Excerpt from: “Christmas Expectations and Preparations: An Advent Devotional” by Diane Hunter, pgs. 106-109, 2020.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ 22All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’
24When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Meditation
Surely, Joseph and Mary talked or maybe even argued about the unexpected pregnancy. Or did Joseph automatically assume the worst before hearing Mary’s explanation? Although, believing her explanation would have been a huge stretch for Joseph, the fact remained that Mary was pregnant. There is only one way that could have possibly happened and now Joseph is in a socially unacceptable situation. If he followed through with the marriage, he would forever believe (and the neighbors too) that she committed adultery and yet if he renounces her the risk becomes, she is stoned to death. What is Joseph to do?
Praise God, Joseph receives a “do-not-be-afraid” message from “an angel of the Lord” in a dream. He is instructed to take Mary as his wife and raise the child as his own because this socially unacceptable situation is about God and not about legalities. The main point of Joseph’s story is that he is just as faithful and obedient as Mary, once the request to raise “Emmanuel –God is with us,” is clarified. We too can be asked to do things for the Lord that are seemingly impossible or even a bit strange. And once we realize the request is about God and not about social acceptability, we can persevere to achieve God’s purposes for us.
Prayer Prompt: Dear Lord, help me stay focused on your purposes. Amen.