Christmas, in case you have not heard, is tomorrow so I will be taking the day off and the regular Monday blog is coming out this Christmas Eve Morning.

Christmas and Unexpected Obedience

We do not know what Joseph expected or wanted from life.  Very likely it would be to live a quiet life in a small town with the small hopes of a happy family and the greater hopes that things would get better.  Nazareth being an out of the way community with a significant, Gentile population would perhaps be less likely to face Roman hostility.  He would marry the girl he loved, do his work, and raise his kids before passing on to his ancestors.  He had no expectation for what was to come.  Without wanting or planning it, Joseph was thrown into the midst of the greatest drama in universal history. 

Rather than the quiet life of a blue-collar laborer he is visited by angels in dreams, becomes a stepfather to the Messiah, helps deliver a baby in a barn, welcomes shepherds to see this child, hears some pretty, outlandish prophecies from two, old people and has mysterious Mystics show up at his home with valuable gifts.   These last visitors are hardly out the door before he is part of a murderous manhunt, or baby hunt, by a raving, petty king.  A few months or even years in Egypt likely living in or near a expatriate Jewish community, only to have the dreams return calling him back to his quiet little town where it all started.

Quite the detour.  A very long way from what was expected to what actually happened.  Perhaps the best commentary is what was said about Joseph near the beginning of his part of the story.  “And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him…” _{Mt 1.24} He was living his life, trying to do the right thing and when confronted with an unexpected moment he did what the Lord wanted done.  We really don’t know much about Joseph, but what we do know is pretty great; he was obedient. 

Final thought as we celebrate Christmas this year.  We do not know what the coming year will bring.  We may have our plans, but so did Joseph.  But come what will, may this year find us obedient to the unexpected call of God on our lives. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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