IT'S NOT GOOD TO BE ALONE

 

DECEMBER 19, 2023

Matthew 1:24-25a

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

We are not given all the fine details, but I would think that life must have been an uncomfortable for Mary, in the days after she left Elizabeth. I mean Elizabeth knew that God was doing something amazing in her, and in Mary. Elizabeth must have been a tremendous comfort to Mary, before she went to live with Joseph. Put yourself in this teenager’s position, Who did she have to open her heart to? Was there anyone who believed her, a parent, a sister or brother, a friend? I feel that for a piece of her journey Mary must felt intensely alone.

We don't know all this about Mary, of course. But we do know that God spoke to Joseph, and soon afterward, Mary had someone on her side again. Someone who believed her; someone who understood the big picture of God’s story that included Mary. Joseph would be there for her whatever upheaval there might have been among their friends and family, and he was there supportively as they coped with the later months of pregnancy, too.

Today, here is my take on all this. God knows we need other people; He could have prepared Mary do it all on her own, but the Creator did not. When we think about even Jesus did not do it all on His own, He chose twelve disciples, and had many, many more who loved and followed Him, including you and me. And you, who do you have? Maybe a spouse or a child or a friend or a neighbor. Hopefully you have the community of a church. And above all, Jesus Himself, who has promised He will always be with us, and never leave us alone. He is the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us (see Galatians 2:20), and He plans for you and me to be with Him forever. We are His beloved, and He is ours (see Song of Solomon 6:3).

Thanks be to God for his tender care of each one of us. Amen.