It has been said
that Christmas is not just an observance it is an experience. Certainly as
Christians the Advent season should be one that we feel in our soul. It is very
easy to become consumed with the busyness, pressure, and materialism of what
Christmas in America has become. But the first Christmas was also filled with
busyness and pressure. The biographies of Christ recorded in Scripture, detail
for us that the events surrounding the birth of Christ were certainly holy, but
not necessarily silent.
Joseph, the
stepfather of the Christ, had to process a world wind of emotions. Matthew
records Joseph’s dilemma when he discovered that his fiancé was expecting a
child that did not belong to him. In Matthew 1:19-21 we read about Mary’s
husband to be, “…Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame,
resolved to divorce her quietly. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus for He
shall save His people from their sins.’”
Anyone who has
ever faced an emotional dilemma can certainly relate to what Joseph must have
been feeling. Emotions can be very deceptive, especially during the holidays.
We are plagued not only with our current feelings for friends and family, but
with all of the feelings from the past that we project onto this season. But
when we have difficulty processing our feelings we can learn a lesson from
Joseph’s experience.
The Bible says
that Joseph was a “just man”. Joseph made his decisions from a moral compass
that pointed him in the right direction. He did not operate from the basis of
feelings alone. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:14 that we should “…no longer be
children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of
doctrine.” An anchor of justice keeps us centered in God’s word and will.
It is
interesting the Bible commands us in several instances to not be afraid. One
such example is recorded in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear
but of power and love and self-control” We do not have to live in fear, because
instead of fear, Christ gives us power, love and self-control, characteristics
that enable us to live our lives with intention for the glory of Christ alone.
The Bible
records that when Joseph woke from his sleep, he did as the Angel of the Lord
had commanded him. Sometimes, when we are faced with the loudness of emotions
that scream for our attention during this time of the year, it can be helpful
to remember that the best way to silence those emotions is to take action in a
positive direction. This is exactly what Joseph did. He got up, took his wife,
and moved forward in faith.
Like Joseph, we
can have clarity of direction and thought that accompanies the gift of God’s
grace. Joseph did not have all of the answers but he did have a faith that was
not his own, but was a gift of God extended to him and based in the person and
work of Jesus Christ. To Joseph was extended perhaps the greatest
responsibility in redemptive history up to that point, delivering to the Christ
child the name of salvation. A responsibility that Joseph accepted and
executed, “…You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from
their sins.”
No comments :
Post a Comment