Day Five: Our declarations of Hope in our Trust and Obedience (Psalm 25:5)

(Guido Reni: Saint Joseph and the Christ Child)

Day Five: Our declarations of Hope in our Trust and Obedience

Psalm 25:5 "Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Saviour, and my hope is in You all day long."

Joseph is called the silent saint - not one word he spoke is recorded in Scripture. However, his actions speak louder than mere words.

"Mary is pregnant." Full stop. "Not by me?" Full stop. "My betrothed wife is pregnant?" Full stop. "Holy Spirit? Angel? Son of God?" Full stop.

I can hardly image that moment for Joseph; a man living in a society where "the adulteress shall surely be put to death." Betrayal? Anger? Fear of what was legally within his rights to do? I can hardly image that moment for Joseph.

Maybe a ringing phone pulling you from a deep peaceful sleep in the wee-hours of the morning: "Hello this is the police, there's been an accident." Peace and rest one moment - horror and grief the next. Maybe it was like that?

Maybe: "I'm sorry. It's not operable. There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry." Yesterday all was fine - today a short walk toward pain and death. Maybe it was like that?

Mere moments can change everything.

Fear not Joseph: it's just the fulfillment of ancient prophecy. Fear not Joseph: she's pregnant in the power of the Holy Spirit. Fear not: this child is the salvation of mankind. Fear not: take Mary as your wife.

Mere moments can change everything. How do we respond?

In Joseph we see a response of worship in the midst of trial, uncertainty and stress. A life lived persistently in trust and obedience of God is a life of worship. We are finite creatures bound by time. We cannot see into the future. But God, THE One we are called to trust and obey is infinite, unbounded by time - He sees clearly what we call "our future." God guides and protects us. Do we believe that? His goal for us in this mortal life is not death but rather resurrection into eternal life. That is our Hope in God - that is our certainty.

Joseph had His rights; he could choose them and "the adulteress shall surely be put to death." (Leviticus 20, Deuteronomy 22) He chose to relinquish those rights. He chose to accept the responsibility to Love. He chose to act reflecting something of the mindset of the Child Mary would birth. I pray as we explore the Word of God and we live our lives that we will live in trust and obedience to God - I pray we will live as people who truly know the Christ of Christmas.

Matthew 1:18-25 "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. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But 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. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ ... When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus."