And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
Luke 2:4-7, NLT
During Advent, we reflect on how our faith can find renewed hope through the birth of Jesus. This Advent season, we are taking a closer look at Luke’s narrative of the Nativity story and how God’s promises brought hope not just to one generation, but to us today. This week, we look specifically at how Mary and Joseph responded to God’s calling and how God used them to fulfill countless promises to believers. From their example, we, too, can find fuel for our faith when what God calls us to seems bigger than our limits.
When the angel Gabriel first visits Mary, she is struck with an array of emotions. Luke describes her as afraid, contemplative, and joyful. Even though the details weren’t clear, Mary knew that this moment would be one that changed her life, whether or not she said yes to God’s calling. In our own lives, moments with God can feel the same. Our callings are not to bear Jesus, but often they still feel beyond our capabilities without God’s orchestration and power. In these moments, Mary’s conflicting emotions serve as a beautiful example for our own faith. From them, our fears, questions, and excitement are all validated because if God could fulfill this promise to Mary, the promises to us have hope too. Our faith gains strength from Mary’s story, knowing that God is capable of miracles.
Often in our consideration of the Christmas Story, we just stop with Mary and how her faithful yes completed generations of promises God had made to the Israelites. But Joseph’s faith also plays a huge role in how God’s promises were fulfilled through the birth of Jesus. In the first chapters of Matthew’s gospel, we receive a more detailed description of the lineage of Jesus, as well as how Joseph planned a quiet divorce until Gabriel’s explanation renewed his faith by reminding Joseph of God’s promise and including him in it. Because of Joseph’s faith, Jesus was born to the line of David and in the town of Bethlehem. These two significant prophesies are what so many of our Christmas stories and songs show as signs of God’s fulfilled promises.
At times, our lives may look more like Joseph than Mary. We may not be as ready to say yes because other choices seem more logical but in reality separate us from God’s purpose. Joseph’s story reminds us that Mary’s yes is not the only example of a faithful participation in God’s promises. Even when we intend to say no, God is patient with us, faithful to fulfilling promises through our lives. God was gracious enough to reveal his plan to Joseph through Gabriel and is still guiding us today.
Whether our participation in God’s promises looks more like Joseph or Mary, we are able to see two strong examples of faith in the Advent story—a couple who listened and faithfully said yes to the miracles God was doing. While God is capable of working outside of humanity, our Creator enjoys working with us. God invites us into incredible things and hopes we say yes. By participating in God’s plans, we also get a front row seat to marvel at what God does, just as Mary and Joseph do later in the story. When we doubt how God can make a way in our own lives, Mary and Joseph stand as amazing examples of faithfulness even when it seems strange and impossible. Together, they give validity to all our emotional responses to God’s calling on our lives. Their faith as a response to God’s eternal faithfulness highlights this theme in Advent and allows us to grow our courage to participate in God’s promises being fulfilled today.
Words: Sabrina Dawson
Images: Atle Mo
