My favorite Christmas tradition is enjoying holiday movies, many of which tell emotional tales of love and romance. Who can forget Harry and Sally? Bob and Betty? Or my personal favorite, Buddy the elf and Jovie?
The Christmas story tells an epic tale of love, sacrifice, and courage like none other.
The love Mary and Joseph shared endured many challenges. From the beginning it seemed their relationship would not survive judgement from all who knew them when it became clear that Mary was pregnant. Matthew 1:19 tells us that Joseph planned to divorce Mary before the Angel appeared to him.The only people who supported the new couple were Elizabeth and Zechariah. After months of scrutiny, the couple faced another ordeal in the form of traveling to Jerusalem on foot to participate in the Roman census. We know how the story unfolds; but what must they have thought as they traveled the dusty roads together? Did Mary anticipate that she might go into labor on the way? Were they aware of the potential of Herod to make his fatal decree? The scriptures do not give voice to the internal monologue or the private conversations they must have had.
No fictional couple has weathered the number and magnitude of obstacles our forebearers did in order to bring the Christ into the world.
The apostle John described the essential role love plays in our faith. His thesis in 1 John demonstrates how God is equally light and love. The apostle John begins by explaining that
“God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.” (1 John 1:5)
Being close to God is synonymous with living in the light. How are love and light related? John goes on to say that loving God involves following his commands. The command John echoes from Jesus is to love one another. Jesus perfected this command and proved that he is the light of the world! (1 John 2:7-8) As for us, let us not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. (1 John 3:18) Our brother John understood that the church would not withstand the confusion caused by false teachers if they did not put action behind their beliefs. For our lives today, we have many competing messages about every aspect of love whether it be familial, romantic, or altruistic. We do not have to shift through every belief that comes our way because we have a perfect role model and we have the perfect setup for practicing Jesus teaching - the church. That much has not changed in a thousand years!
Both Joseph and Mary understood the gravity of raising the Messiah. Joseph was “a righteous man” (Matthew 1:19) and Mary was “blessed among women.” (Luke 1: 42) Separately and as a couple they understood the tenants of love John would write to us decades later. They loved God and showed faith comparable to Abraham as they walked willingly into uncharted territory. Commitment and especially faith forged the marriage Mary and Joseph shared. Their relationship is surely a lamp on the paths we walk today in our families and communities.
Sarah Brown