He didn't run; he obeyed

The story of Jesus' birth begins with a near "divorce," with a teenager pregnant out of "wedlock," and an angel's surprise to a man who was fearful of the future.

Sounds like an episode of reality television.

It went this way in Matthew's gospel: "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[e] 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”[g] (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."

Apparently picking a child's name was God's business in both John's birth and Jesus' birth as well.

We hear so little of Joseph, and he is soon to disappear from history's pages. The most we learn of him is in this piece of scripture, and what we learn is he's kind-hearted but practical. Pregnant by the Holy Spirit? Sure. I will just pack up and get out of here.

But little Jesus needed a protector. Little Jesus needed someone who would watch over him and lead the family out of harm's way when Herod did his thing. Little Jesus needed someone to take him to Temple, needed someone to teach him carpentry or stone masonry or whatever it was the family business was.

Imagine the stories, the stares, the gossip about this family, about this man.

We ask the question of what Mary knew about her child. We forget about Joseph, who apparently fathered other children by Mary but was gone by the time Jesus began his ministry. We decide he must have been much older because he died, but we don't know. Interestingly, Matthew traces Joseph's line back to Abraham, though Jesus had none of Joseph's blood.

What are we to make of all this?

The key line, to me, is "He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream."

Obedience is key to all proper worship, key to all proper relationship. If we obey what God has told us, things are smooth and the peace that surpasses all understanding is ours. If we do not obey, things go badly and we are worried and anxious.

Joseph dreamed, then acted.
We dream, then fall away from God.

As little ones dream of Christmas Eve but a week away, let us remember Joseph, who did the best he could in the most unique of situations. He didn't run. He obeyed. For that we should be literally eternally grateful.