They were afraid: The shepherds are afraid as the host of angels descend over their field; Herod is afraid of the news with devastating consequences; Mary is understandably frightened with the angel's visit. Fear is woven into the story at all levels. So many times we hear the reassurance – do not be afraid; with the proclamation that this is GOOD NEWS … the fulfillment of God's promises.

In this morning's gospel text we read of Joseph's fear … and also of his amazing response. Before all the excitement of God's birth is celebrated in the next few days, it is time to remember Joseph's role in the Amazing Story. We know so well Luke's telling of the birth of Jesus that, as our United Methodist Worship site (link) says: "poor old Joseph generally gets a very minor 'bathrobe' part in the celebrations of Christmas."

Listening … that act is crucial in the Christmas story. Inherent in much of what we do as God's people is the hope that somehow God is listening to us … and that there will be answers and signs to indicate that. How many times have you wished for clear signs, certain signs; signs so clear they hit you over the head and you knew without a doubt you needed to follow the directions. I think of the art of listening in reading the story of God's birth. Mary listens and accepts the angel's pronouncement. Zechariah and Elizabeth receive the news given to them. The shepherds dash off to see the event happening in Bethlehem. The magi follow the star and listen when they are told not to return to Herod. From the perspective of history we look back and wish we had such clear signs to follow today … we'd be much better off if God spoke to us as clearly as God spoke then. But I wonder if back then they thought the signs were really all that clear. How did they know the star was the one, that the angels that came to them at night weren't simply dreams finishing some leftover business in their psyche?

Joseph is one of the more astounding listeners in the story. He's done everything a man of his day was supposed to do. The marriage was arranged, the agreement set, the complicated negotiations had taken place … and now here his betrothed had gone off and gotten pregnant … worse is the amazing tale of how it had happened. The law of the land said that Mary should be taken to the door of her father's house where she would be stoned to death by her community. Joseph can't bring himself to do that, and in spite of his shame and humiliation he resolves to dismiss her quietly … perhaps hoping to forget the whole thing and start over some place else. Even before the angel visits, Joseph is unwilling to bring harm to Mary.

Then the angel comes and asks him to go further. He is not to be afraid of any of this – it is all just as Mary has told him. And Joseph listens … if it were not for him, we would not be telling the story as we know it today … God would have had to figure something else out. It is this act of listening on the part of human beings that I find most amazing in the Christmas story. The God part we can more easily understand. God can act in ways that go far beyond our understanding. But this human response of listening … of Joseph listening in his dream … that is what is most astounding and touching. That Joseph didn't discount his dream as indigestion, or spend time figuring out what the elements of his dream meant in Jungian theology means that we sit here today.

I wonder how he knew … knew to listen … knew to respond. I wonder how he knew that this dream was the real deal … an angel of the Lord speaking to him. I wonder about his doubts. The text has only the terse outlines of the story. It leaves out the wrestling and struggling that had to have gone on in the participants. We forget sometimes just how very messy this Christmas story is. So much tragedy and terror. So, in the midst of the mess I wonder just how Joseph knew.

How many times do we hear this whisper in us, and wonder, maybe this is what God is asking me to do. Maybe Joseph did just that – ok, God, what about this dream? Is it real, could you be a bit more definite? No matter what our age, I suspect there will always be a part of us that wonders what we should be when we grow up; what our calling in life should be. Whatever Joseph's wrestlings were, we have the end result recorded – he listened and responded in a way that broke human law with no assurance of how it would turn out. Just this – do not be afraid, I am with you. I wonder how Joseph knew how to listen.

Amazing also is Joseph listening and responding when he couldn't have liked the message he got in his dream. I suspect that as Joseph was searching for answers to his dilemma he was looking for validation of his decision to put Mary aside quietly … it was, after all, big of him to offer that to her. If the Rolling Stones had been around when Joseph was, we can imagine their song: "You can't always get what you want," as Joseph's theme song. How often do you find yourself in that place – wanting something, searching for an answer … as long as it is the one we want – yet, not receiving it? We get so absorbed in what we want that we can't listen to what God is saying. Until at some point we reach a place where we find the conclusion of the song is true for us: "But if you try sometime, you might just find you get what you need." Not only did Joseph listen to his dream, he responded even when it could not have been the direction he was hoping for.

The Christmas story is a story of God's amazing act of love … acting outside the norms of human expectations and conventions. But it is also a story of human faith and response. There are no easy answers … this art of listening is tough … of knowing when God is calling us, asking us to act, directing us along life's journeys. It would be so much easier if this God of whispers and dreams would hit us over the head, send us an email, speak a bit more loudly and clearly. Of course maybe God IS being clear, we are simply being dense. As we finish our preparations to receive the Christ child, may we follow the example of Joseph, who threw caution to the wind and listened. May find our ears a little more tuned than usual, our hearts a little more open and our eyes wide with wonder. May the God of whispers and dreams be heard in our lives and have us responding.

Somehow Joseph knew … help us to know and hear also.