Faithful- Chapter Three- "Raising a Child Not Your Own."

^{Matthew 1:18-21}

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”

So,  I don’t know about you guys, but as I write this today, I’m a little tired. Christmas season is in full-swing (I think I’ve been to 5 parties in the last 6 days), and we’ve still got 12 days to go! Plus, while I’m having so much fun doing it (and I’m CERTAINLY not doing it alone), Christmas with Methodist Family Health is kind of a big undertaking!

As I read our third chapter in Faithful this morning, however, I was given some needed encouragement. Hamilton opens the chapter telling a story of 3^rd Century Turkish saint who spent the Advent season “find(ing) needy children in his community and do(ing) something to help them.” Hamilton encourages us to follow this example of Saint Nicholas, saying “perhaps as we celebrate Christmas, we need to reclaim his emphasis on giving to children who are not are own, children who are most in need.”

And, looking back at the Christmas story, that’s basically what Joseph did. Christ was not his son, at least from a biological standpoint, yet he made the decision to take in, love, and provide for a son not his own.

This decision to look outside of ourselves, and to take on service to another, especially “another” that we may not know, can be a little intimidating. We have so much going on, and we don’t have time to take care of ourselves and our families, much less look toward helping someone else. However, “we experience joy when we take our eyes off our own situation and focus on blessing, building up, encouraging, or serving others.”

Also, beyond just intimidating, service can be scary! When the angels approached Joseph to tell him of things to come, they began with “don’t be afraid!” Just as when a spouse or child approaches you saying “Don’t’ be mad, but…., ” “Don’t be afraid” is almost always a phrase letting you know that you likely should be afraid. And while Joseph may have been afraid by the angels appearance, he also may have been afraid of the task at hand: accept and raise this child that isn’t your own, form him in to the man he needs to be, and…oh yeah, he’s going to be the Savior of the World. Not an easy task, and one that would rightly scare anyone.

We, as followers of God, however, know that “Every great thing you’ll ever be called by God to do will require an element of risk.” Maybe it was coming to work at Methodist Family Health. Maybe it was a decision to begin or end a relationship, to take in a new family member, or take a leadership role in your church. We can rest assured that while what God is calling us to may be difficult and scary, it will be worth it, and He will use us to do His kingdom’s work.

This Sunday will be the 3^rd Sunday of Advent, where the pink candle is lit in the advent wreath, and where we focus on joy. “Trusting God despite our fears, saying yes to God’s call even when we feel like saying no, ultimately brings us joy.”

Discussion Questions:

-          What service is a part of your life right now that you were scared to begin?

-          What is God calling you to do that  you are apprehensive about?