Matthew 1:24-25
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.
And then, all of a sudden, it’s over: Matthew’s account of the birth of our Lord. Joseph wakes up, does what the angel commands, and Jesus is born.
That’s it. Again, the absence of mangers and shepherds and angel choruses may strike us as odd, even as a tad disconcerting and at the very least rather anticlimactic. What, we may be tempted to ask, this is it? Just one man’s obedience?
Yes, one man’s obedience to overcome his doubt, hurt, and fear in order to take the angel’s word and Mary as his wife. But is obedience, particularly in such circumstances, such a trifling matter? I wonder.
What else has been – or, perhaps more importantly, could be – achieved by one person’s obedience? One person’s obedience to take God’s command to care for the poor seriously? One person’s obedience to love the neighbor as yourself? One person’s obedience to regard all people as God’s beloved children? One person’s obedience to share the good news of Jesus with the world? One person’s obedience to resist the way of violence and turn the cheek? One person’s obedience to hunger and thirst for righteousness?
We have examples of the obedience of men and women like this. From Martin Luther King, Jr. to Dorothy Day, and from Mother Theresa to Desmond Tutu, individuals who have obeyed the call of the Lord have made an extreme impact on this world God loves so much.
These are the dramatic examples, of course. But think for a moment about the individuals who have made a huge impact in your life. A teacher, coach, parent, pastor, sibling, neighbor, friend…who was simply obedient to the call of God to love all as God has loved all.
Small gestures, perhaps, in the larger scheme of things. But as history and our own experience witness, when it comes to acts of love and obedience to God’s call…there are no small gestures.
Prayer: Dear God, gives us ears to hear your call and hearts to obey it, that by being faithful in small things we may change the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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