Difficult, Wonderful Choices

"Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." --Matthew 1:20

After hearing Mary's wondered response to the angel Gabriel and God's world-changing plan, we turned our attention to Joseph. His story is told more specifically in Matthew's gospel.

We asked: What is Joseph going to do? God is interfering with the plans he and Mary and their families have made--and in a very dramatic way!

We imagined that Joseph would be very upset. He may have a hard time believing that Mary's pregnancy is from the Holy Spirit and is part of God's plan to save the world. Class members thought he would suspect that there was "someone else." Even if people in the community thought it was Joseph's baby, this would be embarrassing.

God's angel comes to Joseph in his sleep, telling him not be afraid, to continue with plans to be wedded to Mary. In the Bible, angels are always telling God's people not be afraid--probably because any time we really believe that God is talking to us (!) we get terrified. We are also reminded that when God is part of our relationships they become stronger but they also change--they are never just about what we want to do for ourselves, or what we plan for ourselves! God's dreams are greater than ours.

Joseph has resolved to "dismiss Mary quietly." He doesn't want her to get hurt or ridiculed--but he also doesn't want the problems of having to believe her story or take care of her and the baby. They will be on their own. The angel intercedes and tells Joseph that he, too, is a part of God's plan for saving the world!! This will be hard, but it will be good. Joseph has to make a difficult but wonderful choice. In doing so, he has to look beyond himself, which he does.

Earlier in the class, one of our members had said that the Book of Isaiah told us something about Jesus. In Matthew 1:23, we found a quote from Isaiah 7 about a virgin conceiving and bearing a son, who will be named "Emmanuel." This new name means, "God is with us." Jesus will be "God-with-us."

We concluded this section by reflecting on what the stories have taught us about God. Here are some of our conclusions:

(1) God always interrupts us, at a "bad time" for a good reason.

(2) God chooses normal, everyday people. They are often folks who go unnoticed in daily life.

(3) God sends messengers to us.

(4) God acts to save us all from our sins.

(5) God's power is to send us an undefended, vulnerable, promising baby that will grow among us.

What is our place in this story? How does the story continue today?