It was Saturday morning TV time at the Van Pelt household. Lucy and her little brother Linus were sitting in front of the television set when Lucy said to Linus, "Go get me a glass of water." Linus looked surprised. "Why should I do anything for you?" he said. "You never do anything for me." Lucy promised, "On your seventy-fifth birthday I\'ll bake you a cake." As Linus got up and headed for the kitchen he said, "Life is more pleasant when you have something to look forward to." Well. Sometimes.

This Wednesday I\'m going to be at my house in Grafton with my wife and dog and two son and their wives and my daughter and her very significant other. I\'m looking forward to it. On the other hand, if I had a dental appointment this Wednesday, I doubt it would excite me as much. This morning, as you and I find it pleasant looking forward to Christmas, we hear again the story of Joseph. He had been looking forward to a life-long relationship with Mary. That was just a few days earlier. But now, knowing that Mary was great with child, a child not of his own DNA, Joseph now knew he had to end the engagement ... and he was not looking forward to that! "Life is more pleasant when you have something to look forward to." Well. Sometimes.

 Nazareth was a small town in Biblical days. An insignificant Podunk sort of a place, not even mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures. A small town where people could sing the refrain from the old Cheers TV show, a small town where everybody knows your name. Further, it is the nature of small towns that everybody also knows your business. Joseph is engaged ... not yet married. And when Joseph discovers his wife is great with child, he is greatly concerned ... for her. It\'s reasonable to assume his heart was broken by the news. No person deeply in love endures a sadder discovery than to find out her true love has been untrue. In this case, his true love. But the text does not report Joseph\'s personal heartbreak, but only his concern for Mary. Seems as if God made a fine choice in Joseph. Our God is a God of love and our God selected a loving man to mentor Emmanuel - God with us.

Joseph is engaged ... not yet married. But in the culture of the times, engagement implies a much deeper relationship than it means today. The fact that they were yet to be married meant separate beds, separate rooms, separate homes ... until the knot was legally tied. The couple did not live together, but they were already set apart for each other. Sexual relations with an engaged woman was considered adultery. And there are laws to deal with adultery. Laws, written by men, designed for women. Laws which isolated a woman from society. Sometimes the punishment was capital in nature: death by stoning. A student once wrote on a Confirmation test, "Adultery means children acting like grown-ups." Nothing could be further from the truth.

Mary knows how it came about that she was great with child. Joseph has no clue. Had she tried to tell the man she loved about it? Is that how Joseph learned of it? Or had word of it gotten around the small village, where everybody knows your name? No doubt people were talking. Mary would not have been participating in the monthly ritual purification with the other women. They would suspect something. If they were not yet talking, soon it would be very apparent, that Mary was to be a parent.

But rather than expose Mary to the punishment she evidently deserves, Joseph decides not to make a public disgrace of Mary. Who knows? Maybe Joseph hopes that the true father will step forward. And guess what? The true "father" does step forward, and what a surprise! God puts the record straight for Joseph in a dream. Not only are things not as bad as they appear, but things are better than anyone could possibly have prayed! "Do not be afraid," counsels the heavenly visitor. "Take Mary as your wife, name the child within her Jesus ... which means Savior." Joseph wakes up and we have to wonder if he ever had another decent night\'s sleep from that point on!

Sometimes we think the sole purpose of religion is to help us live conservative, righteous, practical sorts of lives. And that\'s probably true to an extent. But stories such as this in today\'s gospel remind us that there is more to faith than practicing practicality. In the stirring of angel wings, we are coaxed to trust in God. In the nudging of our spirits, we are encouraged to fear less and to trust more fully in God\'s grace. I would suggest that the people of this congregation have accomplished great things on a wing and a prayer. A decade ago, a dream held in common was that we could triple the size of our church building, including a Sunday School wing ... all without ending up in bankruptcy court. In one way or another, God spoke and people heard: "Do not be afraid to take on this challenge ... for God is with us." A Sunday School wing and a prayer. The prayer belonged to us; could the wing (not the Sunday School one), could the wing belong to Gabriel? Did a messenger of God encourage you and me, we who were the dreamers, to trust in the grace of God and to take a risk that others might label as foolish? If so, we are not alone ... most great ventures are carried through on a wing and a prayer!

In worship, otherwise practical and reasonable folk gather not only to hear stories about angels, signs, and dreams, but to sing the angels\' songs and learn to dream a little more. Our carols and other songs of praise acknowledge the freewheeling grace of God. Our Emmanuel, who is indeed with us, sets us free from sin, and guides us to a future, a life beyond this life, filled with everlasting joy.

Joseph was engaged ... but that\'s ancient history. What is important to you and me as we light four candles on a tiny wreath - struggling mightily to add a little light to this rather dark and dreary day - what matters most is the fact that God remains engaged - with us! In the midst of life\'s struggles, even those times we feel loved ones have let us down, God remains engaged - with us. Those times we misunderstand situations, or others misunderstand us, God remains engaged - with us.

Not one of us is insignificant, to the heart of God. Not one of us is faceless, to the eyes of God. In this vast universe each one of us has a unique DNA linking us to the Father. Our Father, who art in Heaven. Whenever people talk about Emmanuel, and you hear the word a lot during these days of Advent and Christmas, we recall that Emmanuel means "God with us." And so God is - with us. Engaged - with us. Offering the taste of God in bread and wine. Promising our warring world, a peace that passes human understanding. Inviting us at the last to a wedding banquet which has no end. Where everybody knows your name. And yes: "Life is more pleasant when you have something to look forward to."