“Solitaire No More”
Original sermon given December 25, 2022, written and delivered by Pastor Gregg Ramirez at First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church
This service was not live-streamed.
“Solitaire No More”
Matthew 1:18-25
Matthew 1:18-25
Like many others in a similar stage of life, 87-year-old Giorgio Angelozzi moped through his day to day existence. Giorgio lived in a sleepy village outside Rome, Italy with his books and 7 cats. His wife had been dead for 12 years, and his only daughter worked in Afghanistan. He lived a dull rhythm. To kill time, he played a lot of solitaire, and Giorgio got into such a rut that he seldom ventured out while rarely speaking to others. Life was colorless, drab, and lonely. Yes, he liked solitude, as we relish moments of solitude. He liked playing solitaire, but a lifetime of it? Finally, it had gotten to the point that this man felt that it was more like solitary confinement. So, one day he decided to do something about it. Giorgio Angelozzi put himself up for adoption. That’s right – the octogenarian placed a classified ad in Italy’s largest daily newspaper. “Seeks family in need of a grandfather. Would bring 500 euros a month to a family willing to adopt him.”
The ad changed his life. The paper ran a front-page article on Giorgio. Inquiries poured in from as far away as Columbia, New Zealand, and New Jersey. Angelozzi became a celebrity overnight. He went from having nothing but time to having scarcely enough time to handle interviews and requests. A pop star responded, a millionaire offered servants in a seaside villa, but one letter stood out. That’s because every member of the family – father, mother, brother and sister had signed it. Soon Giorgio settled into a ground-floor apartment. He took walks in the garden and helped with dishes and homework. “I couldn’t have chosen a better new home,” he said. Solitaire no more.
In truth, many people are fluent in the language of loneliness, and so it was for Joseph in today’s Gospel from St. Matthew. It’s been well said that a person can be lonely in a crowd. People know your name, but not your heart. They know your face, but not your feelings. I have a social security number, but not a soul mate. Oh yes, Joseph did have Mary to whom he was engaged, but she was far from being a soul mate! How could she be? Mary is pregnant out of wedlock. It’s the talk of the town. Already it’s as if she’s got a scarlet letter imprinted upon her chest. It’s a scandal and in that tight knit community people pull away from those caught up in immoral behavior. Joseph’s family and friends keep him at arm’s length. It’s guilt by association. He wants to reach out and touch others but it’s like he’s got a disease. Relations won’t be fully restored until the matter of the pregnant Mary somehow gets resolved. Joseph had longed for her to be a kindred spirit, but now she’s a hindrance rather than a help meet. How long will this go on? How could Joseph not be struggling with a worst-case scenario? Will he always be on the outside – ever ostracized in a close-knit society? Mary is a liability not an asset and Joseph knows that he’s in a town without pity. Nathaniel would later say: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” And when the child Jesus, the One Whom they had branded as illegitimate grew up and dared to call them out for their self-righteousness, those same people of Nazareth tried to throw Him off a cliff.
No wonder that Joseph is anxious. He’s an insecure man without a country. No one is close to him. He desperately needs community. He’s deeply hurt by the supposed unfaithfulness of Mary, his betrothed and the baby in her womb is an unwanted child.
Such was his plight during this time of estrangement – a form of solitary confinement in his shame and honor culture. The only positive thing Joseph could do was divorce Mary privately rather than press charges. He was at an impasse - a dead end with no way forward until there was the busting of his worst-case scenario bubble as God broke into his darkness through the words of the angel:
Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife
for that which was conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
God intervened through those words form His angel. Joseph was to take courage. He was not alone in all this. Despite his desperate, embarrassing situation, Joseph received clear direction along with the comforting assurance that all would be well. Now his mind full of addictive negative thinking was set free to ponder in his mind the mystery of the child’s origin, name, and great destiny. But could he possibly take in the full scope of the life changing dimensions found in the words and promises of the angel? No, and nor can we. I remember hearing the story of a pastor one Sunday in Advent who began worship by assuring the congregation of God’s Presence among them. Then a young boy piped up, “There they are,” and eagerly pointed to some Christmas gifts someone had left on a table in the back of the church. Of course, there was some chuckling among the members. The boy had confused Presence and presents, but it certainly showed where his mind was that day. However, I wonder how many adults failed to see that the boy was, in reality, half right. For, in truth, the Presence, is the present. It’s the greatest of gifts so easily lost in the shuffle. It’s because the ultimate cure for a world full of Giorgios stuck playing solitaire takes you to a lowly manger in a cattle barn. The babe of Bethlehem, is ultimately the God Who now comes along side us. Remember the promise of the angel:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us’.”
God with us – not God with the rich or the religious – but God with all of us. Russians, Chinese, Iranians.
“Will He go with me?” you ask? I know He’s here with me in worship but to the store, to the hospital, to work, to the park? Search for the restrictions on the promise. You’ll find none. No more solitaire. For thousands of years God gave His voice. Prior to Bethlehem He gave His messengers, the Prophets, He spoke through angels, but in the manger, God gave Himself. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
For unto us God provided solace for the solitary. It was meant to undo the loneliness brought on by the fall of our first parents. In the Garden they were tight with God, but then disobedience caused the untethering – the God-shaped void. Hearts were restless until God provided His Son, to make hearts half now whole. Jesus Christ now provides Himself as the ultimate source to meet our deep need for belonging. Jesus Christ came to provide that godly counsel, peace, love, and encouragement so desperately needed in our chaotic world. Moreover, doesn’t this even take on a greater intensity during the holidays? Like Giorgio, this is a time of remembrance of years past. It’s a time of increased alienation and loneliness for many. Recalling the memory of a spouse, parent, grandparent, friend can lead to a sense of solitary confinement. That’s why the God Who became human emptied Himself of His glory – so that He might go to people without beauty, power, or money. For the first time ordinary people could have a conversation with God anytime without fear. He’s been in all the places you have been. He’s been in the darkness you’ve been in and more. For the non-threatening baby would become a man, the great Immanuel, God with us, and encounter evil as He took on our transgressions to overcome the dark forces of sin, death, and the devil. Only in this way He would attain for us the forgiveness and grace of God.
In His thirty short years on earth, Jesus did more to convey the Essence and Presence of God than all the prophets combined. However, there is yet the big question: Is Jesus the Son of God real to you or are you still playing a lot of solitaire? Know that it doesn’t have to be. It’s a game changer as you unwrap the gift of His Presence. It reminds me of a grandmother who shared the essence of her devotional experience, “I just let Jesus love me.” She needed her cuddle time. How often do we instead want noise and so run from silence. Yet don’t we hear it said: “Be still and know that I am God.” What would happen if we took time out of our daily routine to really focus on Him and all the blessings He gave us? It begins here. (Point to the cross) That’s where His timeless forgiveness, love, and grace flow from and then into the stable of our hearts. It means not simply saying your prayers but having a prayer life that leads to a sense of His Presence in your heart and life. He hears you when you’re hurting and His Presence disperses the clouds of darkness and fills you with comfort and power when you feel inadequate. Happy birthday Jesus. You and you alone are able to put solitary confinement to an end.