A Word from Your Mission Strategist, Steve Laughman
“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
The news of the Messiah’s expected birth came as a surprise to Joseph and Mary. God interrupted their lives in the most wonderful, yet dramatically life-changing way. This righteous man and woman were entrusted with the infant Christ. No one else had ever been given such a responsibility or privilege. God became flesh and dwelt among them – in their home, eating at their table, sleeping in their house, growing into a man before their eyes.
I wonder what kind of life they had planned out for themselves before the angel came to each of them with the news of Jesus’ birth and the part they would play. It probably did not include the unforgiving and misunderstanding people who assumed they had conceived a child together before marriage. I doubt it included fleeing to Egypt or being visited by Magi. Their plans certainly did not include Mary having to watch her son die on a Roman cross. The burden of being Jesus’ parents could not have been light.
However, the life they were given in exchange for the life they expected was so much more. They experienced first-hand being with Jesus day after day. They caught glimpses of heaven as he spoke and grew and interacted with those around him. Their relationship with Jesus was personal and intimate, in a way few understand. At the end of their lives, I am sure they would not have changed a thing.
How many times has God put something unexpected in your path and your first reaction was to reject it? Maybe it didn’t fit into your plan or seemed too difficult to deal with. Maybe you didn’t feel up to the challenge or equipped to reach the goal. Mary and Joseph were simple, faithful followers of God. They were not all that different than many of us. They sought to please our Father by obeying him in all things. None of that would have been possible without the strength and grace given to them by God. He was the one who empowered them and guided them. In the same way, he gives us grace and strength to achieve so much more than we would have planned for ourselves.
My prayer for you this Christmas season is that God would stretch your faith and that you will be obedient to whatever he wants for you. I pray that your relationship with Jesus will become even more personal and intimate this year. I pray that you find all the strength and grace you need in him. Whatever unexpected challenge you face, look to Jesus and face it with the confidence of a child of God.
Merry Christmas to you and to all those you love!
