Tuesday, November 29

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Matthew 1:18-19

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

A couple of years ago I was watching a Bulls game on T.V., when during a break in the action a young man proposed to a young lady. It was one of those situations where they guy had arranged to have a message put on the jumbo-tron scoreboard so that 20,000 people could share in the moment. He coaxed his unknowing girlfriend to leave their seats and walk to the edge of the court. And there, in full view of the crowd and those watching on T.V., he got down on his knee and offered her what looked to be a ring in box. She stared at the ring for a long and somewhat uncomfortable moment, then shook her head ever so slightly, threw her hands over her face, turned and ran back into the crowd. Evidently, she had turned him down!

As the crowd sat in awkward silence, the poor guy stood up and shrugged with his palms up as if to say, “Well, what are you going to do?”

I remember thinking two things: First, if you are going to propose in front of 20,000 people and more on T.V. – make sure you know what she is going to say! And second, I remember feeling sorry for the guy – because what should have been one of the happiest moments of his life had gone horribly wrong.

Essentially, that’s what happens to Joseph in this story! Before he even has a chance to celebrate his marriage with a honeymoon, his fiancé is found to be “with child.” How could this have happened? He knows that he is not the father so he can only make one assumption: Mary has been unfaithful to him. He’s hurt; he’s angry, he’s confused; he’s humiliated. Soon the whole town will know. People will talk. What will he do? What can he do? What would you have done, if you had been in Joseph’s shoes? Look at what Joseph does:

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

To be honest, I don’t know if I could have done it. I don’t know if I could have handled such disappointment without at least some desire to protect myself, my reputation or my dignity. I think I may have been more concerned about what my family and friends thought of me than how they treated my ex-fiance who was pregnant with a baby that wasn’t mine. But not Joseph. Notice that his concern is not for himself, but for Mary. He wants to protect her, not himself. Despite this bitter interruption of his hopes and dreams, he acts with both righteousness and grace.

As I think about Joseph’s response, I can’t help but think about the words John used to describe the child that would grow up in Joseph’s home:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Grace and truth. I think those two words describe Joseph’s own response to the great interruption of his life. And I think Joseph’s willingness to respond with both grace and truth is why God chose this man to be the earthly father of His own Son!

How do you respond to the interruptions of your life?

How do I sometimes respond to interruptions?

Frustration? Check.

Impatience? Check.

Anger? Check.

Why? Because – duh - my plans are interrupted! Because I can’t do what I want to do when I want to do it. And because I think I know what’s best for me all the time – interruptions are frustrating!

But what if the interruption is from God? What if the interruption that I see as annoying is actually God breaking into my life with an opportunity to see him, experience him, know him in a different way than ever before? What if the interruption is actually God at work?

May I – may we – increasingly learn to respond to the interruptions of life with both grace and truth so that we may allow God to do his work in and through us!

Pastor Brian Coffey