Chap. 8: Joseph: The Story of Reputation
"Our reputation (what others think of us) is not as important as our identity (who we really are). Spiritual formation begins when we untangle reputation and identity, and when what God thinks of us is more important than what we think of ourselves or what others think of us." One story of somebody who lost their reputation but gained his identity is Jesus' father, Joseph. To understand, we have to know more about Joseph's dilemma
- I AM A TSADIQ. Matthew says that Joseph is "righteous" (in Hebrew tsadiq). That means he is a religiously observant and has therefore a high reputation.
- MY REPUTATION IS CHALLENGED. Before his marriage, the word is out that Mary is pregnant. That is a very bad thing for the reputation of a tsadqik.
- I APPEAL TO TORAH. The Torah has guidance for the tsadiq in this matter. But Mary tells him she is a virgin, and that it is God's doing. Joseph must have been conflicted.
- I STRUGGLE WITH GOD. Joseph's dilemma was created by the Jesus Creed, even though he didn't know it. When we turn to the Lord our reputation dies.
- I AM MARY'S HUSBAND AND JESUS' (LEGAL) FATHER. When he chose to take Mary as his wife and Jesus as his legal son, his reputation as a tsadiq is ruined.
Chap. 9: Mary: The Story of Vocation
"In the potent words of Dorothy Sayers, 'our vocation is not, primarily, a thing one does to live, but the thing one lives to do. It is, or it should be, the full expression of the worker’s faculties, the thing in which he finds spiritual, mental, and bodily satisfaction, and the medium in which he offers himself to God.'"
A VOCATION FOR EACH OF US. Quaker wisdom on vocation: "Let you life speak." Mary is a person who found her vocation.
- I HAVE A REPUTATION. Mary's reputation is gone based on what God has done for her. But she has been given the vocation of the Mother of the Messiah and she responds with the Magnificat.
- I AM POOR, BUT I HOPE FOR LIBERATION. Mary came from a poor family, but they (and she) had hope from liberation. Her song expresses that hope vividly.
- I HAVE A VOCATION: TO NUTURE THE CHILDREN.
- I HAVE A VOCATION: TO TEACH THE CHILDREN. Mary must have taught Jesus and her other children the Shema and other things that later are central to Jesus' gospel.
FICTION WRITER WITH A NEW VOCATION. "“What has happened has happened, the past cannot be undone, only redeemed and made good.” Dorothy Sayers
Quotes from Mcknight, Scot (2009-10-01). Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others (p. 76). Paraclete Press. Kindle Edition.