice.

It is not.

Faith is.

And facing fear is the first active step of faith. Faith is Freedom, and Freedom is a gift God established in creation—free will: we must always have the sense that God gives us the freedom to choose, or not choose, a connection with God. The right or the wrong of it will become evident as we follow God’s call. We cannot always know the outcome before we take the first step.

Joseph makes up his mind without hesitation. He goes to sleep an ordinary woodworker, but he wakes up a master carpenter, the guardian of the king of kings, and lord of lords.

Joseph listened to God. He set an example for us. He followed God’s call in a dream. Then he stepped back and let the extraordinary story unfold. Aren’t we glad he did?