A sermon preached by the Reverend Canon Dr. David Anderson on the Feast of St. Joseph of Nazareth, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at St. Jude’s Church. (Texts: Romans 4:13-18; Psalm 89:1-4, 26-29; Luke 2:41-52).
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
I would like to begin today by reading the hagiography from our book, For All the Saints.
Today we honour Saint Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth who was husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the foster-father of Jesus Christ.
The little we know about Joseph comes to us in the opening chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Both evangelists present him as a truly righteous man who observed the Law of Moses in all his dealings. According to Matthew, Joseph’s godliness in keeping the Law made him hesitate to take Mary as his wife, when he learned that she was already pregnant. His reluctance was overcome by the vision of an angel, who told him that the child in the womb of his betrothed was to be the Saviour of Israel. This episode suggested that righteousness under the Law of Moses was to be fulfilled and surpassed by the coming of Christ; and Joseph’s obedience to the angelic vision revealed the true fulfillment of his own godliness as a Jew.
Both evangelists make Joseph a descendent of the royal house of David, though in his day the fact that he followed a trade meant that his branch of the family had become impoverished. Still, Joseph’s genealogy entitled Jesus to be considered heir of David and rightful bearer of the title, “King of the Jews.”
In the popular literature of the Middle Ages, Joseph was often portrayed as a comical old man befuddled by God and the Blessed Virgin. A number of influential spiritual leaders reacted against this portrayal, and well before the sixteenth century the figure of Joseph had regained both dignity and the serious devotion of the faithful. Joseph’s feast day, we celebrate today, came into the Western calendar in 1479, a few centuries after the golden era of special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary began; in 1870 Pius IX declared Joseph “Patron of the Universal Church”. The Roman Catholic Church has consistently fostered this trend ever since. Pope Francis declared the year 2021 to be the year of St. Joseph. In the last century the Roman Church even appointed a second feast, to be observed on the First of May, as the feast of Joseph the Worker. Joseph is considered the patron saint not only of carpenters but also of all who make their living and provide for their families by means of manual labour.
I found it interesting that the Gospel reading appointed for this Feast for St. Joseph nowhere mentions him by name. Luke’s refers to him with Mary, speaking of the two of them as Jesus’ “parents.” Mary’s words in scolding Jesus also refer to Joseph, but not by name, “Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.”
But this seems to be one of the features of what we are told of Joseph of Nazareth. He seems to have been the quintessential ‘quiet man.’ The Gospels contain no words that are spoken by Joseph. All we come to know of Joseph is what others say about him, and what of him by his actions. All we are told in today’s Gospel reading is what we are told by Mary, that she and Joseph had “been searching for [him] in great anxiety.” And, of course, we can only imagine the profound anxiety of a mother and father of a child who had gone missing. But all of this must have been even more mystifying for Joseph when he heard Jesus’ response, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And that, of course, is a key fact of Joseph’s story; he was not the father, he was the step-dad.
What do we know about Joseph? we know that his Father’s name was Jacob and that he was the husband of Mary. We know that he was a carpenter and that he lived in Nazareth. We know that before he and Mary lived together, after their engagement, he found out that she was pregnant and instead of shaming her or causing scandal, he decided to divorce her quietly. The Gospel tells us that he did this because he was an upright man, a man of principle.
We also know that he was a righteous man who followed the law: He observed religious law – we know he went to Jerusalem for the Jewish festivals. He also followed civil law: He went to Bethlehem for the census. We also know that Joseph had dreams. God spoke to him in his dreams and he followed his dreams.
And although we don’t have a record of Joseph’s words, we do learn that he’s a man of action: he does what the angel tells him; he takes Mary as his wife; he goes to Bethlehem; he finds a place to stay for the night; he takes his family to Egypt. He’s a man of action more than a man of words.
For centuries artists have tried to figure out Joseph’s words. Years ago I attended a Christmas Pageant at a friend’s church where many of the actors were given solos to sing. The man playing Joseph sang a song, “Joseph’s Song,” by Michael Card. I looked up the words last night.
How can it be, this baby in my arms, sleeping now, so peacefully. The son of God, the angel said, how could it be? O Lord I know he’s not my own, not of my flesh, not of my bone. Still Father let this baby be the son of my love.
Then Joseph prays:
Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours. How can a man be father to the son of God? Lord, for all my life I’ve been a simple carpenter... how can I raise a king? How can I raise a king?
What the song tries to express is something that we learn from the biblical witness that describes Joseph’s actions and what they tell us about the man. He learn that he was a man who sought God’s will.
God had a special plan for Joseph, in the same way that God has a plan for each one of us. God’s plan for us is a wide and spacious place. It’s not much more than a desire for the very best for us, for the opportunity to join in God’s own redemptive work in the world, to worship and serve God in our daily lives. God desires that we live out God’s law of love. Perhaps like Joseph, we may feel that we don’t have much to contribute: we are only simple carpenters after all. We may feel insignificant, that we have nothing to offer. Still, God has a plan for us. God gives us dreams and speaks to us in our dreams.
Like Joseph we may never see the full fruit of our labour. We may never reap the harvest. In today’s Psalm we hear an echo of the promise given to King David in the Second Book of Samuel: “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn an oath to David my servant: ‘I will establish your line for ever, and preserve your throne for all generations.’” But David never lived to see this promise fulfilled. In our reading from Romans Ch. 4, Paul is telling the Romans about another upright man who never saw the fruit of his work: Abraham. He did God’s will, but never saw the fulfillment of God’s promise to him.
But the promise was fulfilled. St. Joseph may have been a simple carpenter, but today he is venerated with a Holy Day. St. Joseph is the patron saint of husbands, of fathers, the patron saint of families, the patron saint of homes, the patron saint of workers. He is the unofficial patron against doubt and hesitation, as well as the patron saint of fighting communism, and of a happy death. Joseph is believed to intercede also for pregnant women, travelers, immigrants, and people buying or selling houses. As was said earlier, he is considered by many to be the patron of the universal Church. And for us in our country, we should all know that St. Joseph is considered the principal patron of Canada. That’s a lot for a man of so few words. But it’s a perfect job for a man of action.
And so, as we journey through Lent – especially when we gather around the Eucharistic table, let us also remember Joseph. Let his example guide us and help us open our hearts to God’s plan. That we may be upright and righteous. And let us dream. Let God speak to you in your dreams and then get up and do as the angel of the Lord directs you. God has plans for us and for our world.
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