DECEMBER 13TH
The Christmas Station
Matthew 1:18-25 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
There have never been more technological advances in all of history than there have been in the last 100 years. Perhaps no other invention in those past 100 years has had a greater impact on our civilization than the radio. For the first time, there was a way to communicate with millions of people at once, even from thousands of miles away. Nearly every home in America has a radio and as more and more networks competed for listeners, the words 'don't touch that dial' were frequently heard between programs, encouraging listeners not to change the station during the commercial break but to tune in for just a few more minutes to hear whatever exciting show or song was up next.
Today, we understand why those networks were concerned that people would change the station so quickly. Our society has a very short attention span and it's increasingly difficult to hold a person's attention. If we don't like one show, we find something else. If we don't like a song, we hit skip and turn on another. If we don't like Christmas music, we turn to something else! There are plenty of options to choose from. On another level, this need for options can be destructive; if one church isn't working out, we leave. If things aren't working out with one spouse, we feel increasingly free to cut our losses and try again with someone else. This short attention and commitment span can have devastating consequences for our spiritual life that spill out into every aspect of life. When life is hard and God doesn't seem to be doing anything about it, the temptation to turn the dial away from God and away from His plan can be overwhelming. Joseph had a moment of temptation just like this. We're told that Joseph was a just man, a description that means he was a student of the Hebrew Scriptures and Law. Suddenly, this righteous, godly man found himself betrothed to a girl who was pregnant with someone else's baby. Think of the drama! Joseph was ready to give up and change the station on this program, but that wasn't what God wanted or had planned. Matthew tells us that Joseph had made up his mind to break his engagement to Mary, but God spoke to him out of the blue, telling him Mary's baby was from the Holy Spirit and that he shouldn't be afraid to marry her. In other words, God told him, "Don't touch that dial!"
Now we might think God could have saved Joseph some time and work by giving him a little advance notice, but instead, God didn't speak until Joseph had concluded there was nothing to do but change channels in his life. God sometimes waits to speak in order to toughen our faith and strengthen our dependence on Him. The time Joseph must have spent praying to God for wisdom surely drew him closer to God and strengthened his faith, even if God chose not to answer right away. Joseph hadn't planned on raising a baby that wasn't his, but because he didn't change the station, he became the earthly father of the son of God. When life is hard and you are thinking about giving up on the church, a relationship, prayer, God, or yourself, don't touch that dial. God still speaks at exactly the right moment to keep us tuned into Him and His perfect plan for our lives. As Mary and Joseph would attest, we can be part of miraculous things when we stay tuned in to God.
Today, we understand why those networks were concerned that people would change the station so quickly. Our society has a very short attention span and it's increasingly difficult to hold a person's attention. If we don't like one show, we find something else. If we don't like a song, we hit skip and turn on another. If we don't like Christmas music, we turn to something else! There are plenty of options to choose from. On another level, this need for options can be destructive; if one church isn't working out, we leave. If things aren't working out with one spouse, we feel increasingly free to cut our losses and try again with someone else. This short attention and commitment span can have devastating consequences for our spiritual life that spill out into every aspect of life. When life is hard and God doesn't seem to be doing anything about it, the temptation to turn the dial away from God and away from His plan can be overwhelming. Joseph had a moment of temptation just like this. We're told that Joseph was a just man, a description that means he was a student of the Hebrew Scriptures and Law. Suddenly, this righteous, godly man found himself betrothed to a girl who was pregnant with someone else's baby. Think of the drama! Joseph was ready to give up and change the station on this program, but that wasn't what God wanted or had planned. Matthew tells us that Joseph had made up his mind to break his engagement to Mary, but God spoke to him out of the blue, telling him Mary's baby was from the Holy Spirit and that he shouldn't be afraid to marry her. In other words, God told him, "Don't touch that dial!"
Now we might think God could have saved Joseph some time and work by giving him a little advance notice, but instead, God didn't speak until Joseph had concluded there was nothing to do but change channels in his life. God sometimes waits to speak in order to toughen our faith and strengthen our dependence on Him. The time Joseph must have spent praying to God for wisdom surely drew him closer to God and strengthened his faith, even if God chose not to answer right away. Joseph hadn't planned on raising a baby that wasn't his, but because he didn't change the station, he became the earthly father of the son of God. When life is hard and you are thinking about giving up on the church, a relationship, prayer, God, or yourself, don't touch that dial. God still speaks at exactly the right moment to keep us tuned into Him and His perfect plan for our lives. As Mary and Joseph would attest, we can be part of miraculous things when we stay tuned in to God.