Christmas Character Series
Matthew 1:18-25
(Use the link below to
read the verses.)
There’s
a new TV series titled “A Million Little Things”. The
title is a play on the saying, "Friendship isn't a big thing – it's a
million little things."
The series is about a group of close friends
dealing with the suicide death of Jon, who before his death would always say, “Everything
happens for a reason”.
My Mom was really good about making up stories about
strangers. She would see a couple in a restaurant, and create a story just from
how they looked and acted. We don’t really learn very much about Joseph in this passage,
but based on the few facts available to us, my Mom might have made up the
following story.
Joseph grew up in Nazareth where his father Jacob was
the local carpenter. He had inherited the business from his father before him,
and no doubt Joseph would do the same. They weren’t wealthy by any stretch of
the imagination, but there was always work.
The family were devout Jews going to synagogue
every Sabbath. Jacob of course, was a descendant of King David. As a young man,
sometimes Joseph would see a very pretty girl at synagogue by the name of Mary.
However, they never spoke but only gave each other side glances.
Mary’s family also lived in Nazareth, but had
moved there from the hill country of Judea where her cousin Elizabeth lived.
Mary’s father came to Nazareth to find work. They lived a day to day existence.
At the appropriate age, the local yenta, or “match
maker”, was approached by Joseph’s parents. She knew just the right girl –
Mary. Soon the two were betrothed, but then the train fell off the tracks.
Mary told Joseph she was pregnant by the Holy
Spirit. The story was just too unbelievable though. So, after much discussion
with his parents and the rabbi, Joseph decided to divorce her quietly.
But before he could act on his plan, an angel appeared
to Joseph in a dream confirming what Mary had told him. When Joseph woke, he
discussed his dream with his parents and the rabbi; this time, deciding to stay
with Mary.
I
don’t know about you, but God hasn’t intervened in my life through an angel - by
a dream or otherwise. For me, God intervenes through “a million little things”.
As
a young person, He did it through my parents who raised me; through the plastic
case of gem stones we bought on vacation; through my high school girlfriend who
dumped me; through a college classmate who befriended me; through… a million
little things. I believe that everything does happen for a reason.
How
has God intervened in your life? How is God intervening right now?
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