Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:5
Our pastor, Keefe Cropper, has been preaching on the angelic visitations of the Advent season — the first Sunday he preached on the angel’s visit to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, the next Sunday to Mary the Mother of Jesus, and this Sunday, to Joseph, “her betrothed.” (I love that word.)
So this week I read the first chapter of Matthew 1:18-25: “Now the birth of Jesus took place in this way…” followed by the account of an angel delivering a message to Joseph in a dream.
I was moved by what Joseph said when an angel spoke to him — he said nothing! Instead he quietly obeyed God, married Mary and and took care of her during her pregnancy. Joseph was a man of action, not words.
Mary, on the other hand, was a person of many words. When she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, she burst into song: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Read Luke 1:39-55) Her lyrics declare God’s justice — punishment for the rich and good things for the poor and lowly — no empty-headed child, she.
Mary was a person of many words; Joseph was a person of few words. But they had one quality in common — submission to the will of God.
You won’t find a lot about submission on TV or in the movies or on Facebook. You will find a lot of its ugly opposite — hubris, or over-confidence in one’s self. Hubris often hides self-doubt and low self-esteem. Confident persons are the ones who submit to a higher Power — I call it God.
Whether you are a person of many or few words, you can learn from Joseph and Mary. Discover the gift of serenity within you this season — the gift of submission to the Creator. As Mary said to the angel, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Take a deep breath and pray in your own way. May it be unto you as it was unto Mary — and to Joseph. Let your gentleness be know to everyone. The Lord is near.
