19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
As we enter the Advent season, we often reflect on Mary—the chosen mother of Jesus—but Scripture quietly invites us to stand alongside Joseph as well. One can only imagine the emotions that must have washed over him as he moved from place to place, guarding the newborn King. Fear. Inadequacy. Uncertainty. The weight of responsibility for the Messiah must have pressed heavily upon him.
The journey from Bethlehem to Egypt, and later back to Israel, must not have been a quick or simple trip. Mile after mile, Joseph carried not only provisions and belongings, but also questions: Am I capable of this? Why me? What if I fail? In the long stretches of silence between dusty steps, he must have wrestled with his own limitations. Yet Joseph also carried something far greater—his faith. Raised in the stories of Israel, he knew that God was always weaving a larger narrative, one that stretched from Abraham to Moses to David and now through him. Joseph understood that he was part of a divine story being written long before he took his first breath. And that truth became an anchor in the storm of his thoughts and emotions.
God becoming King—Emmanuel, God with us—was not Joseph’s story to manage. It was God’s story to fulfill. Joseph’s calling was simply to be faithful in the part entrusted to him. Though his role was crucial, he knew he was not the center; Christ was. And that freed him to obey without needing to have all the answers.
This Advent, we are invited to stand where Joseph stood. We too face seasons of fear, inadequacy, and uncertainty. We too are tempted to believe the story depends on our strength. But like Joseph, we are reminded that the story has already been authored—and the Author is faithful.
Our task is not to control the narrative, but to trust the One who writes it. God faithfully orchestrated the pieces for the Nazarene - Jesse's Branch, to sprout.
Reflection:
Where are you feeling inadequate or uncertain as Advent begins? How might remembering God’s larger story bring peace and steadiness to your heart today?
Prayer:
Lord, as Joseph trusted You in the midst of uncertainty, help me anchor my heart in Your greater story. Teach my heart to faithfully follow your lead, knowing that You are fulfilling Your purposes in and through me. Amen.
