Christmas ViewpointSample

Joseph, A Man of Instant Obedience

'When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”'

Maybe as a child, you heard your parents say, “I’m not going to tell you again!” That usually was said with a tone of authority and forcefulness as you were given a task and hesitated due to disdain, distraction, or disinterest. Whether cleaning your room, emptying the trash, or doing homework, you moved…but grudgingly.

Put yourself in Joseph’s sandals. Jesus was now a toddler, and the holy family was attempting to live in day-to-day obscurity. The rhythm of life possibly became stable and comfortable, and then Joseph heard, “Get up…” another message from a divine messenger. Joseph was commanded to leave the familiar rhythms of his family’s present life and move into the unknown… Egypt, of all places. '…so he got up…' was the command, and Joseph followed in the footsteps of some of his great predecessors like Abraham and Moses. Although scripture is not specific, the command and obedience to the command do not seem to skip a beat. In total obedience, Joseph takes his family to Egypt, the face of the unknown.

Viewpoint Reflection

Think of a time when you felt God’s call into the unknown. Spend some time recalling the details. Maybe at the time, you could not see the sense of it, but now you can see God’s hand in it. Give God thanks for His provision and protection.