Have you ever had a dream that felt so true, you knew it would come to pass? Or maybe a dream that was so close to being fulfilled you could almost touch it, only to see it slip away or stolen? Imagine being a young man, ready to marry and start your own family only to find out your bride to be is pregnant with someone else’s child. Then while trying to find a way out of the engagement, learning from an angel the child was going to be the Savior of the world whom you must raise! And all of this was going to be better than anything you could have imagined! You may have guessed I’m thinking about Jesus. I am. But actually, I have Joseph on my mind. We know Joseph’s character was honorable from scripture, but I can’t help but imagine his pain.

Scripture doesn’t give us much about Joseph other than he was a descendant of David, an artisan, and an honorable man for being tender to Mary’s heart. He sought to divorce her quietly to avoid her public shaming and possible stoning for assumed adultery by being pregnant.

I feel a kindred spirit toward Joseph, not because I bear the same name but because I’m a husband and father with dreams that have felt so real I can taste them, only to see them stolen or derailed or all-together different than I had imagined. But, I have hope that what God is doing is better than anything I could build or orchestrate of my own doing.

Can you imagine being responsible for a small business and then all of a sudden being responsible for the Son of the Living God?! I can’t begin to imagine the weight of what Joseph felt. I do know there is sorrow in rupture and great joy in newness of life. Joseph had to leave his home and travel to Egypt. He had to move in secrecy. After the incident in Bethlehem where every male child under the age or 2 was massacred, I’m certain he was always looking over his shoulder and led his family like a wolf leads its pack. Staying just far enough in the back to have a good look at everything going on so he can more quickly and appropriately address any given threat or need.

If Joseph had a dream of raising a family and passing on his trade to his children, things went very much differently than he had planned.  

We all know the Christmas story. Joseph didn’t divorce Mary, but took her as his wife as he was instructed by the angel. They mount up for the hometown of their family, Bethlehem, to be counted in Caesar’s census. Upon arriving, there are no places to stay so they stay in a barn. Why?

If you were to travel back to the land of your father’s family wouldn’t there be someone who might take you in for a night? I’m speculating here, but perhaps there was estrangement within their family. Mary being pregnant with Jesus was so scandalous, there’s no way family was all in their corner. Have you ever stepped out in faith and had someone in your family not support you?  Here was a man, capable of building a house in which to live, traveling with his young-pregnant bride, but unable to find her adequate lodging knowing she’s about to give birth.

I don’t know that struggle, but I do know the heart of a father who’s capable of much but too often falls short. I can only imagine Joseph questioning his worth and ability to answer God’s call when he can’t even provide the mother of the Savior of all humanity a sanitary place to give birth. I can imagine his heart aching as Mary rolls from side to side in pain, taking shallow breaths and crying with each push. I can imagine Joseph being angry, sad and so completely amazed at Mary’s strength all in the same tear.

Then….the baby cry’s. In the very moment of Jesus’ birth, the whole world stood still and all of Heaven rejoiced, and I am confident Joseph felt a wonderful freedom he couldn’t comprehend.

I want to leave you with these questions. What is God birthing through you? What dreams that have felt stolen, might God be redirecting to a greater Glory? What pain do you need to grieve now so that you may embrace wonderful freedom?

This, my friends, is the Christmas story….Through empty chaos, God brings Wonderful Freedom! This is the Hope of our Salvation!

18I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory  that is about to be unveiled within us.  19The entire universe is standing on tiptoe,  yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious  sons and daughters! 20For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility  resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, 21all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children. 22To this day we are aware of the universal agony and groaning of creation, as if it were in the contractions of labor for childbirth. 23And it’s not just creation. We who have already experienced the firstfruits of the Spirit  also inwardly groan as we passionately long to experience our full status as God’s sons and daughters—including our physical bodies being transformed. 24For this is the hope of our salvation. But hope means that we must trust and wait for what is still unseen. For why would we need to hope for something we already have? Romans 8:18-24