When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him . . . (Matt. 1:18-25).
Whether in story or song, we yearn for resolution.
We don’t always get it. Some musical composers seem to delight in the discordant, regarding the unfinished sound as artistry. Some writers leave us wondering and guessing, regarding the jagged edges of the tale as closer to reality. They may be right. But that doesn’t change the fact that the ear and the mind instinctively seek resolution.
We want the chords to progress in such a way that we hear and feel the conclusion of the piece. We like for the varied plotlines of the story to come together in such way that the fragments form a unified whole.
“They lived happily ever after.” That’s the story we like to hear, the ending we yearn for.
God in Loose Ends
Matthew’s story of Jesus’ birth lacks resolution. As we typically read it and hear it read, the story ends nicely enough with Joseph taking Mary as his wife. But while this ending is simple, it isn’t neat. Much is left untold.
The fall-out from the marriage remains untold. New Testament scholar Craig Keener writes that “Joseph’s obedience to God cost him the right to value his own reputation.” And then there’s the little detail about “having no union with her” until the birth of Jesus. They’re married, but not fully married. This isn’t quite happily ever after. Resolution eludes us at the end of Matthew’s story.
There is one line however that helps us make sense of what Joseph did and how he did it. When the Angel spoke the words that the prophet Isaiah had spoken long ago, the child is identified as Immanuel – “God with us.”
“God with us.” That truth is at the core of the Christmas story, and in some way it is at the core of our own stories as well – especially the messy stories, the stories that lack resolution and leave us groping about for what’s next.
Endings yet Unseen
We tend to think that when God is with us, the story will always resolve. We sometimes doubt “God with us” because if it were true, life would surely look differently than it does today. Joseph wouldn’t be risking his good name, devoting himself to an already-pregnant woman. And we too would be getting something other than we’ve got.
But “God with us” means that God enters fully into the life you have right now. And if God embraces your life, maybe you can embrace it too. You can do the hard thing and accept the difficult reality – just as Joseph did. And you can do it with deep peace and bold confidence, knowing that ultimately in all things God is working for your good.
Over the past few weeks of Advent, we’ve listened to the words of the angels: “Be not afraid,” “you will have a child,” “take Mary as your wife.” All the messages the angels deliver are powerful and life changing. But maybe the one short line spoken to Joseph in a dream is what we most need to hear this Christmas.
Jesus is “Immanuel – God with us.”
In the story you’re living today, and the story that comes to you in the year ahead, you can know that God is present with you. All things will one day resolve. Until then, like Joseph, we live in faithful obedience.
Prayer:
I will claim the Angel’s words to Joseph as your promise to me, O God. You are with us. In Jesus you entered fully into the experience of life and embraced it all. Because you are with us we can do the same. Grant us the gift of your Spirit that we might live fully in your presence today, we ask in Jesus’s name. Amen.