Dec 8 - Joseph

Joseph

Thursday, December 8, 2022

by Miles McWilliams

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18-24

Key Verse: Matthew 1:18-21

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph has such an air of unimportance in conversation, though he never ceases to amaze me. First off he discovers his arranged bride is found pregnant. For a society that abstinence until marriage is law, discovering your betrothed has not just broken that law (from his perspective) but is also pregnant is unfathomable! Joseph could have just exposed her and left her to be disowned and be an outcast for the rest of her life. But he, still in his inner thoughts, showed compassion and wanted to divorce her quietly so she would still have a chance to marry elsewhere and not condemn her.

Then Joseph went to bed that night and was met by an angel! He must have been terrified, or in disbelief, at least, that a creature so revered had visited him! I couldn’t imagine that he could have predicted what came next. This angel had heard his thoughts and came to reassure him that his wife was faithful. That must have been surprising, but at least he could be at peace… or so he thought! The angel told him Mary was in-fact pregnant, but not by any man but by the Holy Spirit itself.

I can imagine Joseph trembling in his dream world boots at the significance of that claim, but he continued to listen. Mary would give birth to a son, and he was to make sure he was named Jesus. When reading this passage, it made me realize that Joseph and Mary must have been the first parents in history to know the gender of their baby before birth. Joseph must have been in such awe by the fact that the omnipotent God blessed him with knowledge that should have never been known.

The kicker of this entire conversation is the angel says to Joseph, “”She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”” I can just imagine Joseph’s jaw slamming to the floor as the angel finished speaking.

The moral I took away from this was not from what Joseph experienced, but what he did in response. He could have brushed this dream off, moved on from Mary and lived a peaceful normal life. But he didn’t… he had faith. He woke up and followed this unfathomable path that laid before him and took one step after another.

Something I will use to guide my everyday life is God has a plan for all of us. Ours might not be as “flashing neon sign” obvious as Joseph’s, but we should all take one step after another towards the light.

Lord Jesus,

Master of both the light and the darkness, 

    send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.

We who have so much to do 

    and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,

We who are anxious over many things 

    look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways 

    long for the complete joy of your kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy 

    seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people, walking in darkness, 

    yet seeking the light.

To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!'

Amen.

- Henri J.M. Nouwen