Joseph

Joseph

Matthew 1:18-25

            Just a bunch of ordinary guys.  Guys who get up in the morning, go to work, collect a paycheck, and come home to their families.  A bunch of guys whose names you don’t know, yet the work they do is part of the fabric of your lives in ways you never think about.

            We could be talking about any workers, doing any job, following any profession—right?  We never think much about the people who work in hospitals (until we or a loved one is sick).   We don’t know the names of the people who pick up our garbage, or make our cars, or create the many products we buy and use every day.  They’re invisible to us; yet what they do influences our lives.  If they don’t do their job right, things can go wrong, perhaps irreparably so.

            The people I’m referring to are studio musicians.  Their names never make headlines.  You don’t see them on celebrity TV shows.  People Magazine never does features on them, nor do they appear on the covers (or the insides) of the tabloids at grocery store counters—thank heavens!

            These musicians work at studios in Hollywood, New York, Nashville and other cities where music is produced.  They play the background music for the TV shows and movies we watch.  Their names are never mentioned in the credits.  They get no recognition; but our entertainment would be far less interesting without them.

            Occasionally they get a chance to shine.  You might remember the TV detective show Peter Gunn from the late 1950’s.  What set it apart from other detective shows was the background music—jazz.  The composer was Henry Mancini.  He brought together some of the best studio musicians of the day—men whose names you wouldn’t recognize, but who were experts in their field, with excellent reputations in the music industry.  Mancini blended them into an ensemble so outstanding the recording was named Grammy Album of the Year for 1959—the first album of any kind to win that distinction.

            They showed up, did their job, and went home, but left behind a body of work that still resonates in music circles.  I recommend the album (actually two albums) if you have an interest in jazz.  I mention these men because they did what they were supposed to do and did it well, without caring if they ever received recognition or had their names in lights. 

At this time of year we remember another working man who showed up, did what he was supposed to do—did it well—then disappeared, with only a few brief mentions of his name.

Joseph, husband of Mary, earthly father of Jesus, was given the task of raising a son who was not of his blood.  He knew from the beginning what was expected of him.  He was not without his doubts and concerns—and rightly so, for what was being asked of him was above and beyond what should be expected of anyone. 

He knew he was marrying a woman who was already pregnant.  He knew he could not expect his son to carry on his profession.  He must have known in his heart that he would never attain any position of importance himself; yet he did what God asked him to do.  He raised Jesus to manhood; gave him a name and a family; provided him with an education; saw to it that he had clothes to wear, enough to eat, and a roof over his head.  Joseph did everything a father could physically do for a son and more.  Joseph gave God’s Son kindness, love, gentleness, a sense of belonging—all the things that were important to Jesus the man.

God calls us all to be Josephs.  Male or female, married or single, young or old, God gives us a task to perform, a work to do, a place to fill.  Whether or not we receive recognition isn’t important.  It’s enough for us to know that we’ve done what God has asked of us.