The portion of the Gospel according to Matthew we read this day tells the story of Jesus’ birth in a way that is, at first glance, surprisingly restrained. There are no shepherds here, no angels filling the sky with song, no frantic journey to Bethlehem. Instead, Matthew gives us a quiet, almost domestic scene, focused not on Mary, but on Joseph.

Joseph, we are told, is a righteous man. And his righteousness shows itself not in rigid rule-keeping, but in mercy. When he discovers that Mary is pregnant, and knows the child is not his, he resolves to dismiss her quietly. He chooses the path that protects her dignity, even at cost to himself.

It is only after he has made that decision, after he has acted according to the best light he has, that God intervenes. An angel appears to him in a dream and says two things that change everything.

First: Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.

Second: You are to name the child.

That second instruction matters more than it may first appear. In the ancient world, to name a child was not a sentimental gesture. It was a legal and social act. By naming Jesus, Joseph is commanded to claim him as his own. The angel is, in effect, telling Joseph to adopt this child—to bring him fully into the house and lineage of David.

Joseph does not speak a single word in Matthew’s Gospel. But he listens. He wakes from sleep and does exactly what he has been told. He takes Mary as his wife. And he names the child Jesus.

At one level this would be plenty to understand, but there’s so much more. In particular what it means that God has come as God has done. That’s the rest of the sermon below.

You can view the sermon directly by using this link.