The Average Joe

Matthew 1:20-21, 24 -- God Blesses the Ordinary

But just when [Joseph] had resolved to [quietly dismiss Mary], an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” . . . When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife. . .

Recently, I took a short vacation with my family to a town nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania. And I had an opportunity to visit a local church to attend what we call in my faith tradition a Holy Day celebration. Upon entering the church, blessing myself with holy water, genuflecting at the pew, and doing my best to be focused and open to God, I looked up and noticed that there were eight beautiful stained glass windows depicting the story of Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. One window, however, offered me a reminder of how God blesses the ordinary. 

According to Matthew’s Gospel, Joseph was a righteous man and unwilling to expose Mary to any shame, for she was pregnant. And as we know, Joseph was not the biological father of Mary’s child. This meant that if Mary were exposed, she would be stoned to death. Joseph, then, decided he would quietly break off their plan to marry. But in a dream, God sent an angel to reassure Joseph about marrying Mary, revealing the divine paternity of her child. Although we imagine Joseph as extraordinary since he was chosen by God for his part in the story of salvation, Joseph was an ordinary person like any of us. 

The stained glass window depicts this amazing story. It shows Joseph’s sleeping encounter with the angel. The angel reaches out to bless the head of the sleeping Joseph with a vision of Mary holding the child Jesus in her arms. Joseph’s position in the image depicts obedience. 

The image reminds me that we are called to do God’s work on this earth. In our ordinariness, we, too, are called to be part of the salvation story on earth. The stained glass image reminds me that when we choose to do something out of love, God blesses us and sends us forth as purveyors of the Good News of Jesus Christ. What challenges are we asked to surmount for the sake of love today? 

Heavenly Father, we ask you to bless and guide us in our daily lives so that we can be the voice, eyes, ears, feet, and hands of love in this world. In Jesus Christ we pray, amen. 

Peace, 

Stan