And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. – Luke 2:40-52 ESV

Warrior;

This is the last time we have record of Joseph in the Bible. Joseph is one of the unsung heroes of the Bible. At Christmas time we celebrate the coveted story of the Baby Jesus in the manger.  There is Joseph and Mary with the baby Jesus in a stable with wise men, and animals and a glowing star that lit up the night sky.  Like so many other stories over the years, what is thought to be, is not always the case.  Case in point, there is a false theology out there that says: If you are walking with God everything is going to go easy, well and you will have many people supporting you- after all it is the WILL OF GOD.  FALSE! Have you considered the reality of the Christmas story?  Joseph and Mary were planning their lives.  Mary was most likely 12-14 years old, and Joseph was probably at least 30.  Mary was planning on how many kids they were going to have, what their house that Joseph was getting ready for them to occupy would be like, how to decorate her home…. Joseph was planning a wedding and a future as a trained carpenter and building a legacy for him and his soon to be family. They were planning for their future, for their fun and for their family.  Then the God of the universe interrupted their simple lives with a GREAT PLAN.  This is what God meant when He told the prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope”. (Jeremiah 29:11) They were ridiculed, abandoned, belittled and had to hide.  Their families were not for them, their world was against them, and darkness wanted to stop them.  Welcome to the plans of God! They were doing God’s will and their world fell apart!  Amen and Ouch!

Leader, Hear the Word of the Lord; “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” Here is an UNKNOWN man, a NO NAME man, who was a Good, Decent, Honorable man, who the WORLD KNEW NOT, but God trusted! Many of us wonder if we truly believe in God. If our lives depended on our Faith, would there be enough FAITH to sustain our lives? If being a follower of Jesus the Messiah was illegal, would there be enough evidence to convict you of the crime? Forget the question of, do you believe in God? The right question is does GOD BELIEVE IN YOU? Are you like Job, Mary, and Joseph- and God believes in you! That is what God said to The Satan in Job 1. The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God].” (Job 1:8) In essence Yahweh was saying, “I believe in Job”. We have another example of God believing in a human, and that human was Joseph! A good, decent, honorable man that the world knew not, but God trusted? Are you a Joseph, a Mary or Job? A person who God believes in and uses, even if the world KNOWS YOU NOT?

Conduit, it is written: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.” (I Corinthians 1:18-20,27-28) We have no record of when Joseph died, the world didn’t value him enough to even record his death. It is believed that Joseph died sometimes between the last mention of him in the Bible and before the earthly ministry of Jesus. We have a few logical reasons to posit this. By the time we get to the wedding at Cana (John 2), we see Mary, but no Joseph. Jesus remained at home till 30, this could be because He had a responsibility to care for the family as the oldest whose Father has died. Also, when Jesus was on the cross, He made arrangements for His mother to be cared for by the apostle John (John 19:26-27). It makes sense that Joseph must have been dead, or Jesus would never have committed Mary to John. Only a widow could have rightly been given into the care of someone outside the immediate family. Also, we read of Mary and “Jesus’ brothers” coming to Him while He is teaching, without a mention of Joseph. It would be remarkably strange in Jewish culture for a woman to travel without her husband, especially the man who had been commissioned by an angel to protect her! Lastly, if Joseph had died during the three-year ministry of Christ, that would have been a major event; we would have read about Jesus going to the funeral with His disciples, and at least one of the Gospel writers would have recorded it. God didn’t feel the need for us to know when Joseph died. The world could care less about Joseph, or when He died. But know this, “God is well pleased with Joseph”. One of the gifts of Christmas is to realize that God has called many of us to be a JOSEPH, a MARY, or a JOB. The question is NOT whether we have been called. The question is are we WILLING? God gave us the gift of REDEMPTION for Christmas. Will you give Him the gift of your WILLINGNESS and AVAILABILITY. What will you get YAHWEH for CHRISTMAS?