Matthew 1:19-20 (NRSV)
19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
20 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.
Advent is about the great love of God...blah, blah, blah. Isn't that how it comes across sometimes. God so loved the world...yeah, I know that. God loves you...do I know that? Do I believe that? God so loves the world, that's true...but God love and care about me personally? I think we struggle with that.
Henri Nouwen wrote about this over and over again:
"To whom do I belong? To God or to the world?...As long as I keep running about asking, 'Do you love me?', I give all power to the voices of the world and put myself in bondage because the world is filled with "ifs". 'Yes, I love you if you are who I want you to be, if you are intelligent, if you have money, if you have a good job, if you produce much, sell much, buy much.'...These "ifs" enslave me, since it is irresponsible (impossible?) to respond adequately to them all...As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain 'hooked' to the world - trying, failing, trying again." [from "The Return of the Prodigal Son"]
Joseph stuck in the "ifs". If he does not divorce Mary he is marrying an immoral woman, and the child is not his, most of all he has broken the law he loves - so he reasons. He would do it to be "right".
If he does divorce Mary he gives up on the woman he loves and he surrenders his love in order to pass the test of "this is what you should do".
The conflict in Joseph was later mirrored in the conflict of George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life". George Bailey lives with heart of sacrifice, loyalty, family, loving and being kind - living "rightly"; and yet it feels all so distant from him when his life seemingly collapses around him. He does not feel "loved", but "alone" - perhaps that is one of the best descriptions of our lives when we are struggling with "do you love me?"
Jimmy Stewart, who played George, shared in a story what he felt in acting out George in the scene at the bridge.
"The character I played was George Bailey, an ordinary fella who thinks he's never accomplished anything in life. His dreams of becoming a famous architect, of living adventurously, have not been fulfilled. Instead he feels trapped in a humdrum job in a small town. And when faced with a crisis in which he feels he has failed everyone, he breaks under the strain and flees to the bridge.
That's when his guardian angel, Clarence, comes down on Christmas Eve to show him what his community would be like without him. The angel takes him back through his life to show how our ordinary everyday efforts are really big achievements.
Clarence reveals how George Bailey's loyalty to his job at the building-and-loan office has saved families and homes, how his little kindnesses have changed the lives of others and how the ripples of his love will spread through the world, helping make it a better place.
Good as the script was, there was still something else about the movie that made it different. It's hard to explain. I, for one, had things happen to me during the filming that never happened in any other picture I've made.
In one scene, for example, George Bailey is faced with unjust criminal charges and, not knowing where to turn, ends up in a little roadside restaurant. He is unaware that most of the people in town are arduously praying for him. In this scene, at the lowest point in George Bailey's life, Frank Capra was shooting a long shot of me slumped in despair. In agony I raise my eyes and, following the script, plead, "God… God…dear Father in heaven, I'm not a praying man, but if you're up there and you can hear me, show me the way. I'm at the end of my rope. Show me the way, God…"
As I said those words, I felt the loneliness, the hopelessness of people who had nowhere to turn, and my eyes filled with tears. I broke down sobbing. This was not planned at all, but the power of that prayer, the realization that our Father in heaven is there to help the hopeless, had reduced me to tears."
Interestingly, Jimmy Stewart was raised by a godly Father. Jimmy served in World War II, as a bomber pilot - a very hazardous job. Many bomber pilots lost their lives, many were shot down and ended up in POW camps. Before he left for Europe his Dad wrote Jimmy a letter. The letter from his Dad read:
“My dear Jim boy. Soon after you read this letter, you will be on your way to the worst sort of danger. Jim, I’m banking on the enclosed copy of the 91st Psalm. The thing that takes the place of fear and worry is the promise of these words. I am staking my faith in these words. I feel sure that God will lead you through this mad experience. I can say no more. I only continue to pray. Goodbye, my dear. God bless you and keep you. I love you more than I can tell you.” Dad.
Psalm 91:1 has often been called God’s 911. It reads, “”He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
Joseph and George Bailey had a lot in common. They were fairly ordinary men who had to believe that God truly wanted to make a difference in their lives, and that "I am loved" is not mere sentimentality, but the heart of God for our lives.
19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
20 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.
Advent is about the great love of God...blah, blah, blah. Isn't that how it comes across sometimes. God so loved the world...yeah, I know that. God loves you...do I know that? Do I believe that? God so loves the world, that's true...but God love and care about me personally? I think we struggle with that.
Henri Nouwen wrote about this over and over again:
"To whom do I belong? To God or to the world?...As long as I keep running about asking, 'Do you love me?', I give all power to the voices of the world and put myself in bondage because the world is filled with "ifs". 'Yes, I love you if you are who I want you to be, if you are intelligent, if you have money, if you have a good job, if you produce much, sell much, buy much.'...These "ifs" enslave me, since it is irresponsible (impossible?) to respond adequately to them all...As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain 'hooked' to the world - trying, failing, trying again." [from "The Return of the Prodigal Son"]
Joseph stuck in the "ifs". If he does not divorce Mary he is marrying an immoral woman, and the child is not his, most of all he has broken the law he loves - so he reasons. He would do it to be "right".
If he does divorce Mary he gives up on the woman he loves and he surrenders his love in order to pass the test of "this is what you should do".
The conflict in Joseph was later mirrored in the conflict of George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life". George Bailey lives with heart of sacrifice, loyalty, family, loving and being kind - living "rightly"; and yet it feels all so distant from him when his life seemingly collapses around him. He does not feel "loved", but "alone" - perhaps that is one of the best descriptions of our lives when we are struggling with "do you love me?"
Jimmy Stewart, who played George, shared in a story what he felt in acting out George in the scene at the bridge.
"The character I played was George Bailey, an ordinary fella who thinks he's never accomplished anything in life. His dreams of becoming a famous architect, of living adventurously, have not been fulfilled. Instead he feels trapped in a humdrum job in a small town. And when faced with a crisis in which he feels he has failed everyone, he breaks under the strain and flees to the bridge.
That's when his guardian angel, Clarence, comes down on Christmas Eve to show him what his community would be like without him. The angel takes him back through his life to show how our ordinary everyday efforts are really big achievements.
Clarence reveals how George Bailey's loyalty to his job at the building-and-loan office has saved families and homes, how his little kindnesses have changed the lives of others and how the ripples of his love will spread through the world, helping make it a better place.
Good as the script was, there was still something else about the movie that made it different. It's hard to explain. I, for one, had things happen to me during the filming that never happened in any other picture I've made.
In one scene, for example, George Bailey is faced with unjust criminal charges and, not knowing where to turn, ends up in a little roadside restaurant. He is unaware that most of the people in town are arduously praying for him. In this scene, at the lowest point in George Bailey's life, Frank Capra was shooting a long shot of me slumped in despair. In agony I raise my eyes and, following the script, plead, "God… God…dear Father in heaven, I'm not a praying man, but if you're up there and you can hear me, show me the way. I'm at the end of my rope. Show me the way, God…"
As I said those words, I felt the loneliness, the hopelessness of people who had nowhere to turn, and my eyes filled with tears. I broke down sobbing. This was not planned at all, but the power of that prayer, the realization that our Father in heaven is there to help the hopeless, had reduced me to tears."
Interestingly, Jimmy Stewart was raised by a godly Father. Jimmy served in World War II, as a bomber pilot - a very hazardous job. Many bomber pilots lost their lives, many were shot down and ended up in POW camps. Before he left for Europe his Dad wrote Jimmy a letter. The letter from his Dad read:
“My dear Jim boy. Soon after you read this letter, you will be on your way to the worst sort of danger. Jim, I’m banking on the enclosed copy of the 91st Psalm. The thing that takes the place of fear and worry is the promise of these words. I am staking my faith in these words. I feel sure that God will lead you through this mad experience. I can say no more. I only continue to pray. Goodbye, my dear. God bless you and keep you. I love you more than I can tell you.” Dad.
Psalm 91:1 has often been called God’s 911. It reads, “”He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
Joseph and George Bailey had a lot in common. They were fairly ordinary men who had to believe that God truly wanted to make a difference in their lives, and that "I am loved" is not mere sentimentality, but the heart of God for our lives.
Comments