Don’t Be Afraid
Please Read Matthew 1:18-25
Advent is a season of waiting—a time to prepare our hearts for God’s arrival. Joseph’s story reminds that we find that preparation isn’t always calm or comfortable. Waiting can be confusing.
While they were engaged to be married, Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, and the baby was not his. Because he was a “righteous man,” according to Matthew, he didn’t want to humiliate her. Joseph decided to call off their engagement quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:19–20 (CEB)
I imagine that Joseph thought he understood the direction his life would take. He and Mary would get married, have children, and build a nice home together while Joseph worked as a carpenter. Then came the news that shattered his plans—Mary was pregnant, and the child wasn’t his.
Joseph’s response was human. He would end their engagement. But his response was also measured and compassionate. Some other righteous man might have exposed Mary publicly to protect his own name and subject her to punishment under the law. Joseph’s sense of right and wrong was guided by grace and mercy.
Then, something totally unexpected happened. God intervened. “Do not be afraid,” the angel said. “What is happening here is the work of the Holy Spirit.”
In that moment, Joseph learned what many of us discover in Advent: God’s plans can upend our own, but they are always rooted in love.
Joseph’s faith was not loud or public—it was obedient. He trusted the voice that came in a dream. He welcomed Mary into his home. He named the child Jesus, just as the angel said. Through his quiet courage, the promise of Emmanuel—God with us—entered the world.
We, too, are invited to trust in what we cannot yet see. Advent invites us to believe that even in confusion, God is at work. Like Joseph, we are called to let go of fear and to make room for the unexpected presence of Christ.
Where is God calling you to trust beyond your own understanding? How will you prepare room for Christ’s presence this Advent?
Prayer: Dear God, in the middle of my expectations, help me hear your voice of reassurance: “Do not be afraid.” Give me the courage to trust you when life takes an unexpected turn, to act in faith rather than fear, and to welcome Christ into my heart and home. Amen.
Rev. Jeff Taylor
Advent is a season of waiting—a time to prepare our hearts for God’s arrival. Joseph’s story reminds that we find that preparation isn’t always calm or comfortable. Waiting can be confusing.
While they were engaged to be married, Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, and the baby was not his. Because he was a “righteous man,” according to Matthew, he didn’t want to humiliate her. Joseph decided to call off their engagement quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:19–20 (CEB)
I imagine that Joseph thought he understood the direction his life would take. He and Mary would get married, have children, and build a nice home together while Joseph worked as a carpenter. Then came the news that shattered his plans—Mary was pregnant, and the child wasn’t his.
Joseph’s response was human. He would end their engagement. But his response was also measured and compassionate. Some other righteous man might have exposed Mary publicly to protect his own name and subject her to punishment under the law. Joseph’s sense of right and wrong was guided by grace and mercy.
Then, something totally unexpected happened. God intervened. “Do not be afraid,” the angel said. “What is happening here is the work of the Holy Spirit.”
In that moment, Joseph learned what many of us discover in Advent: God’s plans can upend our own, but they are always rooted in love.
Joseph’s faith was not loud or public—it was obedient. He trusted the voice that came in a dream. He welcomed Mary into his home. He named the child Jesus, just as the angel said. Through his quiet courage, the promise of Emmanuel—God with us—entered the world.
We, too, are invited to trust in what we cannot yet see. Advent invites us to believe that even in confusion, God is at work. Like Joseph, we are called to let go of fear and to make room for the unexpected presence of Christ.
Where is God calling you to trust beyond your own understanding? How will you prepare room for Christ’s presence this Advent?
Prayer: Dear God, in the middle of my expectations, help me hear your voice of reassurance: “Do not be afraid.” Give me the courage to trust you when life takes an unexpected turn, to act in faith rather than fear, and to welcome Christ into my heart and home. Amen.
Rev. Jeff Taylor
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