This Advent, we’re giving you a weekly gift from Darrell Johnson’s new devotional, Awaken Wonder: Daily Devotions for Advent. Each week, we will share one devotional featuring a short reading, reflection, and prayer: a moment of pause in the midst of the season to make room for the wonder of Christ’s coming and promised return.
This week’s excerpt, from Week Three: Sunday, invites you to sit with the story of Joseph as you continue your Advent journey.
Read
Reflect
Spending time with Joseph is a bit more difficult than spending time with Mary, because Joseph does not say much in the drama. In fact, Joseph does not say anything at all in the Christmas story! Yet, like many gentle, quiet types, his actions speak volumes.
We first meet Joseph when he is betrothed to a lovely, young lady. In the first century, getting married involved three steps. The first was engagement, a formal ceremony in which you promise yourself to one another. The second step was betrothal, a legally binding step. After declaring your intentions, you live apart for about a year. You are legally husband and wife, but not yet sharing the same house and bed. The third stage is the wedding service, when the whole village gathers to celebrate and bless the couple.
During the betrothal stage, Joseph would have been caught up in all the physical and emotional energy of preparing a new home for his bride-to-be. He would have been alive with expectations and longings, fantasizing of love and happiness, and counting the days until he could bring Mary home. And then came the shocking news: Mary was pregnant. Joseph would be stunned…and deeply hurt.
The only explanation was that Mary had not been faithful to her vow—she had cheated on Joseph. Those who have been deserted or betrayed by someone they trusted know a little of what Joseph was feeling: raw, unalloyed pain.
Matthew tells us that Joseph was “a righteous man” (Matthew 1:19). This is a technical term in the first century, meaning that he was a man who was faithful to all his relationships, especially to his relationship with the living God and God’s will as it is expressed in God’s law. Joseph was a “right-relationship” man.
Now, according to the law, when a woman is unfaithful she is to be taken to the court and openly exposed for breaking the legal bond. As Joseph, the “righteous man,” struggles with his pain, he chooses not to exercise this legal right. Although he seeks a right relationship with the law, he also seeks a right relationship with Mary. He does not want to shame her. What good would that do?
While wrestling with what to do next, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream. And this is one of the things Joseph can remind us: the Living God communicates with His people. If we seek to do the righteous thing, if we earnestly seek to be right with God and with others, God will come to us in our wrestling and guide us into “paths of righteousness” (Psalm 23:3).
God does this most clearly through the study of Scripture. God also does this through the wise counsel of Godly elders. God does it through the words of trusted friends. And, God does it through dreams.
God did this for Joseph four times in the Christmas Story. First, to explain Mary’s pregnancy (Matthew 1:20-21); second, to tell him to flee to Egypt from Herod’s mass extermination program (Matthew 2:13); third, to let him know it was safe to return to Palestine (Matthew 2:19-20); and fourth, to warn him to stay away from Judea, and return to Galilee (Matthew 2:22-23). The point is that the Living God will meet us in our seeking after righteousness…even in our dreams!
We need to listen to our dreams, especially those which involve discipleship issues. Yes, most dreams emerge from our deep longings or fears, or are the replay of the TV program we watched before going to sleep. But once in a while, they just may be God graciously communicating with us.
Whatever you make of it all, hang on to this: Joseph’s experience tells us that our God does not want us to linger in confusion. The Living God communicates and guides. “I am the Light of the world,” says Jesus, the one “who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12).
Pray
Lord, we thank You that You are the God who speaks.
In the beginning, in the midst of formless emptiness,
You spoke into the darkness and created a world of wonders.
In the fullness of time, in the midst of our sin and brokenness,
You spoke into the darkness and Jesus was born into our world.
And in the present, in the midst of our muddled confusion,
You speak into our lives, and lead us in right paths.
May my ears be attentive to Your voice today,
and may I recognize and obey the guidance You provide. Amen.
If you enjoyed this reflection, consider getting yourself a copy of Awaken Wonder to continue your journey through Advent, to gift to a friend, or to revisit in the years ahead.
