God With Us: Part 3

And one last time, let’s begin by reading Matthew 1:18-25:

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

God with us: He comes and asks something of us.

So far we’ve learned that God comes to unexpected people and He comes at inconvenient times. You and I are unexpected people that God wants to pour out His Spirit on. And if He hasn’t already done this in your life, He will likely come at an inconvenient time. Lastly, and our focus for today, He will ask something of you. That can be good news, but it depends on what you think good news is.

First, as has been our habit, let’s take a look at Mary and Joseph. Before the angel of the Lord visited either of them, we can probably assume they were living rather normal lives. A wedding celebration is being planned. Joseph is doing his woodworking. I imagine they are excited about a future together. Then BOOM. Not only does God come to unexpected people at a rather inconvenient time, but He then asks something of them. And what does He ask of them? He asks them to submit, sacrifice, and surrender.

Submit. Both Mary and Joseph had a decision to make. God lays out a plan before them, through the angel Gabriel, and invites them to submit to this plan. I think it can be easy to read the passage as if God forced His child into Mary and Joseph had no other choice but to go along with the plan. But that would not be a correct interpretation of the text. In Luke’s account, he records Mary saying, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). God invites her to submit, and she responds willingly. The same thing happened to Joseph. He has already made up his mind that he will divorce Mary quietly. But the same angel visits him and encourages him to reconsider. After waking up, Matthew tells us, “he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son” (Matthew 1:24-25). Both Mary and Joseph made the decision to submit to the plan. But more was required.

Sacrifice. What did they sacrifice? I am sure there is more than what is obvious in Scripture. But to name a few: public image, physical intimacy (for a short while), and safety. Think about it. Mary is pregnant, not by Joseph, and before a wedding takes place. In their culture, this would have brought a large amount of shame to their family. But how do we know that actually happened? In John 8, Jesus is having a dialogue with some of the religious leaders. The conversation is all about who their “father” is. At one point in the dialogue, the religious leaders say to Jesus, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God” (John 8:41). Do you see it? They take a subtle jab at Jesus because it was thought that Jesus was born because of sexual immorality. This is the kind of sacrifice Mary and Joseph had to accept after submitting to the plan. But it wasn’t just their image. We all know the physical intimacy God has blessed a married man and woman with. Yet, because of the miraculous way in which Mary was conceived, this special act must be delayed until after Jesus was born. I don’t know about you, but delaying sex with my wife for almost a year after our marriage sounds like a big sacrifice to me. Lastly, they sacrificed their safety. The first three years of their marriage must have been the most stressful time of their lives. A long trip to Bethlehem while pregnant, fleeing from men who want their son dead, and the pressure of raising the Savior of the world is a bit of an overwhelming task. Not to mention there was that time they thought they lost Him. Yet, God invited them into such sacrifice.

Surrender. This wasn’t just a decision for a moment. Now that Mary and Joseph agreed to welcome God’s Son into the world, they have the responsibility to raise Him. This meant surrendering the rest of their lives to this plan. Everything they thought they were going to do must be set aside. A life of joyful surrender now follows.

And this is exactly why I said it can be good news, depending on what you think good news is. Choosing to submit, sacrifice, and surrender to another persons will initially sounds like a terrible idea. It sounds weak. It sounds like it would rip the joy out of you. Yet, when we submit, sacrifice, and surrender to “God with us,” it has the potential to produce fruit in our lives that we could never dream of.

I don’t know where mine and Rebecca’s story goes from here. Right now we are in Sicily. I don’t know how long we will be here. I don’t know where we will go next. I don’t know what else God will invite us into. But I have recognized that when God comes, He expects something of us. He asked something of us that we would not have chosen on our own. Truthfully, the first year in Sicily has felt a bit more like what Mary and Joseph felt like after accepting God’s plan for their lives. Obviously our situation is very different. I don’t mean to compare us exactly. But this life has not been easy. Many moments I have wished to go back home. I can’t say that I have always enjoyed what God has called us to. But that is beside the point. “God with us” for Mary and Joseph meant a difficult life ahead. I am sure they had many joy-filled moments, laughter, good seasons, and hard. God doesn’t promise easy lives for His children. He promises to be “with us.”

So, I am not sure where you are this Christmas season. Some of you might be riding the best wave of your life right now. Others of you might be doubting that God is even with you. Many of you are likely smack dab in the middle. Wherever you are, let’s remember that “God with us” is a miracle in and of itself.

He comes to unexpected people.

He comes at inconvenient times.

He asks something of us.

Immanuel. God with us.

Merry Christmas.