The NorthWord

Feast of St. Joseph | NorthWord Holy Day

St. Johns `s Fort Smith, The Anglican Family, and Fr. Aaron Solberg Season 7 Episode 6

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 Today the Church marks a feast day — Joseph, Husband of the Virgin Mary and Guardian of Jesus. Not a single recorded word from him in Scripture. And yet God chose him to raise his Son. A short reflection for the feast. 

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Good morning, this is Northword.

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Today is a feast day in the church, which means you can break your Lent fast. Good morning, this is Northword, the Word the North, your week, a daily podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican family. I'm your host, Father Aaron, and today I have a bonus episode for you. Today is March 19th, the feast of Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and the guardian of Jesus in the Anglican Church. This is a major holiday. Not optional on a footnote. The church has set this day aside because the man's life matters. Here's what's striking about Joseph. We have not a single recorded word from him in all of Scripture. Not one. And yet God chose him to raise his son. He was a carpenter from Nazareth, a descendant of David, and when he found out that Mary was pregnant before they had come together, his first move was to protect her, quietly, without public disgrace. That one detail tells you everything about his character. And then the angel came, and Joseph got up. He didn't argue, he didn't negotiate, he didn't ask for more information, he just obeyed. He took Mary as his wife, he got up in the middle of the night, when the angel said to flee to Egypt, and he went, he raised Jesus in a trade, he brought him to the temple, he was there every ordinary day for the Son of God. The church honors Joseph because faithfulness in ordinary life is never ordinary to God. Joseph didn't perform miracles, he didn't preach sermons, he showed up quietly every day and did what he was asked to do. That is worth celebrating, especially in a week where we've been talking about fear, because Joseph had every reason to be afraid, and he chose obedience anyway. Happy Feast of St. Joseph, happy Lent breaking, and this has been Northword, the word the North your week, a daily podcast from St. John's Fort Smith, in collaboration with the Anglican family. Follow us, share this with a friend, and text us through the text us link in the description and let us know how you're going to be breaking your feast today. Until tomorrow, God be with you.

SPEAKER_01

Amen.