In traditional theatre there is a term for characters which are not the "main character" yet without their intervention the plot would unfold ...dramatically different (pun intended). This term is "fifth business" and though it could be argued several minor characters in the Advent story embody this role none embodies it more fully (in my opinion) than Joseph, the adoptive father of Christ. Joseph sacrifices much for Mary and her Blessed Babe and without his quick and direct obedience to the direction given through his dreams, Jesus may have grown up without a provider or home, or may have even been killed through Herod's plot. Joseph plays his role well yet never utters a single line within our scriptures.