Surprised by God (Matthew 1:18-24)

Something of the surprise of the Christmas message is lost with the yearly repetition of this wonderful account. The events of Christmas viewed through the eyes of Joseph give us an opportunity to see the Christmas account for how remarkable it really was. Joseph's first surprise is the shocking news of his fiance Mary's pregnancy. The next surprise is even more amazing when an angelic visitor turns up in a dream. But, the message the angel leaves Joseph is still more incredible; that Mary is still a virgin and the child in her womb is placed there by God, the Holy Spirit. If that were not enough, the angel continues with the astonishing word that this child will offer the world deliverance from the grip of evil. But, all these surprises pale in comparison to the greatest one of them all. The child is in fact God in human flesh. When we rediscover the matchless person of Jesus in this timeless account, we open ourselves again to his impact on our lives and the world.