James and I were asked to speak in Church today. James was to speak in the first person as Joseph, and I was to speak in the first person as Mary. Here are our talks:
Mary
"My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name" Luke 1:46-49
There are times in each life when we are blessed to see with more clarity. When the questions, the fears, and the concerns, are quieted by a sure and peaceful knowledge that all is right, and that all things are in God's hands, and will turn out according to His perfect knowledge and mercy, love and justice. When the angel appeared to me and announced that I, Mary, would be the mother of the Messiah, His Only Begotten Son in the Flesh, I was blessed with this clarity, with total peace and a quiet assurance. This peace and assurance has remained with me through all that has since transpired.
When I returned from my wonderful visit to my cousin Elisabeth's home, I knew not whether my beloved Joseph would still have me to be his wife. I saw the hurt and confusion in his eyes, and knew that I had to leave this in God's hands as well. I remembered what our father David had said, "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour;..." 2 Samuel 22:2-3
As in all things, when I have trusted in the Lord, things have turned out better than I could have hoped. Oh, the joy I felt to see the hurt and confusion in Joseph's face replaced by understanding and love and a confident determination. Joseph has been my Earthly angel ever since. He is such a kind and good man. He has been so good to me, and has such great faith. He leads our family with a perfect blend of strength and gentleness, faith and practicality.
And now, on this night of all nights, Joseph has seen to it that I was afforded as much privacy as this over-flowing city could provide. He has made sure that things are as clean and comfortable as our present circumstances will permit. And when he placed in my arms, my Son, the Son of God, our Savior, I was overcome with such joy and peace as I have never before known. I know that our Deliverer has arrived and that He will, indeed, redeem Israel.
Oh, my sweet baby! Do you remember? Do you know who you are? The whole world, for all generations of time, have looked forward to your time on the earth; and now here you are! As precious, as perfect, as wonderful as every hope held in the heart, as every prayer ever uttered! Thank you for letting me be your mother! You are worth every ounce of discomfort and every drop of blood I spilt in bringing you into this world. You are worth each questioning look and whispered word I endured. You are worth this straw poking in my back, and the miles between my family and here. You are my child, and yet, you are the Father's gift to the world. You are THE Bright and Morning Star! How blessed am I to be able to raise you; to be able to kiss you goodnight, and sing you lullabies; to help teach you to walk and to talk and to learn of your Father in Heaven. For, though I must share you with the world, there will be sweet, quiet moments that you and I will share. I will treasure these moments in my heart forever.
My sweet Son, I do not know why it is that you were to be born in a stable, with a manger for your bed. But I do know that I have felt a peace so sure, so enveloping, so tangible, that I am certain that things are unfolding as they should. I do not claim to understand all things, but I know that Heavenly Father lives, and that He is mindful of us -- especially You, his Only Begotten Son in the flesh. I know that He will guide us, and that He will keep you safe until you have fulfilled your mission here on the Earth. He has blessed You with two earthly parents who love you and who will take care of you to the best of their ability. He will protect us and provide for us.
I cannot wait to show you all the beautiful creations you have placed on Earth. Will you remember? Will I be teaching you, or will you be teaching me? Oh, what a unique privilege I have among all women in all the ages of time!
Dear Father in Heaven, please help me that I may be guided as I teach and care for our Son. Help me to understand my role, for though I am His mother, yet He is my King and my Savior. Please magnify my efforts, so that although I am human and prone to weakness and error, I may yet provide the nurture and guidance that He will need as He prepares to fulfill his mission here on the Earth. I thank Thee for the peace and blessings Thou has provided for us. Thank Thee for sending thy Son to the Earth at this time and in this way. In His name I pray, Amen.
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Joseph
When Mary came back from visiting her cousin Elisabeth, I was so excited to see her. She was after all espoused to me. How I missed her those months. She was always such beautiful young woman, and when she returned, I saw immediately that something had changed. Her form was just a bit different and I could tell she was now expecting a child. But how? Mary? . . . such a pure and always virtuous young woman. That is what I had always loved about her. And as I sought her to be my wife, I had prayed and felt confident that she was to be a lovely and righteous mother to my children. Somehow, I even felt that we might have a child that could change the world. But what of all that now? Had I been mistaken? I still loved her, but what was I to do? The betrothal agreement offers only 2 ways out according to our law. We could go to the elders and have a court, but oh how terribly damaging that would be to her… I didn’t want to hurt her. There was another way, we could have the espousal annulled with privacy, as the law allows. I was so troubled, then, it happened! After much prayer and anxiety I laid down to sleep, and suddenly I awoke with a start! I had had some amazing dreams before, felt definite answers to prayers, and undeniable spiritual impressions as I felt the Lord’s guidance, but this was beyond anything I had experienced! There stood a brilliant, shining being. I trembled with fear, but the angel before me said, “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Oh the wonder and surprise I now felt! So Mary had been true after all! I suddenly realized what the angel had meant. Of course I was familiar with the words of the prophet Isaiah:
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.
All good Jews knew these prophecies. Especially during these difficult times when we suffered under the iron fist of Roman rule. Everywhere were to be found those who claimed to be a messiah, but now, to my Mary would be born THE Messiah. And I was to be his father… no, but a guide, a foster father. I was so amazed, the angel from Heaven knew my name, and as he said, “thou son of David,” I remembered what my father and grandfather had told me as a child. We were descendants of the great king David. In fact, had we not had so much turmoil, and the kingdom collapsed as we were conquered by foreign invaders, my grandfather would have been king, then my father, then I, and my first-born son as well. Yes, he too would have sat on the throne of David. And, the angel said that this child would indeed be this rightful king.
Of course, as quickly as we could, we got married. I then worked and applied all I knew to provide for this majestic child. I used every bit of spare wood I had to build a beautiful cradle. We prepared our home to welcome him into the world. We had very little, but we wanted to make a comfortable, warm, and clean place for him to live. I had but very little money, and if I could have afforded it, would have used the very best, most expensive woods imported from faraway lands for him. But even with what I had, I was able to create something beautiful, possibly my best work. Then, at the worst imaginable moment, just as Mary was nearly ready to deliver, the Tyrant from Rome decreed a law that would rob us of what little we had. Worse yet, we couldn’t just pay our taxes in our home city of Nazareth; we had to travel to my ancestral home, the City of David, Bethlehem. The whole country it seemed was on the move. Would no one be left in their homes? What a difficult journey it was. Mary, who by this time was uncomfortable even resting in our bed or in the best chair of the house, had to walk or ride my donkey more than 80 miles. If she had not been so uncomfortable, we might have made the trip in four days, but the going was slow, and it took nearly a week. We stopped along the way to sleep, and looked forward to finding an inn once we got to Bethlehem. But by the time we got there, hungry, uncomfortable, and tired, we went from inn to inn, but found no lodging. Maybe if I had been a noble, or had power, influence, or more money, we could have found someplace, but rooms were at a premium and there was no room for us in the inns. As we were searching, Mary’s discomfort increased. She was having contractions and I was getting desperate. Finally, an innkeeper took pity on us and allowed us to go behind the inn where the animals were kept in the stable. The smell was ripe. I borrowed a broom and was able to move away the filthy manure, but there was no keeping the flies away. Still, I marveled at her silent courage throughout the trip. Even now, she did not complain. I wondered, “Could there be a more unhealthy, a more disease-ridden, a more despicable circumstance in which a child could be born? Is this a place fit for a king? Should the mother of the Son of God be asked to enter the valley of the shadow of death in such a foul and unfamiliar place as this? Is it wrong to wish her some comfort? Is it right He should be born here?” I fought back tears as I tried to find clean straw and keep the animals back. How I longed to be back in Nazareth, where at least it would have been clean, and Mary would have had family, perhaps her sister, or mother, or even a close friend to help. But alas, only I was available, completely inexperienced as I was, to bring this holy child into the world. She wrapped him in strips of cloth she had brought, and I cleared the feeding trough the animals were eating from, and we lay him in this manger.
Despite the smell and the filth, I was completely overcome by the presence of this newborn son. I had always imagined that the birth of a child would bring great joy, but who could conceive of the magnitude of the spirit that filled my breast!?! It was as if Heaven itself had burst open and rejoiced at the sight of this lovely infant. Later that night, as a group of shepherds from the nearby hills came to worship him, they told of angels, singing in the heavens. I knew that this was indeed God’s son.
During the following years, back at our home in Nazareth, I was so blessed to work for countless hours with the boy Jesus in our shop, creating furniture from wood. We spoke and discussed the scriptures often. He had come, as all children do, with no knowledge, innocent and in need of nourishment and teaching. And so, in those days, I taught him the prophecies recorded by the prophets. We discussed the law and its meaning. And yet, it seemed so often, that he was teaching me. I would explain a passage of scripture, and he would clarify and show me other meanings I had not yet conceived! How quickly he learned, and progressed from grace to grace. I often lay awake at night wondering, “why me?” not in any self-pitying way, but in wonder and humility. Wouldn’t some great prophet have made a better tutor and guide to God’s son? Why was I chosen, a humble and poor carpenter, yes, with quite a genealogy, but that dated back 28 generations, centuries removed from me? Certainly I had studied in the synagogue when I could, but I was no prophet, rabbi, or scriptorian. I did feel guided by God’s light, but could I possibly be the kind of father God would want for his son? How I doubted, so often, my own abilities or worthiness. And, to my amazement, it seemed when I struggled the most, Jesus found ways to let me know I was doing just fine. No father could have been more blessed by a good and loving son.
I guess we don’t all need to be prophets. I suppose it’s always been the case that plain, unpretentious people have moved this majestic work forward. It seems that I served anonymously. In fact, later in His life, after Jesus had declared to the people openly his true divinity and messiahship, it was because of me, that many here in Nazareth were unable to believe. They thought he was my son, as I had tried to be his father. I always tried to live worthy of this boy and Lord.
If you are also serving anonymously, wondering if your service matters, or if you will be remembered, you are not alone, so too did one of the greatest men who ever lived, a man chosen to serve as earthly father and guide to Jesus through his boyhood and youth. And if Jesus were to speak to you personally, I am sure that he would speak to you as he so often did to Joseph and reassure you of his love and gratitude.
References:
Jeffrey R. Holland, “‘This Do in Remembrance of Me’,” Ensign, Nov 1995
Jeffrey R. Holland, “‘Maybe Christmas Doesn’t Come from a Store’,” Ensign, Dec 1977
Robert J. Matthews, “Mary and Joseph,” Ensign, Dec 1974
Jesus the Christ, p. 87
Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7
