Joseph & Family
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Bishop Brewer’s homily March 18, 2015
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“Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went.”Valued, protector, one brave man daring in the midst of the threats that his child could be killed, Joseph and his family made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They didn’t go to Egypt for vacation. At one level it’s extraordinary what was asked of Joseph and what he was able to accomplish. When I think of Joseph, what do I think about? A humility and a willingness to be obedient to God, even if it doesn’t give you a lot of praise and applause from other people. If you’re playing to the crowd you’ll always lose when you’re all by yourself.
Secondly, Joseph showed a willingness to take responsibility for the people who were given to his charge. He was, first and foremost, a husband and a dad.Our churches should reflect that. We should have in our congregation programs that strengthen marriages, teach parents what it means to raise and honor and treasure and discipline their children. In our culture, children tend to be either icons of self-indulgence or they’re nuisances that we shouldn’t make room for in public. We teeter between these two extremes, neither of which gives us the kind of framework to both love and discipline them.
It should and could be the unique witness of the people of God to raise up children who understand discipline; have a sense of clear purpose and can be in the most natural and fun-loving ways, kids who understand obedience and joy at the same time, not victims of abuse nor victims of neglect. That honors Joseph. |