December 21, 2025 · Rev. Derek van Gulden · Isaiah 7:10-16; Matthew 1:18-25
On the last Sunday of Advent, Rev. Derek van Gulden turns to Joseph, who could have done what custom demanded and instead wrapped his arms around Mary and the child. Their two yeses made love available to the world in a new way, or, as a favorite professor put it after a certain Christmas movie, love actually.
Transcript
People of God, would you join me in a moment of prayer? Gracious and holy God, this morning I ask you to help me not to be the instrument of my own oppression or anyone else's, but to find a way to be an instrument of peace in every step, in every breath, in every moment of every day. Amen.
I say that every week for fourteen, well, twenty something years now. And periodically someone will come up and say, you're getting repetitive. Why? And I said, well, part of my job is to challenge you. Part of my job is to talk about things that aren't easy. Those words I just shared now are not easy. They're not easy for me. I don't think they're easy for anyone.
During this time of advent, we've been walking through this the series called Who Child, what child is this? We've looked at the culture. We've looked at what was going on when Jesus was brought into the world. We've heard about Mary. We've heard about Joseph.
Today I want to speak some about Joseph. Joseph, in my mind, was an amazing man. It's sad that we only hear from him in one or two pieces of scripture, but he does show up in Nativities all over the place, so he has that going for him. But Joseph. Really was a man who went against all social guidelines.
In this time Joseph was engaged to be married to Mary. Mary is all of a sudden pregnant. Joseph had nothing to do with it in that day and age in that situation. They were divorced, but usually the woman most likely was stoned to death or had to escape and go into another community far, far away and leave all her family behind. And you hear at first that Joseph kind of struggles with, oh, you're married, you're you're pregnant. What does that mean? But an angel of the Lord comes to him and tells him what's going on. And Joseph, out of pure love for Mary and I have a love for this child, goes against all social norms. He doesn't expose her. He doesn't ridicule her. He essentially wraps his arms around her in love, and he protects her.
And he allows love to break into the world because of this, because it's my belief that the moment that Jesus enters the world. This new energy of love was birthed with him. Emmanuel, God with us. God's own self. I talk about this every week now entered into the created world. It is child, an infant born to Mary and Joseph to experience all that God had created and to bring this message of love through Jesus to the world.
Mary and Joseph. Gave an amazing gift to all creation. At that moment. They gifted the world with the one who had spread the word of love. The word of speaking up for others. The word of fighting against injustices of every type in a peaceful way. The world was brought hope and peace and joy and love through this birth that was made possible by Mary and Joseph.
Mary could have said no to the angel when the angel came to her and said, by the way, you're pregnant now by the Holy Spirit. But she said, yes, Joseph, we heard today could have said no to the angel and do what culture said he was supposed to do. But he said yes.
And on Christmas Eve, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. That love incarnate, that love enthroned or has. One of my favorite professors said.
I saw a great Christmas movie recently and I rethought my sermon for today. This is him speaking. And we asked him what was the movie? And he goes, I'll give you two words. That's my servant love, actually. If you've seen the movie, some people like it, some don't. But at the very end of the movie, they're in the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. People from all over the world, different cultures, are coming home or coming to greet somebody. And what the narrator says is, all these people are there for love. So if you take one thing away from this today, Mary and Joseph made love actually available to creation in a new way. Amen.