Christmas Stories: Mary & Joseph

Editor’s note: The Christmas story is a familiar one, even if you never grew up in the Church. We see the Nativity scene in homes and yards, on billboards and cards. This Advent, we will look deeper into the people whose key appearances in the Bible take place in the time of Jesus’s birth. Some may be familiar, some less so, but each has a story, and each person’s story can impact our own lives and, hopefully, draw us closer to our Savior. Join us for Christmas Stories, our Advent reflection series!

Mary and joseph’s Story

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his Father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.  And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”  And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”   Luke 1:26-38

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband, 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 will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” Matthew 1: 18-25

The Christmas Season is upon us again. For some, the arrival of December might have seemed to cut the fall a bit short and too quickly thrust us into the whirlwind of Western Christmas traditions! However, this season of Advent isn’t primarily a western holiday season, but first the Church’s season of preparation.

Advent is when we as God’s people dwell on the amazing miracle of God faithfully carrying out His promised plan to bring sinful man back into a relationship with a holy God. God’s promise of a Savior to the world was carried out though humble people, in particular, Mary and Joseph. They were not yet married. Both were told the news of Jesus in the quiet of being alone. In fact, Joseph was sleeping. Scriptures don’t tell us that they were blessed to receive the commission of birthing and raising the Savior in a community of people like Paul and Barnabas did when the Holy Spirit told them to go on a mission trip together in Acts 13.

So maybe there were moments when she was alone, afraid, and Mary wondered if she was crazy. Perhaps Joseph wondered if his dream was nothing. Didn't he just have a dream he was a bird last week? And when their small community found out, did she feel the urge to explain the angel’s “visit” over and over and over again? Did Joseph feel tempted to punch the disdaining looks off of the other men’s faces when he chose to stay betrothed to his “unfaithful” fiancée?  What did Mary feel when she walked through Nazareth pregnant before she was a proper wife? How did Joseph experience having a fiancée that was pregnant, but not by Him? We can imagine that they had confusing emotions just like we might. And still… they had listened to God and believed.

We can only speculate, but if there were moments like these, Mary still obeyed. And Joseph obeyed. They walked by faith into what God called them to do. When Mary was told of the miraculous conception and birth, she replied with faith and obedience, “Let it be done to me as you have said.” And Joseph obeyed. He stayed married, and named the baby Jesus as the angel had directed.

Being able to respond by faith in the way that they did didn’t just happen. I believe it makes sense that they were prepared to receive God’s call for them by having hearts that walked by faith before the Lord called them to this “assignment.”

I think they were prepared. Hearts that are tender towards God are hearts that practice daily obedience and communion with Him. As the calendar barrels towards Christmas, in our season of Advent we can prepare to celebrate Jesus by being obedient in the small and big things He has laid before us to do. Are we working? Then we are to work faithfully and excellently, filled with the Spirit. Are we in school? Then we can prayerfully study and use our minds for the glory of God. Are we parents? Then we can gently and truthfully point our children to the grace of Jesus. Are we single? We can rejoice in our friends and the ways God uniquely uses us in the lives of others.

Two lowly and humble people were part of the plan to do the miraculous— that is, to allow the Savior of the world to be born, grow, and eventually die for the souls of men and women who were lost in darkness.

How can you prepare your heart to celebrate the coming of Jesus as a babe? We don’t know what God will call any of us to do in the future, but our daily obedience, Bible reading, confession, and prayers are the tilling of the soil of our hearts so that God might use our lives for His glory.

The ripple effects of God’s plan being carried out by these two lowly people changed the course of mankind for eternity. Their hearts obeyed because they were prepared. Oh, Lord, let us obey because we, too, are preparing our hearts to celebrate your coming and for whatever you may call us to. Amen.

Not by Might

Throughout Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter, we shared a reflection series called Return to Me: A Pause for Lent. We had opportunity to, like David, invite God to search our hearts for anything that has caused a breach in our relationship with him. This inspection is heavy work, but it’s also redemptive. Confession and repentance feel painful, but they are a kindness and gift from our loving Father, an invitation to return to him.

This is not, however, work that we do on our own, in a vacuum. The heart-searching of Lent and the salvation offered through Jesus’ death and resurrection on Easter meet in the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, God himself, lives in us, works in us. Beginning April 17th and leading up to Pentecost, we will share a new series on the Holy Spirit. In the meantime, we are honored to share the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in one of our own, Kyle Lara, as she laid a struggle before the Lord and he has begun to redeem it.

******************************************

Recently, I took my son to Skate-Away, and I'm grateful to have the experience of doing something like this with him. It doesn't get lost on me how fleeting and special this time is for us.  But it also isn't lost on me that if I hadn't given up alcohol for Lent and if I’d indulged in all the regular St. Patrick's Day "shenanigans," I would be too hungover and tired to even think about taking my son skating. And that would lead to feeling guilty for not being intentional and present with my family, ultimately leading to depression, anxiety, and shame.

Life without alcohol has been awesome, and I can say that as someone who genuinely enjoys the taste of beer.  It's given me a perspective that has completely changed my relationship with alcohol, and for that alone, I feel very blessed.  I keep thanking God for His grace and mercy because if it wasn't for Christ in me, I'd most likely be boastful about the success I have had with how many "dry days" I have had in a row.  There's a word for that, you know?  It's called "striving," and it's exhausting. I know this because of how hard I've been on myself when I wasn't successful at giving it up for longer than a week. I would probably be prideful in my ability to abstain as if willpower had anything to do with it.

The truth is, I am nothing and have nothing without Jesus. It's only because of His selfless and generous gift of salvation that I am not only forgiven of my sins but loved even while wading in sin knee-deep.  When you are loved here, in the wade pool, in a place of disdain for yourself and your actions, it changes you. This is the love of Jesus.  It's transformative. It's a type of kindness that leads to repentance, ultimately leading to a new way of life.  I could stay in this moment forever, because in this moment is a deep understanding that God can, does, and will forgive me.  He has given me more opportunities than I can count to choose Him again and again. See, this is His goodness, the kind that chases you down every day of your life.  This is His kindness and love for you. And this is His desire for my life.  How do I know that? I know that because I'm still here.

As I laced up some rental skates to follow my son around a roller rink for a few hours, it's not without the deep knowing that His Spirit goes with me.  It's His Spirit that is even making this moment possible.  Giving up alcohol for Lent has made it crystal clear that the flesh is weak.  My flesh loves St. Patrick's Day, green beer, and bar hopping; it hates early mornings, headaches, and hangovers.  But when we ask the Holy Spirit to lead us through the temptations of indulgence, I found that the Spirit of the living God is willing to carry me.  And I believe that it's in these moments—when I am surrounded by what truly matters and living joyfully without the one thing I thought only amplified my joy—that allows Christ to be most visible in me.  I am showing up fully present without alcohol on my breath and without regret in my heart.  It hasn't been without temptation and teeter-totter thoughts. It has been challenging and lonely at times. But it's also been incredibly rewarding.  I'm only able to show up because God loved me to this place.  This is the place where fullness becomes tangible:  full of His love, full of His peace, full of His Spirit willing to lead and love me forward. A place where filling myself with the light and love of God I've received can be shared with anyone else who wants to be here, in "this place" with Him too.

Stories Matter

Since I was a child, I have always loved a good story. A voracious reader, I would get pulled into characters’ lives, the unraveling of circumstances, seeing how the various characters involved responded to them. Think back to a book you read, a movie you saw, a news event—the details of which have stuck with you over time.

Stories have the ability to inspire, inform, pierce your heart, educate, fill you with hope.

Stories draw you in. They draw you closer. Close enough to see. See that the neighbor who seems unfriendly has recently received a devastating diagnosis. That the coworker you find hard to get along with is going through marriage struggles that are tearing her family apart. That the other dad on your child’s youth sports team lost his job and doesn’t know how he’s going to make ends meet. That the mom you see on her phone while her kids are at the park feels so alone in this season that she is grasping for lifelines to feel connected in this world. People you know have dealt with these situations and more: chronic illness, infertility, broken relationships, depression, just to name a few.  

Some people are in the valley of their struggle and desperately need a hand to hold or to pull them up. Others are still in the midst of the fight—some days they persevere and some days they feel weighed down. There are still others who have made it through a hard time and are praying for the opportunity to make some beauty out of the ashes by walking alongside someone else in a similar circumstance.

More recently as our country seems to be ever more divided, I think of another aspect of our personal stories that is so important to redeeming the brokenness. We can easily look at the neighbor, coworker, friend or relative that votes differently than we do or holds a position different from ours and boil down our opinion of them to their vote or their position, instead of seeing what lies beneath the surface that has led them to that decision. If we took the time to ask questions and hear someone’s story, it may begin to change things. This doesn’t mean either person’s views have to change, and sometimes there is true evil or deep hurts that need a lot of work to heal, but in many cases, understanding what matters to another person will only help in the work of healing division. When Jesus tells us to “love your neighbor as yourself”, He is not only suggesting that command for when we like everything about a person. We have, in many ways, lost civility and kindness, and I believe the Church is the best equipped—and most called—to lead the charge back. Sharing stories is not the answer, but it is an important step in the right direction.

The fact is, we all have stories. We all have circumstances of our lives that, along with how we walk through those seasons, contribute to who we are becoming. Some are beautiful celebrations and cause for joy, others are more of a challenge, a trial. As I’ve gotten older and my relationship with Jesus has grown—and the stories that make up my life have grown, I began to see that God has given each of us our stories for three reasons: up, in and out. First and foremost, our stories are for His glory—an upward focus. There is also a personal, inward focus to our stories—to teach us something, to grow us and stretch us. The third way our stories can be used is in an outward direction—to walk alongside other people who may need to lean on what we’ve learned along the way or need a hand to hold as they walk a hard path.

Last year, I began reading through the Psalms. As I continued through, I began to note all the times that the Psalmist said to recount, tell, declare, remember, proclaim or in some similar way speak of instances of God’s faithfulness (40:5, 9-10; 44:1; 66:16; 67:2; 71:15, 18; 73:28; 75:1; 77:11; 78:5-7; 89:1; 90:16; 96:3; 105:1-5; 107:22; 111:4; 126:2-3; 143:5; 145:4, 10-12 if you’re curious!). Very notably in contrast, in Psalm 106, verses 7, 13, and 21 all speak, in reference to the Israelites wandering in the desert, as a time that they “did not consider” or “did not remember” God and His works. There is a very real connection to losing our way and forgetting God’s faithfulness. Sharing our stories with one another will encourage our faith and spur each other on when we walk through our own hard times so that we don’t lose our way.

Pastor Joe recently preached on Hebrews 11 in our series, Defining Moments. He talked about faith stories and how they allow us to go to deeper places with God. He posed four questions at the end of the series:

1. What is your faith story and who is Jesus to you?

2. How has God met you in your successes?

3. How has God met you in your suffering?

4. What areas of your character and relationships is He seeking to grow?

With this all setting the stage, the Riverbend writing team is excited to start recording our own Riverbend “Hebrews 11” stories, stories of God’s faithfulness within our community. We hope, as we begin sharing stories over the coming weeks and months, He will get much glory and you will be encouraged by hearing how God is at work in the lives of our church family. Also, in this strange season of Covid, we hope these stories will serve as a way of getting to know others in our church who you may not currently get to see, but who you could say of, as C.S. Lewis wrote, “What! You, too? I thought I was the only one.” If you are interested in sharing a story of God’s work in your life with our community, be on the lookout in the coming weeks for ways to volunteer.  

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

 Your wonderous deeds and your thoughts toward us;

 None can compare with You!

I will proclaim them and tell of them,

 yet they are more than can be told.

Psalm 40:5