No Ordinary Joe

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Joseph is a very interesting character in the incarnation narrative. At first glance one might think he was a helpless pawn in the plot, just being used for convenience.  But he actually had a very active role to play. He had choices; he had character; he had compassion; he was a man who considered what he was doing.  He chose to follow the Lord's basic commands as well as the specific ones given through the angel. He took care of Mary and Jesus to the best of his ability. He willingly served God and waited for His will.  God calls on us to follow in suit. Our calling will not be the specific one he had here, but it us just as important for our lives and the lives of those around us. 

Is There Room?

Luke 2:6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

We looked yesterday at Joseph and his willingness to accept God's plan above his own, which allowed him to be a part of the most wonderful event in human history: the incarnation of Christ.  These next two verses focus more on Mary and her new Child.  This was most likely not how she envisioned her first taste of motherhood - banned to the barn because of the crowd inside.  It was in a sense the first taste of rejection she and the Child would experience in this adventure. It also sets the tone for His lifetime of ministry: many would find no room for Him in their schedules, their lives, their hearts. Advent forces us to ask that question: "Is there room in my life for Him?" If not, there will be no room for us in His house.

Fitting Our Plans with God's Plan

 

Luke 2: 1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

Joseph planned on marrying Mary. He loved her and wanted her as wife.  It involved a lot of planning on his part: arranging the marriage with her family, going back to prepare a place for them, and making this unwanted trek to Bethlehem to register, pay taxes, and let the empire know who they were and where they lived.  It was a lot.  Things did not turn out to be easy: explaining how Mary came to be with child, making this hard journey hear her delivery date, getting them all home safely and keeping them so.  But Joseph realized something we need to remember: we are not to fit God's plan into our plan; we are to keep our plans in line with His. He owns the story, and He makes it all turn out the way it ought to be. 

God Does This Kind of Thing...

 Luke 1:34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

God thinks outside the box because He is outside the box.  He is creative.  Not only can we look around us to see the wonders of His creative hand; we can look at human and biblical history to be amazed.  When we ask ourselves (and God): "How could this happen?", He is able to direct us to points in the past, and the present, which remind us He can and He does.  Mary was amazed but not so amazed she could not nor would not believe. Her faith led to action. She submitted to God's will, and she went on to visit Elizabeth. The incarnation is amazing in all its details, but not impossible. God can, He wants to, and He does. 

The Hope of Peace

 Micah 5:

1 Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops;
    siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, 

whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
    when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
    to the ends of the earth. 

5 And he shall be their peace.

Some of the greatest messages of hope for the coming of the Messiah came when Israel was going through some really hard times - usually suffering at the hands of their enemies. God gives us hope in the hardest of times.  The end goal, which we are to appropriate in the moment as well, is ultimately peace. He is truly present with us now, pointing us to the time of ultimate peace.

The Full Picture of the Incarnation...

Isaiah 53:11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.

As we celebrate Advent, we cannot separate the coming of the Baby from what He came to accomplish. Isaiah gives us both ends of the spectrum.  God sent His Son, His Servant, to suffer and die for our transgressions - to bear our sin. That purpose was not frustrated; He accomplished what He came to do: make many righteous, bringing us into relationship with God.  He was born to die, come back to life, and bring us life.  May we never disconnect the two. 

Hope in the Darkness!

 

Isaiah 9:6 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

The land of Judah was in bad shape.  Things looked okay economically, but spiritually it was a disaster. Enemies surrounded them and their King refused to listen to God or His prophets.  There was a darkness in the land and wars never seemed to end. Where would they find hope to go on?  God pointed them to the promise of a Son.  No matter how bad things may seem personally, socially, or relationally, God does have a plan, and that plan is His Son - His wonderful, wise and willing-to-suffer-and-die-for us Son. Take heart! There is HOPE this advent, and His name is Jesus.