This is the Unfinished Community Advent Devotional for the Third Week of Advent, 2024
Week 3—Matthew 1:18-24
The angel (Gabriel?) visits Joseph in a dream with a promise and a challenge
In some ways, Mary’s humble willingness to follow the plans God laid out for her at least kind of makes sense. After all, as a woman in those times, what else was she going to do, having found herself inexplicably pregnant? As long as Joseph was on the same page, had heard the same message from the Lord, and was willing to go along with it, things might be rough, but they’d be at least survivable, which was more than could be said about any alternative paths she might’ve taken.
Not so with Joseph. As a man who was already arranged to marry somebody, only to discover her pregnant, Joseph had every opportunity to profit. He was in the social position to absolutely destroy Mary and her family and walk away richer for it. Her falling pregnant was legally and socially damaging, and it would be on Mary’s family to pay for it. That he was willing to dismiss her quietly said everything about his character, of course. He had already chosen mercy for her, at the expense of his own profit, but even still, he didn’t have to remain with her. To do so would be akin to admitting both paternity and legal guilt, thus losing his own social position along with hers, which is exactly what the angel is asking him to do.
There’s commitment, and then there’s commitment.
In this way Joseph is a fantastic inspiration, especially to those of us who aspire to Jesus’ call to help the most vulnerable in our society. Joseph had a way out; Joseph didn’t have to lose anything or suffer any social consequences whatsoever. God’s call on his life required him to give up safety, security, and stability in the name of God’s mercy for those who needed it most. It wasn’t enough for Joseph to simply share in God’s work in the way society expected to him; he needed to surrender his power, his privilege, and his position to walk humbly with God beside the vulnerable, rather than in authority over her.
In surrendering his privilege, Joesph literally prepared the way for the Lord. In this advent season, let us all seek to do likewise.
Prayer
God of challenging mercies, we ask you for fortification of our hearts, strengthening of our minds, and a willingness of spirit, that we might actively choose to follow the difficult-but-necessary path you have set before us. Turn our eyes to the more challenging road, Lord, and help us to walk in places that inconvenience us, but benefit those who most need it knowing that, in so doing, we make a little more room for Christ in this world.
We pray this in Christ’s lovingly difficult name, Amen.
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