Joseph: you will parent your Savior

I have a fear of heights. I have a fear of dark alleys. I have a fear of driving on black ice. But my greatest fear is that of being falsely accused. I have spent a ridiculous amount of time pondering the thought that I may be implicated in a serious crime that I didn’t commit with absolutely no way of proving my innocence. I watch crime shows in which they ask someone what they were doing during the time of the crime and picture how I would answer questions like, “What were you doing on the night of June 10?” “I don’t know. I might have been watching some baseball. Maybe I was eating some snacks. I could have been with my family. Maybe I was out for a walk? I don’t know!! How am I supposed to remember what I did over six months ago? I can barely remember what I did last weekend!” The next thing I envision is them arresting me on the spot. It hits the 10:00 news: “Earlier today, a woman was arrested in connection to the murder of a 71-year-old man and his dog. The woman claimed to be eating snacks at the time of the crime.” It’s horrifying!

I can’t imagine being arrested or caught up in a huge scandal for something I didn’t do. But that’s at the very heart of our Christmas story. Mary, an unwed woman, becomes pregnant. This was certainly a disgrace in this time. She tells her fiancé, Joseph, and he wants nothing to do with the situation. Can you blame him? Imagine having to explain this to the whole community. “It wasn’t me! I wasn’t with Mary that night. I was… eating snacks, I think.” I feel myself hyperventilating even just thinking about it.

But then the angel comes and tells Joseph the truth behind the pregnancy, that this was a baby conceived of the Holy Spirit. Joseph (and Mary) knew that the world would never understand, but they trusted God’s plan, even when it seemed impossible. They would have no way to prove their innocence, but they stepped out in faith. The result? Joseph and Mary become pivotal to God’s story of redemption for the world in the birth of their “scandal” of a son.  

I’m not certain that Joseph fully understood the enormity of what was happening, but he trusted God’s plan, even when it seemed impossible. His story reminds us that sometimes faith requires stepping out into the unknown, stepping into our fear. It’s a message for all of us. It tells us that even in our confusion, fear, or uncertainty, God’s plan is still unfolding. God never promised us a life of safety and security. Sometimes we’re called to do scary things or walk through dark times. Yet through it all, there is hope, there is goodness, there is light. In the case of Joseph, that light was the very Light of the World.