Dave spoke this morning from Matt 1:18-25, focussing on Joseph, the often forgotten character in the Christmas story. Joseph was an honourable and righteous man who found himself in an impossible situation. He was pledged to be married to Mary, but had found out she was pregnant. Mary had told him of her encounter with an angel, but it is not surprising that this miraculous announcement left him in turmoil. He did not want to betray Mary publicly, but must himself have felt hurt and betrayed by her, with the only logical conclusion being that she had been unfaithful to him. He wanted to be kind, even in those difficult circumstances, and in considering his crisis, he probably felt both anxious and afraid. His dreams had come crashing down around his ears, and he must have agonised over what to do.
The angel’s first words to him were not to fear. So often, these are the words God brings to us: ‘Don’t be afraid!’ (Matt 1:20) We worry and fret, trying to resolve our problems ourselves, but instead, we need to commit our impossible situations to God, for with Him, the impossible becomes Him-possible. Joseph believed what he was told and even though this explanation was also incredible, it was enough to redirect his plans. (Prov 16:9)
Joseph still had to tackle many obstacles, for though he and Mary had been privileged to receive news from God directly, they still had to live with the incredulity and scepticism of all around them for many long months. Nonetheless, when God speaks to us and we choose to believe Him, we will find that nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)
