Call His Name Jesus • Matthew 1:18-25 • Wednesday, December 17, 2025

The Presence That Changes Everything: Rediscovering Joseph's Role in the Christmas Story

In the familiar nativity scenes that grace our homes and churches each December, we instinctively know what belongs: Mary, Joseph, the Christ child, perhaps shepherds and wise men. But have you ever stopped to consider what happens when the central figure is missing? Imagine a nativity with two Marys, two Josephs, shepherds and sheep—but no Jesus. It sounds absurd, yet this is precisely how many people experience Christmas: surrounded by all the trappings of the season while missing the very reason for it.

The Forgotten Figure

While Mary receives considerable attention in Christmas narratives and traditions, Joseph often fades into the background. Luke's gospel barely mentions him. Yet Matthew's account gives us something precious: Joseph's perspective on the greatest miracle in human history.

Before we meet Joseph in Matthew chapter 1, significant events have already unfolded. Zechariah has been visited by an angel and struck mute. Mary has received Gabriel's announcement. She has visited Elizabeth. John the Baptist has been born. But now we encounter Joseph at a critical moment—after Mary's conception but before he understands what has happened.

The situation was dire. In first-century Jewish culture, betrothal was tantamount to marriage. Mary and Joseph were already considered husband and wife in the eyes of their community and God, even though they had not yet come together. When Joseph discovered Mary was pregnant, he faced an impossible situation. Under the law, he could have had her publicly shamed or even executed for adultery, as we see threatened in John chapter 8 when Jesus intervenes for a woman caught in such circumstances.

Three Qualities of a Righteous Man

Yet Joseph's response reveals three essential qualities that made him the perfect earthly father for the Son of God:

• Justice: The text describes Joseph as "a just man." This isn't merely human fairness—it reflects the very nature of God himself. God chose a man whose character mirrored His own righteousness to raise His Son. This wasn't coincidental. God knew before the foundation of the world that Joseph would be the man for this role.
  
  
• Mercy: Despite his confusion and pain, Joseph was "unwilling to put her to shame." He planned to divorce Mary quietly, protecting her from public disgrace and potential violence. In showing mercy when he could have demanded justice, Joseph again reflected the character of God—the God who shows us mercy we don't deserve.
  
  
• Presence: Perhaps most importantly, Joseph was present. When the angel appeared to him in a dream and explained the miraculous conception, Joseph immediately obeyed. He took Mary as his wife, adopted Jesus as his own, and remained steadfastly present through every challenge that followed—the journey to Bethlehem, the birth in difficult circumstances, the flight to Egypt, and the return to Nazareth. He protected, provided, and stayed.

The Crisis of Absence

This third quality—presence—strikes at the heart of a modern crisis. In our culture, family breakdown often centers on the absence of fathers. Statistics reveal staggering numbers of single-parent households where the father has checked out. Children grow up without the protection, provision, and presence they desperately need.

Joseph stands as a counter-example. He didn't abandon Mary when circumstances became complicated. He didn't disappear when life got hard. He was there, fulfilling the role God called him to fulfill, serving not just himself but Mary and Jesus.

The Ultimate Presence

But Joseph's presence points us to something even greater: the presence of Jesus himself.
Consider what Jesus came to be for us:

• Just: He entered the world to satisfy God's justice once and for all. On the cross, He served the punishment our sins deserved, settling the debt we could never pay.
  
  
• Merciful: He didn't come to condemn us but to save us. He stood in our place as our substitute, bearing what we should have borne because He didn't want us to suffer eternal separation from God.
  
  
• Present: Above all, Jesus is present with us. He is present in His Word when we read Scripture. He is present in baptism. He is present in communion, giving us His very body and blood. He is present in our hearts through faith. And He promises to remain present with us "to the very end of the age."

Missing the Point

This makes the Jesus-less Christmas all the more tragic. Drive through elaborate light displays featuring every imaginable holiday symbol—Santa on motorcycles, in helicopters, on boats; Grinches and tin soldiers and tunnels of color—yet never encountering a single reference to Christ. Visit stores overflowing with Christmas merchandise where Jesus is conspicuously absent. Watch families celebrate the season while leaving out the One whose birth we're supposedly commemorating.

It's like that nativity scene missing its central figure—beautiful perhaps, but ultimately empty. Meaningless.

Reclaiming Christmas

The antidote is simple but profound: recognize and celebrate the presence of Jesus in this season and in our lives. He isn't a figure to be shelved until we deem it appropriate. He is present now, active now, working in our lives now.

When we gather with family, He is there. When we struggle with the stress and commercialism of the season, He is there. When we feel alone or overwhelmed, He is there. When we celebrate and rejoice, He is there.

Jesus doesn't abandon us any more than Joseph abandoned Mary. He remains faithful even when we're faithless. He stays present even when we drift away. He continues to offer us His justice, His mercy, and His presence every single day.

The Invitation

As we move through this Christmas season, we face a choice. Will we celebrate a holiday stripped of its meaning, focused on everything except the One who gives it purpose? Or will we ensure that Jesus remains central—not just in our nativity scenes, but in our hearts, our celebrations, and our lives?

The presence that changes everything isn't found in perfect decorations, expensive gifts, or elaborate traditions. It's found in a baby born in Bethlehem, who grew to be a man, died on a cross, rose from the grave, and remains with us still.

That presence—His presence—is the greatest gift of Christmas. And unlike the batteries in our holiday decorations, it never runs out.

(Content generated by PulpitAI from sermon transcript)