The Anticipation of Love

Matthew 1:18-25

I was 7 months old when I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. There was nothing I was going to be able to do for myself—the battle for my survival belonged to my parents. Mom would fight the docs to make sure I got the best care possible, which became an even tougher fight as I got older and didn’t want to believe I was sick and needed help. I fought her to deny my health struggles while she fought for me. I didn’t deserve the love and care given to me, but that didn’t stop them from giving it. Love gives regardless of what it gains. This is a lesson that Joseph lived out for us in the Christmas story.

My mom could have made a different choice. Yes, I know it’s a parent/kid thing, but she had a choice. She could have let go of the stress and let nature take its course, or choose to just go along with standard protocol from the medical team, but she chose the harder path – the MUCH harder path. Joseph had a choice to make. He could either punish Mary according to society’s rules, or act in love. He chose to not give Mary what she deserved.

God Chooses NOT to Give Us What We Deserve

1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love keeps no record of wrongs. Joseph live that out well, as even when he thought Mary was guilty, he didn’t want to have her punished, but to just bow out quietly. Instead of having Mary stoned, his heart wanted not for vengeance, but for resolution. It was in his right to have her stoned, but he chose not to punish. Before Joseph heard from the angel, his heart was turned towards love. There was nothing Mary could give to Joseph but baggage and needs.

This is a lot like Raoul from The Phantom of the Opera – he chose to love Christine despite all the mess and trouble caused by the other guy, who was causing real problems because of his infatuation. Real love gives through the mess. Psalm 103 hits it perfectly – God chooses not to deal with us in our mess, but to separate us from our sin as far as the east is from the west. This is not what we deserve, but what He chooses to give. And what He chooses to give, we most definitely do NOT deserve.

God Chooses to Give Us What We Do NOT Deserve

I was teaching English as a second language in Amman, teaching Jordanians about foster care/adoption, I was shocked to find out that it was absolutely unheard of to them that you would step in for someone else to care for a child not your own. Their culture would abandon the child, not love a child that’s not yours. The angel would inform Joseph of the situation regarding Mary, proving her innocence in the promiscuity matter, but this still finds Joseph stuck in a situation he didn’t plan. He was an outsider in a family that wasn’t really his. Yet he stepped in. He took the calling from God and raised the rescuer.

Jesus didn’t have to step in either. He could have left us to our own devices—especially with the reality that we were actively against Him while trapped in our sin—but He chose to step into a problem that was fully our problem, giving His life despite us not deserving anything from Him. His gift was purely His choice. Romans 5:8 makes this clear – while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He gave what we didn’t deserve. We knew an aunt of one of our foster kids, a 19yo young lady who had broken through the foster care system herself and was a promising, ambitious go getter, but gave up everything to care for her brother’s 5 children in foster care. She saved up on her own for a bigger car, bigger apartment and sacrificed a career to care for and eventually adopt 5 children, all under 5yo at the time. This is love.

Next Steps

Did you know that of all religions, the only one that deals with the problem of sin with a God acting out of love for the people is Christianity. Every other religion exacts some kind of penance or payment from its followers, but ours. God could have (and probably should have) had us sent away, like Joseph, like my parents, like Raoul, like our kid’s aunt all could have done. Yet they didn’t – they chose to act out of love, step into a mess that wasn’t theirs and rescued without recompense.

1. Embrace God’s love for you – accept it and begin to live in it
2. Love others in the same way – without exception and with concession. Love without expectation of payment.
3. Welcome a new friend into your heart as your first goal of the New Year.

Today we’ve been talking about love. Today we get excited about it, we anticipate it as we celebrate the arrival of Christmas. The holiday is here! Look forward today, not just to presents, or desserts, or fun, but to love. Love that came after us. Love that didn’t give up on us. Love that gave.