4th Week of Advent 2015

Joseph stared transfixed into the flames of the small fire. As he sat exhausted from the day’s events, he let his mind wander back to the day his life changed. He and his friends had been working on the house, his and Mary's house, when he got the news. Eliam bar Agee had come running through the little village of Nazareth to tell Joseph that Mary would soon be here. He had nodded solemnly to the lad, not wanting his face to betray his excitement; he couldn’t let his friends know how deeply he loved Mary or he would have to ever endure their heckling. The men working with him loved their wives, but the women they loved came after their trade or their children. The only thing Joseph loved more than Mary was Yahweh Himself. Yes he wanted sons, and yes he wanted to be a successful carpenter, but none of that compared to Mary. He watched Eliam dart off as young boys do, but continued to work steadily. He glanced around nonchalantly and saw three pairs of eyes watching him, dancing with laughter. He tried to feign disinterest, but then they started laughing outright; everyone knew how much Joseph loved Mary. Grinning sheepishly, Joseph gave up on the ruse. He stowed his tools and began to make his way toward the house of Mary’s father that he might see his beloved. He arrived as Mary’s parents were hurrying her into the house. He only caught a quick glimpse of her, but it was enough. Joseph had just enough time to see what everyone else had seen; his promised one was with child. 

News spreads fast in a small town. As Joseph walked, the once bustling village grew quiet around him, except for the whispers. His friends were already gone by the time he trudged through his door, fell to his knees, and cried out to God. Why would she do this to him? They were pledged to each other! He had remained faithful, why didn’t she? Months ago, when she had mentioned an angel visit, was she just covering her indiscretion? Maybe she hadn’t had a choice. Maybe it was one of those filthy Roman soldiers. But then, why would she lie about it? People would say the child was his if he took her as his wife. If he publicly divorced her to save his honor, then she would most likely be stoned and he couldn't bear the thought of that! As afternoon turned to evening, and evening turned to night, Joseph wrestled in prayer. He searched for answers, searched for what he should do, searched for peace. His final thought before he fell asleep was that he would have to divorce Mary quietly to protect her. Thankfully, God intervened in a dream that night, telling him through an angel that everything Mary had said was true. It was months later now. As Joseph watched the flames lick the dried wood, he heard a rustle and a sigh next to him. He turned and gazed lovingly at his youngwife holding their newborn son. In that moment Joseph was at peace. All of the anguish and uncertainty that had plagued him before and after the angel’s visit was gone. Jesus had brought peace.

Peace often seems elusive in our lives. Wherever we turn, the world seems to be filled with conflict. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans chapter 8 that the sin of mankind has polluted creation, causing it to become something it was never intended to be. More importantly, sin has polluted the hearts of mankind causing us to become something we were never intended to be. God is holy; we became vile. God is pure; we became stained. We became objects of God’s wrath, not because he hated us, but because we had decided to become something other than what He created us to be. Our decision to sin set us against God; His only choice is to judge, is to punish, is for us to perish. But God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that if anyone believed in Him, trusted in Him, put all of their faith in Him, they would not perish but would instead have life everlasting. 

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, Isaiah testified that the punishment that brought us peace was upon Jesus. By His wounds we are healed. Jesus came to bring us peace. He came to bridge the gap that exists between holy God and sinful man. May the Peace of Christ fill your life this Christmas as you believe in, trust in, put all your faith in the One who died in your place and wants to bring you peace.
 
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” –Colossians 1:19-20

(All scripture taken from the New International Version)