By Linda VandenBosch, associate director of admissions
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 (NRSV)
Have you ever experienced the unexplainable? Maybe you’ve had something happen in your life that seemed too good to be true. Or maybe your experience was too horrible to be true. Maybe you aren’t sure which yet – good or horrible – and only time will tell. All you know is that the situation is humanly unexplainable.
Mary had one of those “too good to be true” moments when she was told she was pregnant with the Son of God. She found herself in a humanly unexplainable situation. What a humbling privilege for her to give birth to the Son of God! But how could Joseph possibly believe her when she tells him she has not been with another man? The wonderful and the horrible for Mary in one situation!
And what about Joseph? He’s engaged to a beautiful girl! He’s excited to be getting married! But then he discovers Mary is pregnant. What will his family and his community think? What will happen to him and Mary? Can the message from the angel be trusted?
Mary and Joseph were in one of those unexplainable situations. Only time would tell how this whole situation would play out. All they knew was that they believed God. They trusted God. They would walk in the way of God’s heart.
Mary and Joseph trusted that restoration would come to them. Restoration of relationships in their family and their community. Restoration for God’s people. Their son would BE the restoration for God’s people. Halleluiah!
During this Advent season, I challenge you to focus on restoration. There are unexplainable situations all around us. Let’s focus together on God’s restoration in our lives and trust God in the unexplainable.
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 (NRSV)
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. 19Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20But 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. 21She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” 24When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.