Day 335 – Week 49 - A Big Birthday
Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Scripture focus: The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term: Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; they will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us"). Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25 The Message
Recently I’ve been feeling sympathy for the fathers of brides. Pete and I watched the Steve Martin movie – “Father of the Bride” – and that triggered my empathy. Have you ever watched the role assigned to most dads at this pivotal time in a family’s life? They hand over fists full of money – and aren’t supposed to question the validity of renting live swans to wander around during the wedding reception. They’re asked to wear a tux – whether they like them or not – and accept their penguiny fate without complaint. Perhaps the most heart wrenching role of any dad is the moment they walk their baby down the aisle – and hand her off to her groom. Dad didn’t get a vote in who he would be handing his princess to – even though he spent years completely committed to providing and protecting his daughter. Suppose the guy doesn’t like sports? Worse – what if he pulls for the wrong teams? What’s his voting record? Does he have a job? Could he ever love this woman as much as this father adores his baby girl?
Joseph, chagrined but noble… is another dad who deserves a lot of respect. If Mary was considered an unwed teenage mother by her community – even though she was in fact a virgin given an amazing responsibility by God – how did this village view Joseph? The choices are limited. Either he was ignoble – fooling around with his teenage fiancé – or a fool – engaged to a young girl who cheated on him. It’s times like this when one’s character is revealed. And it turns out, that while much has been made about God’s selection of Mary for Jesus’ mother – I think Joseph deserves some special attention too. When God was choosing Mary, I think he also had his eye on Joseph! Egos can be fragile things. But when faced with certain embarrassment – Joseph was more concerned about Mary’s reputation then his own. …determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
Jesus had an awesome mom AND earthly dad. One of the characteristics that made them both worthy of God’s selection was their willingness to think not only about themselves, but others too. If we’re going to live a satisfying life, this is a characteristic each of us will need to acquire. The highest calling of any life is not personal satisfaction – it is when we can help others live well. As 2008 draws to a close, it’s my prayer that this is something we’ve each experienced this year – this growing commitment to the well being of others – and if, perchance we find ourselves lacking in this area – perhaps this would be a great thing to put on our “must do” list for 2009.
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