When I was in kindergarten, I received a sweet little book called, Thank You, God for Christmas. Each page of the story thanks God for one person (or animal) after another who played a part in Jesus’ birth—thank you, God, for Gabriel, the donkey, the man at the inn, the animals in the stable, the shepherds, the angels, the star, Mary, and last but not least, Jesus himself. For years I didn't notice that something, or someone, was missing. Though his smiling face appears several times, gratitude for Joseph is conspicuously absent.
As we celebrate the magic of Christmas with the twinkling of lights, mouth-watering foods, joyful songs, and giving of gifts, it's easy to forget that many of the events surrounding the pregnancy and birth of Jesus were anything but merry. An unwed girl is found to be pregnant. When Mary humbly submitted to God's will, she also opened herself to receive the scorn of a society that didn't take kindly to such scandals. But God knew what he was doing and the virtuous girl he was choosing for the honour of being the mother of the Son of God.
So, what about Joseph? How does he fit into this story? Is he just some guy that tagged along for the ride? Not in the least. The Bible shows us that he, like Mary, was a humble, godly servant of the Lord. He could have easily broken off ties with Mary and rid himself of her apparent shame, which was his plan, and no one would have faulted him for it. Instead, when the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary home as his wife, he immediately obeyed upon awaking the next morning (Matt. 1:20-21, 24). God had no intention for Mary to be a single mother, but instead brought an honourable husband to protect and care for her. And more than that, he brought an earthly adoptive dad to raise his Son.
The definition of an unsung hero is “a person who has…committed acts of bravery or self-sacrifice, yet is not celebrated or recognized,” (grammarist.com). Well, this year, I say: Thank you, God, for Joseph who courageously took Mary as his wife and Jesus as his son. He loved them and cared for them with the selfless love of a righteous man.
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