Daily Bread

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way.

When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’

All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’

When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

I love Joseph. What a guy! If we dig down deep between the lines of the text, underneath the angelic pronouncements and virgin conceptions is a regular guy, in love with a girl — with feelings, hopes, and dreams, just like anyone else. Joseph could have dismissed his dream as the product of having too much cheese before bedtime, and walked away — but he didn't. He took Mary under his wing and this child-to-be that was not his own. He decided he would be this child's father. He would raise this kid and do good by Mary. What a kind, compassionate, and loving thing to do! Joseph provided a loving home and protection over his wife and child.

I don't know if you read yesterday's Daily Bread from Isaiah, but one of the words from the prophet was, 'defend the orphan', and this is exactly what Joseph did, and it is our calling too.

Who are the oppressed, orphans, and widows that we encounter? They might not literally be 'orphans' but who are the estranged, hurting, and lonely people we encounter? Who are those we know of who need to be part of a family? Who can we be a son, daughter, or child to? Who can we be a brother, sister, or sibling to? Who can we be a father, mother, or parent to?

One of the things I love about FAB Church is that we are becoming a family. We are made up of different people — a diverse group in terms of age, gender, sexuality, race, social status, and ability. We all have our own hangups, our own brokenness, and our own issues, but we are here for each other, and that is literally 'fab'.

Holy God
Thank you that I am part of FAB Church,
this welcoming, inclusive, and wonderful church family.
Help me to both accept the love of others
and to love others with all my heart.
Thank you for the people you have brought into my own life,
my children, siblings, and parents in Christ.
May they be blessed as you have blessed me.