Joseph & Mary: Caretakers of the Gift of Love

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. [Luke 2:1-6, NRSV]

Maybe you don't identify with any of the characters I've mentioned already [see previous posts]. Perhaps it is the story of Mary and Joseph that most captures your heart. If this is the case, then you are the kind of people whom I call CARETAKERS OF THE GIFT OF LOVE. You understand and embody the magnificent word "incarnation." You can see God, not only as the almighty creator of the universe, but also as a baby who needs his diaper to be changed. You can hear the otherworldly song of the angels, but your ears are also attuned to the cry of an infant.

Those who identify most strongly with Joseph and Mary are often parents who have the awesome responsibility of raising a child in a sometimes difficult and challenging world. There are a number of folks in the LGBT community who fall into this category and have decided to raise children through adoption or artificial insemination. You know what it means to be responsible for that child 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can only imagine what Mary and Joseph must have gone through as they tried to raise their little boy.

Those who identify most strongly with Joseph and Mary are CARETAKERS OF THE GIFT OF LOVE. They have shown us that "family" has nothing to do with blood but everything to do with love. They challenge all of us, gay and straight, to form relationships that are nurturing, committed and lasting.  They give us all something to aspire to whether we choose to have children or not, and remind us that the bonds of relationship we have with each other are far more precious than any material gifts we can give to one another.