2007 Devotional Guide
for ELCA Congregation Councils and Committees

Joseph, Guardian of our Lord — Filled with Compassion
March 2007 by Margaret Payne

But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” —Matthew 1:20

As we turn repentant hearts to God during the season of Lent, the church year gives us a day to reflect on the way that Jesus’ earthly father turned to God and offered himself to the story of salvation. We name him as the Guardian of our Lord, but we might just as easily call him the “fatherly steward of God’s mysterious gift of Jesus Christ.”

Joseph is a silent figure in the Bible. We do not have very much information about him, but in the story of his “annunciation” it is clear that he was a man who chose compassion over judgment. His loving spirit first supported Mary and then was the fatherly guide for a son who became the Savior of the world. He teaches us that a life of compassion is one of God’s favorite tools.

Compassion grows in the greenhouse of God’s grace. When we plant ourselves in grace instead of judgment, healthy shoots of love, service, and understanding spring up with no regard for who will receive the fruit of their growth. Joseph could never have known that his instinctive reluctance to cause pain to his beloved would be the beginning of a new chapter in God’s story.

As leaders in the church we are called to study Scripture as a way to understand how God wants us to live. The Bible is a book that tells us the story of people, warts and all, who lived in ways that opened them to amazing possibilities.

Joseph is an important part of that story even though he has no lines to speak. The compassion in his heart speaks volumes, and teaches us that if we tend to the growth of compassion in our own hearts we will be amazed by the ways in which God will use us.

Prayer
Lord of life, in your amazing grace you always feel compassion for the world. Help us to empty our hearts of judgment and let compassion fill them to the brim. Let our witness, silent or spoken out loud, touch the world as gently as your own loving touch. Amen.

For Reflection or Discussion
Where could we replace judgment with compassion in our congregational life?

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