This discussion was originally presented in PowerPoint format to a high school audience. If you have questions or would like the original PowerPoint, feel free to contact me at robert.fox@alltel.com
A good deal of the content in this presentation came from the excellent messages by C. Raymond van Pletson: “The Nativity Story: The Courage of Joseph” and “The Nativity Story: The Faith of Mary”, altered by myself for a teen audience.
The four video clips mentioned in this text can be found among the free resources provided at
http://www.nativityresources.com/video.html
[Christmas – Faith and Courage]
Slide graphic: Mary and Joseph at the manger, preferably from the movie “Nativity”
Slide text: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
There’s a new Christmas movie that just came out, called “Nativity”, that I’m dying to go see. The screenplay was written by the same guy who wrote “The Rookie.” I really liked that one. In fact, I showed a clip from it in October when we were talking about the danger of “seeking signs” to determine God’s will.
Because the actual locations of Bethlehem and Nazareth have become fairly modernized over the years, the production decided to shoot in the village of Matera, Italy, which has been virtually unchanged for centuries (and was previously used as a location for The Passion of the Christ). Additionally, the production journeyed to Ouarzazate, Morocco where it shot scenes involving Herod’s castle and the temple of Jerusalem at the same locations used in such films as Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. Most of you have seen all three of those movies and may enjoy figuring out which sites were used in different ways in different movies.
The Nativity is, of course, the story of the birth of Christ – the incarnation of God made human to walk among us, for the sole purpose of dying for our sins. That’s kind of the whole point of Christmas, after all, and this is definitely not the first time the story has been told. But this movie doesn’t really focus on the baby. The main focus of the movie is on Mary and Joseph. I find that really interesting.
Think about what it must have been like for these two. Today, I want you to put yourself in their place – think about what your life would be like if you were Mary or if you were Joseph. Close you eyes and really focus on it this morning, and we’ll see what you can learn about your own life from the courage of Joseph, and the faith of Mary.
[Who Was Mary?]
Slide graphic: picture of Mary, from the movie, “Nativity”
Slide Text:
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
(Luke 1:26-28)
All right, fess up. I know you people are Brittany Spears fans. No? Hannah Montana? No? I thought they were all the rage? Adored by millions, famous, pretty, successful, cool, popular. All the little girls wanted to be just like them. What happened? Their fame didn’t last. Here today and gone tomorrow.
But the Christmas story tells about a girl who lived 2000 years ago who is still famous today. We don’t know if she was pretty or not. She wasn’t wealthy, and odds are that few people outside her home town knew who she was. But there was “something about Mary…” She had character – an inner beauty – that even impressed God.
If you’ve ever been to a Catholic service, you’ve probably heard the congregation quote what the angel said in this passage. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” The message this angel brought would shatter all the plans Mary had ever made for her life, and yet she responded with such strong faith that, even though she was young, we have to conclude she had been living out that faith for some time. That’s why we call it “practicing your faith” – because it takes constant practice to keep it strong. Faith isn’t something you can skip over, and then pull out of the air when the situation demands.
Let’s look at the angel’s message.
“Hail Mary”/”Greetings” The angel didn’t come down with a generic “people of earth” message. He hunted Mary down specifically. This was a personal message straight from God to Mary, via the angelic messenger service. Mary was sought out specifically, even though she was just an unknown teenage girl when the angel appeared to her, perhaps between thirteen and fifteen years of age. We know she had just become engaged to Joseph, and in the culture at that time marriages were arranged just after a girl entered puberty. Betrothal gifts were exchanged and the couple was legally betrothed, although they had to live separately for one year before actually being married. All her possessions already belonged to her fiancé, and, if she was unfaithful, it was considered adultery.
Many of the heroes of the faith in the Bible had a strong faith in God at an early age.
• Samuel was called (literally) when he was just a kid.
• David was anointed by the prophet, at God’s direction, when he was just a shepherd boy.
• Daniel was just a teenager when he was taken into captivity in Babylon.
“Full of Grace”/”You who are highly favored.” The angel told Mary that she had found favor (undeserved grace) with God. Grace is when you are given something you don’t deserve. Mary didn’t earn the right to carry the Christ-child, but she had found favor in God’s eyes and was going to be given a special gift. Ha! Some gift! I know that Mary and Joseph are in heaven now and will count themselves truly fortunate, beyond description, for all eternity. But at the time, they had to have had some mixed feelings. We’re going to talk about God’s gifts next week, so I won’t dwell on this, but suffice it to say that God rarely gives Xbox’s and Barnes and Noble gift cards. The kinds of gifts God gives you really mess up your plans. This was certainly true for Mary. God “favored” her in a way that was especially difficult.
The angel told Mary that “the lord is with you”. Those are special words, rarely used. This was to reassure her that she would not have to walk the path God set before her alone. An angel told Gideon was told that the Lord would be with him when he was sent out to save Israel from the Midianites (Judges 6:12). The same thing had been said about David when God the Spirit fell upon him and empowered him to lead Israel.
Here’s where you get to imagine yourself in Mary’s place. You are a “Good” girl. You are living a pure life in an impure world. That wasn’t any easier in Mary’s day than it is for you now! You are engaged to a Good man, who is honest and kind, and hard working. A man who really cares about you. Strong, but gentle. You have plans for your life together. Your little house. Your little family.
Then this angel comes along and drops this bombshell. God is going to mess up your life! But, the angel assured her, “God is with you.” A little bit later, he tells her “do not be afraid”. Now why did the angel feel it was necessary to tell her that? This is where Mary’s faith comes in. She didn’t need faith to tell her that there was something special about this baby – she knew there was no earthly father involved! But she did need faith that God would always be with her. This was going to be a tough life, but “God will be with you”. Like he was with the armies of the Old Testament! Keep imagining yourself in Mary’s place. Now imagine you have to go explain this “underserved gift of grace” to Joseph. And to your parents. But remember, the angel said, “the lord is with you.”
I can assure you that this is not something you have to imagine. If you are a Christ-follower, you will never have to go through life alone. Jesus told you, in his Word, that he will be with you, even until the end of the earth (Mathew 28:16-20). Paul writes that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:31-39).
[Clip – I have broken no vow]
“The Lord is with you”
[Something about Mary…]
Slide graphic: Mary’s visitation by the angel, from “Nativity”
Slide text:
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:29-34)
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38)
I like this – “Mary was greatly troubled by this greeting” No Joke! Imagine you are Mary again. An ANGEL just appeared (shining light, choir, trumpets,…), greeted you personally, and told you that you are going to be blessed in a very special way by God, but don’t worry, Mary, because God will be right there with you through it all” An ANGEL. “God will pull you through it.” “Hello MARY” I think the Message probably translates this as “Mary was FREAKED OUT!”
“Do not be afraid.” You’ve got to me kidding! “God is going to bless you in a very special way.” Stop saying that! What is God going to do to me?
“You will be with child” Excuse me? With child? Talk about a early pregnancy test. This is finding out before she even became pregnant. And, by the way, how the heck is that supposed to happen? Ok, you are God, I’m going to grant that you can make that happen, but this is the big “Gift”? I am not married yet. The bible – Gods words, let me remind you – says that I could get stoned for this! This is “finding favor with God”? Oh, you are right, you better be with me through this!
“You will give birth to a son.” Well thanks! You know it’s customary to ask if the mother wants to know the sex of the baby. “You will name him Jesus” Wait a minute! I don’t even get to name my own child? “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” Oh. Cool…
But back to this “with child” thing… Read what Mary said. She didn’t say “This cannot be, I don’t believe you.” She asked “how will this be”. Mary believed. What amazing faith! She just wanted to know how it was going to happen. Mary is proof that you don’t have to wait to be an adult to have faith. You don’t have to be an adult to show courage. You don’t have to be an adult for God to use you to change the world.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Mary knew the enormous price she was about to pay, but she surrendered herself to God’s will. Notice that Mary didn’t utter one word of complaint about how hard this path was going to be to walk. Mary also surrendered herself to the Lord’s plan for her life, as costly as it was going to be:
There was indeed “something about Mary”. But there was nothing about Mary that couldn’t be true about you, too. Mary wasn’t born with superior faith. That was the result of a lifetime of decisions. There is absolutely nothing that prevents you from having that same extraordinary faith. Nothing that prevents you from “finding favor with God”. Nothing that prevents God from using your life in a powerful way.
• Mary was a teen believer
• Mary had lived a live of courage and faith
• Mary was honored by God
• Mary followed God, regardless of the cost
• Mary will never be forgotten - never
[Modern Day Faith]
Slide graphic: Warner Sallman painting “Head of Christ”
Side text:
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for. 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:1)
Warner Sallman was a young painter. He had just married a young dancer, and they were expecting their first child. He was not especially successful and was worried about how he would provide for his growing family.
Warner was not feeling well and went to the doctor. The doctor told him that he had tuberculosis, and had only three months to live.
Devastated, Warner went home and told his wife. He did not know how he would provide for them if he were healthy, but now, now he was desperate. His wife was a woman of great faith, who loved her husband and trusted God. She told Warner that God had given him a gift. He should use it to paint a portrait of Christ – a picture of health and strength.
You see, at this time most of Warner’s contemporaries were painting pictures of an anemic, wimpy Christ. Christ sitting on a rock, as if he were too weak to stand, holding a little lamb in his lap as if he were too weak to throw it up on his shoulders. But that’s not the Christ I serve was a carpenter. In those days, you didn’t drive the Ford down to Home Depot, you took an axe and a saw out in the woods. You dropped the tree, dragged it home, split it into planks, planed them down, sawed them up,… Jesus was probably pretty buff!
Warner painted a strong, healthy Jesus – one that had seen some sun. It was a radical departure from the Jesus his contemporaries were painting.
This is the painting. How many of you have seen it before? It’s famous the world over. I had a bookmark when I was a child that glowed in the dark. It was a reminder to pray each night and thank God for all he has done for me. One night I tried to copy it, and gave the picture to my mother. It made her very happy.
Warner’s painting was so popular, it ensured his family of a lifetime of financial security.
Warner went back to the doctor after three months, and found that somehow, the tuberculosis was completely cured. The doctor told Warner he was now a “picture of health and strength.”
Imagine that.
[Who was Joseph?]
Slide graphic: marriage of Mary and Joseph
Slide text:
18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. (Matthew 1:18-19)
I love action movies. How many of you like a good action movie? Most of the guys, of course. There’s just something that appeals to us, speaks to us, deep down. We see the hero facing terrific odds, courageously, honorably, a man of integrity, true to what he believes, not matter the cost. We say to ourselves, “Yes, that’s the way it ought to be.” We want our lives to be like the action movie hero.
When we think of this heroic role model of ours, however, the first story that comes to mind probably isn’t the nativity. We’ve heard the story thousands of times. But we miss the story of Joseph. It’s understandable. His story isn’t the most important thing going on at the time, what with God being incarnated in human flesh right there and all. Joseph stands in the background. But I want to turn the spotlight on Joseph a little this morning, and talk about what kind of a man he was.
The Bible says that Joseph was a “righteous man.” That’s a strong statement, rarely used! It literally means that Joseph had become so close to God that his character had become transformed. He was a godly man in a very ungodly world. He lived in a culture that was very religious, but religion had become all about power, wealth, and status. Most people were religious, but very few were righteous. Really righteous people make religious people uncomfortable, defensive. Without saying a word, the lives of the righteous condemn the unrighteous. They kill prophets, you know.
In the Old Testament, God searched the world for a righteous man, and found only Noah and his family. Abraham begged for God to spare the city of Sodom from destruction if he could only find 10 righteous men in the city. In the New Testament, Matthew tells us that Joseph was a righteous man. Again, that wasn’t any easier to be or any more popular then than it is now. There was a recent movie entitled “The 40 Year-Old Virgin” that gave voice to the attitude of the culture we live in, that it is unimaginable that anyone would be so backward as to desire to remain pure at that age. We don’t live in a culture than encourages or values righteousness.
When God searched for a man worthy to be the human father of the infant savior, he was looking for a righteous man whose life reflected the character of God, no matter the cost:
• A man of integrity who would live a morally upright life in an immoral world
• A man of compassion who would marry a pregnant girl who was not carrying his child in spite of what that would do to his own reputation
• A man of honor who could be trusted to remain true to his beliefs in a crisis
• A man of courage who would shield and protect that girl from the mocking and shame, and from the punishment of her “crime”
• A man of rugged strength who would protect his wife and son in their flight to Egypt and then again upon their return to Nazareth, and provide for their needs
God found this righteous man in Joseph. Not a super-hero surrounded by golden light – an ordinary man like you and I. One of the themes of the Bible is that God uses ordinary people to do His work – people like you and me (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Joseph wasn’t born with more honor, integrity, and courage than any of his neighbors – he became the man he was in the only way anyone can – through his relationship with God. Before you can stand up in defiance against the world, you have to stand up in defiance of your own sin nature. Not out of duty, but because you want to live according to a higher standard – God’s standard. You want your character to reflect God’s.
Imagine yourself in Joseph’s place. You have chosen to live your life by a higher standard. You are a righteous man in an unrighteous land. Imagine what your life must be like, lonely and difficult. Then you find a woman who appears to be all that you could ask for in a wife – a woman of great virtue, of godly character. One who you could imagine walking with you on the lonely path you have chosen.
In Jewish custom, when a man and woman become engaged, they continue to live apart from each other for one year. Joseph was engaged to Mary, but during this year, she became pregnant! He knew that he was not the father. The only explanation seemed to be that she had been unfaithful, guilty of the worst sort of crime – adultery.
Joseph faced a horrible choice. He could disobey God and break one of the Ten Commandments (lying), and tell everyone that the child was his. They would still be socially shunned for having violated the engagement separation. Or he could tell the truth and say the child was not his. If he did this, then he would be publicly announcing that Mary was an adulteress – a crime that was punishable by being stoned to death.
[clip – HONOR]
[My Role Model]
Slide graphic: Joseph, Mary, and infant Jesus – family
Slide text:
20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)
Imagine how Joseph must have felt. Shocked that Mary could have done this. Deep sorrow for the loss of the life he had dreamed of. Publicly humiliated. Betrayed. Righteously angry. Remember, no angel had appeared to Joseph yet. Yet this was the character of Joseph – he courageously refused to allow his anger to control him, and he chose to let his reaction to Mary come out of the love he still felt for her. That, my friends, is what the character of a righteous man looks like.
He chose not to accuse her publicly. He chose not to seek revenge for having been betrayed by punishing her. He decided to do the whole thing quietly, to spare her as much as possible. But before this could happen, God intervened.
[clip – I Believe You]
What a guy. That’s my action hero role model! People talk about the faith of Mary, but give me the faith of Joseph. After all, Mary knew she was still a virgin. She knew! She didn’t have to have faith about the child, only faith that God would be with her. Joseph, though – Joseph had to trust both Mary and God. He had to believe something that did not make sense. I admit that, as a man, I am biased, but I have HUGE admiration for any man who could push down his anger and act out of love instead.
Remember that, by marrying Mary and claiming the child as his own, he was naming himself in the eyes of society as an impure man, sharing in Mary’s shame. This was Joseph, the oh-so-righteous man. Think about how much gossip that caused. About how happy those religious people were to have this to hang over Joseph’s head!
Joseph’s courage came from his life of walking with God. Remember that clip I showed from the movie “Invincible”? The scene with the long line of regular people who showed up for open tryouts for the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team? Every single one of them wanted to do what it took to make the team, but only one had lived a life that prepared him on the inside to have what it took. That’s the way it was with Joseph. He was able to do these extraordinarily courageous things because he had lived a life of daily courage. What kind of life are you living? Have you developed the kind of character on the inside that is going to show on the outside when the day comes?
But Joseph stood up for Mary. He married her. He claimed the child as his own. He protected Mary as best he could. This is a picture of what God intends a godly husband to be – a protector of his family, no matter the cost to himself. He is not a ruler over his wife and children – he is the one who creates a safe place for them to become the unique people who God intended for them to be. In Mary’s case, more unique than most! He built a home for them and began to try to figure out what this new life was going to look like.
[clip – Afraid]
Think about this. Joseph had probably dreamed of raising a son, teaching him the trade, raising him to be a righteous man, mentoring him. And now, the boy turns out to be God himself. That’s got to throw a wrench in the plans for the life he had dreamed about!
The angel had told Joseph not to be afraid. Do you really think the angel was telling him that he should have no fear at all? That would be kind of unreasonable, don’t you think, with people wanting to stone his wife, with Herod killing every child in the country in order to make sure your child is dead? No, notice what it said not to be afraid of – not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife – not to be afraid that this would make Joseph unrighteous in the eyes of God. That was the only thing Joseph was afraid of.
[Modern Day Joseph]
Slide graphics: pictures of Chris Spielman, both as a football player, and with his wife
God is still at work creating courageous men like Joseph. Men with moral courage and manly courage. Chris Spielman is such a man.
When Chris Spielman played for the Buffalo Bills, he was everything a middle linebacker should be: tough, strong and smart, with passion, total commitment and loyalty to the game. He played the entire 1995 season with a torn pectoral muscle that he sustained in the season opener.
But the game took a distant second place in this thinking during the 1998 season. He chose to stay home. He cooked, took care of his kids, and cared for his wife—by choice. Stephanie, Chris’s wife, was struggling through the stark reality of breast cancer. Surgery, chemotherapy and nausea were Stephanie’s opponents. During her fight Chris was at her side; his actions supported his "family before job" credo.
Asked by a reporter from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle if he’d consider a return to the Bills late in the season, Spielman said, "I’d play in a heartbeat, but what kind of man would I be if I backed out on my word to her? I wouldn’t be a man at all."
Football fans saw Spielman as a man because of his aggressive, leave-it-all-on-the-field style of play. But what really makes him a man? It’s his personal sacrifice and unending commitment and loyalty to his wife.
—Rob Bentz in Sports Spectrum
[Prayer]
Thank you father for this yearly reminder of two young people with great courage and faith.
• May we have the courage and faith to follow their example and live pure lives in a morally impure world
• May we stand by the commitments we have made
• May we live out our faith every day, so that it will be strong for the day when it is tested
• May we have faith that, no matter how hard the path God puts before us, Christ will always be with us, even until the end of the world, that nothing can separate us from his lov
• And when we are hurt, when we have been wronged, may we have the courage, the character, to react with love instead of anger
• May we find favor with God
• May we be called righteous
