Reflection for December 18
Joseph said “Yes!”
We often speak of Mary saying “Yes!” to God, to be the Mother of Jesus. But we don’t always talk about Joseph.
The first reading for today is from Jeremiah:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David….”
And so, the first seventeen verses of Matthew 1 list the genealogy of Jesus, to show that Joseph’s lineage goes back to David.
Yet nothing about Joseph shows evidence of royal heritage. He’s a carpenter, something of a lowly occupation back in old Nazareth. Now he finds that Mary, his betrothed, is pregnant. Things aren’t looking great for Joseph. Divorcing her quietly was the noble option; he could have turned her over to the authorities.
But the Angel of the Lord came to him in a dream, and Joseph said “Yes!”
He didn’t know what he was getting into. He trusted that God would lead him.
I often think about how I might respond with “Yes!” in my life. I don’t think I’ve been visited by an angel in a dream. But sometimes, the angels are found in people and opportunities.
This Advent season, how will you say YES?
Judy Cooke