Advent: The Coming of Jesus ChristSample

DEVOTIONAL

Happy Day 11 of Crosstowne's Advent calendar! We're continuing our week celebrating "The Bethlehem Candle". During Christmas, churches often speak of Mary and her courage to be the Mother of Jesus. Sometimes, her wonderful husband Joseph gets overlooked for his sacrifice. So, we're dedicating today to remembering Joseph. Imagine being this strapping young man, ready to start his life with the woman he was engaged to. Suddenly, all that seems to be taken away from him when he discovers her pregnancy outside of wedlock. And he is NOT the father...

In those days, Joseph would have had every legal right to stone Mary to death for her disloyalty to him. But the Scriptures say he took time to consider the situation and did not want to shame her. Joseph was a gentleman and wanted to break the engagement privately. This passage of Scripture usually goes unnoticed. We sometimes don't take the time to stop and think about how this poor guy felt. Maybe brokenhearted and probably angry because Mary was pregnant?

God selected a fantastic earthly father to raise Jesus. He knew this was a man of honor who would stand by Mary through all of the shame and condemnation from people. To the outside person, Joseph supporting Mary's pregnancy meant that he most likely had sinned with her - imagine how much judgment they felt as a couple. But Joseph stayed. He believed what the angel told him and was responsible for being Jesus' dad. Joseph was all in!

Mary and Joseph needed God and each other to get through this pregnancy. God knew he had to choose a couple of FAITH. Jesus had awesome parents!

ACTIVITY

Part 1: We talked about how Joseph is the unsung hero of the Christmas story. He sacrificed A LOT but doesn't always get credit for it. In honor of Joseph, think of someone in your life who works hard, an unsung hero. Maybe they don't get recognized often, or perhaps you haven't personally recognized their contribution to your life. Maybe it's your small group leader or a coworker or babysitter. Perhaps it's your child's Sunday teacher. It could even be someone who inspires you that you've never met before but you see every week! Take some time to pray for this person.

Part 2: Use this opportunity to write the unsung hero in your or your family's life a good old-fashioned letter, or if you're friends with them on social media - tag them in a post. It doesn't have to be long! Just a note saying you appreciate them and you love them. Maybe take it further and buy them lunch or send them a gift card! HINT: This is extra fun when you do it anonymously.