Arguably the most famous characters of the Nativity story are Mary and Joseph – after all they are the parents of baby Jesus. They would have been the first to know.

Some of you may know what Facebook is. Rebecca encouraged me to sign-up, but since I am not from that generation, I don’t understand it all. In Facebook, you can sign up for various groups and one of the groups that she signed up for was the “You know you’re a PK if…” Here are a couple of examples:

• someone finds out your dad’s a pastor they immediately respond with “ooohhh, well, you know what they say about them preacher’s kids!” and then you’re automatically lumped into “that” category.

• The only kids who hold a candle to you are the MK’s, and everyone wants to send them to the jungle somewhere.

• Your Mom usually sits by herself because she’s the preacher’s wife, and people think she’s an alien.

• You see your dad as dad, not as a preacher, and people just don’t get it.

Anna and James are not the only PK’s with us – Pam is also a PK and many years ago her family was at a Christmas Eve service and the title of the sermon was “Joseph Had a Problem.” Unfortunately, now any time someone says they have a problem, the running gag is Joseph had a problem.

And while that may get mileage, it really is true – this couple of Joseph and Mary really had a problem. In our day and age of multiple relationships and single parent homes and out of wedlock pregnancies, we don’t see the scandal this would have caused. Let’s take a look at the story from each person’s perspective. Mary’s reaction is recorded in Luke chapter 1:26-56:

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

46 Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
50 He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
55 For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary wasn’t quite sure how to handle this news – It’s interesting that every time an angel appears during the Nativity narratives, the angel says, “Don’t be afraid.” The Jewish people weren’t used to God speaking to them. Remember God had been silent for over 400 years and now God was speaking to his people again. First, she wasn’t quite sure how to handle an angel coming to speak to her and she was confused at the greeting. Think about that, Mary was highly favored by God…She must have been a special woman – someone after God’s own heart. Then the angel tells her that she will be pregnant with the son of God. This was to be a special baby. I wonder what Mary was thinking. Was she thinking, “I am I nuts?” “Am I off my rocker?” I’m sure we may have reacted the same way. It’s only after she goes to her cousin Elizabeth’s house that everything becomes clear – or at least a little less muddy. Elizabeth confirms that this baby in her womb is the son of God – That this baby is exactly what the angel said it would be. This is when we have Mary’s beautiful song called the Magnificat (or My soul magnifies the Lord.) Put yourself in Mary’s sandals this morning. Would this have been your reaction to being chosen to give birth to the son of God?

Magnificat

Mary’s response to a difficult situation was to worship God. What is your response to a difficult situation? Is you first instinct to worship God? I’m sure she still had questions – and yet here she was – she was going to be the mother of the son of God – and his name was Jesus. Mary was well aware as a good Jewish person what the name meant – This son of hers was going to save the Jewish people – and ultimately save the world from their sins – No wonder she had cause to worship God.

But what about Joseph? What was his reaction to this blessed event? Joseph’s story is recorded in Matthew 1:

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[i] for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Joseph had several issues. First, his fiancé was pregnant with someone else’s baby, namely God’s son. There weren’t many options for Joseph if he was a law-abiding citizen of Israel. The law called for a women caught in adultery or other sexual sins to be stoned. We are also aware that the couple was engaged, not married – perhaps there was a loophole that we don’t know about. It appears that Joseph entertained thoughts of just breaking off the engagement. But Joseph also had a visit from an angel and he is told exactly what to do. He is not to break off the engagement – he shouldn’t have her stoned for unfaithfulness, instead he should still get married. He is also told to name the boy Jesus, why, because this boy will save the Israelites from their sins. Alright, so I imagine that Joseph ignored the ridicule that was hurled at him as a result and yet there were more questions.

How do you be the father of the son of God? What would he be like? Whose eyes would he have? Would he be a good baby? Would he have colic? How do you teach him the love of God? Wouldn’t he already know that? Is it possible to teach him anything? I’m sure Joseph had many questions – but he was sure of this – that God had called him to do this and he was going to follow God’s calling – what could a simple carpenter give to God? He would give him a place for shelter and a name – for this is all he had to give.

This is All I Have to Give

So, what is your response to the announcement of the son of God? Could you respond like Mary? Could you worship him? Or perhaps, you simply say like Joseph, “This is all I have to give.” What will you give to the coming King today?