What comes to mind when you think of Christmas?
*when we close our eyes and imagine Christmas; often it’s picturesque scenes of family gathered and all is ‘right in the world’ so to speak. Christmas is so often displayed by the perfect decorations and pristinely wrapped presents. But that original - Story of Christmas is actually anything but perfect, tidy and pristine.

It’s a story that involves uncomfortable interruptions and improbable faith stretching invitations to trust God more in the next moment, than in the moment that just passed. We’ll see today in the story of Joseph and Mary the hard reality of God’s interruptions!

To have found favor is to have found grace with God. It is to gain approval, acceptance, or blessing. In the New Testament, the word “grace” shares the same root as “favor.” There is not necessarily anything in Mary life’s that warrants God’s favor. Mary is not a perfect human being—she is simply the recipient of God’s grace. This is how salvation works. By God’s grace, faith is possible, and God makes a way for a fallen humanity, to have a personal and intimate relationship with him through the child that Mary will bring into the world.

God’s INITIATIVE is activated! But that means Mary’s life is INTERRUPTED. Gabriel has shown up in her life at God’s command, identified himself, is about to address her in a way that is completely astounding, and with a plan that seems virtually impossible.

When God’s plan is revealed in our lives, we may think it’s an impossibility, but when God’s will is made clear in life and we obey, nothing is impossible for God.

Still uncertain about how this will come to be, she asks Gabriel how this can even be possible since she is a virgin.

Gabriel explains how this will happen, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35)

This clarifying statement sets Jesus Christ apart from any other human being ever born. His was a divine conception and not a human conception. While Jesus will be born as every human being is born, he will live in perfection as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
*(see Isaiah 7:14 and Galatians 4:4)

Joseph's life become interrupted as well. We are told that after the angel speaks to Joseph in a dream, he woke up and was immediately resolved to do as the angel instructed. Joseph immediately took Mary as his wife.

This action would have been frowned upon in Joseph’s world as would have been the pregnancy of Mary, but Joseph didn’t care because he was obeying the command of God.

Matthew’s gospel does not go into detail about the birth of Christ, but it does tell us that Joseph “knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

Both Mary and Joseph immediately obeyed the Lord’s command and welcomed Jesus, their Messiah into the world.

Their lives were interrupted, but they remained faithful.

God interrupts the plans of both Joseph and Mary to refocus them on His purposes. God’s purpose must take precedent over our plans.

We’re often tempted to see interruptions as irritations that mess up our plans. But interruptions might just be God’s initiative activated…

God is always asking us to trust Him in the next moment - to stretch us further in faith.

God interrupted Mary's very life and her physical body.
God interrupted Joseph’s goals, reputation and plans.
God interrupted the schemes of evil in this world, through the ONE they would deliver.
God interrupted history and the very world though the coming of Jesus.

Aren’t we glad He did?!?

Quote:
“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans” ... God is always at work through His "crooked yet straight path." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Think About It:
Christmas that we celebrate and hold so dear, was the initiative of God activated through a Divine Interruption…to Mary and Joseph and all of history!

God’s initiative still interrupts today…are you open to it, to Him?
Are you willing to partner with Him in what He’s up to?