Father of the Year

Reading through the account of the birth of Christ, I personally award Joseph, “Father of the Year”. He was a model young man who heard the call of God and followed it.

Joseph was a carpenter, a simple man of trade. He was engaged to young girl named Mary and was planning his future home. I am sure he had wedding plans on his mind too. A normal groom would. All of a sudden Mary gives her fiancée' a bombshell announcement. "I'm pregnant. Whoa....wait a minute, how, who, what?” After she explains, he understands that the child is not his. I would guess that Joseph quickly drafted a "Plan B".

The Bible says that he had it in his mind to divorce her quietly. One night....the angel shows up in a dream and tells Joseph not to break his promise to Mary. The angel explains that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. I am sure he was worried about those "behind-closed-door conversations" too from friends and family. But Joseph did the right thing. He honored God with his obedience and took Mary as his wife. He chose the uneasy, uncomfortable and uncertain path. There was a cost.

With a new family on his mind, Joseph, stood manger-side with a new perspective about life. He certainly must have been in awe of the events of the last 24 hours. His responsibilities became all too real that night in the stable, as he held his son, Immanuel, in his arms. He witnessed something holy and suddenly the cost was worth it. In my opinion THAT’s Father of the Year material.