March 19, 2024 

Today’s Reading: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 2:23-3:22, Mark 14:53-72

And [Joseph] rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod.  This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my Son.” (Matthew 2:14-15)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Is it too much to say that fathers are important, that fathers matter, that there is a difference between men and women, and a distinction to be made between the role they play in raising children and nurturing the next generation?  Not too long ago all of that would have been simple and easy to proclaim, almost as if it is woven into the fabric of God’s good nature.   But times change, things get weird, people go a little bonkers and so perhaps it is good to take the time to think about these things every once and awhile.

So are fathers important?  God certainly seems to think they are.  So much so, that He made sure that His Son had a defender, a protector, a guardian.  And this great champion of Jesus, this guardian of Christ, was none other than Joseph: a devout and merciful man who before the visit from the angel had decided to divorce his betrothed in private so that the crowds wouldn’t smash her head with rocks until she and the baby inside of her were dead.

And so I suppose it says something about the nature of fathers that our Heavenly Father made sure His Son had an earthly father, not a second mother, not a family friend, not a bigger brother or a kindly uncle, but a father.  And in our text for today Joseph fulfills one of the most important duties of the vocation of fatherhood, and that is to protect his children.

So down to Egypt Joseph races with his bride and his son, all so that the prophet Hosea could be fulfilled, all so that Jesus didn’t die in the streets of Bethlehem at the hands of Herod.  God provided His Son an earthly father so that Joseph could make sure that Jesus made it to the cross.  …  I know that seems weird, but how else could we look at it?  Jesus needed to fulfill the Law in our stead and then die as a sacrifice on the cross for our forgiveness and our Heavenly Father partly used Jesus’ earthly father to accomplish that.  …  So let us give thanks to our Heavenly Father for Joseph, the Guardian of our Lord.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We sing our thanks for Joseph, The guardian of our Lord, Who faithfully taught Jesus Through craft and deed and word.  Grant wisdom, Lord, and patience To parents ev’rywhere Who guide and teach the children Entrusted to their care (LSB 517:14)

-Pastor Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

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