A Meditation for Advent 4 – Love
Collects
Grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour, so we may be ready to greet him when he comes again as our judge; who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Almighty God, Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; that on the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Matthew 1: 18-25
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 fulfil 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.
When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he
He married Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee
Joseph and Mary walked through an orchard green
There were cherries and berries, as thick as might be seen
Mary said to Joseph, so meek and so mild:
Joseph, gather me some cherries, for I am with child
Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger flew he
Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee!
Then up spoke baby Jesus, from in Mary’s womb:
Bend down the tallest branches, that my mother might have some
And bend down the tallest branches, it touched Mary’s hand
Cried she: Oh look thou Joseph, I have cherries by command
Oh look thou Joseph, I have cherries by command
Dating from the early 15th Century, the ‘Cherry Tree Carol’ is still very much loved and sung in the last days of advent, as the Holy Family draw close to Bethlehem to be counted. It’s a simple song that speaks of Jesus’ miracle from the womb and the power of God over nature – it can also give a sense of the emotional turmoil experienced by both Mary and Joseph during the months of her pregnancy
We can imagine Mary’s trepidation on telling Joseph. “How shall I tell him? What will happen to our marriage? Will he believe me? I couldn’t blame him if he didn’t and threw me out.”
And we can understand Joseph’s harsh words. “I can’t believe what she is saying. I’m being made to look foolish, to say the least, especially when people hear the improbable explanation. She would be punished and ridiculed. I love her still – I don’t want her humiliated. We’ll just quietly separate. I don’t want to, but I’ve no other choice. It’s all very well what the angel told me in a dream, but I still get angry and jealous sometimes.”
As we sing the carol, Joseph gets a bad press. He appears to snap back when Mary asks for a cherry. But like many old songs, it has been edited and translated many time over the years; and the earliest version then tells of Joseph’s regret for his outburst when he hears the voice of the unborn child
‘When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him’.
O then bespake Joseph:
‘I have done Mary wrong;
But cheer up, my dearest,
and be not cast down.’
Joseph’s example is one of love, human reaction, vocation and ultimate obedience to his Creator. So we rightly celebrate both Mary and Joseph as the chosen parents of the Christ-child. But we must also remember that they were ordinary people with human emotions who lived extraordinary lives. That’s the whole point of the story of incarnation. If Jesus had been born of an aristocratic or military family, there would have been a social hierarchy. His salvation could not have been regarded as universal, offered from pauper to prince. As it is, born in a stable and shortly afterwards seeking asylum as a refugee in Egypt, there are no exclusions – he is servant of all. In that ‘upside down’ act of Salvation, perhaps it is those wordly ‘rich’ who often consider they don’t need Him.
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This week I offer a report of our Archbishop John’s Introductory address to this week’s General Synod. It speaks for itself. I wish certain political leaders would read it too.